Dark tourism destinations hone in on historical tragedies from all around the globe. This form of tourism can be an emotionally difficult experience and controversial, to say the least. With the dark, there must be light. These same destinations are enlightening and important – they provide insight into the human condition, and teach a powerful lesson to future generations.
I’ve compiled a list of macabre trips that are worth experiencing. The tours can be completed in a few hours or one day, so if you want to find a healthy balance on your next vacation of dark and light, then you’ve got that flexibility.
Additionally, this list is not exhaustive. As you can imagine, death and mayhem have happened for thousands of years (or more), so these tours are a sampling of what is available from ancient to modern times.
What is dark tourism?
For many, “dark tourism” conjures images of death and darkness, and it’s quite the opposite “normal” holiday experience at the beach or theme park. A dark tourism definition is an experience that allows visitors to journey to a present-day destination and learn about mankind’s worst failures, often atrocities against each other. Some examples of dark tourism include, but sadly aren’t limited to, incarceration, genocide, ethnic cleansing, assassination, war, or disaster– be it accidental or natural.
Dark Tourism Destinations
After visiting these macabre destinations, it is unsurprising that visitors may feel differently about human nature and history. These dark tourism destinations are best suited for mature individuals, not for young children, due to their extreme nature.
1. Hiroshima Private Day Tour
WW2 Atomic Bomb Impact
This guided tour of Hiroshima takes you through the rich history of Japan, highlighting the events of the last century: the devasting atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War Two by the American armed forces and the subsequent rebuilding of the city.
You’ll visit several memorials, shrines, and the Hiroshima Castle. It’s not all history on this private tour – you’ll experience fantastic street food and markets during your trip.
Location
Hiroshima, Japan
Price
USD 600
Included
- Explore Hiroshima Castle, Peace Memorial Park, and Itsukushima Shrine
- English-speaking driver
- Private car
- Ferry fee included
- Entrance fees
Tour Length
Six hours
2. Cologne: Bergen-Belsen Memorial Guided Private Tour
Former Nazi concentration camp
This small-group private tour with transportation takes you through the atrocious war crimes that occurred during World War Two. You’ll learn about prison life and the tragic fate of millions of Jews and other alienated groups like homosexuals, disabled people, and gypsies. You will encounter personal histories from war survivors and those that did not survive in the form of videos, photographs, and written stories.
Location
Cologne, Germany
Price
USD 600
Included
- Visit the holocaust memorial museum with Anne Frank and other people’s unique documentation
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- An option to select an entire trip guide
- Vehicle and driver
Tour Length
11 hours
3. Munich: Private Tour by Car including Dachau Concentration Camp
Best historical tour of Bavaria
This tour blends Germany’s dark past with its brighter future. Your private tour begins with a charming tour of Munich, the capital of Bavaria. You’ll discover the charm and history in every nook, like the New Town Hall Clock that chimes every hour, and the main square, Marienplatz, where there is always something to see.
Next, you’ll drive 30 minutes to Dachau Concentration Camp, a shocking reminder of how close these atrocities were to a bustling city. Your tour guide will provide you with the heart-breaking history of events that occurred here during the Nazi Reign. Next, you’ll come back to Munich where you have the option to upgrade your tour to visit two additional sites.
Location
Munich, Germany
Year of Significance
1933
Price
USD 1,400
Included
- Trip to Dachau Concentration Camp, entrance ticket included
- Munich city tour
- Tour guide
- Private vehicle with driver
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Optional upgrade: 8-hour full-day tour (including BMW Museum and World and Olympiapark)
Tour Length
Six hours
4. Pompeii: Ruins and Archaeological Museum Tour from Rome
Best for lovers of ancient Rome
On this full-day tour close to Naples, you will be fascinated by the rich history of Pompeii and its many marvels like erotic art and crafts, artifacts that have been unearthed over the centuries, and significant landmarks with stunning architecture.
These things have all been excavated from the ruins of this ancient city engulfed in ash from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Location
Pompeii, Italy
Year of Significance
79 A.D.
Price
USD 1,400
Included
- Visit the Archaeological Museum and Pompeii’s ruins
- Skip the line on your tour
- Entrance tickets included
- Tour guide
Tour Length
12 hours
5. Brussels: The Battle of the Bulge Tour
Packed tour for WW2 history buffs
Your tour guide will teach you about the pivotal Battle of the Bulge, the last major offensive by German armed forces that eventually lead to the end of World War Two. You’ll visit the battle site, three cemeteries and tombs, and the war museum.
