Last Updated on Jan 29, 2025
India might not be topping the list of best family trips, especially with toddlers or younger kids, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun. India is busy, noisy, and smelly which might scare some people, but it’s a wonderful place, full of incredible landmarks and adventures. It’s also a pretty unique destination that can be a memorable experience for the children.
We traveled to India when our kids were 3.5 and 5.5 years old. Undeniably, any time I mentioned to someone I was going to India their responses were mostly “With kids?!” raising their eyebrows. While it wasn’t our first experience traveling to less-popular spots (we’ve been to remote Pacific islands and various spots around Africa with the kids), it seemed like everyone was trying to talk us out of visiting India blaming it on the chaos, crowds, Delhi belly and other potential threats.
I’m glad we didn’t listen because India with kids isn’t a mission impossible and we all loved the experience. Here are all our tips for traveling to India with kids.
1. Allow plenty of time for visas
Indian bureaucracy seems daunting and one of the reasons why I didn’t visit until I had kids. Thankfully, most nationalities are not eligible for e-visa which is easy compared to how it used to be before having to arrange it at the consulate.
Photo requirements are strict, as the photos have to be specifically 300×300 pixels and size, but it’s not difficult. We took photos of our kids at home with our phones and resized them before uploading them.
While we got our visas after a few days, I know that some visas might get stuck in limbo, despite being from the same family, so give yourself a buffer.
Remember to print your e-visa confirmation after it’s emailed to you. The border agents will ask for a printed document.
Everyone who’s visited India before warned me of immigration delays at Delhi airport, but honestly, we had none. We landed and walked straight to the immigration officer who checked our documents and stamped us all in within 5 minutes. However…
If you’re connecting to a domestic flight within India, which is much more efficient than driving and not too expensive, prepare for the airport madness. We had a 5-hour layover in Delhi and spent 2 hours waiting to drop off our suitcase and check-in (online check-in does not appear to be working when traveling with kids) for our flight to Jaipur. Patience is definitely needed for domestic terminal madness.
2. Don’t cram too much on your itinerary & Overplan
India is a vast place and the distances are huge. Add the traffic and getting from one place to another might take much longer than expected. Even a day trip to multiple points of interest in one city involves a lot of traffic, so be prepared. We brought iPads for the kids for inter-city drives of multiple hours.
I will say that iPad, toys, or any other entertainment was not necessary on day trips within the cities, because there was simply too much for the kids to see from the car even when stuck in traffic. From cows or camels passing by, pigeons flying over, or simply waving at people on their motorcycles.
You don’t need to over-plan and stress about booking a reliable driver and activities along the way. We booked our flights and hotels, as we were traveling during the busy Christmas period, but everything else can be arranged easily upon arrival.
We used a driver and guide for the day from our hotels without any problems. We opted against using a hotel driver between cities, as it was way more expensive than Uber.
Uber works great in India and it’s safe and reliable. We traveled between Jaipur and Agra, and then from Agra to Delhi that way. No need to pre-book it either, we ordered it 20 minutes in advance without issues.
3. Bring Sanitizer & Toilet Paper
You can tell your kids not to touch everything, but we all know they will still do that. Our kids have always been weirdly clean, but they still got to touch their surroundings. Don’t freak out about that, but have hand sanitizer ready before every meal or snack.
Toilet paper is another useful item to bring because public toilets even at tourist attractions don’t always have any.
That said, I had many people ask about malaria. Malaria is a risk if you’re traveling to the far eastern part of the country, but a very low risk around the Golden Triangle.
4. Don’t Worry About the Food
What will the kids eat in India? Families usually worry about kids not eating spicy food, but don’t stress – every place we ate was used to Western visitors and offered things for kids. From simple cheese toast, through chicken nuggets and pasta, to non-spicy naan bread and rice.
For the worst-case scenarios where there’s no “kids food” warn the kids before the trip that food will be different. My boys got the memo and they tried dahl, naan, and non-spicy Indian dishes like Malai kofta. That way we had zero issues anywhere we went.
Eat at restaurants that are busy with locals as the food is moving and it’s easier to avoid any food poisoning that way. Not to mention, it will also be quicker so kids won’t get bored. That doesn’t mean street food, we didn’t care to do street food.
