"India? With the kids?" We heard that from quite a few people when we said where we were going for the October school break. This was actually our second family trip to India. Last year we did Kerala, including Munnar, and this time we went north, to Jaipur and Agra, with our kids aged 6 and 10.
It started with a friends' wedding weekend near Bangalore, then six nights in the north with one private driver: three nights in Jaipur, two in Agra and one at Delhi Aerocity before flying home to Singapore.
Before we left, everyone warned us about the water, Indian friends included. In the end we had no stomach problems, on this trip or in Kerala last year. What made the trip work was balancing the culture with time for what the kids enjoy: animals, a mummy, forts and a pool. Giving them time to watch the animals turned the big sights into fun days for everyone.
Starting with a Wedding near Bangalore
We flew direct with Singapore Airlines on the Friday evening and landed early Saturday morning. The wedding was a lavish one, at a resort near Bangalore airport. The kids loved the music, the fireworks, the colour powders and the dresses, and found a lot of the ceremonies boring. The pool with water slides saved them (and us) in between. Two late nights, back in the hotel room around midnight both times.
One Driver for the Whole Week
On Monday morning we took a direct IndiGo flight to Jaipur. From the airport pickup there until the drop-off at our Delhi hotel, we had one driver, arranged through an Indian friend who'd used him before. Having the same driver for the whole stretch made things easy. As an indication, it was roughly S$100 a day all-in, including his meals and accommodation, plus a generous tip. Prices will vary depending on your route, car and so on.
He also arranged a guide for a day and a half in Jaipur: the full City Palace day, then the Amber Fort morning. Having a guide for the full day when going to different sights was actually more useful than we thought: we could hop out of the car with the guide, and the driver would find parking somewhere and pick us up later, based on the guide's instructions.
Bring a student card or school ID if your kids have one. Young kids often get in free, and proof they're students can get discounted tickets. Our guide sorted it in Jaipur, but ID makes it easier on your own. Age cut-offs vary by site.
Jaipur: A Haveli with a Rooftop
We arrived at Umaid Bhawan in Bani Park around 1pm on Monday, everyone tired after the wedding weekend. We dropped the afternoon plans: lunch on the rooftop, a swim, dinner on the rooftop.
The haveli is like a small palace with a museum inside, with lots of arches. Our family room was about S$130 a night including breakfast: two big beds, a side room with a desk and a big bathroom. The pool is not massive but a good size for splashing around, and the water was refreshing (actually, pretty cold!).
The rooftop restaurant became our evening routine. From 7pm, two or three drummers play local music, not loud, and two women perform a traditional dance, including balancing stacked bowls on their heads. The rooftop is big, so you choose how close you sit. The staff were very friendly, and we'd play cards or read up there before dinner.
Breakfast was on the rooftop too: fresh crispy dosa (South Indian, but made there), an egg station, yogurt, fruit and Indian dishes. By the end of the trip the kids were experts at ordering a "crispy plain dosa".
Jaipur's Old City, and a Mummy
Tuesday was our day with the guide. First a quick stop at the Hawa Mahal, the pink sandstone Palace of Winds, seen from outside. It was built so the royal women could watch street life without being seen.
The City Palace has royal weapons, huge silver urns and decorated gates. More for adults, but still fine for kids. Jantar Mantar landed better: giant working sundials that measure local solar time, and our son loved walking around them. Plan to go there a bit early, as it gets busier and hotter by late morning.
The stops were quicker than planned, so we went straight on to the Albert Hall Museum. It's Rajasthan's oldest museum, more open-air and less polished than a European museum. There's an armoury and a real Egyptian mummy, which was the kids' highlight. Add lots of pigeons and striped, chipmunk-like squirrels they loved spotting, and we spent about an hour there.
Lunch was at a small place the driver suggested, which was OK but with very slow service. I wouldn't specifically recommend it. Then back for an afternoon swim and dinner on the rooftop.
Amber Fort and the Walk to Jaigarh
Amber (Amer) Fort sits on the hill, with the Amer Wall running along the ridge. It reminded me of the Great Wall of China, and it's about 12 km long.
