The world is filled with intriguing deserted places, from forgotten Gold Rush-era towns and derelict islands to amusement parks left to rust. We've scoured the globe to bring you the world's most fascinating and spine-chilling abandoned spots.

Click through the gallery to discover the world's intriguing abandoned places...

Privilege was once the place to see and be seen. Ibiza’s iconic nightclub started life in 1979 as KU Club, before renaming to Privilege in 1995. The roofless venue was famed for its hedonistic, open-air parties featuring star performances from the likes of Grace Jones, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet – Freddie Mercury even shot a music video here. The mega-club once held the Guinness World Record as the world’s largest nightclub, but today the huge space lies eerily silent, empty and slowly falling into disrepair.

In its heyday, Privilege saw up to 10,000 partiers flock to the 70,000-square-foot (6,503sqm) venue; seriously impressive stuff, considering Ibiza’s biggest clubs today – Amnesia and Pacha – hold only up to 5,000. Privilege was also renowned for its Manumission party, where revellers may have spotted Madonna, Boy George or Jean Paul Gaultier in the crowd. Following a change in Spanish legislation in the 1990s, Privilege installed a roof, where the debauchery would continue for almost another 30 years.

Privilege was forced to close when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 – but while many other bars, restaurants and nightclubs eventually reopened, the Ibiza institution remained shut. You can still visit the site, located near the village of San Rafael, but it makes for an unexpectedly unsettling experience. Green buses that once transported revellers to its doors stand covered in dust and graffiti, while VIP parking spaces and guest list booths remain devoid of cars and queues. Metal rusts under the sun, paint peels from the walls and promotional posters fade in their grandeur.

It was hoped the club would reopen in 2022, but shows no sign of development – yet. In July 2022 it was reported that the majority ownership of Privilege was sold to Bahía de San Antonio S.A, owned by Grupo Empresas Matutes, who are also responsible for the Palladium Hotel Group (including Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Ibiza). We'll have to wait and see what 2024 has in store for the White Island hotspot. 

This abandoned isle in northeastern Crete has a long and tumultuous history. It was originally occupied by the Venetians who, in the 1500s, built a defensive fort here. By 1715, the Ottomans had laid claim to the island, and the last Turks wouldn't leave until the early 20th century. The remnants of the fortress and the hulking defensive walls remain one of the island's major draws today.

From around 1904, the island took on a whole new role. It was used as a leper colony and hundreds of people who suffered with the disease were banished here. The colony was operational right up until 1957, when it was eventually closed by the government. Today, the archaeological site is usually popular with tourists, who ride boats across from the town of Plaka to learn about the isle's intriguing history.

The eerie Old Idaho State Penitentiary sits on the eastern edge of Boise, Idaho's state capital. It was opened in 1872 and was operational for more than 100 years. During this time, the prison housed notorious criminals such as Harry Orchard, who was convicted of murdering former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg. 

The penitentiary was eventually closed in 1973. By this time, the prison was outdated and unfit for purpose, with unsanitary water systems and problems with overcrowding. Inmates were moved on and the facility was shuttered. Modern-day tours usually guide visitors through the property, revealing creaking cell blocks, the solitary confinement area and even the gallows.

Now a haunting ghost town, Jazirat Al Hamra, near the UAE's Ras Al Khaimah, was once a thriving pearl-fishing village with a population of thousands. However, by 1968 the town was altogether abandoned. It's thought that, as the value of pearls was in decline, many of Jazirat Al Hamra's residents left to find their fortunes in big cities such as Abu Dhabi. Other reports suggest inhabitants left due to tribal conflicts.

Today, the buildings – many of which were made using coral – are dusty and crumbling, and there are plenty of spine-chilling ghost stories attached to the town. Tourists can generally explore the site freely, taking in its eroding houses and ruined mosque. Once a year, former residents descend on Jazirat Al Hamra for an annual 'reunion party'.

