Best time for a family to go to India
For Easter or autumn holidays, come to Kerala, and in July and August, head north. Christmas in India finds cooler, drier conditions across the board, as well as the crowds.![]()
Jul-Aug coincide with southern India's monsoon season but the further north you travel, from Udaipur to Ladakh, for example, the drier it tends to get. Apr-Jun will be hot in Rajasthan, very hot; however, this is the best time to spot tigers as they appear around diminishing waterholes. Christmas gets busy down south, with Dec-Jan in Kerala alive with tourists, so opt for Oct half term, post monsoon, when forests and waterfalls are replenished and everyone's gearing up for Diwali. In the south dress kids in cottons because the weather is always warm and - of course - you can buy clothes in India, so try not to overpack.
Our India family Holidays
Kerala family activity holiday, India
Discover Kerala's tropical forests & magical backwaters
From
£950
12 days
ex flights
India family holiday
A fabulous family holiday including the best of India.
From
£1450 to £1800
15 days
ex flights
Tiger watching holiday in India
A chance to see the majestic tiger in the wild
From
£1200 to £1550
9 days
ex flights
Family holiday with volunteering in India
A truly fun & rewarding experience for families of any size
From
US $1295
4 weeks
ex flights
Family holiday to India, sightseeing and safari
Taj Mahal in Agra to the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur
From
£701 to £1010
10 days
ex flights
Is an India holiday with your
family for you?
Things to do on a family holiday in India...
Things not to do on a family holiday in India …
Our top India family Holiday
Tiger watching holiday in India
A chance to see the majestic tiger in the wild
From
£1200 to £1550
9 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your requirements for 2 to 12 people. The best time to travel is October to June
This trip can be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your requirements for 2 to 12 people. The best time to travel is October to June
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about India family or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
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INDIA FAMILY HOLIDAYS TRAVEL ADVICE
Listen and learn
Sophie Hartman, from our tour partners Chinkara Journeys, has been taking her daughter to India since she was three:“Listen to advice when it comes to appropriate dress. I’ve really struggled with people whom I’ve specially asked to dress modestly (we operate in a very under-visited part of India where people aren’t used to seeing white people, let alone bare white legs and arms) who’ve then emerged in shorts and a strappy top and asked the guest house owner if they’re ok as they are – the hotel owners are far too polite to say anything and although everyone is lovely in the part of India in which we work the local people are embarrassed and that infuriates me. Ditto tipping – don’t tip less than your guide recommends, and be generous; people are so poor, the few extra pounds you give to the fellows who clean your room and make your supper will go towards giving their children a decent meal or an education.”
Introducing India
Jim O’Brien, Director at one of our suppliers, Native Eye Travel, recommends where to go for families:“For first time visitors to India, I would recommend Rajasthan. It fulfils all Indian fantasies, with camels on the street, palaces, maharajas and so on.”Unleash your inner Indian
Rajat Kumar Managing Director of our supplier ExplorIndya, shares his top tips for families visiting India: “We don’t realise as Indians how important vacations are to the typical western traveller, because it isn’t as important for us. We don’t have holidays in the same way, so we don’t realise how necessary things need to be spelt out and why things shouldn’t be left until the last minute. If you think something isn’t clear, always ask for clarification. Ask more questions, and complain when you need to, be direct and open. That is what Indians would do, and you can’t change the mindset.”When to visit Kerala
Diana Syrett, Managing Director of one of our top suppliers, Kerala Connections, explains the best time to visit Kerala with kids: “December and January are really busy in Kerala, so if you don’t want crowds and very high prices, these months are best to avoid. June and July are also worth avoiding because of the monsoon, but really you can go anytime outside those months. The Easter holidays are good for families and August and September are still low season in a lot of the lowlands, but sometimes it is hard to get flights from the UK at that time of year, so you need to do that well in advance. It is also the Onam Festival here in August and September. It is the equivalent of Christmas for Hindus and a wonderful family celebration.”
For more information on the best time to visit India please visit our India travel guide.
For more information on the best time to visit India please visit our India travel guide.
