10 Places You're Not Allowed To Visit 

I’ve gone to two of these places actually ! One stone for two birds : I did my PhD on the sanitary management during medieval pandemics, especially the bubonic plague :) as part of my research I managed to get credentials to consult a folder in the Vatican Apostolic Archives concerning the “Lazarettos” or “Pest Houses” ! Hence, one of the most famous ones is Poveglia that I’ve had the chance of visiting ! Thanks for your content Joe you’re an absolute legend :)

Joe worrying about doing too many places in one video would be too long, whereas I would happily watch a two hour long Answers with Joe video no problem.

My father has gone very close to the sentinel island as an Indian coast guard personnel to survey if the tribe is still alive after facing a tsunami. He told that he was in a helicopter and they need to take a closer view to look for the tribe but as the helicopter descended a bit, freakin spears started flying out from the trees and one hit the helicopter's bottom (no serious damage tho) so he pulled back. A warm welcome indeed from the tribe conveying "u thought a puny tsunami can take us out huh?"

My late friend had access to the Vatican Secret Archives in the 1970's for a book on St. Francis. She said it was kind of a strange place - one day she was working on a particular volume of documents but the next day when she asked for it again she was told that it didn't exist.

Funny story: My wife and I were looking to see "unusual" places on a trip through Virginia. I searched online for such odd places and found a website that hyped the best spy museum in the country called the CIA Spy Museum. They showed pictures of artifacts and listed hours and such. It has a Facebook page. So we drove there and when we got to the address we ended up at the CIA at gates that were entirely empty. Hmm. Next door there were other gates for a neighboring building and we asked the attendant there. She said, "Oh, you've come to the wrong entrance. Just go ....." and gave us the correct directions to the right entrance. We followed those and there was the ominous sign saying that it was off-limits if you go straight, but visitors should stay right. This is the CIA so we obviously stayed right. We got to what looked like a ticket kiosk and I rolled down my window and after a few long moments a voice said, "What are you doing here?" I said, "We're here to see the Spy Museum which we read about on this website." (Yeah, I know, at this point we sound batty, but in for a penny, in for a pound, right?) The silence returned and then, after about a minute he came back and said, "Please drive directly forward to the officer on the right by the pylons. Do not drive anywhere else." Uh, okay. So we drove forward and it was then we noticed a lot of firepower trained on us from various locations and as we moved towards the pylons new round barriers came out of the ground and trapped our car in the spot it was in. A heavily armed officer came up and asked us again why we were there. We explained everything. They had us open all our windows, give them ID, explain again and again and again. Then more officers showed up in more gear and walked all around the car including looking under it with mirrors (uh oh). Finally the baddest-ass woman officer I've ever seen came out and started the whole process again, but she seemed to understand. We explained exactly how we found the location and how it was presented as a tourist spot. She told us not to move and then went off. While we were in the car, alone, we talked about how incredible this all was and how screwed we were by this website entry. It was just another "unusual" place to visit in Virgina, literally, like #6 on a list of 30, or something similar. So then the woman officer returned and as she was explaining the situation she clearly referenced elements of the conversations my wife and I had while alone in the car. Obviously they had acoustic mics aimed at the car and heard everything. Cool. She then mentioned my being a vet and said they had quickly verified my story and let me know, to my TOTAL SHOCK, that they'd actually been trying to get that website to stop listing the museum as an attraction. It turns out it IS a thing and IS there, but it's JUST for select CIA employees. She also made two final points CRYSTAL clear. 1. Never, EVER return there again, that they certainly were recording this transgression and this was our single mistaken foray. 2. As we drove out follow the path she described to the absolute last detail without wavering in any way, shape or form. We did exactly that. As we left, we realized that, in the end, we actually had likely experienced a better story than if we had just gotten into the museum. So, do NOT go there. We contacted the website after our experience and pleaded with them to make changes and they finally amended the entry to point out that you're not allowed there and can get into serious trouble if you show up.

I've been to Lascaux II. I know, it's not the "real thing", but still a cool place to visit. The reconstruction is very well done!

Hey Joe, long time lurker on your channel. I'm an urban explorer and have paid a visit to North Brother (outside of the protected bird season if you were worried.) Many of the historic hospital buildings are extremely beautiful but dear god are they dangerous to navigate. My foot went through the floor a couple of times and many of the stairwells and floors are partially collapsed. The island is also covered in poison ivy. You also have to contend with the proximity to Rikers, which is a few hundred meters away, and occasional NYPD patrols.

I'm not religious, but imagining standing seeing Lascaux, a place so important to anthropology, art, sociology, and so many other subjects, is just moving. It's a testament to humanity on a timescale that we can barely fathom, and it's beautiful.

