19 Creepy Catacombs Around the World You Can Visit

By Holyn ThigpenAugust 14, 2026

Explore 19 fascinating catacombs around the world, from Paris and Naples to Malta and Mexico, where history, mystery, and the macabre meet. Catacombs—underground rooms and tunnels used as cemeteries—date back to first-century Rome, but the most famous (and infamous) were created across Europe in the 17th century. Overcrowding in Paris’s more traditional burial spaces, as well as sanitation issues, led authorities to turn the miles of tunnels connecting quarries under the city into crypts. It’s believed that more than six million people were laid to rest in this underground labyrinth. In some places, bones and skulls line the walls, with a few even crafted into intricate works of art. While Paris might get all the headlines, such sprawling crypt networks exist all over the world. Take the city of León, Mexico, where the beautiful Templo Expiatorio, a Neo-Gothic church, also provides entry to an underground world. Formed by a connection of seven different crypts, this catacomb has cramped, dark corridors that hold the remains of nearly 2,000 people. Elsewhere, the Catacombs of Washington, D.C., were created by Franciscan monks who wanted to channel the Holy Land for those who couldn’t afford a trip overseas. From catacombs across Malta to little-known collections of bones beneath monasteries, here are some of our favorite chill-inducing labyrinths of the dead. The catacombs beneath Petrovaradin Fortress. Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada/CC BY-SA 2.0 1. ‘Catacombs’ of Petrovaradin Fortress 📍 Petrovaradin, Serbia Petrovaradin Fortress sits along the Danube River, right where the old town of Petrovaradin meets Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city. Construction of the fort began in 1692, and its strategic importance earned it the nickname “Gibraltar of the Danube.” Most visitors never learn about the underground military galleries hidden beneath it: a four-story network of passageways that stretch roughly 10 miles in total. The walls bear the Maltese cross, various Masonic symbols, and a mysterious inscription once used by alchemists. Each level is marked by a different color, with the fourth (black) level considered the most mysterious, home to the so-called “Kaiser Well,” that Habsburg rulers allegedly once drank from. Local legend holds that part of the Austrian Imperial Treasury was hidden here to keep it from Napoleon, and that some of it is still lost in the tunnels today. Inside a vault in the catacombs of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Andres Schiffino / Atlas Obscura User 2. Catacombs of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral 📍 New York, New York The catacombs beneath Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral are among a select few in the entire United States, and their history is tightly bound to New York City’s early Catholic community. Bishop John Hughes—known as “Dagger John” for his sharp tongue—once defended the church from an anti-Catholic mob with armed parishioners stationed outside. Irish, Italian, Hispanic, and Asian immigrants all found refuge here, and the community’s most devoted members were eventually entombed in the cathedral’s crypts. Notable occupants include Congressman John Kelly, an adviser to Abraham Lincoln; the Delmonico family, founders of New York’s oldest surviving restaurant; and Civil War veteran General Thomas Eckert, whose family vault still holds original Thomas Edison light fixtures. The Eckert vault also contains tile work by engineer Rafael Guastavino, the same craftsman behind Ellis Island and the City Hall subway station. For over 200 years the catacombs were seen only by clergy and the families of the entombed, but they are now open to the public for candlelight tours. Skulls of nobles and the clergy were placed in niches in the walls, and their bodies painted around them. © Adam Eastland / Alamy 3. Catacombs of Saint Gaudiosus 📍 Naples, Italy In the 430s CE, King Genseric of the Vandals set a Tunisian bishop named Septimius Celius Gaudiosus adrift on an oarless ship after he refused to adopt the Vandals’ Arian faith. Gaudiosus eventually washed up near Naples, where he founded a monastery. After Gaudiosus passed away, he was buried, along with other African refugees, in Greek-era catacombs in what is now the city’s Sanità district. The site holds some of the world’s oldest surviving Christian art, but it is most infamous for what happened there centuries later. In the 17th-century, Dominican monks reopened the abandoned tombs and started up a widespread mummification process: Bodies were drained of fluid over a year, plastered over, and displayed with only the preserved head sticking out of a fresco depicting the rest of the body as a skeleton. One artist, Giovanni Balducci, was