We are travelling for five weeks in India with our kids who are seven and nine. We were planning on taking trains for the Delhi Agra Ranthambhore Udaipur leg of the trip but some fellow travellers recommended hiring a private driver. We are booking our own hotels and have no interest in buying souvenirs. Would love to hear from other travellers/parents about their experiences/ opinions. Thanks in advance!

driving offers total freedom... the train is faster from delhi to agra but you loose the fabulous sights along the way..

i guess for me it would depend on how you feel the kids could cope best with the travel between points...

with a car you can always stop for a breather, and you do not need to worry where your kids have wandered to as on a train..

make sure you rent an SUV..

From my experience from hiring a private driver, what i can say is that its total freedom, you can stop where ever you want whenever you want, you get to see great sights on your way, in short there are many advantages.

I have travelled on train and it was a 2 day and 1 night journey to the south from the north. It was a good experience as well. Food not so great on the train, so i would recommend taking your own. not buying from the sellers in the train as its not that hygenic. In the train the advantage is that you can move around easily, its various stops, although i recommend not getting off. Bathroom are aweful!

I would say maybe tlk to your kids and ask them what they would prefer, tell them the pros and cons and then make a decsion.

Not getting off on the stop between your journey so that you don't miss the train when it starts. I've seen it happen to people.*

I've done both, and think you should experience both. Taking the train is a great way to meet Indians who don't work in the tourist biz, at least in 2AC. You can see the scenery quite well from the train, you don't have to drive, and driving can get monotonous after a while - after the third herd of animals holds up your car it ceases to be fun. It is quite safe for your kids on the train. Note that you should NOT, NOT, be on Indian roads after dark.

For loads of info on trains in India, including how to book tickets and what the various classes are like, with pix, see http://www.seat61.com/India.htm

You should try to have both experiences.Train journey can be done between Delhi and Agra...express train is there which takes 2 hours for the journey.From Agra you can arrange a car for Ranthambore and Jaipur.From Jaipur you can fly to Udaipur.
for flight check with www.cleartrip.com
Thanks

But the Delhi-Agra posh express isn't quite the same as a long distance train.

BTW, last time I checked Bob (rhkkmk) hadn't been on an Indian train, so can't make comparisons.

Make sure your driver speaks English and sufficient English at that. Also check that the driver is familiar with the route you want to take. For example, a driver who knows Jaipur may have never driven in Agra before and can't help you with local places there. Details to check out ahead of time.

If you want to hire a driver, do you wait until you get to India and then ask your hotel to book one for you, or do you do it with a travel agency before leaving home?

We used a car service as well as trains. I would recommend using both. The roads are an I retesting experience but do get monotonous at times. I would recommend the drive between Jaipur and Agra, being sure to stop at the monkey temple and stepping well along the way. Both you and the kids will enjoy them. Will you be going to Varanasi? (highly recommended) - if so, you can fly there.