With the different festivals all running to subtly different schedules, and a few major one-day events punctuating the programme as well, the best time to come to Edinburgh depends largely on what you want to see. There's more to it than that, though - the right choice also depends on your budget and, to an extent, on how much Festival madness you're ready to take on.

If you like your jazz, you need to get here early - the Jazz and Blues Festival runs from Friday 25th July to Sunday 3rd August. Stay on a little longer, and you can take in the start of the Fringe as well.

Bibliophiles will have to wait a little longer; the book festival starts on the 9th August and wraps up, together with the Fringe, on the 25th.

If you're a patron of the high arts, the International Festival from the 8th to 31st August might be more your cup of tea. The city will be a lot quieter after the Fringe ends on the 25th August, and if you stay right though to the 31st you'll get to see the spectacular end-of-festival fireworks.

If you're on a budget, get here from Wednesday 30th July and take advantage of cut-price Fringe previews. Take in the free Festivals Cavalcade float procession on Sunday 3rd August, and stay until the 4th when the 2-for-1 deals run out.

If you love to plan ahead, hold off for a while and get here around Saturday 16th. You'll have time to check this year's reviews for free online, from the comfort of home, and you can even book your tickets on the Internet in advance - so while you're here you can concentrate on enjoying the show.

Finally, for the most intense Festival experience, come slap-bang in the middle. All the major festivals except Jazz & Blues overlap from 9th to 23rd August.  But plan to be here on the 10th to catch Fringe Sunday, when 200,000 visitors will converge on an open-air festival at the city-centre park known as the Meadows.