so taken with the honor of painting a fresco that he asked to be buried there himself rather than accept payment for his work. Until recently, very few knew of the catacombs’ existence underneath this bustling Naples neighborhood. A local cooperative of archaeologists and art historians first began to excavate and give tours of the complex in 2006. The St. Cataldus Catacombs, cut into the rock beneath the church. TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User 4. St. Cataldus Catacombs 📍 Rabat, Malta Dedicated to an obscure Irish saint whose veneration on Malta likely arrived with the Normans, this small church is overshadowed by Rabat’s more famous St. Paul’s and St. Agatha’s catacombs nearby. However, its underground chamber holds one of the finest surviving examples of an agape table: a circular rock-hewn platform used for early Christian funerary rituals, where relatives would gather annually on the anniversary of a burial to commemorate the dead. A steep staircase inside the church leads down to Baldachin-style canopied tombs dating from the late 2nd to 3rd centuries, with dove imagery marking one corner. The Fontanelle Cemetery Caves. Lalupa / CC BY-SA 3.0 5. Fontanelle Cemetery Caves 📍 Naples, Italy This cave complex was first used as a secondary burial ground when Naples’s churchyards started to overflow in the 1500s. However, the majority of its 40,000 residents came from the devastating plague outbreak of 1656 and smaller cholera epidemics in the 1830s. Over time, a uniquely Neapolitan “cult of the dead” grew around these departed souls: Starting in 1872, a priest named Father Gaetano Barbati began cataloging and shelving the anonymous remains, and women in the neighborhood started naming skulls, bringing them offerings, and asking favors—placing wishes written on rolled papers into the empty eye sockets. The Cardinal of Naples ordered it closed in 1969 to end the community’s troubling obsession with lucky skulls, but it is now reopen for visits by reservation only. The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead still has adherents in this tiny church. Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User 6. Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco 📍 Naples, Italy Smaller and more intimate than the Fontanelle caves, this burial place dates to 1638, when a lay group called the Congrega di Purgatorio ad Arco began burying Naples’s poor and unclaimed—a mission that grew urgent after the Black Death hit. In Catholic doctrine, souls buried without a proper marker were thought to languish in purgatory unless the living prayed for them, giving rise to the “Neapolitan Skull Cult.” Visitors adopted specific skulls, brought them gifts, and asked favors in return, believing the dead were closer to God and endowed with saintly power. The most famous adopted skull, “Princess Lucia” (the “Virgin Bride”), still draws women seeking marital help and is often found wearing a tiara or veil. The site’s Neo-Gothic style and nude walls allow visitors to devote their senses entirely to contemplation. EdgarMedina / Atlas Obscura User 7. Catacombs at Templo Expiatorio 📍 León, Mexico Templo Expiatorio’s white walls and huge circular rosette windows echo Notre-Dame in Paris, but the church’s real point of interest lies beneath it: a labyrinth of catacombs formed from seven interconnected crypts that hold the remains of 1,919 people. The crypts were designed to support the temple’s construction, which began in 1924 but was interrupted twice—first by a major flood, then by the religious conflict of Mexico’s Cristero War—before finally resuming in 1930. For decades, locals joked that the temple’s completion would herald doomsday, but its completion in 2012 arrived (thankfully) with no catastrophe. A Dan Brown-style entrance near the main altar. Elliot Carter / Atlas Obscura User 8. Catacombs of Washington, D.C. 📍 Washington, D.C. Beneath the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, a dimly lit maze of wall graves recalls the ancient catacombs of Rome—except these aren’t ancient at all. They were built at the turn of the 20th century by Franciscan monks who wanted North Americans to experience a piece of the Holy Land without the transatlantic trip. These “catacombs” are almost entirely fake, cast from cement rather than carved from soft rock, and much smaller than their Roman namesake. There’s one exception: With official Papal blessing, a genuine skeleton believed to belong to a second-century child martyr was transported here from Rome in 1929. Roman architect Aristides Leonori designed the space using measurements and photos of the real thing, and three architecturally distinct sections represent various chapters from early Christian lore. Deep among the cemetery’s vaults and gravestones lie a set of tiered catacombs. lucymariev / Atlas Obscura User 