![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758866117_37_0_Edinburgh.jpg\")
View of Edinburgh under darkness.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\nThe city offers family-friendly ghost tours that promise spooky fun for all ages.View of Edinburgh under darkness.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Looking for family-friendly thrills that will keep everyone on edge? A historic <\/a>Scottish city with plenty of horror stories in its lore has got everyone covered.<\/p>\n Lonely Planet<\/a> has highlighted seven of the best family-friendly spooky experiences around the world this season and one standout is Edinburgh, Scotland, where ghost tours offer chills suitable for all ages. In particular, the travel publication cited Mercat Tours<\/a>, which offers a special Gory Stories tour that is also kid friendly.<\/p>\n Lonely Planet notes: “So you thought all ghost tours would take place well after the kids\u2019 bedtime? Think again.<\/p>\n “Edinburgh<\/a> has Gothic written all over it, and kids can travel back in time with atmospheric yarns spun on historic tours conducted in broad daylight.<\/p>\n “Edinburgh\u2019s haunted walking tours for kids are sure to give them a fright, and there are also tours at Edinburgh Castle<\/a>, supposedly one of the most-haunted edifices in Scotland \u2013 made even more macabre when the weather\u2019s looking a little shabby, which, let\u2019s face it, can be a lot of the time in Edinburgh.”<\/p>\n The castle<\/a>, perched on Castle Rock, is steeped in paranormal lore. Beneath its walls lie hundreds of secret tunnels, while former prisoners are said to haunt the dungeons.<\/p>\n Lonely Planet assigns a fright factor of six, describing the tours as “full of terrible tales, but the family-oriented tours add a bit of camp, lively fun.”<\/p>\n Among the castle\u2019s most tragic ‘ghosts’ is a mysterious 16th-century noblewoman. Some believe she is Janet Douglas, Lady Glamis, accused of treason by King James V despite evidence that the charges were false.<\/p>\n She was burned at the stake outside the castle on 17 July 1537, in front of her son.<\/p>\n Others speculate the ghost could be Marie de Guise, mother and regent of Mary Queen of Scots, whose corpse was kept at the castle for months in a lead coffin after her death in June 1560.<\/p>\n Visitors have also reported a foul-smelling male ghost, thought to be a prisoner who attempted to escape in a wheelbarrow of muck. Tragically, the wheelbarrow tipped over the battlements, ending his life on the castle\u2019s jagged slopes.<\/p>\n Military ghosts are a recurring theme at the fortress. One tale tells of a regimental bagpiper who explored an underground tunnel while playing, but he vanished halfway down the Royal Mile near the Tron Kirk.<\/p>\n Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.<\/p>\n You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.<\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.<\/p>\n All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile<\/strong><\/a>, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!<\/p>\n If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.<\/p>\n We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n Another is the headless drummer, first seen warning of danger in 1650 before an attack by Oliver Cromwell, now regarded as a harbinger of peril.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0_Edinburgh-Castle.jpg\")
Edinburgh Castle, perched on the Castle Rock, is popular among horror enthusiasts for its stories of prisoners and hidden underground tunnels.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758265156_494_0_WACOMMUNITYQR3.jpg\")
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