One of the most infamous abandoned properties in America, the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital opened in the early 20th century. The hospital served as a facility to hold, assess and treat immigrants seeking a new life in the United States. If the new arrivals were deemed unfit to enter the US for any reason, they risked being sent back to their home countries.

Numbers coming through the hospital began to dwindle and it eventually closed in 1930. The facility was used to treat military personnel in the decades that followed, but was finally abandoned entirely in the 1950s. After being off-limits to the public for many years, the hospital is now open for guided tours through the Save Ellis Island organisation.

These are the enchanting ruins of Ha Ha Tonka Castle, the European-style mansion dreamed up by businessman Robert Snyder. Inspired by the fairy-tale fortresses across the pond, Snyder began construction of this pile in 1905. However, he was tragically killed in one of the state's earliest motoring incidents in 1906, so he never saw Ha Ha Tonka Castle in all its glory.

Snyder's sons honoured their father's vision, though, and the castle was completed by the 1920s. Since then it has served as a private residence for one of the sons and also as a hotel. However, a fierce fire gutted the property in the 1940s and it remained abandoned. Now the castle's remnants are protected by the state and visitors can explore the ruins on an independent hike.

One of the creepiest abandoned amusement parks in the USA, Lake Shawnee can be found in Mercer County in southern West Virginia. This site has a macabre history, which begins even before the park itself was constructed. In the 18th century, the Clay family moved onto this land, which belonged to an indigenous tribe. The angered tribespeople murdered two of Clay's children: the bloodshed then continued as Clay retaliated by murdering several of the indigenous peoples.

Years later in the 1920s, and unaware of the site's sombre story, entrepreneur Conley Snidow purchased the land and opened a kitsch theme park complete with a Ferris wheel and a huge swimming pool. But over the years, a string of deaths at the park convinced many patrons the site was cursed, and it eventually closed in 1966. Today the rusting bones of the park remain and visitors can typically take history tours and attend a spine-chilling 'Dark Carnival' event.

Desert sand has overtaken every corner of Kolmanskop, an atmospheric ghost town in the Namib Desert. In 1908, a curious stone was discovered in the area by a railway worker named Zacharias Lewala. That stone turned out to be a diamond, and soon rich deposits of the precious mineral were discovered here. As folks hoping to make their fortune descended upon the area, the town of Kolmanskop was born.

A wealthy town with lavish houses, a hospital and even a performance hall was built here. However, the diamond deposits were becoming depleted by the 1930s and Kolmanskop's residents heard of rich supplies to the south of town. By 1956 Kolmanskop's inhabitants had cleared out and the site was left to ruin. It's normally possible to book guided tours, which take tourists through the fascinating, sand-filled buildings.

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Old Cahawba was once a flourishing riverside town and the former capital of Alabama from around 1820 to 1826. However, the town's luck changed as it was decided that Old Cahawba's proneness to flooding made it an unsuitable state capital. Tuscaloosa succeeded it and Old Cahawba quickly began to leak residents.

The town managed to pick itself up and dust itself off, but tragedy struck again during the Civil War. Confederate troops claimed sections of Old Cahawba's railroad, using it for projects elsewhere, and also established a prison for Union soldiers at the heart of town. Eventually it was abandoned and now all that remains are empty husks of homes and businesses, cloaked by Spanish moss.

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky dubs itself 'one of the most haunted places on Earth'. Construction of this striking Tudor Gothic Revival-style building was completed in the 1920s – at this time, Waverly Hills could accommodate more than 400 sufferers of tuberculosis at one time. 

Waverly Hills Sanatorium eventually closed in 1961, after a treatment for TB was discovered and the facility was no longer needed. Following this, it served a couple of decades as a care centre for the elderly before being closed down for good in 1981. The sanatorium has been deserted ever since, save from guided tours, paranormal investigations and special events around Halloween and Christmas.