9. Warstone Lane Cemetery Catacombs 📍 Birmingham, England Tucked into Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter—best known for its engagement rings and promises of new beginnings—the neighborhood’s Warstone Lane Cemetery honors the past. Opened in 1848, the cemetery took burials until 1982, housing bodies in tiered, semicircular catacombs that resemble a Roman amphitheater. However, the grandeur is deceiving: Most of the tombs hold the city’s poor—victims of 19th-century industrial overcrowding rather than members of the city’s elite. One notable exception is John Baskerville, the celebrated English typographer, whose remains were moved here in 1897 after the church that originally housed his crypt was demolished. Though the catacombs were once open for public tours, they have since been sealed shut, leaving their dark tunnels up to the imagination. The organizational and architectural complexity of the catacombs points to the ritual importance of burial grounds in early Christianity. Bs0u10e0 / CC BY-SA 2.0 10. Maltese Catacomb Complexes 📍 Rabat, Malta From the 3rd to 6th centuries, the Roman city of Melite (now Rabat) developed an elaborate burial system on its outskirts, as Roman law barred burials within city limits. Known today as St. Paul’s and St. Agatha’s catacombs, the complex holds tombs for more than 1,000 bodies across 2,200 square meters, designed with both private family spaces and large communal halls for festivals and rituals. Doric-style pillars frame circular stone tables and couches that were likely used in burial rituals, and in some sections, corridors run a full three stories underground. Abandoned in the 7th century during Byzantine rule, the catacombs were eventually reopened for Christian pilgrimage in the 12th century. View of the Ossuary through the glass floor. Utopianbubbles / Atlas Obscura user 11. Igreja de São Francisco Catacombs 📍 Porto, Portugal Igreja de São Francisco may look Gothic on the outside, but it’s dripping in Rococo gold on the inside: A whopping 400 kilograms of it coats the church’s ornate wood carvings and statues. Below its three interior chapels, catacombs hold tombs for members of the Franciscan order awaiting judgment day; tucked in a corner of the crypt, a grated glass window in the floor lets visitors look down at piles of human bones. In one of history’s odder footnotes, when Napoleon’s forces conquered Porto, he reportedly converted the opulent church into a stable for his horses. These lesser-known Maltese catacombs date back over 1,700 years. TheMacabreNBold / Atlas Obscura User 12. Ta’ Bistra Catacombs 📍 Mosta, Malta Hidden beneath a traditional Maltese farmhouse, the Paleochristian Ta’ Bistra Catacombs date to the 4th century and were rediscovered in 1891, though not properly investigated until 1933. Stretching 300 feet through 16 chambers with 57 tombs, they’re the largest catacomb complex found outside Rabat and offer clues to the burial customs of Malta’s earliest Christians. The site hasn’t had an easy history: The farmhouse built on top damaged some of the ancient chambers, the tombs were at times used to pen animals, and during World War II, they served as an air-raid shelter. The farmhouse has since been converted into a wheelchair-accessible visitor center. The bones of dead brothers decorate the walls. Bruno Leoni, Associazione Isola Tiberina 13. The Sacconi Rossi Crypt 📍 Rome, Italy Tiber Island, long considered sacred, hides one of Rome’s best-kept secrets: the burial crypt of the Brotherhood of the Devotees of Jesus at Calvary—nicknamed the “Sacconi Rossi” for the red hooded capes members wore. Founded in 1760, the group’s mission was to recover and restore the dignity of unclaimed bodies pulled from the Tiber River, often carrying out nighttime torchlit processions to do so. In 1784, they built a crypt beneath their headquarters near the Basilica of St. Bartholomew, decorating its walls and niches with the bones of deceased brothers. Napoleon’s troops later damaged the crypt and turned the space into a dormitory during the 1849 Roman Republic uprising. Each year, on the evening of November 2nd, a candlelit processions descends from the church of San Giovanni Calibita to bless the Tiber’s waters in memory of those who drowned. The cemetery as seen from the interior stairs. yaz999 / Atlas Obscura User 14. The Catacombs of St. Peter’s Abbey 📍 Salzburg, Austria Carved into the Mönchsberg mountain in the 1100s, these catacombs served as a sacred burial site and hermitage for Christian mystics. They are also tied to St. Peter’s Church—founded in the 7th century and still home to the oldest monastic order in the German-speaking world. Preserved altars, relics, tombs, inscriptions, and faded murals span two publicly accessible levels: the “Gertrauden Chapel,” dating to 1178, and the older “Maximus Chapel” nearly 40 steps