Things to do in New Delhi with kids in 2023

So, what are the best things to do in New Delhi with kids?

Since moving to New Delhi in February 2021, I’ve been complaining about how life was better in Singapore. However, now I take (most of) it back. I indeed miss the safety of Singapore, but Delhi has many things to offer as well. After all, where else do you get stuck in traffic because holy cows surround your car? We went to so many places and tried many new things for kids in New Delhi. From tiny playgrounds to ancient fortresses. Some were a total disappointment, some of them OK, and some that we enjoyed a lot! So below we share the best things to do in New Delhi with kids in no particular order.

1. KIDZANIA NEW DELHI

You can find Kidzania in several countries, including India. Funnily enough, we visited Kidzania on Sentosa island a few years ago, and it was the only place in Singapore that I didn’t like. I have a post on Instagram (@raising_little_travellers) saying why, but it doesn’t really matter anymore as it’s permanently shut.

So, Kidzania New Delhi is FUN.

Thea loved the Turkish Airlines plane at the entrance, staff was polite and efficient, tickets were cheap, and the place was not crowded.

Briefly, Kidzania is a place where children can try various professions. For example, Thea got to be a nurse and look after newborn ‘babies’. A fire-fighter extinguishing fire in a hotel with fellow little fire-fighters. Kids get to work in a supermarket and shop there, bake pizzas, be dentists, pilots, doctors, you name it.

The only problem is when the time comes to leave. My daughter is not the only one crying. So, if you are looking for a nice place to go to with kids in New Delhi, Kidzania is a good choice.
A piece of advice: check their website in advance to see if it’s open. At the time of writing, Kidzania is closed on Mondays and Sundays.

2. Duck Duck Goose- an indoor playground in New Delhi

An indoor playground in New Delhi that is clean, safe, has air purifiers, and a fun name is Duck Duck Goose. It’s not super big, but there are plenty of activities to keep kids busy. Thea loves the enclosure of flying balloons, the maze-like net structure, slides, and trampolines.
The staff is polite. However, if you are in the playground alone, one of the girls tends to follow around. I know they mean good, helping with slides and stuff, but it gets a bit annoying after a while.

Shoes are obviously not allowed inside, so bring your own socks or, better yet, purchase a colorful pair at the counter. They sell socks for kids and adults with anti-slippery pads. Not only Thea but also our dog likes those socks. No, pets are not allowed inside, but if we wear those socks at home, he bites and tries to pull them off for some reason.

3. Humayun’s Tomb

I know a tomb does not rank high considering places to go to with kids but bear with me. It’s a great place to go.

As the name suggests, it is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun and looks like Delhi’s own Taj Mahal. It was built in the XVI century and is the first example of Mughal architecture in India. Rumors say that, in fact, it was Humayun’s Tomb that inspired the construction of the world-famous Taj Mahal in Agra city. 

It is surrounded by a beautiful park and is perfect for a nice stroll. 

Visitors can go inside this architectural marvel, and that’s what we did. Except for three marble coffins, the entire place is empty, but beautiful inside out. 

My daughter loves the cartoon series called ‘Mira the Royal Detective’ that takes place in India. Humayun’s Tomb reminds a lot of the buildings shown in the cartoon, so Thea enjoyed playing the detective and looking for imaginary clues.

Humayun’s Tomb is one of the places that have different pricing for locals and foreigners. The gap is huge. Locals pay INR 35, while for foreigners, the entry is INR 550. Children up to 15 years of age can visit for free. 

While we pay more, we do have an advantage. There are two queues at the ticket counter: one for Indians and a separate booth for foreigners. I think at the time of our visit, at least 30 people were lining up in the queue for locals. And there was no one in the foreigners’ lane. 

Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed inside the park. We came with ours, and I offered to pay for his foreigners’ ticket and even carry him, but the guards were not into negotiations. Luckily a huge park next door called The Sunder Nursery welcomes dogs and their owners. I absolutely recommend visiting it with or without dogs. 

4. Sunder Nursery

Sunder Nursery is a massive, recently renovated 16th-century heritage park complex adjacent to the Humayun’s Tomb.

It is very family-friendly and is one of the best places with many fun things to do with kids in New Delhi. There are multiple swings, tree houses, and even a relatively big fenced playground for the little ones. It is clean, well maintained, has its toilets for children, and a decent place to wash hands.

Apparently, there are over 300 types of trees in Sunder Nursery, making it Delhi’s first arboretum. Also, you can see 15 heritage monuments, of which 6 are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Overall it is a beautiful park that we will be returning to again.

5. National Rail Museum, New Delhi

My daughter is a train enthusiast, so we visit railway museums when we travel. New Delhi is no exception.
Luckily the Rail museum in Delhi is really nice. The highlight of the visit was the joy train ride. Adults can board this tiny train as well. The ride takes visitors through an outdoor exhibit of various locomotives and carriages at a slow pace. The lawns and lush green gardens are well maintained, so we enjoyed our time on this cute little train.

