Cities To Not Visit: Think Twice If You Want To Visit One Of These 25+ Cities

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: It’s a ghost town
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,000*

Ordos Kangbashi is a beautiful city with modern architecture and huge buildings. It should be a lovely place to visit or live, but the reality is that it is actually a ghost town. On the other hand, when visiting it, you won’t have any problems with traffic, though you could get a bit lonely.

Ordos Kangbashi, China ©Qilai Shen/Getty Images

Originally intended for 300,000 people, only 70,000 moved to this city in the first place, and over time the few people who lived there began to leave. The lack of services and the high cost of buying property in the city were just some of the factors that led to this formerly-huge project ending up as a ghost town.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Mysterious necropolis
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,200*

If you find yourself in the Caucasus and feel like having a relaxing hike in the mountains, you can head to Dargavs. Known as the “City of The Dead”, Dargavs is a necropolis located in North Ossetia, Russia. To get there, it is necessary to pass through many dangerous, winding roads.

Dargavs, la “ciudad de los muertos”, Rusia ©Skreidzeleu/Shutterstock.com

This remote place is full of mysteries, as it is not known why so many bodies were buried there years ago, nor is it known what was the reason for said bodies’ strange burial rituals. In addition to these scary mysteries, there is a legend that anyone who enters Dargavs will not come out alive.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Extremely expensive ghost town
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,200*

Considered by some to be the most expensive city in the world, Ashgabat is a very different kind of ghost town. When we think of ghost cities, we imagine crumbling, neglected buildings, but here, the opposite is true. Ashgabat’s incredible buildings are mostly built with luxury materials.

Ashgabat, Turkmenistán ©Michal Knitl/Shutterstock.com

This is the city with the most buildings made of marble in the world. The construction of Ashgabat was supposed to start what President Saparmurat Niyazov called the “golden era of Turkmenistan,” but unfortunately, due to the isolation of the country and the cost of living, the luxurious city of Ashgabat ended up almost uninhabited.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: The Chernobyl incident
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,200*

Pripyat used to be a town like any other, and it was home to approximately 50,000 people, mostly workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Everything changed on April 26, 1986, one of history’s most fateful days. Due to the explosion of the plant’s nuclear reactor 4, a terrible explosion occurred.

Prípiat, Ucrania ©lux3000/Shutterstock.com

The explosion had 500 times the force of the bomb that fell on Hiroshima. The large amount of radiation in the city turned it into a ghost town overnight. Today, it is possible to visit Pripyat, and there are guided tours of the city that allow you to see the remains of this unforgettable modern catastrophe.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Asbestos in the air
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,700*

Just breathing the air in this ghost town is deadly. The town of Wittenoom, Australia was once a thriving place, but, due to the amount of asbestos in the air, it is now a ghost town that has been erased from all official maps. The Australian government has also limited access to the town.

Wittenoom, Australia ©Philip Schubert/Shutterstock.com

Only two people continue to live in the town, ignoring the risks of remaining. The concentration of asbestos in the air is such in Wittenoom that it is almost impossible to breathe without severely risking your health. Although some adventure-hungry tourists do come to the town, Wittenoom is definitely not a tourist spot.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: One of WWII’s largest massacres
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,500*

Oradour-sur-Glane, located in France, was a small town with no more than 2,000 inhabitants, and it suffered one of the greatest atrocities ever committed during World War II. In the summer of ‘44, an SS platoon entered the small town and wiped out the lives of all of its inhabitants.

Oradour-sur-Glane, Francia ©Bernard Bisson/Getty Images

This senseless massacre took place on June 10, 1944, the same day as the Battle of Normandy. In order not to forget what happened, the town remained intact, and no one displaced even the tiniest stone. Today you can visit the site, but all tours are made in absolute silence to respect the rest of the souls of the victims.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: No human inhabitants, only bats
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,500*

Throughout its history, the town of Ruby, Arizona, has gone through times of both heyday and neglect. Its heyday was due to the town’s mine, from which gold, silver, zinc and copper were extracted. It was also the scene of crimes such as the famous “Ruby Murders,” which led to one of the longest manhunts in the Old West.