above it. Michael Haydn and Mozart’s, sister Nannerl, are both buried near the entrance.. The site also has a cameo in The Sound of Music when the von Trapp family hides from Nazis there before fleeing to Switzerland. “Ecce mors” (“Behold death”) written in bones. Alofok, CC BY-SA 3.0 15. Melník Chapel of Bones 📍 Melnik, Czechia Originally meant as a holy burial ground for Bohemian royalty, the crypt beneath St. Peter and Paul’s church in Melník took a grim turn in the 1520s. Plague forced the wholesale exhumation of surrounding cemeteries, and some 15,000 bodies were cleaned and dumped into the vault. It sat bricked up and forgotten from the 1780s until the 1910s, when Czech anthropologist Jindřich Matiegka reopened it to assemble his very own ossuary. He stacked roughly 10,000 skeletons into a single towering pile over six feet tall and arranged another 5,000 into a cross, a heart, and a tunnel of leg bones (meant to symbolize resurrection). Matiegka signed his masterwork with the Latin phrase “Ecce mors” (“Behold death”) spelled out in bone. The mummies are displayed in glass coffins at the rear of the church. pieofthemonth / Atlas Obscura User 16. Klatovy Catacomb Mummies 📍 Klatovy, Czechia Between 1676 and 1783, more than 200 Jesuit priests and local noblemen were laid to rest in oak coffins beneath a Jesuit church in the town of Klatovy. Thanks to a clever system of ventilation ducts and wells, many of their bodies mummified naturally over time, leaving clothing, shoes, and jewelry intact. Unfortunately, a 1930s reconstruction of the church roof disrupted that delicate airflow, and much of the collection began to decay; 140 bodies too damaged to display were reburied collectively in 1937 at a graveyard site marked with a commemorative stone. Around 30 mummies remain on view today in glass coffins, alongside forensic exhibits including a facial reconstruction of one of the preserved female mummies. A recreated fresco. Romaine, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 17. Museum Romeinse Katakomben (Roman Catacombs Museum) 📍 Valkenburg, Netherlands Descend below the pretty Dutch town of Valkenburg and you land, at least in spirit, in Rome circa 400 AD. Jan Diepen, son of a wealthy Dutch textile magnate, was fascinated by the catacombs of Rome and began building a faithful reproduction inside a disused quarry in 1908, later enlisting renowned architect Pierre Cuypers. Rome and the Vatican were impressed enough by its accuracy to help fund its completion, and the replica catacombs opened to the public in 1910. Hallways from 14 different Roman catacombs were condensed and shortened for museum presentation, and candlelit tours still wind past ghostly frescoes, columbariums, and eerily lifelike marble statues. Nothing stands between the living and dead (except maybe a rope with a sign). Juan Antonio Segal, CC BY 2.0 / Flickr 18. Capuchin Monastery Catacombs 📍 Palermo, Italy In Sicily, where the line between the living and dead has always run thin, the Capuchin Monastery hosts one of the world’s strangest tourist attractions: nearly 8,000 corpses, each dressed in its Sunday best, are pinned to walls, seated on benches, or laid in open coffins. These catacombs are divided by category—religious figures, professionals like doctors, and a room reserved for women, virgins, and infants—with the oldest corpse belonging to a friar who died in 1599. The dry atmosphere allowed for natural mummification: Priests initially let bodies drip-dry on shelves for a year before rinsing them in vinegar and redressing them for eternity. The most recent, and most famous, resident is two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, embalmed in 1920 using a formula—formalin, alcohol, glycerin, salicylic acid, and zinc salts—so effective she’s nicknamed “Sleeping Beauty.” In 1867, the area was opened to the general public. k8ecat / Atlas Obscura User 19. Catacombes de Paris 📍 Paris, France The Paris Catacombs are the public-facing sliver—about a mile—of a roughly 200-mile network of old quarry tunnels beneath the city. As Parisian cemeteries like Les Innocents became dangerously overcrowded in the 18th century, officials began relocating bones from condemned graveyards into abandoned quarries. The ossuary now holds the remains of six to seven million Parisians, including, likely, figures such as fabulist Jean de La Fontaine and architect Salomon de Brosse. The catacombs opened to the public in 1867, but beyond the official tour route, the wider tunnel network has its own subculture of “cataphiles.” In 2004, police doing a training exercise stumbled on a fully wired 500-square-meter cavern cut into an unmapped section, complete with a movie screen, a stocked bar, and a note reading, “Do not try and find us.” The site was closed for several months in 2009 after vandalism and the theft of several skulls.

