Chester Cathedral

Chester Cathedral is open every day until 6pm, last entry 5.30pm, and for most of the year it costs nothing to walk into (small fees apply in the summer and Christmas periods), which makes it one of the easier free half hours in the city when the rain comes in between the Walls and the Rows. The cathedral's app has an interactive map and 3D models covering close to 1,000 years of the building's history, handy for a child who wants to point a phone at things.

The Tower Tour is the paid extra: an hour, 216 steps and 125 feet up, through viewing galleries and the old bell ringing chamber to a roof where, the cathedral says, you can see one city, two countries and five counties. Tours go at 11am and 1pm and are booked separately. The price and any age limit are only shown in the booking system.

There is not much aimed at children beyond Children's Church and a Saturday singing club, so go in with a plan: tower if they are old enough, a look round, cake at Cafe 1092.

What it costs: Entry is free for most of the year, with donations encouraged; the cathedral's own visitor page says small fees apply in the summer and Christmas periods, so expect to pay something in December. Tower Tours (11am and 1pm, one hour, 216 steps) and Cathedral Discovery Tours (11am and 2pm) are booked separately; the website did not show their prices or a minimum age when we checked.

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