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

A huge park with a sand playground, a pond with turtles and an amphitheatre; the children will run for an hour while the parents sit on a bench.

Dumplings at six: the chefs fold the xiaolongbao behind glass, the children watch, and the plain fried rice is a safe bet. Use the app to book ahead.

The lift climbs 89 floors in thirty-seven seconds, which the children will want to ride twice; see the damper ball and look for the lit-up river bridge.

The biggest zoo in Taiwan: the giant pandas, the koala house and the penguins; go straight to the pandas, which are quietest in the morning, then wander through the Asian tropical rainforest.

A 30-minute ride over tea hills in a cabin with a glass floor; the nap-time cabin ride is the best after lunch and the gondola station is right beside the zoo.

The most manageable night market with children: a short, flat stretch, a seat at most stalls, and oyster omelette, fish balls and sweet taro. Come early to have it quiet.

Hands-on floors of physics and a big climbing and sound hall; the children can wind and poke everything, and the planetarium room is dark and cool.

A small old-fashioned park with a Ferris wheel, a carousel and a tiny train; cheap tickets, short queues and plenty of benches, and a good place to wind down.

Arrive when the stalls open: giant fried chicken, sausage in sausage, cheese-baked potato and bubble tea; the early crowd is mostly local families and there is room to move.

A flat riverside park with big playgrounds, a bike-hire stand and open lawns; ride a family bike or just let the kids roll down the slopes by the river.

A 70-metre wheel on top of a shopping mall, with glass cabins that give a view across the river to the Grand Hotel and the hills; the ride lasts about fifteen minutes.

Mild, tender beef noodle soup that most children can eat, with plain boiled greens on the side; an easy, quick lunch with a high chair and a lot of space.