For the kids, the animals were the highlight: a snake charmer with a cobra at the parking area, elephants, dromedaries, goats lying on the stairway and pigeons building nests inside the fort.
"Look, look there!" our son would call out, pointing. We'd turn around expecting a cool building or structure. Usually it was a pigeon, a squirrel, a cow or a goat.
From Amber we walked to Jaigarh Fort instead of taking the car. Our guide was surprised and not convinced, but it's easy: 10–15 minutes through an old tunnel, about 15 minutes along the shaded wall, then 15–20 minutes up a semi-paved road that scooters also use. We did it in the middle of the day, and I'd still very much recommend it. Just bring sunglasses and a hat. Jaigarh Fort itself is less touristy, with a relaxed vibe, a cannon foundry and an armoury.
Lunch was instant noodles for the kids and samosas for us from a small food stand, on little stools under a tree by the fort. A nice contrast after the lavish wedding food.
A man gave us an unasked five-minute "tour", then wanted money, then wanted more. Anyone who starts explaining or walks along with you will expect payment, so say no clearly at the start if you don't want it.
That afternoon I checked LeapAway for sunset options, and it turned out our own rooftop was one of the best spots anyway, with good food too. Swim, rooftop dinner, and we didn't feel we missed out.
Jaipur to Agra, via a Stepwell
Thursday was meant to be about a 4-hour drive (excluding stops). We left around 11 after a work call, stopped at the Chand Baori stepwell in Abhaneri (with a temple next to it), had lunch, hit rain in the afternoon and arrived around 7pm. I'd warned Inara House we'd be late, so dinner was ready.
Inara House is a homestay within walking distance of the Taj, with lots of restaurants nearby. It was about S$120 a night for the four of us including breakfast, in a family room with a bunk bed and a double bed. They also helped us with the online Taj ticket booking, as the kids policy was a bit confusing.
Agra on the Day the Taj Is Closed
The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, so we planned our Agra days around it. Friday started at the "Baby Taj" (Itimad-ud-Daulah), built before the Taj Mahal and quiet when we visited. Then Mehtab Bagh, the gardens across the river, for a nice view of the Taj. Then Agra Fort.
Agra Fort. A very different style from the Jaipur forts, with huge courtyards and views of the Taj and the river. And very tame squirrels that came right up to the kids.
Dinner was at Sam's Ristorante Pizzeria, an Italian rooftop place five minutes' walk from the homestay, with Taj views. I found it through LeapAway after asking for Western-style food nearby on a rooftop with a Taj Mahal view. We shared pizza and pasta, with Nutella pizza for dessert and a glass of wine for the adults. A welcome change after a week of spices, and an early night with the sunrise visit coming up.
The Taj Mahal at Opening Time
On Saturday we were up at 5am and in the queue by 5:30. The doors opened at 5:45, we were in around 6 and out around 8, then walked back to Inara House for breakfast. Staying within walking distance made the early start easy.
Keep in mind that no food is allowed at the Taj. And women without a bag get a much faster queue: my daughter and I went through well ahead of my husband and son.
Touts offering to guide were aggressive enough that we gave up on a guide and used our phones instead. On-site photographers take the classic shot from the famous spot and you pay per photo, which covers the main reason many people hire a guide.
It was impressive for us, interesting for them, but the monkeys won. The kids did like the inlaid gemstones all around the tombs; some guides pointed them out with little flashlights.
Book online. The booking site asks for the number of children, but kids under 15 are free, and our booking wouldn't go through with kids added. Our homestay sent a link and confirmed you only book adults. We booked Thursday night for Saturday morning with no availability problem. Foreign adult tickets are ₹1,100, plus ₹200 to enter the mausoleum, with a small discount online. If it's confusing, ask your hotel.
Our driver picked us up at 10, and we were at the Andaz Delhi in Aerocity around 3pm. About S$240 per night, room only, in a twin room with two large-enough beds: kids in one, parents in the other, within the hotel's child policy. Pool time, dinner, early night, and a 9am flight home on Sunday.
