Dilli Haat Play Area

This is one of my 6 y.o.'s favorite places to go shopping with me, but I do have to say that she loves to shop in general. The colorful displays and goods, the variety of kids toys for sale (the violins, cars that click when you pull them, etc.), wide choice of foods and snacks from all over India, and the occasional programs that are going on, make it a fun trip for most families.

I decided to explore the play area that opened last year here, and though it was quite a sunny day in April and we were there at noon, the girls did have quite a bit of fun. (About 30-45 minutes of active playing in just the shady areas.) I'm most impressed by the quality solid wood play equipment, I haven't seen this kind of play area elsewhere in Delhi. It is also very well maintained, with no trash and clean grassy lawns and benches to sit on. Though the only bummer was that the steel slides were too hot for sliding.

FEE: Kids area is free but Dilli Haat entrance is 20/adult, 10/kid

STROLLER: Dilli Haat is one of the most stroller friendly outdoor markets because everywhere is wheelchair friendly.

ACCESS: so easy to get here by auto or metro, right across from INA market.

FOOD: yummy food from all over India. My kids love the momos, dosas, pakoras, samosas, fruit beer from Assam (not alcoholic!)

FINAL VERDICT: Great fun for the whole family, especially if a parent wants to do a bit of shopping for handicrafts. I would say go early morning or afternoon after the sun's peak to enjoy the play area.

For more info, go here. I would also recommend checking out if they have any special programs going on. During the Assam festival, it was fun to see little kids dressed in traditional costumes.

Shankar's International Dolls Museum

This place is very close to the National Children's Museum and actually we saw the same tourists at both museums on the same day! If you are feeling active, you could walk from that museum to this one, in about 15-20 minutes. There is quite a bit heavy traffic in front of the doll museum however, as it is located by a full parking lot, right next to the Times of India office, close to ITO. My girls loved this museum and my 6 year old oohed and aahed over almost all of them.

There is a strongly enforced rule on no photography allowed, which is why we have no photos to share!

TARA'S TIPS: It's really fun and some of the dolls are really pretty. It's fun to see what kind of dolls were at the stores in the past.

STROLLER: There is a large staircase up to the museum but once inside, it was very helpful to have the tired child in the stroller and not my arms.

FOOD: No eating allowed inside, supposedly, but we drank water from our own bottles with no problem. Ice cream/chips/drinks vendors right outside.

AUTO: We went around a very busy time and there were plenty of autos passing by/waiting.

FEES: 17/adult, 6/children, no foreigner charges

From Delhi Tourism Website

Shankar's International Dolls Museum Musical

Nehru House, 4, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, N. Delhi
Ph.: 23316970-4; Timing : 10:00 am to 5.30 pm.
Closed : Monday.
A veritable dreamland for the children. 6000 dolls from 85 countries are on display at this museum in Nehru House at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. The India exhibit section comprises 500 dolls dressed in costumes worn from all over the country.

National Children's Museum

We visited this museum in early April around 11am. I'm not sure if the indoor exhibits are air conditioned, but at this time of year, it's still cool inside even if it was difficult to be out in the full sun outdoors.

This place is huge and has various kinds of exhibits, including several indoor displays (such as an exhibit on the sun, the ramayana, some children's work on ecology, etc.) and outdoor works.

The highlights for my kids were the mini train ride (20 rps/adult, 10rps/kid) which was pleasantly long (and unexpectedly hilarious when we passed behind residential buildings and got to have a great view of people's undergarments -- also unexpectedly dangerous when we passed over an empty fountain/pool and since we weren't chained in, anyone who fell over would fall quite a distance into a tile pool). 

The kids also enjoyed the "mini-aquarium" which is great if you think of it as visiting a fish shop, not expecting a world class aquarium.

Lastly, there is a "science park" that has playground equipment but a lot of it was in disrepair. There were a couple slides, swings, and see-saws that were usable. But definitely you would need to supervise and watch closely for rusty, broken equipment.

Honestly I found this place a bit strange. The "traffic park" consists of a small square area with traffic lights, signs, and roads. The Sun exhibit had a strange amalgam of religious beliefs about the sun and scientific facts about the sun. The outdoor "village" exhibit seemed not very well maintained and the bird aviary seemed dangerously overcrowded with birds and even rabbits. All the indoor exhibits also required you to write your name, address, comments and signature.

 

There is also a large grassy area where kids could run free, but being high noon and summer, we didn't do that option.

TARA'S (6 y.o.) TIPS: The train ride was very fun because it's kind of long. Some of the rooms were scary because they were dark. I liked the aquarium.