"stalkers" (urban explorers) have found many of Metro-2s tunnels. these exist in other cities in Russia as well, notably in Samara where it's a museum.

I have a friend who has a PHD in history and has been to the Vatican archives. There was a particular letter he wanted to see and he had to apply for permission, there was a process he had to go through, and he was only allowed to see that one thing. He said it was cool.

I definitely vote for an in-depth series about off-limits places. Maybe not straight through but, once a month or something? A deep dive into a few similar places...either here or over on Nebula would work!!!

I'm French with a father born in the Dordogne department so, I've been to the Lascaux cave when I was a kid. I just learned much later that it wasn't the real thing and was quite disappointed about it but from what I recall, even the replicas of the cave are worth the look. In fact, the Dordogne is a beautiful department.

I love the guest stars and podcast clips but it feels like forever since we've had a genuine answers with Joe video and I'm really happy you're back in action

You know how I know you make some of the best content ever Joe? Because no matter how long or short your videos are, they're always over way too fast. They say time speeds up when you're having fun and I have so much fun when you're teaching all of us schlubs! 😁

As a former transit worker, there are definitely more tunnels than are used in any city with a rail transit system and likely tunnels people have forgotten about in most larger/older cities, and that doesn't even include "unofficial" tunnels. Also, it's almost certain that if you live in a place with a transit system with a base of operations larger than a dentist office, there is a "bunker" that can be used for operations in/after disasters.

Several years ago, when Ghost Hunters was big and they branched off with a second show, Ghost Hunters International, their team went to Poveglia. They covered the history about the Bubonic Plague bodies being cremated on the island and about the sadistic doctor that tortured patients. If anyone is into that sort of thing, you can get a glimpse inside by watching that episode, whether you believe in the paranormal or not or the show's integrity.

Lascaux cave is relatively recent when compared to the cave paintings that were found at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia. The sacred site in Western Australia showed 46,000 years of continual occupation and provided a 4,000-year-old genetic link to present-day traditional owners has recently been destroyed by Australia most corrupt government for the expansion of an iron ore mine. Sad.

I've been to Stalin's secret bunker in Moscow, which is basically four parallel metro tunnels with a command center, living quarters, life support systems etc. It was built during the construction of the Moscow metro using the same technology and was so secret that even the workers thought they were just building the metro. The bunker had tunnel systems linking it to the main metro and we could hear trains zooming by, but the tour guide said nothing of Metro II

I've never been to any of these locations (not surprising) but I once did hear an interesting story regarding Surtsey island. During one scientific visit to the island a new plant was discovered growing, it was a tomato plant. After investigating the plant, it was discovered that the plant was growing out of human excrement. A researcher who had previously visited the island had eaten something containing tomato (and its seeds) and then had needed to relieve themselves. They had unwittingly introduced the plant by leaving a dookie.

But that's not all, ANOTHER haunted island around the Bronx is the nearby Hart Island located to the east of City Island. It housed a Civil War prison camp, tuberculosis sanatorium, a jail, a homeless shelter, a drug rehabilitation center, and a potter's field for mass burials (which back in 2020 the city used to temporarily bury pandemic victims because mortuaries were at capacity). And during the Cold War, it housed Nike defense missiles. So yeah, the island was used for a lot of stuff. The remains of ONE MILLION people are on the island, and simply because of the fact it's been used for such, the NYC Department of Correction (who owns the island) restricts visits unless you're the family of a loved one buried there but you must request a visit a month ahead of time.

You can't get to Moscow's Metro 2 but you can get to see the city beneath the city of Helsinki. Basically a complex of large interconnected bomb shelters with room for about 800,000 people. If you look into Finnish civil defence/bomb shelters you will find facilities that will amaze you. And the city beneath Helsinki is SO much more than a simple bomb shelter.

You forgot about the Singapore passport. All 196 countries accept it without needing a Visa because of its control checkpoint of global trade and every country wants to maintain best relations

Yes please, more fun videos like this. This reminds me of your early video release schedule where you had irreverent topics on Thursday and science on Monday. Please do videos like this!

Since it was open to the public until 1963, Lascaux Cave is the one most likely to have been seen by any given individual, at least, given that they were 59 years or older now. I'm 71, and would have been 12 or 13 when it was closed, but, since I hadn't been to France as of 1963, I missed my chance to see the real thing. Damn!

I wish you would have mentioned the trivial fact about Picasso. Upon entering the Lascaux Caves he simply stated, as far as art was concerned, “We have ‘invented’ nothing.” (Credit edit to wakankinyan)

Brazilian here, the snake island is pronounced, "yilia D K mada Gran D" "Ilha de queimada grande" literary means (island from big fire) portuguese has some similarities with spanish but our accent is totally different.