Water, Food and the Other Worries
Water. Bottled water only, including for brushing teeth. Our balance: at slightly higher-end restaurants the kids could have a lassi (which may contain water or ice); at more local places it was bottled water, Sprite or Coke. Careful, but not so strict that they couldn't try anything local.
Food. Our kids aren't so much spice-averse as unused to Indian spices. They'll eat broccoli or beans, but not in a curry, and most meat dishes are spiced. What worked:
- Plain tomato pasta is on most menus. Ask for it very plain.
- Fried rice, even ordered "no spice", usually came with a lot of pepper. It worked once or twice.
- Chinese-style tomato soup (sweeter, closer to Italian) was a hit with our daughter, often with some bread.
- Our son mostly ate naan, especially cheese naan.
- Breakfast was easy: eggs, toast, fruit, dosa.
Fine for a week. We ate dinner at the hotel most nights, partly because the menu had something for everyone.
Weather and air. Mid-October in Jaipur was about 32°C by day and 22°C at night, so mornings and late afternoons felt cool, with much less humidity than Singapore. We had some rain in the afternoon on the Agra drive, which was not very typical.
Pace. A slow first day after the wedding, afternoon swims after sightseeing, and rooftop dinners instead of going out again.
How We Planned It with LeapAway
I planned the whole route in LeapAway before the trip, including the Chand Baori stop on the drive and the Taj at opening time, with the Friday closure built in. Then we adjusted along the way. When we dropped the Monday afternoon, Albert Hall moved to Tuesday. I also used it to check sunset and evening options in Jaipur (and then chose our own rooftop), and to find Sam's in Agra.
We didn't follow it exactly, mainly because we had an exhausting start with the wedding weekend and wanted to take it a bit easier than we had expected. Doing less was a better experience for us in this case. If you're planning something similar, you can look at the plan we used (view-only) and create your own for free at LeapAway.co.
What We Skipped and Why
- Chokhi Dhani: in the itinerary for our second evening. I first thought it was a real village, but it's a resort built as an experience, with shows, camel rides and restaurants. It's popular with families and may suit yours, but it felt too staged for us, and we were tired in the evenings anyway. The haveli rooftop already had music and dancing at a volume we could choose.
- Anokhi Museum block-printing workshop: planned for Tuesday afternoon, but once Albert Hall moved from Monday to Tuesday in my LeapAway plan, we went back for a swim instead. A good option if your family wants a hands-on craft stop.
- Sunset dinner at Padao, Nahargarh: suggested for the Amber Fort evening. It looks like a great place for sunset, though reviews say the food is just OK. We had already seen a lot of great views from the forts, so we stayed on our own rooftop.
- Kinari Bazaar walk in Agra: in the plan for Friday, but after the late arrival we used the day for Agra Fort and Mehtab Bagh instead.
Planning a Trip Like This
- Is northern India a good trip with young kids?
- It worked well for us with a 6 and 10-year-old. What helped most: one driver for the whole week, bottled water for everything, simple food like plain tomato pasta and cheese naan, and afternoon swims after sightseeing. Giving the kids time to watch the animals at the forts made the big sights work for them.
- How do you book Taj Mahal tickets with kids?
- Book adult tickets online and leave the children out: under-15s enter free, and our booking wouldn't go through with kids added. Foreign adult tickets are ₹1,100, plus ₹200 to enter the mausoleum. The Taj is closed on Fridays, and when we went the doors opened at 5:45am.
- What's the weather like in Jaipur and Agra in October?
- Mid-October in Jaipur was about 32°C by day and 22°C at night, with much less humidity than Singapore. Mornings and late afternoons were cool enough for walking the forts. We had some rain on the drive to Agra.
- Is the water safe for kids in India?
- We used bottled water for everything, including brushing teeth, and had no stomach problems on this trip or in Kerala the year before. At slightly higher-end restaurants the kids could have a lassi; at more local places we stuck to bottled water or soft drinks.
Trip taken October 2026.