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

Five floors of mirror mazes, a vortex tunnel and the Victorian periscope on the roof that shows the whole city moving; stay until the rooftop show.

The terrier who sat on his master's grave for fourteen years, at the top of Candlemaker Row; the council asks you not to rub the nose.

Pizza by the slice or whole, Italian soft drinks, and a room that does not mind a child under the table; two minutes from the Royal Mile.

Bus 26 to the hillside zoo: the penguin parade when the birds feel like it, the koalas, and a steep site that justifies the nap afterwards.

A big playground, a pond full of ducks and swans, and the city skyline across the grass; the Botanic Garden gate is across the road.

A family trattoria at the top of Leith Walk with pasta the children recognise and a staff who bring the bread fast.

The tented science centre under Salisbury Crags: an earthquake floor, a real iceberg to touch, and a 4D rainforest; two hours before anyone flags.

Train to Dalmeny, then the boat under the three bridges to an island with a medieval abbey, seals and puffins in season; check the sailing days.

The inn where Stevenson set the kidnapping in Kidnapped, now a pub with a children's menu and the rail bridge filling the window.

Free, and built for children: the animal hall with the whale, the Imagine gallery for the small ones, and a roof terrace for the castle view.

The playground by the tennis courts and a long flat lawn for running off the museum; the cherry trees are the reason people come in spring.

Cardamom buns, a pizza slice for the children and a proper coffee, at the edge of the Meadows before the tram.