The indoor museum consists of six galleries that cover diverse aspects of Indian Railways. They are detailed and explain how do the signaling and the traffic control systems work. As well as showcases the models of various locomotives and tells the history and development of Indian Railways.

We enjoyed looking at the train models the most. Thea loved the one that showed how a 6-bed cabin carriage looks from the inside. It is entertaining and educational for sure.
Visitors can try simulators, but they were not available at the time of our visit. We went to the first floor to explore the Miniature India exhibit. Actually, it was way better than I expected. It’s really great for kids!

There is a cafeteria and a souvenir shop – we didn’t try the former and can’t recommend the latter unless you are looking for a cheap keychain.
Overall it is a fun place to go to with kids of all ages.

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6. Lodhi Gardens

I love Lodhi Gardens! It’s a perfect place to go to with kids in New Delhi. We went there because I was googling for dog-friendly places, and this park was one of them.

Before we went to Lodhi Gardens, our perception of Delhi was rather negative. It seemed to be a kind of visual pollution wherever we looked. However, Delhi is full of beautiful jewels, and Lodhi is one of them!

This sprawling green park located in the heart of Delhi is a marvelous place to spend some time in a historical setting. It houses the mausoleums of two Delhi Sultanate rulers. In addition, there are other ancient structures and attractions like a National Bonsai Park, a lake, and a glasshouse.

It is very family-friendly and super relaxing, like an oasis in the city.
Thea loves jumping on the massive stones under beautiful trees, while our dog loves chasing super cute squirrels. Luckily they are way too fast for him.

Many street dogs spend their time in Lodhi Gardens. They usually don’t pose any risk to humans, but when we walk with our dog, they start approaching us in not a very friendly manner, which is a bit scary. Our driver accompanies us when we go to parks in Delhi, and he carries a long stick which he waves when street dogs start nearing.
Overall I highly recommend this park. It is free, clean, and green.

Don’t forget a a mosquito repellent!

7. Waste to Wonder Park

Waste to Wonder is a fabulous place to visit! It is a theme park that presents replicas of the seven wonders of the world. What I like about them is that artists replicated these world-famous landmarks using waste products!

This cute park houses miniature replicas of the Eiffel Tower (France), Taj Mahal (India), Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italy), the Great Pyramid of Giza (Egypt), Statue of Liberty (USA), Christ the Redeemer (Brazil) and the Colosseum (Italy).

For example, the replica of the Statue of Liberty consists of 4 tonnes of waste. Artists used various waste materials, such as old slides from childrens’ parks, benches, electric metal wires, bike rims, cycle chains, metal sheets, park benches, engine spare parts, park railings parts, pipes, etc. Who would have thought that cycle chains make for good hair?

Initially, I wanted to go there in the late afternoon to see the landmarks in daylight and when they light up at night. However, because of heavy traffic, it took us forever to get there. By the time we arrived, it was already dark, and all the landmarks were shining brightly.

There were some food stalls, but we didn’t eat there, so I can’t comment on that. We did, however, use the absolutely horrible toilets. Rain boots would have come in handy.
Other than that it is a nice place to visit.

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8. The Deer Park

The Deer Park in the Hauz Khas area is a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of Delhi. Deers live in this park, hence the name. However, we saw everything but deers. Not that we mind, though. We come from Europe, and for us, seeing a deer is nowhere as exciting as being surrounded by monkeys and kingfishers.

The park is beautiful! There is a gorgeous lake that we can walk around and feed the ducks, well-maintained pathways, manicured lawns and gardens, old banyan trees, and even a playground!

There is no entry fee, and it is dog-friendly. We had to keep our dog on the leash in many areas, mainly because Pluto was ready to attack the monkeys, while the street dogs were interested in attacking him. If you go with no pets, it’s a breeze. The playground is spacious with plenty of fun things to do.
It is really pleasant in the mornings and daytime. However, avoid going there late in the evenings as it gets way less safe in the dark.

UPDATE: Deers do live in this park! We went to this park a couple of times after writing this blog post. In fact, the park is so widespread that if you want to see the deers, you need to access it through a different gate.

So the last few times, we took another entrance and saw seemingly hundreds of deers. They are super cute. Deers have their own and spacious fenced enclosure, so you can’t pet them. At least we didn’t see where that would be possible. On the other hand, they are wild animals, so looking at them is probably a better option.
In addition to deers (much to the joy of our dog), there is a separate large cage full of rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas. Thea loves animals, so she now prefers this part of the Deer Park.