I love your videos, Joe. But this was one of the best ever. We all want to know about places like these. What could be more fascinating? Maybe you should choose another 10 or even just one and give it more time.

I REALLY like this list style videos. I don’t care what the topic is - do more of these! And whichever ones you’re most interested in, do a deep dive on it the following week or however long it takes to research it!!!

Joe & Co, you guys are killing it lately, one hit after another. Congrats on that, I remember when you hit 1 million subs, took YEARS, I know I have been around for a while and you're already at 1.4ish. Great work.

Not really an answer to the question you asked us, but I suppose it's relevant. The drowned ruins of Thonis/Heraclion off the coast of Egypt would be at the top of my list of places I'd like to visit; if only they allowed recreational diving. And I weren't terrified of deep water. Thanks, Titanic.

Yes please Joe, I want more in depth video's about these and other restricted area's! Thank you for all that you do for us! Love your content!

Mr. Ballen has an excellent series of YT videos where he tells dark, interesting, and true stories about people going in places they shouldn't be.

The one that surprised me was Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean. It has been deemed a nature preserve and access is extremely limited. Much of the Island chains West of Hawaii are similarly restricted to access.

I've been to Lascaux in 1961 (I was nine years old) Our family spent a year in France (my father was teaching at the Sorbonne that year) and we went to the Dordogne and did see Lascaux and some other Neolithic caves.

Poveglia ( Po - veh - lee - ah) is incredibly beautiful. I'm fortunate enough to live in Venice, so I've spend many a wonderful day/evening out there, even had a birthday party on the island. Haven't seen any ghosts up to today. You have to get there by private boat, so it's basically inaccessible for tourists. But if you've got friends in Venice with a boat, you'll find people out there basically every weekend having a bbq.

Hey Joe. Perhaps consider a vid on the most endangered tourist destinations in the world. I’ve been to (through) several glaciers that were endangered then and surely changed since. Also of course so many historic sites destroyed by zealots threatened by history. Consider also the most dangerous tourist destinations with some accompanying stories of horror.

I watched a documentary on Curiosity Stream about The construction of Lascaux II. it is fascinating. I learned a lot about the Painting techniques used by the prehistoric artists. That would be my first choice,if I could visit. Thankyou Joe Scott, for recommending Curiosity Stream….I love it!

Hi Joe, I thought this list would include the Svalbard world seed vault. Another site that used to be open to visitors but is now closed is Whakaari/White Island in New Zealand. This is an active volcano and it erupted in 2019, killing 22 tourists.

I snuck into the Elisabeth Sanatorium in Berlin a few years ago. That was a thrill because it was very much forbidden and I had to keep dodging the guard. It looked a lot like the sanitorium in your video. It was built over a hundred years ago in the middle of a forest for tuberculosis victims. Now it's surrounded by a roundabout like a moat.

Thanks Joe for stimulating and entertaining my mind during my dinner break 👌keep em coming :)

A friend of mine has been on the assylum island in Venice and says she has been afraid of abandoned buildings ever since. And a professor of mine at university has been in both the Lasco caves and the Vatican archives. Though he was always very down-to-earth about it. So personally: 0/10, but people I know: 3/10.

you have really good ad placement it helps with the video flow a lot lol thank u for that effort

From my recollection, Chow wasn't "immediately murdered", he got shot at with arrows while trying to give them "paperclips" as a present... I have no idea what people with no access to PAPER are going to do with paperclips... anyways he swam like a mile back to the boat.... then decided to have another go. Might even have been 3 attempts, but he was warned away by the actual Sentinelese themselves and even wounded during that warning... and yet he freely chose to return again. This incident was quite odd and different from the other encounters, where they didn't give a warning, granted the 2 fishermen killed were thieves.... again, just my recollection, don't have time nor interest in looking this all up again, so definitely fact check it before trusting my memory.

I think the Sentinelese sound fascinating. Their DNA would be a treasure trove!! So isolated for so long.

Man north sentinel isle is going to be a big humanitarian crisis once sea levels rise

This was fascinating. Not too long at all. I vote for the long videos. Thank you, Joe.

i like how you ask questions at the end and throughout your videos. great for fun comments and also engagement lol

19 seconds in and it's already awesome with two of the funniest South Park scenes and a RAGE Against The Machine clip. 😉👍

I didn’t go to work yesterday. I thought it was Monday, but there was no video, so it couldn’t have been. Boy, I can’t wait to see everyone at work today! Happy Monday guys!