The imposing Old Joliet Prison was built back in 1858 and the castle-like building was designed not only to incarcerate criminals, but to intimidate them, too. By the 1870s, the prison was overpopulated and conditions were reported to be unsanitary and potentially dangerous. The prison was not closed at this time, though, and it actually remained operational until 2002, when it was eventually shuttered.

Today the prison is famous for different reasons. It has made an appearance in numerous films and television shows, including cult series Prison Break and 1980s movie The Blues Brothers. A range of events and tours take place at the facility, such as art exhibitions, history and photography tours and the Great Joliet Prison Break-In, a music festival featuring artists from all over the country.

Also known as 'Battleship Island' because of its distinctive shape, Hashima, off the coast of Nagasaki, was once the site of an important undersea coal mine. Among the most densely populated places on the planet in its heyday, the island was home to thousands of miners through the 1940s and 1950s. It's also reported that many of these people were forced labourers brought over from Korea.

Inevitably the island's undersea coal stores became depleted and the mine on Hashima closed in the 1970s. Since then the high-rise apartment blocks, built to accommodate the huge volume of workers, and the mining buildings have been left to moulder. Tours generally go out to visit the eerie island with guides chronicling its dark history. The island also made an appearance in 2012 James Bond blockbuster Skyfall.

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A wonderfully-preserved western ghost town, Bannack began life in 1862, when gold was discovered by prospector John White. Men hoping to make their fortune poured in from all over the country, and Bannack boomed. Mining activity continued right up until the 1930s – but by the 1950s, the gold reserves had been all but depleted and Bannack's final residents moved on.

Today Bannack is protected as a state park and there are more than 60 historical structures remaining. Visitors are typically able to explore the ghost town on an independent tour and creepy ghost walks are also usually organised in October. Haunting highlights include the courthouse, drug store, saloon and schoolhouse.

Port Arthur originated in 1830 and was once a penal settlement and town. The site was used to punish transported British convicts who had reoffended and the detainees were put to work with manual activities such as ship building. By 1853, the era of convict transportation had ended, though Port Arthur wasn't abandoned as a prison until the 1870s.

During Port Arthur's time as a penal colony, the site became known for its grim psychological approach to punishment: inmates were alone for 24 hours per day with a single hour allowed for exercise. Modern visitors can typically learn about this 'Separate Prison', the early penitentiary, the church and much more as they explore the scattered ruins of this poignant place. Pre-booking, via the Port Arthur Historic Site website, is essential.

This stunning subway station is a New York City attraction that's often missed by tourists and locals alike. It was opened in 1904, making it the first subway station in the Big Apple, and it was operational for around four decades. However, the station was not adapted to more modern train cars and was ultimately shut down in 1945.

Although the station remains obsolete, its eye-catching architectural features attract tourists all the same. The vaulted ceilings, coloured tiles, skylights and chandeliers mean the space is worlds away from the dreary subway stations of the modern day. Guided tours are usually run by the New York Transit Museum.

Take a look at amazing images of the world's abandoned subway stations

While prospectors hunted for gold in the USA's southwest, in Alaska's Kennecott it was rich supplies of copper that were drawing in the fortune hunters. Copper was discovered here in 1900, and it didn't take long for a bustling mining camp to build up around the preserves. The area boomed right up until 1938.

By the end of the 1930s, the copper had all but dried up and Kennecott was leaking residents. The end of the railroad service here ultimately sealed Kennecott's fate. Walking tours usually lead visitors around the abandoned mining camp, with guides chronicling the site's history and offering a peek inside Kennecott's mammoth red mill building. 

This dinky theme park in Seoul opened in the 1980s and enjoyed several decades as a buzzing family attraction. Up until the early 2000s, locals would come to enjoy the kid-friendly rides, colourful dodgems and fairground games, but sadly the park couldn't keep up with the competition. The promise of stomach-flipping rides and hi-tech attractions elsewhere ultimately lured Yongma Land's punters away.