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14 Mesmerizing Mazes and Labyrinths

The best places around the world for twists and turns. Since antiquity, mazes and labyrinths have been places of spiritual reflection and deep contemplation. The famous Egyptian Labyrinth at Hawara was built around 1860 BCE during the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III, though 2D depictions of the classic seven-circuit design appear as early as 2000 BCE in clay tablets from the Mediterranean. Mazes, too, have origins in ancient Egypt, primarily serving to keep looters away from the tombs of the important and wealthy. Over hundreds of centuries, these structures have persisted in our cultural consciousness, embraced across the globe by bands of Vikings in Scandinavia, aristocrats in 18th-century Spain, eccentric elites in 1970s England, and bar owners in modern-day Vietnam. Whether you seek a mental challenge or simply a quiet place to retreat from the world, these mazes and labyrinths around the world are well worth a visit. What Is the Difference Between a Maze and a Labyrinth? A labyrinth consists of one winding, curved passage that ultimately leads to a central point. While it may take a while to walk through, you will arrive at the center without getting lost or needing to backtrack. A maze, meanwhile, is designed as a puzzle, with multiple pathways and dead-ends that may require you to retrace your steps. Note: At some of the places featured in this list, the terms labyrinth and maze have historically been used interchangeably. Maze or Labyrinth Type Location Distinguishing feature Longleat Hedge Maze Hedge maze Warminster, England World's longest maze, with more than 16,000 English yews across 1.48 acres Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze Mirror maze San Francisco, California Psychedelic, multi-sensory maze with mirrors, black lights, neon, and music Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot Hedge maze complex Promised Land, Australia Maze complex containing a Great Maze and several themed mazes Bara Imambara Architectural labyrinth Lucknow, India The bhulbhulaiya, a network of interconnected passageways above the central hall Knossos Ancient labyrinth site Heraklion, Greece Associated with the Greek myth of King Minos, Daedalus, and the Minotaur Labyrinten vid Tibble Stone labyrinth Hökåsen-Badelunda, Sweden Approximately 2,000 years old and made from around 3,000 stones Bolshoi Zayatsky Island Stone labyrinths Solovetskiy, Russia Dozens of ancient labyrinths dating to 30,000 BCE 100 Roofs Cafe Multistory maze Đà Lạt, Vietnam Maze featuring staircases, tunnels, dead ends, and multiple levels Labirinto della Masone Bamboo labyrinth Fontanellato, Italy World's largest bamboo labyrinth, made from 20 species of bamboo Peace Maze of Northern Ireland Hedge maze Castlewellan, Northern Ireland Built to commemorate peace and reconciliation following the Troubles Cherry Point Farm and Market Lavender Labyrinth Garden labyrinth Shelby, Michigan Lavender labyrinth incorporating a kaleidoscopic herb garden and sacred geometry Labyrint Drielandenpunt Hedge maze Vaals, Netherlands 17,000 hornbeam shrubs at the meeting point of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany Puzzling World 3D maze Wanaka, New Zealand Early maze incorporating overbridges to create a three-dimensional experience Labyrinth Park of Horta Historic hedge maze Barcelona, Spain Hedge maze dating to 1791 with more than 2,000 feet of paths and a statue of Eros The maze contains six raised bridges that surround a central tower. Niki Odolphie from Frome, England, CC BY 2.0 Longleat Hedge Maze 📍 Warminster, England In 1975, this impressive maze was added to the grounds of the stately Longleat House, the home of the Marquesses of Bath since 1541. While it is not not the world’s largest hedge maze, it is the world’s longest, composed of more than 16,000 English yews and stretching across 1.48 acres. The entire Longleat property is full of equally unusual features, including the very first drive-through safari park, opened to the public in 1966 and home to over 500 animals. Before his passing in 2020, the Seventh Marquess of Bath, Alexander Thynn, added to the great maze and commissioned three other smaller ones: the Lunar Labyrinth, the Sun Maze, King Arthur’s Maze, and the Love Labyrinth. Today, the house, gardens, mazes, and safari park are all open to the public—the perfect place for a full day of whimsical exploration. SF Weekly called the maze “possibly the most psychedelic place one can legally reach within the city limits.” notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze 📍 San Francisco, California In a nondescript building on San Francisco’s Pier 39, this psychedelic spot encourages visitors to “get lost in the infinite” in