DAY ONE
Getting there
From the USA, a flight to India is typically two legs. From the West Coast, you’ll fly about 9-1/2 hours to a major European city. We flew from the USA to Amsterdam and then on to New Delhi, which is an additional 10 hours. Yes, it’s long, so you’ll want to make sure that your children are old enough to handle flights of this length.
You’ll typically arrive into New Delhi at night. By the time we made our way through the painfully-long customs line and took a cab to our hotel, it was 2 a.m. the next day.
Where to stay?
India can be a shock to the system. That’s why I’d recommend an über luxurious stay at The Leela Palace New Delhi. From the moment you walk through the doors, you’re treated like royalty! The staff places garlands made from fragrant jasmine around your neck and red tikkas on your forehead. Even the least expensive rooms here are spacious and exquisitely appointed. The best part for my sons? The infinity-edged, rooftop pool, followed closely by the complimentary all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. Online room rates for low season start at $154/night.
For a full review of The Leela Palace, click here.
KidTripster Tip: Nearly every hotel will require you to get two rooms for a family of four, unless your kids are very young. If you’re traveling with teenagers, that means double the cost. It’s simply unavoidable here.
DAY TWO
What to do?
Your average travel writer would recommend easing into India on your first day. Me, not so much. Because our family was leaving for Agra early the next morning, I did, perhaps, the unthinkable. I booked an crack-of-dawn bicycle tour through Old Delhi, only hours after arriving at our hotel. “Suck it up, boys. We’re doing this,” may have been my exact words to my two teenaged sons and one blurry-eyed husband.
The 4-hour bike tour with Reality Tours and Travel starts early to avoid the heat of the day and some of the morning traffic. At 6:30 a.m., we found our way to Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, where we met our guides, Sager and Sager, both personable, young college students. Everyone was assigned a bike (no helmets), and then the madness began. We dodged our way around pedestrians, bikes, motorcycles, rickshaws, cars, trucks, buses, pull carts, ox-drawn wagons, and the occasional cow. My 14-year-old son likened it to playing a video game. Even though my sons enjoyed the challenge, we had too many heart-stopping, near-miss moments for me as a mom to recommend this tour to families; it has nothing to do with our guides and everything to do with the traffic insanity in Delhi.
However, I would highly recommend Reality’s walking tour of Old Delhi. You’ll see the same sites – Ajmeri Gate, Jama Masjid, and Red Fort – plus the colorful chili and spice markets. Cost: about $23 per person. Reality returns 80% of its after-tax profits back to the community through educational programs run by its sister organization, Reality Gives.
After the tour, return to The Leela Palace and fight off your jet lag poolside.
Where to eat?
Many foreign travelers do suffer from the “Delhi Belly” in India. But with some restraint, it’s possible to travel here and not get sick. Given our tight itinerary, we needed to keep everyone healthy and moving, so we made a conscious decision to avoid all street food. Yes, some food stalls in India are perfectly sanitary and delicious, but we chose not to take the risk. We ate all of our meals at our selected hotels.
We enjoyed a delightfully delectable Indian dinner at Jamavar, the signature restaurant at The Leela. Master Chef Vinod Saini makes a butter chicken that my son declared, “Best in India.” In addition to the cuisine, the service at this restaurant is top-notch; you couldn’t ask for a more attentive wait staff.
KidTripster Tip: Order family-style and share to sample a good variety of dishes.
DAY THREE
Getting there?
You can reach Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, by either train or car. The hotel can assist you in hiring a car service. Or you can work with a travel agent to hire a driver for your entire trip, so that you don’t have to negotiate this detail every time that you move on to a new city. The drive from Delhi to Agra is about four hours.
KidTripster Tip: Leave Delhi as early as possible to avoid the crush of traffic. I’d recommend no later than 8 a.m.
KidTripster Tip: If you hire a driver for your entire trip, try to get one who understands and speaks English. Ours didn’t, and it added unnecessary stress and anxiety to our trip. Also, have your hotel print out directions to your next destination in English for you to follow. A mapping app uses too much data.
Where to stay?