When it comes to water, bottled water is the only way to go. Always check if there’s a seal on top of the cup to make sure no one refilled the empty bottle with non-drinkable water. It’s not an issue at hotels or restaurants, but if you buy more water on the street it’s a good tip to follow. We had an insulated water bottle, so the water stayed cool throughout the day.
5. Prepare to Just Say No To Photos
Our kids are blond with blue eyes, so naturally we got a lot of requests for photos. After a while it gets frustrating, so be prepared to say ‘no’, or even better – teach your child to say ‘no’ to make things firmer.
I will add that not once did we encounter any disrespect when we said no. People would keep insisting on photos but understood when the kids were over it. After a few days, the kids realized that people meant no harm and started making friends and talking to locals more and more.
If you ask my kids they would tell you that India was fine, while in that aspect Thailand turned out to be worse, because many older Thai ladies would grab the kids without asking and shove phones in their faces.
6. Prepare for Heat or Cold, Even at Hotels
India can be boiling in the summer and spring and freezing in the winter. The best time to visit most of India is February-April and August-October. November is the worst time of year to visit because the air pollution is horrible, so Taj Mahal might not even be visible.
We visited in December, which is busy with local winter holidays. I knew it would be cold in the winter, but I didn’t expect various luxury hotel rooms to be cold at night as rooms open to outdoor corridors. We had a heater in every room we stayed at but still felt like we should have packed even warmer clothes for the evening.
One thing I noticed about hotels is that even the nicest ones seem to offer only one double bed in a room and just don’t have any bigger family rooms. Even the crazy suites worth a few thousand dollars only had one double bed with a maximum occupancy of 3.
We followed a recommendation from our friends, who also traveled with two toddlers in India, and just booked a normal double room for all of us. We never had an issue and no one told us off or asked us to pay extra. Some hotels had a sofa bed for one child while the second slept with us, but mostly we simply used our Jetkids Cloudsleeper kids mattresses.
7. Decide What Kind Your Trip Do You Want To Have
India is a place of high contrast. Your accommodation can cost you $25 or it can cost you $2500. You can do a luxury trip in India and never experience almost any hassle and bustle, or just backpack India (yes, even with kids) and experience chaos at all times. You can also find a common ground which in my opinion was the best with little kids.
I booked nice hotels and they all go above and beyond for guests, but we were ready to explore the outside and didn’t shield them from wandering around on our own, as it was part of the adventure.
On that note, when planning your trip to India with kids take into account their interests as well. India isn’t a destination that offers “kids activities” per see outside of Delhi or Mumbai, but you can still find things enjoyable for them. For example, while we visited Taj Mahal it surely wasn’t a highlight for the kids. When you’re 3 and 5 to you it’s just a white building. On the other hand, our kids were fascinated by block painters in Jaipur, or exploring temples full of pigeons or monkeys.
8. Adjust to Indian Standards
Be prepared for things to work in a different way than you’re accustomed to. For example, car seats in India are incredibly rare. You can see plenty of babies just being held by parents in front seats.
You can bring your car seat if you’re renting a driver for the entire stay if you only have child though. With two we would have had to get a van to fit even one car seat and they’re rare in India and don’t fit every street very well.
We didn’t bring any as we were traveling around various places in Asia where ca ar seat just wasn’t an option for numerous reasons. Various times we just rode a rikshaw which doesn’t take car seats. Taxis also might not have seat belts or simply have no space for the car seat, so expect the car seat to collect dust at the hotel most of the time if you bring it.
Sidewalks can be damaged, uneven, or nonexistent which means they’re very stroller unfriendly. I’ve seen some small strollers around Jaipur, but they were mostly parked by the entrance to any attraction which defeats the purpose as you’re most likely arriving there by car. If feasible for you, a baby carrier is the best way to go and with older children husband’s shoulders proved to be the way to go (especially walking up to Amber Fort).
If you’re traveling with a very small baby a stroller bassinet might be useful for sleeping during dinners, but when our kids are tired the staff always gave us extra chairs so they could lie down.
9. Start with Rajasthan
Rajasthan is India’s most popular destination with a well-functioning tourist infrastructure. It’s the easiest place to start tourism in India and offers many attractions, like camel rides, tiger safaris, and dinners with shows.
If you stay at fancier hotels you will also find pools and babysitting services for the kids. I can honestly say that while we had no time for babysitting as I packed our schedule the kids were absolutely taken care of by the staff during our activities.
India was a memorable trip for our kids. They enjoyed the sightseeing and activities we did everywhere.