its maze of disorienting columns and mirrors. Black lights and flashing neon illuminate the mirrors sporadically while music pulses, making for a completely immersive, multi-sensory experience. Once you’ve managed to make it through the maze once, staff members have been known to recommend trying it out backwards for an added challenge. The Village of Lower Crackpot also includes the “School of Lateral Thinking” and interplanetary balloon aviation. taracaus / Atlas Obscura User Tasmazia and the Village of Lower Crackpot 📍 Promised Land, Australia At the foot of Tasmania’s picturesque Mount Roland, this self-proclaimed “largest maze complex in the world” is essentially a nesting doll of hedge mazes: one Great Maze with a number of smaller ones nestled inside, from a Yellow Brick Road Maze to a Hexagonal Maze and an Irish Maze. After you’ve navigated the mazes, there are plenty of other quirky attractions to explore: The eponymous Village of Lower Crackpot, a quaint miniature village built to one-fifth scale; the Embassy Garden, a set of model buildings representing locations around the world; and the Lower Crackpot’s Correctional Centre, home to an assortment of old-school punishments such as faux stocks and a guillotine. The hall was built in 1784 by Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth Nawab of Awadh, as a major famine relief project. Prabhat1729, CC BY-SA 4.0 Bara Imambara 📍 Lucknow, India The massive central hall (imambara) of this 18th-century building is considered the largest arched hall in the world built without any kind of beams for external support. The trick that keeps the ceiling from crashing down? The bhulbhulaiya: a labyrinthine network of interconnected passageways that was built directly above the hall’s chambers, effectively making the ceiling hollow. Loosely translated as “maze” in Hindi, the bhulbhulaiya’s hundreds of paths are notoriously difficult to navigate, but don’t worry—guides are available! British archaeologist Arthur Evans bought several acres of land near Crete, hoping to find evidence of the historical reign of Minos. Bernard Gagnon CC BY-SA 3.0 Knossos 📍 Heraklion, Greece In northern Crete lie the ruins of Knossos, a city that dates back to 7000 BCE and was the setting for several Greek myths. It is said that King Minos built his palace here and commissioned the craftsman Daedulus to build a huge, underground labyrinth to hold Pasiphea’s son, the minotaur. After centuries of existing only in myth, restoration of Knossos began after its rediscovery in 1900. However, though the city draws thousands of visitors each year, it is not an especially accomplished restoration project: Most of the city’s famous frescoes are entirely modern, and it is quite plainly reinforced with concrete. While those expecting an accurate depiction of antiquity may be somewhat disappointed, the ruins are still worth exploring for the many epic tales they evoke. This region boasts some of Sweden’s largest burial mounds, along with several runestones and hundreds of Viking graves. CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User Labyrinten vid Tibble (The Tibble Labyrinth) 📍 Hökåsen-Badelunda, Sweden This part of southwest Sweden is a treasure trove of Viking artifacts and relics, including this 2,000-year-old labyrinth just outside the city of Västerås. Situated on a high, wooded ridge, the site is comprised of around 3,000 stones spanning an area of 40x45 feet. It was likely used for the ancient Nordic spring rite in which a boy had to save a girl from the center. The rules dictated that he could not touch the stones while traveling through the labyrinth; if he did, he was forced to exit and was replaced by another young contender. Vitold Muratov, CC BY-SA 3.0 Bolshoi Zayatsky Island 📍 Solovetskiy, Russia The Solovetsky Islands on Russia’s White Sea are tiny and isolated, with beautifully sparse landscapes and a population of only a couple hundred. Bolshoi Zayatsky Island is only one square mile in total, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in mystery. Its rocky surface is covered in dozens of labyrinths that date back to 30,000 BCE. Archaeologists have not determined the exact use of these structures, some of which are made of stacked stones and others of which are built into the ground as earthen mounds. However, their purpose was most likely mystical: portals to the underworld, traps for evil spirits, or ceremonial altars. Guests have compared the building to Hogwarts or hobbit homes in the Shire. Sandy Trueman. Used with permission. 