Ruby, Arizona, USA PhilipC /commons.wikimedia.org

Today, this ghost town has no human inhabitants, but it is home to a huge colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that live inside the mine. During the summer,  it is possible to see the huge black cloud of bats flying over the entrance of the mine at nighttime.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Almost impossible to get to
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,700*

This city is located in the center of the Ethiopian Highlands in Amhara, and it consists of a series of monolithic churches carved directly into the stone. It was built in the 12th century, where it was constructed underground. From afar, the city can only be seen from above.

Lalibela, Etiopía ©WitR/Shutterstock.com

This monastic city is not abandoned, as it is a very important center of pilgrimage and has been a World Heritage Site since 1978. That said, visiting it has always been a difficult task. Until a few years ago (at which point roads were built on which cars can pass), it was only possible to reach Lalibela by mule.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Full of abandoned buildings
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,500*

The United States is famous for many things, among them its natural wonders and historical monuments, as well as its beautiful cities that are centers of art and culture. But there are also many other cities of the United States, ones that may not be too photogenic.

Houston, USA ©Silvio Ligutti/Shutterstock.com

Such is the case with Houston, Texas, one of the most populated cities in the United States. Though extremely populated, Houston is full of neglected, abandoned buildings. After visiting the city’s historic district, you can take a stroll through the many abandoned buildings that make up Houston’s landscape.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Ghost town, forbidden entry
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,000*

During the Cold War, the USA and the Soviet Union began to develop and stockpile weapons. Among the most important of those weapons were missiles and atomic bombs. Seeing this, China did not want to be left behind and it was then that Mao Zedong ordered the construction of City 404, which did not appear on any map and officially did not exist.

Ciudad 404, China /wired.com

The purpose of this city was to build an atomic bomb. The best scientists and specialists of the country, as well as their families, lived there. In 1964, China carried out its first nuclear test, thus proving the success of a concept such as City 404. This city still does not appear on any map or application, and entry to it is totally forbidden.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Abandoned movie city
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,800*

Located in the province of Matera in Basilicata, this medieval ghost town is one of the most famous in the world, as it has appeared in the background of movies such as The Passion of the Christ and Quantum of Solace. Undoubtedly, the view in this ghost town is spectacular, and its destroyed streets and buildings are a perfect, desolate landscape.

Craco, Italia ©Giovanni Rinaldi/Shutterstock.com

Craco was abandoned for safety reasons in 1975, but before that date, seismic movements had already wreaked havoc on its buildings. Even before it was completely abandoned, the city had already suffered other catastrophes, such as epidemics and landslides.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Abandoned mining town
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,900*

Kolmanskop is a ghost town that was built in the middle of the Namibian Desert. It was founded because there was a diamond mine nearby. It was also the first city in Africa to have an X-ray machine, but this medical device was not used for care purposes; it was used to prevent workers from stealing diamonds from the mine.

Kolmanskop, Namibia ©Lukas Bischoff Photograph/Shutterstock.com

During the years that the mine was active, more than 2,200 pounds of diamonds were extracted. When the mine was finally exhausted, Kolmanskop’s lifespan ended, and the town was abandoned. The buildings that are still standing are now completely covered by the desert sands.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Danger of carbon monoxide poisoning
Est. Cost Of Visit: $2,500*

In 1962, in the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, a fire broke out that spread to the coal mines beneath the town. This fire continues to burn to this day and is likely to continue for another 250 years. Most of the inhabitants have, as a result, vacated their homes.

Centralia, Pensilvania, USA @lovepropertyuk/Pinterest.com

Although a handful of inhabitants did not want to leave the town and resisted selling their property, the town was already a ghost town, and there was no turning back. Still, some adventurers come to Centralia, but the site is still very dangerous, not only because of the fire underground, but also because of the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: Abandoned ghost town with buried mines
Est. Cost Of Visit: $1,500*

Several years ago, the city of Famagusta would be on a list of places to visit. It used to be a city that everyone wanted to know, and it was a favorite of movie stars of the last century. But now, everything is different, thanks to Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

La ciudad fantasma de Famagusta, Chipre ©lermont51/Shutterstock.com

The dispute between Turkey and Greece over the island of Cyprus led to Varosha Beach being evacuated. After that, Famagusta became a ghost town. It is said that there are buried mines in the sands of the beach, so this is definitely a place where you would not want to lie down and sunbathe.