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9. Nehru Planetarium

Recently Thea started showing great interest in all things space. Since there is a planetarium in Delhi, named after India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, we did go to check it out. I was hesitating whether to include it in this things to do in new Delhi with kids list because it is very very very rundown. However, although you can learn more about space in books and online than in the exhibition displayed, they offer an educational show in a dome-shaped movie theatre which is entertaining and informative.

My daughter loved the reclining chairs and watching ‘the movie’ on the ceiling. I found it interesting and learned something new too. They run the show in Hindi and English, so make sure you select the right one.
It was the cheapest attraction that we have ever visited. I paid only slightly over 1 euro for two people.
p.s. If you can, avoid using the washrooms there.

10. Swaminarayan Akshardham New Delhi

Can a child love a Hindu temple more than a playground? Apparently yes.
Akshardham Temple is a must-visit place in Delhi! What’s not to love about a massive temple complex with boat rides, dozens of exhibits with human-looking and talking robots, fountains, and a cinema.
The sad thing is that photography is not allowed within the complex.

Many things are not allowed, in fact. There are cloakrooms at the entrance, and you pretty much have to leave everything behind, followed by an airport-style security scan. There are two lanes to access the complex, one for men and one for women. And a hefty premium fee for foreigners, like in most of the places in India.
Those who come in for prayer can go for free, though. However, there is a fee if you want to experience the attractions within. That includes a swan-shaped boat ride that takes visitors throughout the history of India. The boat took us along exhibits of inventions, famous people, events, professions, etc. According to the recording, pretty much everything was invented in India thousands of years before anywhere else. But it is cute, especially for kids.

Another place that my daughter likes is the exhibit halls of the life and work of Swaminarayan. According to his followers, Swaminarayan is a manifestation of God. So this exhibit includes multiple different areas accessed on foot with human-looking, talking, and moving robots.
And, of course, the famous giant screen theater where visitors follow a true-life story of a young boy Neelkanth Varni, who walked for seven years, over 12,000 kilometers, barefoot across India.

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And finally, an attraction for which you have to wait for the sunset. The first show starts soon after the sunset and lasts around 24 minutes. This show, named The Sahaj Anand Water Show, includes water jets, underwater flames, video projections, colorful lasers, live actors, and sound. The show was in Hindi, which I do not understand, but the view is truly spectacular and reminds me of the water show in Singapore in front of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Overall, it is a great place with plenty of things to with kids, and we recommend visiting it when in New Delhi.

11. Museum of Illusions New Delhi

Just when I thought that we’ve seen everything here, something unexpected popped up. Apparently, there is a Museum of illusions in Delhi as well. Thea loves them, so we did go to check it out.

We went on a Thursday afternoon to avoid the crowds. Although we did not have to wait long to get the tickets, it was pretty crowded inside. We had to wait to enter some of the exhibits and take pictures. 

The white house seems to be the most popular attraction because it gives an illusion of someone walking on its facade. There was a group of adults who enjoyed themselves so much that we gave up waiting and had to come back way later. 

Compared to museums of illusions that we’ve been to in other countries, this one in Delhi is spacious and there are many exhibits to explore and fool the eye. From walking on the ceiling to Gandhi’s eyes spying whichever direction you go, there is something for everyone. 

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12. Shankar’s International Dolls Museum

Another great thing to do with kids in New Delhi is going to the Doll Museum. There is this saying, don’t judge the book by its cover. Certainly, this applies here. The cover looks rather… well, uninviting. However, don’t be deceived! It houses an impressive collection of around 6000 dolls from 85 different countries. We didn’t count to verify the claim, but the exhibits are stunning. From Japanese emperors to wooden dolls made by African tribes, from astronauts on the moon to Indian gods… 

They’ve got thousands of dolls on huge displays from near and far. The largest collection, comprising of 500 dolls, comes from India. Actually, it was very interesting to see how styles and crafts differ from region to region. 

The one sad thing is that you are not allowed to take photographs, and I honestly don’t understand why. Therefore, I can’t share any pictures from the doll museum, and instead, the photo to illustrate this part of the article is a stock photo. We did see those dolls on display, though!

Our driver accompanied Thea and me to the museum, I suspect he did not find it as fascinating, but we highly recommend paying this museum a visit! 

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13. Crafts Museum

We’ve lived in Delhi for over two years, and I had no idea this museum existed! We found it totally by accident. I asked our driver to take us to the Museum of Modern Art – he took us to the Crafts Museum… Since we were already there, I thought, let’s check it out and leave. It didn’t look very promising from the outside.

However, we were positively surprised to discover beautiful exhibits from all over India under one roof. Well, roofs, in this case, as the museum is spread throughout several buildings adorned with local ornaments.
I liked it, our driver was super bored, but Thea loved it! She asked for the audio guide and listened to the entire recording series of the 25 exhibits.