STROLLER: I took a stroller for my preschooler and it was helpful but there were quite a bit of steps where I had to make her get out and walk. 

AUTO: It was quite easy to get here by auto and to leave by auto, since it's so close to ITO.

FOOD: There are lots of chips/drinks/ice cream vendors right outside. A cafeteria and vendor inside but I didn't purchase from them. We brought our own snacks and had no problem eating it inside.

FINAL VERDICT: Not sure this is worth a trip for tourists or out of towners. I would only recommend this for locals who live nearby and who want an inexpensive outing for their kids. Supposedly there are lots of crafts/art classes for kids in the summer. 

FEE: free for kids, 20 rps/adult, no foreigner charges

From the Delhi Tourism Website:

National Children's Museum

Localtion: 1 Kotla Road, Near I.T.O.
New Delhi
Timing: 9.00am To 5:30 pm
Closed: Sunday & Monday
Attractions::
Institution for enhancing creativity among children. It holds regular classes and workshops on performing & creative arts.

• Mobile Planetarium
• Mini zoo
• Aquarium

National Rail Museum

After much begging from my kids, we finally visited the National Rail Museum just as the weather was warming up (late March). We went on a weekday morning around 10am which meant that the place was almost empty except for a nursery group that had arrived before us and were sitting excitedly on the mini-train, waiting for the first ride of the day. We jumped on and took a ride (extra 20 rps per person? You can buy the tickets at the front entrance). I believe the mini train ride was the highlight for me and my two girls (age 4 & 6). Afterwards we roamed the small indoor museum but as they had no interest in the technicalities of trains, we passed through it pretty quickly.

For the adults, you MUST read the hilarious sign on the wall about how it came about that trains began to have attached bathrooms!

Next door is a small outdoor play area with slides and swings. The sun was beginning to come out so we skipped this, but if you come later or earlier, it might be a short fun diversion.

We were kind of confused as to the layout of the museum. The outdoor portion with lots of old trains didn't seem to be organized in some kind of order, but perhaps that was my ignorance. We just wandered about, reading the signs about the trains. Since my girls weren't interested, this was also quite short. The two highlights from the outdoor trains are the Prince of Wales Saloon and the Maharaja of Mysore. Both those cars have steps from which you can peek into the window. Unfortunately, it was quite hard to peek into the window but you can make out some things.

As we prepared to leave after this very short field trip (probably about 1 hour or less for all that we saw), we began to see more and more preschool/play school groups arriving, and picnicing on the big lawn. If we had brought our lunch, we could have lingered longer in the museum, and played on the grass, etc.

There was also a functioning restaurant in the middle of the museum. There are the usual chips, drinks and ice cream vendors right outside the museum.

TARA'S (6 years old) NOTES: The toy train ride was my favorite part. It was cool to see the trains of the past because some of them were beautiful. Don't take photos inside the museum, it's not allowed.

STROLLER: quite do-able by stroller but there are tracks to cross if you are exploring outdoors. There were paths though that you could possibly stay on the whole time.

TIPS: located close to the Bhutan Embassy. There are signs for the museum, the first one I saw being at Nehru Park. I used my phone's GPS and it was quite handy in getting us there easily but it should be easy to just follow the signs. It was quite easy to get an auto to leave from the museum as well.

Some people were using the audio tour headsets. Perhaps that would make it more interesting.

FEES: 10 rps for adults, including foreigners. less for kids. Honestly I don't remember the exact amounts but very reasonable fees and no extra foreigner charges!

FINAL VERDICT: Worth the trip if you want a couple hours of educational fun since the fees are quite reasonable and almost every kid would love a mini train ride. My girls couldn't have been less interested in trains but they still came back raving about the place.

(from the Delhi Tourism Website )

National Rail Museum

Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Ph.: 26881816, 26880939
Timing : 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.  
Closed : Monday
This unique museum has a fascinating and exotic collection of over 100 real size exhibits of Indian Railways. Static and working models, signaling equipments, antique furnitures, historical photographs and related literature etc. are displayed in the museum. The line-up of old coaches includes the handsome Prince of Wales Saloon, built in 1875. Not to be outdone is the Maharaja of Mysore's Saloon built in 1899 with its brocade covered chairs and an elegant rosewood bed; one can peer in through the windows for a good look.
The star attraction here is the Fairy Queen, built in 1855 and considered to be one of the best preserved steam locomotive engines of her age. A ride in joy train and mono rail (PSMT) is the most exciting experience besides boating. Do not miss the handsome Fire Engine on your way out.