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

Children love the dark columns and the two upturned Medusa heads at the far corner; the boardwalk is flat, and the water is only a few centimetres deep.

The old palace garden is big, flat and traffic-free: space for the children to run, and a playground near the Sultanahmet gate.

Round, flat meatballs with white-bean salad and a flatbread is the easiest dinner for the young; the staff are used to families and fast.

A museum of engines, with a real submarine, a ship's bridge and a toy-car hall; children can climb aboard most of it, so allow three hours.

Order the kebab plates and the sweet kunefe for a long lunch with a view of the Golden Horn; there is room to park the stroller.

A two-minute ride up to a hilltop tea garden over the Golden Horn; the old Ottoman graveyard below is a quiet place for a snack.

The Princes' Islands ferry takes an hour and a half, with simit for the gulls; the island is car-free and good for walking and ice cream.

Take the lift to the viewing gallery; the city view in late-afternoon light is the reward for a day on the water, and the queue is shorter after four.

Meatballs, soups and pides with a friendly staff and a children's menu; the room fills later, so you will have the early tables to yourselves.

Take the little boat from the Üsküdar shore to the lighthouse on its rock; the café on top and the legends about the princess keep children interested.

A family-run lokanta since 1933: choose from the steam trays, and finish with a rice pudding; the room is large and tolerant of noise.