Europe’s most macabre tourist attraction Is open all year round – and it’s not where you think

But while Transylvania and Edinburgh are go to’s for a gothic aesthetic, for those looking for a more grisly experience – the travel experts at First Choice have found something a little darker.

Nestled in a rural Czech town just an hour from Prague you’ll find the Sedlec Ossuary, or as it’s more commonly known, the Church of Bones.

The Roman Catholic chapel is decorated with the skeletal remains of between 40,000 – 70,000 individuals – that’s over eight million individual bones.

As the first Cistercian monastery in Bohemia, founded in 1142, the abbey’s rich in history.

In the 13th century the spot became a popular burial ground, after a monastery abbot consecrated the land with soil from spot of Jesus’ crucifixion. By the 15th century a new gothic church had been built, and the lower chapel was re-assigned to house the tens of thousands of victims of the Black Plague and Hussite wars.

But it was in the 19th century that the ossuary transformed into the creepy hotspot it is today.

Up until this point, the bones had been haphazardly stored in the various crypts, but in 1870 the monastery’s owners hired a local woodcarver named František Rint to artistically arrange the bones and give them a new sense of purpose.

Rint bleached the bones and used them to create the unique decorations you’ll see today, including:

• The Chandelier of bones: A massive chandelier that hangs from the centre of the nave and is said to contain at least one of every bone in the human body.
• Schwarzenberg coat of arms: A coat of arms made entirely of human bones, including a raven pecking the eye of a Turkish soldier's skull.
• Garlands of skulls: Garlands of skulls and femurs that are strung from the ceiling.
• Bone pyramids: Four large, bell-shaped pyramids of stacked bones that occupy the corners of the chapel.
• Artist's signature: Rint’s name is in bones on the wall near the chapel's entrance.

While Sedlec Ossuary makes for a perfect spooky Halloween day out, visitors are welcome all year round. In fact, the summer months make for a great time to visit as the chapel offers late-night, candle-lit tours hosted by monks and an organ performance.

Fans of Danny Boyle’s 2025 apocalyptic horror film 28 Years Later might find the spot particularly appealing – with various visual similarities to the film. And with part 2: The Bone Temple set to release in cinemas in Jan 2026, the spot is set to increase in popularity.

Situated in the town of Kutná Hora, a UNESCO World Heritage spot with a tonne of other historical sites to explore, the Ossuary is a just over an hour from the capital of Prague making it a great option for a day trip out of the city.

Tours from Prague centre can be organised with travel companies like First Choice, who offer a day-long guided experience of Kutná Hora and the Sedlec Ossuary.

Meanwhile in the gothic capital, dark tourists can try everything from ghost walks to concentration camp and abandoned psychiatric hospital tours.

Visiting the capital is a super affordable trip and food and drink famously on the lower end compared to similar historical capitals like Berlin and Paris.

So if you’re brave enough to face eight million bones and a chandelier of skulls, the Church of Bones is calling, just don’t forget to pack your nerve.