By 2011, the park's visitor numbers were low, profits were suffering and Yongma Land closed its gates. However, today the park welcomes a different kind of tourist: those who are fascinated with ruined rides fighting off undergrowth and a creaking carousel stuck in time. For a small fee, budding photographers and curious explorers can typically wander the derelict park to their heart's content.

See more photos of eerie abandoned theme parks around the world

Another of America's eerie abandoned prisons, the formidable Ohio State Reformatory (also known as the Mansfield Reformatory) dates back to 1886, when construction began. While the prison's population was in the hundreds when it first opened, more and more people were incarcerated here until the inmates numbered in their thousands. Unsurprisingly, issues of overcrowding and poor sanitation ensued.

As conditions continued to decline, it was ordered that the Ohio State Reformatory shut down, and the facility was deserted by 1990. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society works to protect and restore the building today, and numerous tours and events are available to the public. These include the chance to learn more about legendary 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, a large portion of which was filmed here.

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Ross Island, part of India's Andaman archipelago, was taken over by British colonists in the 1850s. They initially used the land as a penal colony for Indian rebels, but soon changed their plans. The prisoners were moved elsewhere, and the British made beautiful Ross Island into their administrative headquarters.

The isle was transformed into a grand base for British officers, complete with lavish homes, a church and luxuries such as ballrooms and tennis courts. Finally, in 1938, it was ordered that any remaining prisoners be released, and in 1947 India gained independence. This meant that Mother Nature had her way with the island, with the crumbling ruins of houses and public buildings consumed by greenery. To explore, tourists can typically take the short boat ride from Port Blair.

This deserted property was once a glittering Moorish and Spanish-style mansion, used as the winter residence of scholar and philanthropist Archer Huntington. Huntington built the residence in 1931 in South Carolina's Murrells Inlet, after his wife, sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It was thought that the mild climes here would help improve Anna's health.

The 'castle' had 30 sumptuous rooms, grounds filled with native plants and even space where the couple kept animals such as monkeys and leopards. Sadly Archer Huntington died in 1955 and, after that, Anna only visited the house a handful more times before she abandoned it completely. The site has been protected by the state since the 1960s and now visitors can head to Huntington Beach State Park and tour the deserted mansion. 

Not much remains of this abandoned theme park outside Berlin. It opened as Kulturpark Plänterwald in 1969 and welcomed millions of visitors in the decades that followed. The site came under new ownership in 1991, when it was renamed Spreepark and afforded several new rides and attractions. However, this was the beginning of the end for the once-popular site.

As visitor numbers plummeted, Spreepark was closed down in 2002 and the site was swallowed up by trees and greenery. Today the rusting Ferris wheel still remains, alongside fragments of roller coasters and other attractions. Tourists can usually book guided tours of the park between April and November.

Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary describes itself as 'America's most historic prison'. The prison was opened in 1829 and was unique in its treatment of inmates, who were subjected to 'confinement in solitude with labour'.

Over the decades, the prison saw numerous riots as inmates rebelled against the overcrowding and lack of facilities. Nevertheless, Eastern State Penitentiary stayed operational until the 1970s, when it was finally abandoned. Now guided or audio tours typically take visitors into the prison to see peeling cell blocks and deserted yards, and to hear stories about notorious inmates such as Al Capone. 

Paris' La Petite Ceinture was formerly a busy overland railway line used by passenger and freight trains alike. However, as the Paris Metro and the motorcar gained popularity, this once-buzzing railway line fell into disuse. It has remained closed as a railway station since 1934, but now serves as a tranquil stretch of pathway for urban lovers of wildlife and the outdoors. 

The stretch in the 16th arrondissement, between the Porte d’Auteuil and La Muette station, was opened to the public first, with its graffiti-adorned walls and green-carpeted tracks offering city-dwellers a taste of nature. Another section in the 12th arrondissement also serves as an urban nature trail, since the abandoned line is home to more than 250 species of flora and fauna. Access has since been granted to two more sections of the deserted rail line.

