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Ghostly goings-on at this former military prison that was used by the Nazis, Soviets and Latvians include light bulbs that unscrew from their sockets, doors that open by themselves, and sudden drops in temperature. The ghost of a woman who hung herself after learning her fiancé was executed here is said to wander the corridor; while the grafitti of former inmates makes for particularly chilling reading.

Bunks from €15.

Chairs that rock unaided, ghostly visions of men in mid-duel, and clothes that become wet when placed by the fire are just some of the frightening phenomena at this centuries old coaching inn.

Dinner, b & b from £80 per person per night.

Guests report strange mists that spiral from the air vents, the touch of ghostly hands, and lights that flick on and off of their own accord. However, the most terrifying tale is reserved for the female guest who claimed to have been dragged across a room – by her hair – by an unseen presence.

Twin room from £100 per room per night.

Situated high in the Colorado Rockies, this reputedly haunted hotel was the inspiration for Stephen King’s spine-chilling novel The Shining. The idea came to King during a stay in room 217, but it’s room 418 – believed to be visited by the ghost of Lord Dunraven – that is considered to be the hotel’s most haunted. Guests and staff have also reported hearing children playing in the corridors late at night, and piano music coming from the empty ballroom.

Doubles from $120 per room per night; ghost tours from $15 per person.

A number of ghost sightings have been reported at this former home of the BBC, but one of the most spine-tingling is the tale of a man who stayed in room 333. The guest woke in the middle of the night to see a glowing ball of light transforming into human shape. Unperturbed, he asked the ghostly vision to reveal its name. In response, the spectre began heading towards the bed with its arms outstretched – at which point the man promptly fled the room. Other reported sightings include the host of a German nobleman, who threw himself from an upper floor window, and apparitions that walk through walls.

Double rooms from £350 per room per night.

Check-in to room 325 and you could find yourself sharing with the ghost of a crying child, or being stroked by invisible hands. Situated in Salem, Massachusetts, a town notorious for hanging 20 women during the witch trials of 1692, the Hawthorne Hotel is believed to have been built on the site of an apple orchard belonging to Bridget Bishop, the first woman to be executed during the trials. Today, guests staying here regularly report a drop in temperature that is accompanied by a strong smell of apples.

Doubles from $114 to $315.

The castle is believed to be haunted by the ghost of Lady Isobella Shaw, who was locked – along with her baby girl – in a tower room after failing to provide Lord Shaw with a male heir. In despair, Lady Isabella threw herself to her death from a turret window. Guests report seeing Lady Isabella’s spectre roaming the hotel grounds, and the cries of her baby are occasionally heard from the hotel’s “Ghost Room” (pictured).

Doubles from £165 per room per night, including breakfast.

A ghostly dog that nips at guests ankles, unseen children playing in rooms 3, 9 and 23, and sightings of a nanny and two young children who are said to have died in a fire are just some of the sightings at this 14th-century castle.

Dinner, b & b from £99 per room per night.

 Imagine waking in the middle of the night to the sound of heavy breathing, and to find that you are unable to move because the bedsheets have been wrapped tightly around you. The breathing grows louder and nearer as you battle to free yourself. You finally manage to get free and lunge for the bedside light, only to be greeted by the sight of your suitcases hovering in mid-air. Then, just as you let out a scream, your suitcases come hurtling towards you. Sounds far-fetched? Tell that to the terrified guest who claimed to have been subjected to this heart-stopping ordeal during a stay in the hotel’s infamous room 703. Other guests have reported cold spots, moving objects and the sensation of sharing their bed with a paranormal presence. A hotel stay that’s not for the faint-hearted.

Double rooms from $179.

Situated in Pluckley, which – according to the Guiness Book of Records – is England’s most haunted village, Elvey Farm is believed to be haunted by a “weeping wanderer”. Other ghosts in the vicinity of this medieval farmstead include the highwayman Robert Du Bois, who was speared to a tree at Fright Corner, and a phantom coach and horses that appears on Maltman’s Hill.

Doubles from £100 per room per night, including breakfast.

Guests staying in the Fresco Room have reported the sensation of icy breath on their face and seeing a man with an unearthly pink glow. Other sightings include a child that skips down the hotel’s corridors, a long dead maid who cleans in the middle of the night, and a woman who sits knitting in a chair.

Double rooms from €120 per room per night, including breakfast.

This 12-century castle is reputed to be haunted by three ghosts – the Grey Lady, the White Lady and the Earl of Bothwell. The White Lady is thought to be the spirit of a nobleman’s daughter, who was imprisoned within the castle walls by her father after falling in love with a commoner. During renovations in the 1930s, a skeleton cloaked in a white dress was discovered within a wall. However, sightings of The White Lady continue to this day.

Double rooms from £240, including breakfast.