Amsterdam for The Family Explorers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Let them run off the journey: several enclosed playgrounds, a pond with ducks and a café, all within a short walk of the entrance.

A small pancake house in the Nine Streets; the children can choose their toppings from a long list, and the kitchen is quick.

A short walk over the canal bridges as the lights come on, the prettiest short stretch of water in town.

A green copper-clad museum with hands-on science, bubbles, a water lab and a sunny roof terrace; arrive at opening and queue is nil.

A zoo that is also a Victorian park, with a planetarium and an aquarium; the children's farm and the sea lions are the best bets.

A burger place with a children's menu, quick service and a relaxed room; order early and bring the tired ones home.

Climb aboard the full-size replica East Indiaman moored outside; inside, children can steer a virtual ship and see the world map from 1570.

The free ferry from behind Centraal takes fifteen minutes to the old shipyard; stay on deck, then try the playground and street art.

A restaurant of shipping containers with a man-made beach to dig in, a children's menu and early service; dinner at six with the skyline to look at.

The 1638 physic garden has a butterfly greenhouse and a palm house with a very old cycad; ask for the treasure-hunt leaflet at the door.

A museum of microbes, with real ones under microscopes; children love the kissing booth and the hand scan that shows what lives on you.

Twenty counters under the old tram roof: let each child choose a stall and share, then head to the airport train.