I’ll admit upfront that the stay at The Oberoi Amarvilas was a pricey splurge, especially since we required two rooms for our family of four. But the property is like no other with uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal from each and every room, plus butler service to boot. The rooms are comfortable and inviting – more country cottage than palatial palace. For kids, the hotel monograms small travel pillows with each child’s name. It’s these small touches, plus, of course, the unparalleled location next to the Taj that makes paying the rate a little easier to take. Online rates during low season for a premier room start at around $376/night. During high season, that same room is priced at $623/night.
For a full review of The Oberoi Amarvilas, click here.
What to do?
Since you’re paying a small fortune to stay here, I’d suggest spending the afternoon soaking up as much luxury as possible. Of course, our first stop was the indigo-tiled pool with its covered grotto. Plan on having a light lunch, saving most of your appetite for dinner.
The Oberoi Amarvilas also offers two complimentary Oberoi experiences for kids: a cooking class and a bartending class. While my teenaged sons did work with the hotel’s mixologists concocting non-alcoholic cocktails, they’d recommend this activity for kids ages 6 to 12; same goes for the cooking session.
KidTripster Tip: For an extra treat, try timing your visit for one of the five nights of the month that the Taj is open during the evening. If you end up getting tickets, you could visit the Taj on this night and then visit again the following morning, if you choose. For details, click here.
Where to eat?
We had dinner at Esphahan, the hotel’s Indian fine dining restaurant. Children must be at least 9 years old; men must wear pants, no shorts. The food here is delicious and authentic, the service is extremely attentive, and the live music is a nice added touch. I ordered the chocolate cinnamon ice cream for dessert, knowing that chocolate desserts are not very common in India, and I needed a fix!
DAY FOUR
What to do?
I’d recommend an early start today as you head to one of the Wonders of the World: the unrivaled Taj Mahal. If you’d like to get photos with as few people as possible, buy your tickets at the hotel in the morning and be in line around 5:15 a.m. at the East Gate; the gate opens at 6 a.m. If you’re staying at The Oberoi Amarvilas, you can take a chauffeured golf cart to the gate. Ticket cost: Youth (15 & under) Free; Adult around $17.
For tips of how to see the Taj Mahal, click here.
For tips on how to photograph the Taj Mahal, click here.
KidTripster Tip: To get the most out of your visit, I’d recommend hiring a local guide, which you can do at the hotel or at the gate. Guide cost: around $27.
KidTripster Tip: Make sure your Taj visit doesn’t fall on a Friday, as the monument is closed to visitors.
Plan on about 2 to 3 hours for your visit. Don’t rush; take a few moments to just sit and admire the details. When you return to the hotel, head to breakfast at Bellevue before checking out.
Getting there?
You can now make your way to Jaipur, known as the Pink City; in preparation for the visit of Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales in 1876, the city was painted pink. The drive from Agra to Jaipur is about 4 hours.
KidTripster Tip: You may be tempted to stop at the Keoladeo National Park, also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, along the way. Skip it.
Where to stay?
A stay at The Oberoi Rajvilas is worth the trip to Jaipur alone. Of all the 5-star properties that my family has ever stayed at, the staff here gets the award for most attentive – from the general manager to the waiters to the gardeners. The lush 32-acre resort is a little slice of Rajasthani paradise with beautifully-appointed villas, an inviting blue-checkered pool, and roaming peacocks everywhere. In fact, the property was once the summer retreat of Jaipur’s royal family! Online rates during low season start around $343/night.
For a full review of The Oberoi Rajvilas, click here.
Where to eat?
The Oberoi Rajvilas has two on-site restaurants. Surya Mahal is open throughout the year and offers world cuisine, but I’d strongly recommend ordering off the Indian menu here. The wait staff is extremely friendly, even opening the restaurant early for us after finding out we’d missed lunch while on the road.
Raj Mahal is another Indian fine dining choice, but it’s al fresco and only open during the cooler months from October to April, so we weren’t able to dine here.
KidTripster Tip: Before or after dinner, you can arrange for a family blessing ceremony with a Hindu priest at the temple at the center of the property. It’s a short 5-minute ceremony.