Thousands of artifacts from different regions across India are neatly arranged and organized, thus making it a great educational experience.
Thea has Indian Studies classes at school, so she is much more familiar with the art and customs of this country.
A restaurant on the premises serves primarily spicy Indian food; however, we liked the souvenir shop and bought some really nice-smelling incense.

14. Museum of Toilets, New Delhi

The Museum of Toilets in New Delhi is a rather unique attraction in New Delhi. It certainly is the smallest museum we’ve ever been to. And also one of the weirdest, but in a good way, I guess.

As the name suggests, it showcases the evolution of toilets and sanitation systems throughout history. Basically, you will see a small room stuffed with a variety of toilets and walls covered in framed posters, all mainly related to ‘number two.’ We visited with 2 kids, and they honestly found it hilarious.

Would I go there again? Probably not. But it’s a good option when you feel like ‘you’ve seen it all’ and want to see something new and different.

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15. Air Force Museum

In over two years in Delhi, we’ve covered many attractions. From rickshaw rides on bumpy roads through narrow streets in Old Delhi to the more 21st-century-like attractions. We stopped at this Air Force Museum on the way to the Toilet Museum.

So, overall we do recommend it to all aviation enthusiasts and little pilots-in-training. It is a nice place for an educational family outing. It showcases the history of the Indian Air Force and its contributions to the country’s defense. We also saw various aircrafts, including vintage planes and more modern (?) fighter jets.

Sadly, it is super rundown. And if you’re used to the quality of museum experiences in Europe, it can be disappointing. They really should charge more than a 0.50 euro cents entrance fee and use the money for renovation/maintenance.
Despite that, it is an excellent place to take your kids to and explore different types of aircraft you’re used to seeing at airports.

p.s. be prepared to show your passport to the army guy at the entrance. Some nationalities go through no questions asked (Lithuanian), and others – French in our case – have to show their IDs.

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16. Kidzzilla indoor playground

There is no denying that weather conditions are not always favorable for outdoor play in Delhi. From +40C heat to suffocating pollution and dengue-infected mosquitoes, you want to spend the time indoors. That’s where the indoor playgrounds come in handy. 

We like a couple of indoor playgrounds in Delhi, and Kidzzilla is one of them. It’s very spacious, giving a fake feeling that it’s less crowded. Then music is quieter than in other places, thus leaving some space to hear your own thoughts. They also host some activities that we’ve not seen in other playgrounds, e.g., catching fish in a pool. 

Speaking of the fish activity, I doubt PETA would approve, though. It looks like one of those pools where you put your feet in the water, and a school of hungry fish comes to eat your dead skin away. (Sounds awful; not sure what it feels like – I haven’t tried. No desire to either.)

Anyway, here, instead of little fish coming towards you, hundreds of petrified little fish swim away from the net that children place in the water. By now, they have had a lot of practice and are super hard to catch. 

Overall, if you are looking for an indoor playground for your kids in Delhi – give it a go. 

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17. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

We went to Gurudwara, thinking it was just another pretty temple. Little did we know that it’s a stunning temple and Delhi’s largest kitchen. People of all religions and walks of life are welcome in Gurudwara and its massive kitchen daily to eat delicious freshly made Indian food. We had an opportunity to visit everything behind the scenes, and it was a truly remarkable experience.

Yes, the temple is magnificent, but the kitchen is incredible! We met the staff and tasted some food. Thea got a chance to bake her roti bread, and we had an eye-opening time overall.

I highly recommend it. If you have a limited time in Delhi, skip the touristy places like Qutub Minar, and come to Gurudwara. Bring some scarves to wear over your head and clothing with long sleeves.

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18. National Gallery of Modern Art

The National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi is an excellent destination for families with kids interested in art and culture.

The gallery is huge and well-maintained. It features a vast collection of modern and contemporary Indian art, including paintings, sculptures, and installations. So, if you and your kids enjoy exploring art and learning about different cultures – it’s a great place to be. 

Suppose it’s not too hot/cold/polluted outside – you can enjoy the beautiful gardens and outdoor sculptures on the gallery’s grounds. 

It was an interesting experience for Thea and me, seeing various modern art pieces from Indian and international artists.  We have yet to see it all – we will have to revisit, but overall, it was a nice way to spend a few hours and appreciate some modern art. 

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Other places and things to do with kids in New Delhi

We also visited the Science Museum, however although it sounds like a great thing to do in new Delhi with kids I am reluctant to recommend it. While it does have many educational exhibits, everything is so rundown and dirty. There are interactive displays, but sadly many are broken and you just don’t even want to touch anything.
Also, it’s probably more suitable for older kids. Nevertheless, my 4-year-old liked the exhibit showcasing the human brain and the dinosaur on the rooftop of the building.

This museum has plenty of good reviews online, but for me, it’s not the place that I would recommend going to.

If you know any great places in New Delhi to go to with kids, please share in the comments below!

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