Holidays for · Families
Travelling with children or grandparents changes the plan: shorter drives, rooms close together, early dinners and a free afternoon when someone needs it. We build family tours of Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Golden Triangle around those needs, in a private car with a driver for the whole trip.
North-west India works well for families. Forts are big enough to explore like castles, a camel ride and a night at a desert camp feel like an adventure, an early-morning safari is exciting even without a tiger, and the food runs from the mildest dal to street snacks worth trying. The challenge is distance: Delhi to Jaipur is about 280 km and Jaipur to Udaipur about 400 km, so how you plan the days matters as much as what you see.
On a private family tour, the car and the timetable are yours. We size the vehicle to your family and your luggage, split long drives, plan sights for the cooler morning hours and leave afternoons free when the children need them. Hotels are booked in the category you choose, the quote is itemised, and every itinerary can be changed, from the number of nights to the pace of each day.
A sedan suits a family of three, an SUV such as a Toyota Innova Crysta takes four or five with luggage, and a tempo traveller (a 12- to 17-seat minibus) suits larger families travelling together. Ask for child seats when you enquire, with the children's ages, and the quote confirms what is arranged.
We ask hotels for connecting rooms, family rooms or extra beds in the category you choose, and the itemised quote shows what each hotel has confirmed.
Long legs are broken with stops for food and a stretch, long drives are kept apart rather than back to back, and where the route allows, an extra night can replace a very long day in the car.
Sightseeing in the cooler morning, a rest at the hotel in the afternoon, and dinner early enough for young children. The car is yours all day, so if a day isn't working, heading back early is easy.
At the big sights, such as the Taj Mahal and Amer Fort, a licensed local guide can be arranged. Tell us the children's ages and we'll ask for a shorter visit built around stories rather than dates.
Where to go
Jaipur packs a lot into a few days: Amer Fort on its hill, the giant stone instruments of Jantar Mantar, the Hawa Mahal and the bazaars of the Pink City. Two or three nights are enough, and the three-day Jaipur Getaway is an easy way to start.
The Golden Triangle with Ranthambore adds two nights in Ranthambore between Agra and Jaipur. Tell the children it's a search, not a zoo: tigers are seen on some safaris and not on others, and the open-jeep ride through the forest is an adventure either way.
In Jaisalmer, families still live inside the golden sandstone fort, and the dunes at Sam, about 40 km away, are the place for a camel ride and a night at a desert camp. Jaisalmer is a long way west of Jaipur, so give it at least two nights; see the Jaisalmer Desert Escape.
The white salt desert of the Rann of Kutch is at its best from about November to February, and the Statue of Unity, 182 metres tall, has a viewing gallery high inside it (it is usually closed on Mondays). Our Gujarat tour plan shows how the long distances fit together.
Tours
Sample itineraries — every one can be changed.
5 days / 4 nightsDelhi → Agra → Jaipur
Five days by private car through Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, with the Taj Mahal at sunset and again at sunrise.
7 days / 6 nightsDelhi → Agra → Ranthambore → Jaipur
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur with two nights in Ranthambore National Park for tiger safaris, in seven days by private car.
8 days / 7 nightsDelhi → Agra → Jaipur → Udaipur
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, then south via Chittorgarh to Udaipur for three nights by the lakes, in eight days.
8 days / 7 nightsJaipur → Pushkar → Jodhpur → Udaipur
Eight days by private car through Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur and Udaipur, with a stop at the Jain temple at Ranakpur on the way.
12 days / 11 nightsJaipur → Bikaner → Jaisalmer → Jodhpur → Udaipur
Twelve days by private car from Jaipur through Shekhawati, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur to Udaipur, with an optional night at a desert camp.
3 days / 2 nightsJaipur
Three days in Jaipur by private car for Amer Fort, the City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh at sunset and the old-city bazaars.
3 days / 2 nightsJaisalmer
Three days in Jaisalmer: the lived-in fort, carved havelis and Gadisar Lake, then a night at a desert camp with a sunset camel ride and folk music.
3 days / 2 nightsJaipur → Ranthambore
Three days from Jaipur to Ranthambore National Park, with three safaris by gypsy or canter and a visit to Ranthambore Fort and the Trinetra Ganesh temple.
5 days / 4 nightsUdaipur → Mount Abu
Five days by private car: three nights in Udaipur with a day out to Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, then a night in Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station.
Jaipur
Two days from Jaipur by private car for darshan at Khatu Shyam ji and Salasar Balaji, with one night in Salasar.
4 days / 3 nightsRann of Kutch
Four days in Kutch: Bhuj's palaces and craft villages, then two nights at Dhordo for sunset and moonlight on the White Rann.
6 days / 5 nightsDwarka → Somnath → Gir
Six days on the Saurashtra coast: Dwarka and Nageshwar, Gandhi's Porbandar, Somnath's evening aarti and two safaris in Gir.
4 days / 3 nightsAhmedabad → Statue of Unity
Four days of Gujarat heritage and its newest landmark: Ahmedabad's old city and stepwells, Modhera and Patan, then a night at the Statue of Unity.
Questions
Yes. Rajasthan suits families well: forts to explore, camel rides, safaris and palace hotels hold children's attention, and a private car lets you set the pace and keep drives short. October to March is the most comfortable time to travel in Rajasthan with children.
Child seats can be requested for a Connecting Vacations family tour: tell us the children's ages when you enquire, and the quote confirms what is arranged for your car.
A family of five usually travels comfortably in an SUV such as a Toyota Innova Crysta, with room for luggage. Larger families, or those with a lot of luggage, are more comfortable in a tempo traveller, a 12- to 17-seat minibus.
Drives between the main cities on a family tour of Rajasthan or the Golden Triangle usually take 3.5 to 6 hours, and the longest, such as Jaipur to Udaipur, about 6–7. On a family tour the longer drives are broken with stops and kept apart rather than back to back.
Yes. A family trip with grandparents is planned around whoever needs the slowest pace, with shorter drives, afternoon rests and a roomy car. Tell us about anyone who finds steps difficult, since some heritage hotels and forts involve stairs and uneven ground.
Also
Private tours for honeymooners and couples: Udaipur's lakes, the Taj Mahal at sunrise, a night in the desert and palace hotels.
Ideas and toursTours for groups of friends, clubs, family reunions and company teams, with tempo travellers or coaches, rooming lists and GST invoices.
Ideas and toursTemple journeys to Khatu Shyam ji, Salasar Balaji, Pushkar, Nathdwara, Somnath and Dwarka, planned around darshan and an easy pace.
Ideas and toursSafari trips to Ranthambore for tigers, Gir for Asiatic lions and Keoladeo for winter birds, planned around seasons and permits.
Ideas and toursPrivate tours of the Golden Triangle, Rajasthan and Gujarat for visitors from abroad, with airport pickup, a driver throughout and guides at the major sights.
Ideas and toursShare your dates, who's travelling and what you'd love to see. We'll reply with a day-by-day plan and an itemised quote — no obligation.