So cool to hear you talk about Snake Island. I performed a brand new piece of concert band music this spring inspired by the island written by Michael Sweeney. Great list!

I absolutely love your work, Joe!

Good thing you left out Club 33 at Disneyland. I’ve been there, so it wouldn’t be a place that qualifies as somewhere I "can’t go." I knew someone who worked for someone with a membership. Best Disney meal I’ve ever had - with a really fantastic bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. 20 years ago, that was a BIG deal since they didn’t sell alcohol in Disneyland park. Now I just have to find someone to get me into all the Club 33s at WDW...

No "Answers with Joe" on the title? Is it because it's Tuesday?

thank you for keeping up the content in a normal fashion. I like to watch your show before anything else after an irritating day.

Loved this video great topic!

We know Edward Ullendorff didn't see the real ark of the covenant, because if he had, his face would have melted.

I enjoy the science videos but I love these kind of Joe videos😊❤️

I've been to the Lascaux facility. At the time, they were still building the copy (which has a pretty interesting process... they set up equipment in the original to do exact laser scans of it, so they could make the duplicate) so I didn't get to go INTO the caves proper, but the rest of the tour was interesting anyway.

There must be a good top 10 list in forbidden places like Metro 2, where the items are assumed or probably real but aren't definitely known to be real.

I definitely want to see a video on club 33. I was fascinated by it in high school but haven’t thought about it in a while.

7:20 Super interesting. What do those snakes eat then? I know snake can go on quite a while without food but if almost no birds go there, wouldnt the population of the snakes drop drastically?

Yes please! I would absolutely LUV to see a video on the secret club at Disney that u mentioned....I think u could ace it!!

Cool video Joe. I liked the list format.

I’d love a video about all the sunken cities in the Mediterranean. Technically you can’t go to most of them lol

Just one episode, can you do the opening spin but play the sound effect on loop and keep spinning round and round like a crazy person a few times then stop suddenly and proceed as normal?

Yes, we visited Lascaux II in 2016. Even though we knew that it was a replica of the original cave... It still was breath taking and a great experience. Besides, the mountainous region in that southern part of France, is so beautiful.

I have a trip to France planned for November and one of my musts is to visit Lascaux IV. My art history professor was always going on about it, so I knew I had to go see it if I ever went to France. Will forever be disappointed that I’ll never see the real thing!

Wondering what happened to both sentinel Island during the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. I was in Jamaica and I'm still convinced the waves we were getting there were so high because of the tsunami.

We have a snake Island, Here in Australia. It's in my hometown Rockingham Carnac Island is just 19 hectares in size and is home to hundreds of deadly tiger snakes. With no predators on the island, the population of 400+ snakes is thriving and has adapted to living off a very small supply of fresh water. Most are blind due to seagulls picking their eyes I think.

I almost always appreciate your presentations. Thanks

Heay Joe nice video as always! Could you make a video on the library of babel? I think it would interest you allot! Greetings from Germany! Love the content so keep it up

I haven’t been to those places sadly. But I have been underneath a nuclear reactor, on top of a giant cooling tower, watched a coal mining operation blow coal seams out of the ground from the top of a coal fired power plant, on top of one of those giant cranes used in ports to load ships, inside of a dam that produced hydroelectric power, and climbed to the top of many local bridge structures. I’ve been in coal, silver and gold mines, both tunnels and open pit. I’ve also built oil refineries and constructed oil field drilling modules at the North Slope. If it is an industrial facility- I’ve probably worked in it. Not exactly secret rooms in North Korea, but still pretty cool, if you ask me!

As a German when you see a keep out sign: oh thx for the warning, there's probably a hazard in there.

2:17 this music, every video it feels so out of place, but also perfect. I love it. 😂

Love it. Great stuff!

I would love to see a camouflaged, sterilized Rover sent to North Sentinel to watch the locals. Their culture has been evolving independently for teens of thousands of years. Imagine anthropologists being able to just watch them unadulterated for a year.

When I was at University, the Physics department had plenty of rooms with 'Danger' signs on their doors. Danger of Radiation Danger of Corrosive Acids Danger of Magnetic Fields Danger of high Voltages Danger of poisonous gasses Danger of Lasers Danger of Death (yes really!) etc. But there was one room which had them all - every single sign - on the door. It was room number 13, and it was labelled the "Virtual Room". The door was always shut, and we always wondered if the room was real, and if so, what on earth went on in there?

i was going through the vids of joe scott, and apparently, i've watched almost all of his vids. nearly all. incredible.

