There is nothing more important to the Goth in his free time than atmosphere. While the rest of society tends to indulge in pleasure and light entertainment, the goth appreciates above all places and locations that have a morbid, mystical, spiritual or occult aura. Places that are full of history, around which legends and sagas entwine and which may have touched people for centuries.
These include castles and palaces, architectural marvels of the past and also churches and church buildings. Often, the interest in mystical places does not end with visual perception and collecting images; the stories and history are also explored and marvelled at. So it is not surprising that Goths travel, for example, to the Externsteine in the Teutoburg Forest, visit the Bone Church near Prague, rummage in castle ruins high above the Rhine or are always on the lookout for the dark sides of the destination when on holiday.
Mystical places allow the Goth to experience melancholy and fantasy, for which there is often no room in everyday life. Here they can revel in the past or indulge in the charm of transience. Perhaps that's why goths often surprise us with phenomenal niche knowledge about things that remain closed to the mainstream in search of pleasure and distraction. Goths, by the way, are very polite and quiet visitors and are now expressly welcomed by many operators and managers of such places.