While the USA has plenty of abandoned mines, it's not often that they are so meticulously preserved or safe for the public to enter. Quincy Mine, a string of copper mines near Michigan's Hancock, is an exception. Mining began here in the 1840s and continued for around a century until profits suffered and the mines were eventually abandoned.

Today the Quincy Mine Hoist Association usually offers a range of tours of the site. The Full Tour option takes visitors for a ride on a cog-rail tram car. It also includes a chance to explore inside the 1908 No. 2 Shaft House and to see underground demonstrations using the mining equipment. 

The eeriest abandoned attraction in every state and DC

A dream location for photographers, the abandoned fishing village of Houtouwan is almost entirely carpeted in green, from its narrow passageways to its windowless houses. Houtouwan, on Shengshan Island, was once home to a sizeable fishing community – but ultimately the village's remote location made living here a challenge.

Houtouwan's fishing trade was also threatened by that of bigger cities such as Shanghai, and by the 1990s the village's population had begun to decline. By the 2000s, the final villagers had left and Houtouwan was engulfed by greenery. Now the village is typically the domain of adventurous tourists who wander between the leaf-clad houses, peering through glassless windows and admiring the sea views.

One of the best-preserved ghost towns in Nevada, Rhyolite, perched at the edge of Death Valley, had a very short lifespan. The town was founded in 1904, when quartz was discovered in the area, and the settlement developed at a rapid pace. Homes, shops, a school, a hospital and more all sprang up within a couple of years, and a community was established.

However, the 1907 financial crisis shook the town of Rhyolite and business began to suffer. By 1911, the mill was closed and by 1916, all inhabitants had left and Rhyolite was deserted. Today the ruins still tell of its old Wild West past. The site is home to the old train depot, the crumbling walls of the former bank building and the Bottle House, which was restored in 1925.

One of the most heart-wrenching ghost towns in the world, Oradour-sur-Glane was all but destroyed during the Second World War. On 10 June 1944, German troops stormed the village, murdering 642 people. Now the French village, which remains almost stuck in time, serves as a searing reminder of this fateful day.

While a new village was built up nearby, the original Oradour-sur-Glane has been preserved as a memorial to the victims of the massacre. Corroding cars still dot the roads and weather-worn buildings have crumbled over time. Visitors typically walk around the town in silence, taking in the church with its bullet-ridden altar and the burnt-out shells of homes and shops. An underground museum offers a glimpse into life in Oradour-sur-Glane before the attacks and adds further context to the atrocities. 

This deserted abbey shrouded in greenery can be found in Belgium's Wallonia region. Its story begins in the 1100s, when the first iteration of the abbey was finished for some 17 monks of the Cistercian order. Over the years, it has had many faces, having been rebuilt in numerous architectural styles from Gothic to Neoclassical.

In 1794, during the French Revolution, the abbey was pillaged. The monks fled and the beautiful building was left to ruin. But despite the abbey's decrepit state, it remained a majestic site, luring writers and artists from the Romantic era to its empty shell. Since then, there have been some restoration efforts and visitors still typically come to appreciate the evocative ruins and the plant-filled gardens that surround them.

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This abandoned mining town in the Sonoran Desert has been carefully restored in order to give visitors a flavour of the American west as it once was. Vulture City was established back in the 1860s as the area's mining industry thrived. The mine here was in operation right up until 1942 when all resources were being channelled into the Second World War. The mine closed and the residents of Vulture City left soon after.

Vulture City is usually open to the public, who can choose between self-guided tours or a guided tour. Creaky buildings such as the post office, the cookhouse and even a brothel remain. The ghost town also hosts blacksmith experiences, ghost tours by torchlight and guided trail rides.

Henry River Mill Village was used as a location for The Hunger Games movie series, and fans of the franchise will recognise it as District 12, the humble area home to protagonist Katniss Everdeen. Before its debut on the silver screen, Henry River Mill Village was a cotton milling town, though operations ceased in the 1960s. The mill burned down in 1977 and the village's last residents left around the late 1990s. 