There is a pleasant end to the macabre tour. As you come back to the city, you will tour popular parts of Brussels, including picturesque sites of the river and grand architecture.
Location
Brussels, Belgium
Year of Significance
1944
Price
USD 600
Included
- Visit the American cemetery, General Patton’s tomb, Mardasson Memorial, and War Museum of Bastogne
- Transportation by bus
- Professional tour guide
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Tour Length
13 hours
6. Paris: Private Normandy D-Day Beaches Tour
Best for history on seaborne invasion
The D-Day beaches in Normandy mark the largest seaborne invasion in history, and a pivotal moment for Allied forces during World War Two. 25,000 allied forces landed during the invasion and casualties are estimated up to 20,000 deaths on both sides. These days, these beautiful French beaches have been developed and now host thousands of visitors annually curious to explore its significant past.
This private, guided tour will take you along the D-Day beaches, Colleville Cemetary, and Pointe du Hoc.
Location
Paris, France
Year of Significance
1944
Price
USD 1,400
Included
- Visit Colleville Cemetery to see the perfectly aligned gravestones marking the deaths of 9,200 American soldiers
- Go to Pointe du Hoc
- English-speaking guide/driver
- Optional purchase: Memorial Caen (additional fee)
- Hotel pick-up
Tour Length
12 hours
7. From Thessaloniki: Private Day Trip to Meteora
Ancient Greece during the Dark Ages
Meteora means “suspended in the air” in Greek, and that is how you’ll feel when you visit the monasteries perched on mountain peaks. There are six in total and most have recently undergone renovation and restoration following damage caused during World War Two and the Greek Civil War. Dress appropriately for this trip with long pants, long sleeves and a long skirt for women. There is some tour customization available. This is a moderate to difficult tour requiring a lot of walking in mountainous areas.
Location
Thessaloniki, Greece
Time Period of Significance
14th century
Price
USD 600
Included
- Visit Meteora’s primary monasteries
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Private tour
- Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle
- Complimentary Wi-Fi on board
- Group minimum: 2 persons
Tour Length
11 hours
8. The Netherlands: World War II Private Day Trip
Discover The Netherlands during World War Two
The Netherlands was occupied by Nazis in World War Two and Rotterdam became the location for one of the largest Allied operations to secure transportation lines. Tourists will enjoy a flexible tour while visiting the charming historical sites, with breaks to dig into sumptuous meals or refreshments.
Location
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Year of Significance
1944
Price
USD 800
Included
- Rotterdam city tour, including Rotterdam White House, City Hall, Laurens Church, and Delfshaven
- Explore The Arnhem Oosterbeek Cemetery and the John Frost Bridge
- Learn more about the history of Operation Market Garden, its failure, and the bravery of the soldiers
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Private transportation
Tour Length
10 hours
9. Vienna: Mauthausen Memorial Private Day Trip
Best for World War II enthusiasts
It’s estimated almost 100,000 people lost their lives in this concentration camp during World War Two. This guided tour takes you through the entire camp, including the gas chamber, and invites you to pay your respect in the Room of Names.
Also included in the tour is the Stairs of Death, where prisoners were forced to carry 100+ pound rough-hewn granite on their backs and climb close to 200 stairs. This form of torture is even more grotesque because if someone dropped one of the stones, it often injured or killed the people climbing behind the person.
Location
Vienna, Austria
Year of Significance
1938
Price
USD 900
Included
- Explore Mauthausen Museum which became a prison facility where many people lost their lives
- Visit Wiener-Graben quarry, the Room of Names, the SS-Quarters, the Stairs of Death, the camp prison, and the gas chamber
- English-speaking driver
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Tour Length
Eight hours
10. World War I Battlefields & War Museum of Meaux Day Tour
Best for World War One enthusiasts
This large-group tour takes you through battlefields, cemetaries and the war museum honoring the massive loss of life in this area during World War One. Seeing the approximately 2,300 gravesites is a profound representation of the devestation the country felt during this time.
As you visit the battlefields, such as on Bois Belleau, you’ll see what remains of dug-out trenches in the forest and bullet holes in the worn-torn buildings.
