Urban exploring or urbex is the thrill-seekers way of rediscovering a city’s forgotten heartbeat. Part photography, part venturing into man-made spaces often covered in moss and other plants due to lack of human activity, it gives a glimpse into a long-lost era. It’s a rising favourite among adventurous YouTubers and alternative travellers alike, and these urbex spots will make sure you don’t leave disappointed.
1.Maunsell Sea Forts, UK
As one of the most haunting and fascinating remnants of the second world war, the Maunsell Sea Forts are a dream for urban explorers.
These abandoned offshore towers were built to shield Britain from aerial and naval attacks. Their eerie silhouettes and rusted frames evoke a sense of forgotten time, and they’ve featured in music videos and sci-fi films. Inside, you will find kitchens and living rooms with TVs and fireplaces still intact. To access this offshore spectacle you’ll need a boat, and Whitstable Boat Trips can arrange guided tours for those interested.
2. Houtouwan Fishing Village, China
There is something so utterly satisfying about watching nature claim back what it once had, and this amazing sight awaits you in Houtouwan fishing village in China. Covered in a green blanket of plants, the houses here were once homes for over 2000 fishermen in the 1950s. However, by the 90s, its remote location and lack of infrastructure led to a mass exodus, making it a great urbex destination.
3. Aldwych Underground Station, UK
Another British treasure for urbex enthusiasts is the Aldwych underground station in the capital. It offers art deco elegance and is one of London’s most evocative time capsules. Opened in 1907 and closed in 1994, it still exudes the faded aura of the early 90s — lipstick adverts cling to the walls, featuring models in vintage styling that whisper of a bygone era.
4. Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital, Germany
You can’t talk about abandoned treasures without mentioning the crown jewel of them all — sanitoriums… There’s a visceral thrill stepping inside a place once home to psychiatric patients — walls steeped in silence and memory, where it feels as if echoes of the past linger, too loud to ignore. And in Germany, there is one very eye-catching one: the Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital. With former patients like Hitler and Honecker among its war-torn history, the site stands as both an architectural marvel and a ghost-like site. Its ornate brickwork, grand staircases and long echoing corridors make it impossible to forget, and a true gem for all urban explorers.
5. Buzludzha, Bulgaria
Perched high on a windswept peak near Kazanlak, Bulgaria, the awe-inspiring monument of Buzludzha stands as a ghostly tribute to communist pride. Abandoned yet unforgotten, it lures around 50,000 urban explorers a year.
Inside, you can see remains of mosaic art showing scenes of workers, revolutionaries and communist leaders. From the outside, the structure resembles a stranded UFO, and remains one of the region’s most striking brutalist landmarks.
6. Hashima Island, Japan
Hashima Island offers an immersive, theatrical glimpse into Japan’s industrial past. Once a coal mining powerhouse known as ‘Battleship Island’, it now lies cloaked in ghostly silence. Cast adrift in the sea, this abandoned concrete city bears the austere lines of brutalist architecture — harsh but strangely beautiful.
And who knows, maybe you’ll see a coal miner ghost while you are there…
7. Six Flags, New Orleans
This amusement park was once a thriving place for family and friends to get together for a day of thrills. However, it all changed when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and the park was left in ruins. Twenty years later, nature has crept in through broken fences, reclaiming rollercoasters and ticket booths. It’s a unique urban exploring site, and it truly feels like a post-apocalyptic movie set where time froze mid-laughter.