Visitors to the village can join a guided tour to learn about the history of this settlement and life here when it was a cotton-milling village. You can also stay the night here – one of the millhouses, originally built in 1905, has been lovingly restored with contemporary furniture, a kitchenette and two full bathrooms.

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A curious Art Deco-style property in the southern French commune of Cerbere, Hotel Belvedere du Rayon Vert first opened back in 1932. The ship-like hotel was strategically placed adjacent to the railroad in order to gain business from travelling passengers, and it once housed amenities such as a ballroom, casino and even a tennis court on its rooftop terrace.

Business suffered here during the Spanish Civil War, though the hotel didn't ultimately close until the 1980s. Now the building, which is listed as a historic monument, once again houses some holiday apartments. Guests who choose to stay at the property typically get a full guided tour that reveals its hidden history. 

In 1968, a string of devastating earthquakes ravaged Sicily, and one of the communities that suffered the most was Poggioreale, a small town in the island's southwest. The inhabitants fled the village and rebuilt elsewhere, and Poggioreale was left, once again, to the whims of Mother Nature.

Poggioreale still stands almost as it was immediately after the earthquakes. The buildings are damaged and crumbling, many without roofs or doors, and rubble still collects in the streets. Visitors can usually freely wander the debris-littered lanes, peering through windows and imagining village life here as it once was. 

Colorado has little shortage of ghost towns, but this one in the Sawatch Range remains remarkably intact. More than 40 historic buildings are scattered across St Elmo, which was originally named Forest City when it was founded in 1880. In its heyday, the town had some 2,000 residents, who mined for both gold and silver.

In the 1920s, business here was in decline, and the closure of the local train service put a final nail in St Elmo's coffin. By the end of the 1950s, St Elmo's residents had cleared out and it was left a ghost town. Tourists are generally free to wander the streets taking in wood-framed buildings including houses, a blacksmith shop, a schoolhouse and several stores. There are also a handful of residents dotted around the area. 

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Pyramiden, a former settlement in the Svalbard archipelago, was founded by the Swedish in 1910 – it was then sold on to the Soviet Union less than two decades later in 1927. For most of the 20th century, Pyramiden was a thrumming coal-mining town with a population peaking at 1,000 people in the 1980s. However, in 1998, the Russian-owned mine was shut down and Pyramiden was quickly abandoned.

Though Pyramiden is now a ghost town, the Soviet-era architecture remains remarkably preserved. Haunting structures left behind include a library, a music hall complete with a grand piano and a hulking monument to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. There's even an operating hotel. 

In December 1943, during the devastation of the Second World War, the residents of Imber Village were given a matter of weeks' notice to evacuate their homes and move on. The little village in the southwestern county of Wiltshire was to be used as an exercise ground for the US army and all residents were forced to leave. The heartbroken villagers did as they were ordered and Imber served its new purpose.

Although the villagers were assured that they would be able to return eventually, that promise was never kept, and Imber Village still remains a military training ground. The haunting site is off-limits to the public most of the time, however visitors are usually allowed to enter on certain dates each year. During this time, tourists can see buildings such as the 13th-century St Giles' church, The Bell Inn pub and a 17th-century manor house known as Imber Court.

The ruined town of Belchite, in Spain's Zaragoza province, acts as a reminder of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. The town was almost completely ruined during a bloody battle in 1937, that not only destroyed Belchite, but claimed the lives of thousands of people. Following the battle, Belchite remained abandoned, serving as a poignant war memorial.

Now bullet hole-ridden buildings, some with intricately patterned walls and carvings, still remain. Tourists can generally take to the rubble-strewn streets on guided tours and learn about this devastating slice of Spanish history. 

Frozen in time: these are the world's most incredible ghost towns

Calico was once home to one of the most important silver mining operations in the country. Established in 1881, when silver was struck in the area, Calico boomed through the 1880s, with 500 mines and producing millions of dollars' worth of silver ore. However, as is the common tale, the value of silver diminished in the 1890s, leaving Calico's miners out of pocket.

