Follow this family-tested, 11-day itinerary through Rajasthan plus the cities of Delhi & Mumbai.
India is a vast country where the landscape, language, culture, and customs vary wildly from one region to the next. To fully experience this country, you’d need weeks, maybe even months. But with work commitments and school schedules, few families have that luxury.
This 11-day itinerary is meant to expose families to quintessential India, starting in New Delhi, visiting the must-see Taj Mahal in Agra, working your way through Rajasthan, and ending in the mega city of Mumbai. Yes, it’s challenging, but we’ve kid-tested this trip. We made mistakes along the way that you can learn from. We also made some fantastic discoveries that we’re eager to share. So be bold and discover incredible India!
KidTripster Tip: A trip to India is better described as an experience rather than a vacation. India should not be your family’s first international trip. I’d recommend that kids be well-seasoned travelers before attempting this itinerary. In addition, because of the amount of driving and nature of the sightseeing, I’d recommend it for ages 12 and up.
How to go?
Admittedly, this itinerary includes quite a bit of driving, or more accurately, riding as you won’t be driving in India, but instead you’ll need to hire a car service. Why? Well, it’s less expensive to drive a family from one location to another than to fly. But secondly, if you drive, you’ll see more of the real India. Some of our most vivid memories are the scenes that we passed on the road: the man who was riding a motorcycle stacked with more than 20 dozen eggs, the freight trucks decorated like Christmas trees, the colorful and boisterous religious processions. The list goes on and on.
But I’ll warn you: driving in India is pure insanity when viewed through Western eyes. Traffic laws are not observed, lanes are ignored, and sometimes people drive on the wrong side of the street. And the roads themselves are filled with pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, ox-drawn wagons, push carts, cars, trucks, buses, cows, and wild camels. We even passed an elephant! It’s a scene wilder than you can imagine, all set to a symphony of “beep-beep, beep-beep!” But in 11 days, we never saw a single accident, not even a fender-bender, so take some comfort in that!
KidTripster Tip: To keep ourselves occupied in the car, we came prepared with audiobooks, podcasts, and movies already downloaded onto our gadgets.
KidTripster Tip: While this itinerary originates in New Delhi and ends in Mumbai, you could easily reverse the direction.
When to go?
High season in India is October through April with the busiest months typically being December and January when the weather is the most pleasant. However, hotel rates can double during this time period. We traveled during the end of monsoon season in early August. Yes, it was hot, typically 85° to 95° F, and very humid, but rain was not a big issue along this route. By traveling during the off-season, we were able to afford some of the finest luxury hotels in the world, which otherwise would have been out of reach.
Which brings me to an important point: it’s worth paying extra to say in luxury properties in India. You and your kids are going to need a retreat. Plus the hotels that we recommend below are not only luxurious, but many are heritage properties and destinations in themselves. For my sons, the hotels were a highlight of the trip.
Click through to follow along on our 11-day journey.