100 Roofs Cafe 📍Đà Lạt, Vietnam From the outside this may look like a run-of-the-mill bar, but inside, it houses a a multistory maze complete with staircases to nowhere, underwater arthropods, and (if you find your way to the top) amazing views of Đà Lạt’s skyline. While the cafe serves up a variety of delicious, boozy beverages, it’s best to pace yourself so you can maneuver through the many dead ends, random tunnels, and sculpted women emerging from the walls. The park also houses 500 works from Ricci’s art collection. Andrea IX / Atlas Obscura User The Labirinto della Masone 📍 Fontanellato, Italy This cultural park is home to the world’s largest bamboo labyrinth, composed of 20 different species of bamboo ranging from dwarf to giant. Designed by Franco Maria Ricci, an Italian publisher, art collector, and bibliophile (with an enduring fondness for bamboo), the labyrinth takes the shape of an eight-pointed star in a nod to 16th-century star-shaped fortress cities. Its center is a square surrounded by arcades and large halls, and a pyramid-shaped chapel recalls the labyrinth as a symbol of faith. The original concept was created by anthropologist and landscape designer Beverley Lear, though input from nearly 4,000 schoolchildren was also taken into account. Kenneth Knox / CC BY-SA 2.0 Peace Maze of Northern Ireland 📍 Castlewellan, Northern Ireland This hedge maze opened in 2001 to commemorate the peace and reconciliation efforts of Northern Ireland in the years following “The Troubles.” At the center of its two distinct halves (which must be crossed in order to escape the maze) lies the Peace Bell, which visitors ring to indicate they have solved the puzzle. The maze is made up of over 6,000 yew trees, planted by people from all over Northern Ireland during December of 2000 and funded largely by the European Union Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland. The trees are intentionally shorter than those in most hedge mazes, allowing for more open communication and interaction between visitors as they make their way through. Visit between mid-July and early August to catch the lavender labyrinth in full bloom. Courtesy of Cherry Point Farm and Market Cherry Point Farm and Market Lavender Labyrinth 📍 Shelby, Michigan In 2001, Barbara Bull, the fourth-generation owner of this Michigan farm, commissioned a beautiful, floral labyrinth with a kaleidoscopic herb garden at its epicenter. Visitors are invited to take a peaceful journey through the fragrant lavender, Black-eyed Susans, and hollyhocks, eventually reaching the more than 30 herb beds carefully arranged by principles of sacred geometry. Twelve circles, 52 arbor posts, and seven cross pieces represent the months and weeks of the year and the days of the week. The site was built by British landscape artist Adrian Fisher. Deepspear, CC BY-SA 3.0 Labyrint Drielandenpunt 📍 Vaals, Netherlands Translating to the “Three Country Labyrinth,” this maze of 17,000 hornbeam shrubs is located where the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany all meet. In the middle of the maze, a high platform allows visitors to look off into any of the three countries (or at their fellow travelers strolling through the hornbeams below). Surrounding the maze are a handful of other activities for visitors to enjoy, from a colorful playground to clay shooting and archery. You can even play smuggling games that recall the once-frequent passage of smugglers who jumped borders to save money. Visitors can take the “Psychic Challenge,” which promises $100,000 to any psychic who can find two hidden objects in the site. PuzzlingWorld NZ / Atlas Obscura User Puzzling World 📍 Wanaka, New Zealand This mystifying funhouse started as a single-story wooden maze in 1973 and has since grown into a veritable shrine to tricks and illusions. It was the world’s first maze to include overbridges, linking different parts of the maze together to create a fully immersive, 3D experience. After you’ve navigated the maze, make your way through the park’s many fun follies, from a group of buildings splayed like a hand of cards to the “Leaning Tower of Wanaka,” forever tilted at a dizzying 53 degrees. There are also five Illusion Rooms, including the Hologram Hall and Tilted House, plus the Sculptillusion Gallery, which showcases artworks that double as optical illusions. Statues of other Greek gods can be found throughout the Neoclassical portion of the park. Lana Velkov / Atlas Obscura User Labyrinth Park of Horta 📍 Barcelona, Spain At the center of Barcelona’s Parc del Laberint d’Hort, this hedge maze has dazazled locals and tourists alike since 1791, when it was built as part of a wealthy estate owned by the Desvalls family. The meticulously manicured walls create over 2,000 feet of twists and turns, and if you make it to the center, you’ll find a solitary statue of Eros, Greek God of Love. The maze is also rich with water features, including waterfalls, ponds, and even a canal.

19 Creepy Catacombs Around the World You Can Visit

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