I would totally want to go to Surtsey Island. I plan to eventually go back to college and get a masters in biology and this island sounds SO FREAKING FASCINATING. 2nd choice would be the cave with the paintings, but I'd be happy enough to just visit the replica

And the sign says "Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight" So I jumped the fence and I yelled at the house Hey! What gives you the right! To put up a fence and keep me out, or to keep Mother Nature in

4:22 is it murder to dispatch an invader? Murder is the unlawful act of killing a human.

I got to within about 30’ of the Chapel of the Ark in Axsum, Ethiopia. I tried to walk all the way to the fence, but suddenly a guy came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm and shook his finger at me. The Ethiopian pilgrims could pray at the fence, but that was close enough for a foreigner. It’s a stunning place!

I always watch your videos with a big smile on my face. Apart from the one about human experiments.

As the Supreme Leader, gotta say it's pretty nice to be able to visit the most secretive room in the most secretive building in the most secretive capital in the most secretive country on the planet And then there is a place you can't visit if you're a specific gender: Mount Athos in Greece. A theocratic society that has been autonomous within Greece since 1927 because it's an important center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism and has a population of around two thousand monks. While it's only been autonomous since 1927, for over a thousand years women have been banned from there for the reason that they'll distract the monks from prayer and study (the only woman allowed is Virgin Mary). Domestic animals are banned as well, except cats for catching the mice. But for those who ARE allowed, daily visitors to Mount Athos are restricted to 100 lay Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox pilgrims, and all are required to obtain a special entrance permit from the Mount Athos Pilgrims' Bureau, valid for only three days.

If Metro II is real, I must see it. I've always been fascinated by subterranean architecture.

This is so random and I love it XD great idea for a video!

Bro I’ve been watching your content for years and those first few clips of South Park and Rage just shows how cool you are

Finally, a "locations around the world" video that make me not feel bad about all the places I haven't been to. Well played Joe!

In Italy there are 2 hrs of semi-mandatory (one can opt out of it) religion classes from elementary to high school. Some teachers are kinda cool and teach more of a philosophy of religion type of class. Anyway, my high school religion teacher went to the vatican archives for research purposes on when and why women were forbidden, and still are, from becoming priestsses(?) But, plot twist, someone damaged a manuscript while she was there, so the vatican GTF-outed all scholars for some time, so she left that sort of historiographic research and became a teacher.

I'm currently in the hospital with covid and ulcerative colitis complications, so I'm not allowed to visit the hospital bathroom. Your voice is super relaxing. I appreciate this content during this stressful time for me.

I love you, Joe. Thanks for all you do.

Joe Scott, the sentinelese people actually did allow us to start getting friendly with them. We (westerners) started by bringing coconuts and tossing them from boats near the shore. There was even video of a woman picking up a coconut in the water and getting hit in the head with another. Fast forward a little and we kidnapped a pair of grandparents and a pair of kids. The grandparents died right away from illness and we returned the kids. Who knows if the children returned with some illness and spread it among them. There is no telling how bad that could've scarred the tribe. They are acting REASONABLE. What's that saying? Fool me once, shame on you...

Can we appreciate that we are those islander in the scope of the universe? That *if* we find other life, our immune systems are just as ill equipped 😅

One of my hobbies is 'Urban Exploring' basically it's going around identifying and finding ways into interesting abandoned buildings and projects in the city. From old WW2 Navy Tunnels built deep into the Sandstone beneath old Artillery Gun Emplacement sites at the North & South Head of the Harbour, disused Underground Platforms in Railway Stations, Disuses Railway Tunnels & Above Ground Platforms, enormous disused old Naval Fuel Oil Tanks along the harbourside for WW2 era ships, underground tunnels leading through the city CBD, abandoned Mills, abandoned Light Houses, Disused Train Signal Boxes, disused factories, etc, etc. It's great fun and you get to see a side of the city most people have no idea exists. It gives you that kid feeling of finding a Secret Base for you and your friends to play in.

Thank you for the Displate link, using it soon.

It warms my heart to hear about John Allen Chau. I love hearing a good story about some idiot dying for their religion

Spelling a name in Portuguese with Spanish accent, a classic. Anyway, very interesting video. 💁🏻‍♂️ COME TO BRAZIL! 🇧🇷 (Just not to Ilha das Cobras...)

As a frenchman, i did go to Lascaux 2 :) They now actually also building a 3D render of the entire labyrith... can't wait to see that too :)

Tom Scott did a recent video in Lascaux2 and he was impressed by the intricate duplication of the original cave.

“Studying Surtsey has produced information on the colonization process of new land by animal and plant life, and that’s because as scientists study Surtsey it produces a lot of information about how the colonization process of new land by animal and plant life works.” Ah yes, the old “it’s the way it is because that’s how it is” trope.