Calico's residents left their homes behind and the site became yet another ghost town. It wasn't until the 1950s that the town's key buildings were faithfully restored to their former glory. Calico is now protected by the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system and, as well as exploring the historic buildings, visitors can usually take part in family-friendly activities such as panning for gold.

Rose Island was once a family-friendly theme park, drawing in the crowds with its wooden roller coaster, Ferris wheel and little zoo, whose inhabitants included a black bear. There was also a large swimming pool and even a hotel. But, in 1937, the Ohio River flood devastated the park, leaving all of its attractions irreparably damaged.

Today, visitors are able to access the site, and information boards help put the park's ruined fragments into context. An overgrown swimming pool, the pillars of the old entryway and the remnants of an old stone fountain all hide within the woods. It's a desolate reminder of the force of Mother Nature. 

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An American-style gas station is the last thing you'd expect to find in Morocco's desert – but that's exactly what lies in the wilderness less than an hour's drive from the city of Ouarzazate. This spooky gas stop was used as a set for the 2006 horror movie The Hills Have Eyes, which sees an American family stalked and attacked by a clan of savage beings who dwell in the desert.

The ramshackle remains of the set, beaten down by the desert over time, are almost as eerie as the flick itself. Rusting cars, creaking signs and human-like dolls all come together to create a chilling scene. It's not possible to enter the building, but visitors typically still stop to peer through the window.

The Hills Have Eyes is far from the only movie filmed out in the Moroccan desert. Atlas Corporation Studios, a film studio built in 1983, has been involved with the production of blockbusters from Gladiator  to war movie Black Hawk Down, both of which are directed by Ridley Scott. Before the studios were established, 1962's famed Lawrence of Arabia was also filmed in this area.

Various tours to Atlas Corporation Studios generally allow visitors to see a whole host of sun-bleached movie sets, which have been abandoned and left to the mercy of the desert. There are remnants from some huge blockbusters, including chariots from Ben Hur and Egyptian temples used in both Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra and The Mummy series.

Gold was discovered around the Upper Sweetwater River as early as the 1840s, though it was the 1860s that really saw South Pass City boom. Prospectors flooded the area and it's thought that around 2,000 people occupied the town in 1869. South Pass City had a raucous reputation and, as well as homes and honest businesses, South Pass was filled with taverns, brothels and gambling houses.

South Pass City saw multiple booms and setbacks over the decades, and it was in the 1950s that the last mine closed and the final citizens left the town. Modern visitors can usually explore the site independently, or take a guided tour that includes entry to the Carissa Mine. You can also take a guided tour of the English Tunnel and see it as a miner in the 1870s would have done – by candle. 

This curious island castle was built in the early 1900s for Scottish businessman Francis Bannerman VI. Today the head-turning ruins still sit on Pollepel Island, which is less than a two-hour drive north of New York City. The building was constructed by Bannerman, who owned a military equipment company, as a means for storing his wares, which included weapons and ammunition.

However, such was Bannerman's ambition, that the project was never truly finished. Bannerman died in 1918 and a tumultuous string of decades followed: explosions, fires and the sinking of the ferryboat that serviced Pollepel Island all contributed to the castle's eventual abandonment. Now the site is typically frequented by tourists who come via ferry and kayak to peer at the overgrown ruins standing sentry beside the water.

Check out stunning images of the world's abandoned castles

Hemmed in by the Taurus mountains, Kayakoy is a Turkish ghost town that has been deserted since the 1920s. The town, whose origins stretch back to at least the 14th century, was once home to tens of thousands of Greek Orthodox Christian and Anatolian Muslim citizens. However, the Greco-Turkish war would change the town of Kayakoy forever.

