Family Trip in India with Kids: A Planning Guide

Heat is the first thing to plan around. On the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) 1991–2020 averages, Delhi's daytime highs reach 39.9°C in May and 39.0°C in June, Udaipur's 40.2°C and Varanasi's 40.7°C in May. CDC warns that heat-related illness, such as heat stroke, can be deadly, and advises eating and drinking regularly, loose, light clothing and less activity in high temperatures. With children, keep sightseeing to the early morning from April onwards.

From October to March the plains are comfortable by day, but winter nights are cold: Delhi averages a January low of 7.5°C, so pack warm layers. Winter is also when the air is worst. The UK Foreign Office says severe air pollution is a major health hazard in India, especially from October to February, that north Indian cities are the most affected, and that children may be especially affected. The Central Pollution Control Board publishes a daily Air Quality Index bulletin; check it before planning a day outdoors.

The monsoon reaches Kerala around 1 June and Delhi around 27 June, on IMD's normal dates, and leaves most of the country by mid-October. Our guide to the best time to visit India covers each region.

• The Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur keeps drives short: the Taj Mahal's official site gives Agra as 204 km from Delhi and 232 km from Jaipur. Battery buses and golf carts run from the Taj Mahal's car parks to its gates, which saves small legs, and the monument is closed every Friday. In Jaipur, the Hawa Mahal has ramps rather than stairs to its upper floors, according to Incredible India. See the Jaipur travel guide.
• Rajasthan's desert and wildlife: near Jaisalmer, camel safaris run on the Sam and Khuri dunes, and Ranthambore's tiger safaris are covered in the Ranthambore travel guide.
• Kerala's backwaters: a houseboat on Alappuzha's canals and lagoons makes an easy day for most ages. January is the driest month there, averaging 16 mm of rain. Read the Alleppey travel guide.
• Goa's beaches: the UK Foreign Office warns that most Indian beaches have no warning signs, flags or lifesaving equipment and that strong currents drown people every year, so keep children within arm's reach in the sea. See the Goa travel guide.
• The hills in summer: when the plains are hottest, Shimla's daytime highs average about 25°C in May and June. See the Shimla travel guide.

Book a travel clinic or your family doctor at least a month before the trip, as CDC advises, and take every child's vaccination record with you. CDC's India page asks all travellers to be up to date on routine vaccines, including measles, mumps and rubella, and recommends hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination for most travellers. Its measles and hepatitis A advice also covers babies from six months, so mention any infant's age when you book. The clinic, not a website, should decide what each child needs.

Two everyday habits matter as much. CDC advises safe food and water choices and hand washing at key times, which also help prevent typhoid. And it notes that dogs infected with rabies are common in India: teach children not to touch dogs, cats or monkeys, and get medical help immediately after any bite, scratch or lick from an unfamiliar animal. Our India packing list covers what to bring.

Indian law covers children in cars. Section 194B of the Motor Vehicles Act, as amended in 2019, makes it an offence to drive with a child under 14 who is not secured by a safety belt or a child restraint system, and every passenger must wear a seat belt. Ask your car operator well before you arrive whether a child seat suited to your child can be fitted, or bring your own.

Keep each day's driving short, break any leg of 200 km or more with a stop, and spend two or three nights in each place. For the mountains, the Leh district's health advisory asks every visitor, of any age, to rest at least 48 hours in Leh before going higher, and the UK Foreign Office lists altitude sickness among the hazards above 3,000 metres; ask your doctor before taking a young child to Ladakh.

Our family tour packages are collected in one place, and every one of them can be cancelled with a full refund until 24 hours before departure.