Location
Paris, France
Year of Significance
1918
Price
USD 1100
Included
- Visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the Memorial Chapel, the Côte 204 Monument, Belleau Wood
- Hotel pick-up
- Transportation by air-conditioned minibus
- Entrance fee at the Museum of the Great War included
- Group maximum: 18 people
Tour Length
10 hours
11. Berlin and Sachsenhausen: Shore Trip from Warnemünde Port
Editor’s choice
Warnemünde is a beautiful port city that is now popular among tourists enjoying a vacation on the Baltic; however, during World War Two, it was heavily bombed by Soviets, Germans, and the Allies, and many prisoners of war were housed in prison camps here.
On this cruise, you’ll get a glimpse of this sad history and visit several historical sites. You’ll also travel to where the Berlin wall stood and visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where thousands lost their lives.
Location
Warnemünde, Germany
Year of Significance
1940
Price
USD 180
Included
- Cruise ship pick-up and drop-off
- Visit the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Jewish Memorial
- Discover the crimes of the Nazi regime at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial
- Air-conditioned transportation
- English-speaking tour guides
Tour Length
12 hours
Why is Dark Tourism Becoming Popular?
Dark tourism is nothing new, though it is becoming increasingly popular and discussed as people use the internet to uncover more and more places that highlight the worst parts of history. Dark tourism sites are generally associated with negative emotions: grief, fear, and sadness, and mainstream media has been able to popularize this content because there is an interest in it.
Furthermore, visiting the locations of these man-made atrocities and devasting natural disasters is a way to put history in perspective, and teach feature generations to think for themselves so history doesn’t repeat itself. You may not be able to understand that in a text book.
Some of the most well-known sites in recent history are:
- Auschwitz-Birkenau German nazi extermination center (Poland)
- Choeung Ek killing fields (Cambodia)
- Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which is the worst nuclear tragedy in history (Ukraine)
- 9-11 Ground Zero in New York City (USA)
- Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, which is now known as Peace Memorial (Japan)
- Mount Vesuvius eruption site (Italy)
Is dark tourism good or bad?
The popularity of dark tourism continues to grow as more people travel worldwide to visit sites of atrocities, accidents, natural disasters, or infamous death. While some people criticize this trend as exploitative to local communities and inappropriate for travelers who may not be prepared for the emotional experiences they encounter, others argue that the essential parts of dark tourism are its ability to educate visitors about current events while providing a sense of reflection on their own actions.
As knowledge and travel to these destinations increase, it is essential to do due diligence on the impact your trip has on local communities. Make sure you’re not exploiting your guides by paying a fair wage, clean up after yourself, and don’t take or damage historical artifacts just so you can get your kicks.
Dark Tourism Books
The world of dark tourism is not only limited to visiting in person. Fortunately, there are a number of authors who document these specific tragic events and preserve this knowledge in books for future readers. For example, we all have heard stories about Dracula’s castle in Romania or the volcanic eruption that engulfed Pompeii though these events occurred many generations ago.
So if you’re curious about specific dark tourism destinations or planning a trip to one, I recommend reading about the history before booking the trip. A good google search will generate a list of suggestions of popular books to help you plan your trip.
Broad Resources
If you’re curious about learning about the broad topic of dark tourism, here are some books and blogs to add to your reading list:
- I am the Dark Tourist by Rebecca Bathory
- Shadow Trails: Adventures of Dark Tourism by Tom Coote
- Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era by Tiya Miles.
- Dark Tourism Blog
Dark Tourism Statistics
Visiting dark tourism locations has increased in popularity over the past two decades in great part because the speed of information has rapidly grown with the internet. Even a simple scroll through Netflix will show you how popular it is to learn about the world of criminals, strange and unusual places, nuclear disasters, and other topics that may not be similar to the “normal” beachside vacation.
Which dark tourism destination is your favorite?
Dark tourism vacations are one-of-a-kind trips that are incomparable to the standard vacations most will experience and are guaranteed to be life-altering. One of the most unique aspects of dark tourism is exploring these places and the opportunity for reflection. Undeniably, these types of tourism experiences can make someone uncomfortable, sad, or even fearful at times, it can also be a way to keep the past from repeating itself.
Have you visited any of these destinations or do you plan to? Let me know in the comments below.
If you’re looking to visit some more cheerful destinations, then check out these recommendations from our family:
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