The conclusion of the Greco-Turkish war saw the Christian residents of Kayakoy forced to leave their homes for Greece. This 'population exchange' was meant to ensure that both Turkey and Greece each had just one main religion. Then, in 1957, further devastation occurred when an earthquake struck the town, destroying many homes and public buildings. Kayakoy is now crumbling and deserted, and is usually the domain of tourists and guides retelling the town's heart-wrenching history.

This eerie ghost town in southern Arizona is worlds away from some of the carefully restored sites elsewhere in the country. Its buildings are decrepit and crumbling, and almost overcome by the surrounding forestland. It's thought that mining started in the area around the late 1870s, and a mining camp was immediately established here.

Ruby's mine was operational up until the 1940s. When it closed early in the decade, Ruby quickly became a ghost town. Today the haunting spot still includes a schoolhouse and an assortment of homes and mining buildings, left behind by the residents. Spanning 350 acres, this desert landscape is typically open to the public, from day trippers touring the ghost town to mountain bikers, birdwatchers and paddle boarders.

The town of Spectre was built for the 2003 film Big Fish. Directed by Tim Burton, the movie tells the story of Edward Bloom, a dying father who attempts to rebuild his relationship with his estranged son by regaling fantastical stories of his own youth. Forest-hemmed Spectre, a secret town Bloom discovers in the movie, was constructed from scratch with painstaking detail.

The town, which is now inhabited by goats, can be found on Jackson Lake Island in Millbrook, Alabama. In July 2023, one of the houses burnt down after it was struck by lightning. Thankfully, all the goats were safely sheltering under the church. Visitors can still explore the time-worn set, which includes gnarled trees and a string of shoes strung up above the houses. There’s also the odd goat wandering Spectre's main street. 

Another abandoned mining town, Shakespeare, in New Mexico's Hidalgo County, made its fortune on silver. It became known as Shakespeare in 1879 (during a second boom), when miners once again flowed into the town in the hope of striking it rich. Notorious outlaws Sandy King and William 'Russian Bill' Tattenbaum were both hanged here after shooting a shopkeeper.

In 1893, a depression caused Shakespeare's mines to close and many of its residents to move on, though the town would not be truly abandoned until the 20th century. Both private and group tours generally take visitors around the Old West site, passing the Company Mining House, the old Stratford Hotel, the saloon and other fascinating historic buildings.

This deserted defensive fort is protected as part of the Fort Worden Historical State Park. Its construction began in the late 1890s, and it was positioned to protect Puget Sound from any potential invaders. Along with Fort Flagler and Fort Casey, Fort Worden was part of the defensive trio known as the 'Triangle of Fire'.

The park's 432 acres contain echoing tunnels and hulking defensive batteries. There's also a campsite and some comfy converted dormitories that once served as army barracks. 

One of Europe's most breathtaking ghost towns, Craco is an abandoned village in southern Italy's Basilicata region, with early settlements here thought to date to the 8th century BC. Despite its long history, the stunning clifftop town has had numerous run-ins with Mother Nature. Floods, landslides and earthquakes have all devastated Craco throughout the 20th century.

The hardy town survived the plague that swept through it in the 17th century and dramatically diminished its population. However, it was the landslides of the 1950s and 1970s that ultimately forced Craco's citizens to leave for safer places. Now the town is usually accessible via guided tours and has also become a popular filming location.

Take a look at the world's most beautiful clifftop towns

Time stands still in Bodie, one of America's most famous ghost towns, once home to some 10,000 people. Gold was discovered here by prospectors in 1859, though the population didn't truly explode until the 1870s. In this decade, more and more miners began to descend on the town and the place developed at a rapid pace.

Alongside homes, Bodie also had a high concentration of saloons, gambling houses and even brothels. This earned the Gold-Rush town a seedy reputation, though that didn't stop miners flooding in from all over the country. As ever, though, this fortune was short-lived. As mines closed, Bodie's population began to dwindle, though the town didn't truly empty until the 1960s. Now the ghost town is protected as the Bodie State Historic Park.

Now see inside the world's eeriest and abandoned resorts, hotels and airports