Edinburgh with children, one paid thing a day and a hill to tire them out.

Edinburgh is small, and with children that's worth a lot: almost everything is less than half an hour's walk away, and the expensive and the free alternate within a few streets. The rule that works best is one paid visit a day and the rest outdoors or at the national museum, which costs nothing. What you need to bear in mind is the terrain: the Old Town is slopes, cobbles and stairs, and a pushchair suffers. A baby carrier or a light pushchair that folds quickly makes the trip easier.

The paid ones, one at a time

The castle is the visit of the trip. Under-7s go free and 7 to 15-year-olds cost £11.50 bought online. What works for children are the cannons on the ramparts and the one o'clock gun, fired every day except Sunday: if you arrive first thing, you have time to see the jewels and be on the ramparts at one. Allow a good two hours.

Two minutes away, down the esplanade, the Camera Obscura is what children ask for most afterwards. At the top of the tower, an 1853 lens projects the city live onto a table; below, five floors of mirrors, spinning tunnels and hands-on illusions. It costs £17.95 for ages 5 to 15 and nothing for under-5s, who also need a booked ticket. There are 98 steps with no lift and the visit lasts a little under two hours.

In Leith, the Royal Yacht Britannia can be explored from end to end: the Queen's cabins, the bridge, the engine room and the galley. Children up to age 6 go free. It's half an hour by tram, and that's already part of the plan.

The free ones, without watching the clock

The National Museum of Scotland, on Chambers Street, opens every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and charges nothing. It has stuffed animals, machines, Dolly the sheep and space for little ones to play, and on the roof a terrace with views of the castle. It's the plan for rain and for afternoons when nobody wants to walk any more.

To tire them out, the hills. Arthur's Seat is 251 metres: from Dunsapie Loch the climb is short and five or six-year-olds manage it calmly; from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, it's longer. It's windy at the top, so bring an extra layer. Calton Hill takes ten minutes up the steps from Princes Street and has monuments to climb on with your eyes. And if the sun comes out, the riverside walk from Dean Village to Stockbridge is flat and short, with a market on Sundays.

For fans of the books, The Potter Trail's Harry Potter walk is free, with a donation, and recommended from about age 7: an hour and a half of graveyard, closes and a guide dressed as a wizard. Book ahead.

Eating without fuss

For lunch, Oink, on Victoria Street, has a small roast pork roll designed for children, to take away. At the bottom of the street, in the Grassmarket, Mary's Milk Bar makes ice cream every morning, Wednesday to Sunday; it closes from 24 December to 5 February. For dinner, The Abbotsford, on Rose Street, serves families in its upstairs dining room, from age 5.

Split it like this

Two days. First, the castle in the morning and the Camera Obscura in the afternoon, with Oink in between. Second, the national museum in the morning and Calton Hill at sunset.

Three days. Add Arthur's Seat in the morning and the Grassmarket ice cream on the way back.

Four days. Add Leith and the Britannia, there and back by tram.

Five days. Add the Harry Potter walk in the morning and Dean Village and Stockbridge in the afternoon, best on a Sunday for the market.

Where to stay with children

The base we suggest is the Premier Inn on Princes Street: family rooms, a free cot and free breakfast for two children per adult who orders it, opposite the gardens and the castle and a few steps from the tram. The Motel One Edinburgh-Royal, next to Waverley, has a family room with a sofa bed for three. If you're coming by car and want a garden, Prestonfield House, at the foot of Arthur's Seat, has free parking and welcomes children.