10 Abandoned Locations You Can Tour
Around the world, large resort projects have been built with the expectation of constant tourism and long-term success. Not all of them made it that far. Their developments were stalled due to funding issues, mismanagement, or forced closure after conflict. Many of these abandoned resorts remain standing today, and they can be visited.
Hotel Kupari
Credit: Wikipedia
This beachfront resort is the remains of Hotel Kupari, a former holiday complex built for Yugoslav political and military elites before the region was reshaped by war. The site was heavily shelled during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s and never restored. As for the ruins, they are easily accessible by car or local bus. There are no official tours, but visitors can walk freely through the structures near the village of Kupari, about 6 miles south of Dubrovnik.
Varosha
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Due to political conflict, Varosha was evacuated in 1974 and remained closed until parts of it reopened in 2020. The former resort district in Famagusta, Cyprus, existed for decades as a sealed-off strip of coastline where hotels and storefronts remained untouched behind fences. While the interiors of buildings are still off-limits, people can walk along beachfront roads and past abandoned hotels filled with sand and sun-bleached furniture.
Haludovo Palace Hotel
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Haludovo Palace Hotel on the island of Krk was once a concrete giant representing the height of luxury in socialist Yugoslavia. The hotel was designed by architect Boris Magaš and opened in 1971. It combined bold shapes with beachfront access, which attracted wealthy travelers from both sides of the Iron Curtain. Penthouse founder Bob Guccione poured $45 million into the property, but the 1990s war shut everything down, though curious folks can visit it today.
King View Resort
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Plans called for a five-star complex overlooking the Andaman Sea, but the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami forced evacuations across the region and changed everything for the King View Resort. After the cleanup, disagreements between developers and local authorities ended the project. All that remains are half-built rooms, empty pools, and exposed concrete. The views from the top floors are still impressive, though the unfinished staircases make it a place to approach carefully.
Dino Island Resort
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Visitors to the Dino Island Resort now come for the natural features, especially sea caves like the Blue Grotto, where sunlight turns the water an intense blue. This place is located just off the Italian coast, near Praia a Mare, and has seen more abandoned plans than completed ones. In the 1950s, developers tried to turn it into a private resort, but the idea collapsed before it gained traction. The leftover buildings and an abandoned restaurant still cling to the island.
Baiae
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Long before modern hotels existed, Baiae was the Roman Empire’s ultimate resort town. It was located along the Bay of Naples and drew figures like Julius Caesar and Nero, who built villas near natural hot springs. Volcanic activity slowly lowered the land, and much of the town ended up underwater by the 16th century. Today, snorkelers and divers glide over submerged streets, statues, and columns.
Monte Palace Hotel
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The Monte Palace Hotel was meant to be a luxury landmark, but it never found its audience. After opening in the late 1980s, the lodging above one of the Azores’ most famous landscapes closed within two years and fell into disrepair. The abandoned structure overlooks the Sete Cidades lakes on São Miguel Island in Portugal, but entry into the building itself is prohibited. Instead, sightseers experience it from afar, usually stopping at nearby viewpoints such as Miradouro da Boca do Inferno, which can be reached by car and short walks.
Ghost Palace Hotel
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This unfinished resort up in Bali’s cooler highlands near Lake Beratan was built as the PI Bedugul Taman Rekreasi Hotel and Resort. It was supposed to open as a high-end getaway before construction suddenly stopped in the late 1990s. The project became entangled in a political scandal involving the family of former Indonesian President Suharto, and the doors never opened. These days, empty corridors and sweeping mountain views make it a popular stop for curious travelers passing through the island’s interior.
Bedugul Highland Resort Complex
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Beyond the Ghost Palace Hotel, the Bedugul area in central Bali also hosts several unfinished resort buildings tied to the same failed development push. The goal was to create a cool-weather luxury zone away from the island’s beaches. Political fallout and financial collapse ended those plans. The buildings still loom near the roadside.
Hashima Island
Credit: Wikipedia
Hashima Island resembles a concrete battleship rising from the sea at a distance, which earned it its nickname. The island was once packed with miners and families during Japan’s coal boom, but everything was abandoned in 1974 when operations shut down. Unlike many abandoned sites, Hashima can still be visited legally, though only under strict rules. Licensed boat tours depart from Nagasaki City and allow visitors to walk designated paths through the ruins, with no free exploration permitted.