The kids are alright
Sophie Hartman, from our tour partners Chinkara Journeys, has been taking her daughter to India since she was three: “I’ve been taking my daughter since she was three (she’s now 21) and the most striking thing is the bliss of being in a country where people actually like children. Kids are often accommodated free in hotel rooms and people are lovely about making special food. The ‘don’t pack too much in’ tip holds even truer here. Find somewhere lovely (Bhoramdeo Jungle Retreat is a particularly lovely low key guest house in northern Chhattisgarh with a wonderful owner who is great with children) and park yourself. Establish good relationships with people who might help a bit with childcare and then do outings from your base.”INDIA FAMILY HOLIDAYS TRAVEL ADVICE
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful India family holiday tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
We have selected some of the most useful India family holiday tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
Tiger spotting in India is not like an African safari as tigers live in dense forests so you have to have a good guide & good luck. ![]()
– Katherine Robins
It's a great holiday - the guides were knowledgeable and managed to get the right balance of sightseeing and down time. Pack light as it makes it easier when travelling between locations. Stay at the old harbour in Cochin - great place. Our children age 13 and 10 thoroughly enjoyed it - and absolutely no issues with anything while they were there.” – Philip Hesketh
“If you go at Easter expect great heat and humidity also you will be sharing some of the sights with the Indian people as they will be on holiday too - this actually made the experience better for us. We went without any computer games or mobile phones and found that improved the experience for us as our child engaged with the country and if she was bored she slept and that proved to be the best use of her down time. If you need to contact home, all hotels had free wifi and computer access.” – Sarah Griffin
“The driving distances are not far but can take a long time as the roads are sometimes small and busy. We asked for stops for the children to stretch their legs and experience a little of the busy Keralan towns. Lots of mozzy cream/spray is useful. We talked to our lovely driver, Deepu, a lot and learnt so much about South India, the elections taking place, the culture and traditions. Leave any preconceptions of India behind and be prepared to be amazed!” – Sarah Bland
“Be vigilant with hygiene if you want to avoid a stomach upset – lots of antibacterial hand gels, avoid meat, dairy and uncooked fruit and veg, and be careful of swallowing swimming pool water. July/Aug was very humid but the monsoon rain did not affect our trip and made the heat more bearable than May/June. Begging is rife and hard to ignore. I would not recommend this trip for very young children, but fab for teenagers.” – Janine Jackson
“Tiger spotting in India is not like an African safari as tigers live in dense forests so you have to have a good guide & good luck. Out of 10 drives we saw 5 tigers & were considered very lucky. Be prepared for early mornings (5.45am) and tiger drives of 7 hours a day. But it’s worth it.” – Katherine Robins
“If you go at Easter expect great heat and humidity also you will be sharing some of the sights with the Indian people as they will be on holiday too - this actually made the experience better for us. We went without any computer games or mobile phones and found that improved the experience for us as our child engaged with the country and if she was bored she slept and that proved to be the best use of her down time. If you need to contact home, all hotels had free wifi and computer access.” – Sarah Griffin
“The driving distances are not far but can take a long time as the roads are sometimes small and busy. We asked for stops for the children to stretch their legs and experience a little of the busy Keralan towns. Lots of mozzy cream/spray is useful. We talked to our lovely driver, Deepu, a lot and learnt so much about South India, the elections taking place, the culture and traditions. Leave any preconceptions of India behind and be prepared to be amazed!” – Sarah Bland
“Be vigilant with hygiene if you want to avoid a stomach upset – lots of antibacterial hand gels, avoid meat, dairy and uncooked fruit and veg, and be careful of swallowing swimming pool water. July/Aug was very humid but the monsoon rain did not affect our trip and made the heat more bearable than May/June. Begging is rife and hard to ignore. I would not recommend this trip for very young children, but fab for teenagers.” – Janine Jackson
“Tiger spotting in India is not like an African safari as tigers live in dense forests so you have to have a good guide & good luck. Out of 10 drives we saw 5 tigers & were considered very lucky. Be prepared for early mornings (5.45am) and tiger drives of 7 hours a day. But it’s worth it.” – Katherine Robins
Stay at the old harbour in Cochin - great place. Our children age 13 and 10 thoroughly enjoyed it - and absolutely no issues with anything while they were there.![]()
– Philip Hesketh
More about India family
Instead of thinking what could go wrong why not flip things upside down and think what could go right as you embark on an India family holiday that will leave your family collectively looking at life in not quite the same way, ever again.
