"You must be crazy," my mother said when she heard that my husband and I planned to take our children to India on holiday . She reminded me that our last overseas family trip, a two-week tour through Europe, had not been a great hit with the youngsters . "Leave the kids with us and you two enjoy the holiday," she pleaded. However, there was no turning back .

A work colleague of mine, one of our closest friends, was getting married in Mumbai, and she had asked our eight year-old daughter to be an attendant in the bridal party. We knew that India would be a real culture shock for three youngsters used to life in suburban Melbourne, but were determined to go. The way to cope this time, we decided, was to limit the Indian leg of the trip to three days and then stop over in Thailand for a beach holiday on the way home.

A month before our trip the bride-to-be gave my daughter , Rochelle, a book about India for her birthday. The novel, The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeranale, is a charming tale of the adventures of a young woman , Shoba, and her pet monkey, Fuzzy Patel. They travel to Mumbai for a wedding and are joined on their journey by a camel, a snake charmer , elephants, a group of monks , and ladies in shiny saris.

Beautifully illustrated, the book paints an exciting and enticing picture of life in India. The kids devoured every word and drawing in the book and on many evenings would only go to bed after I read them a few pages. As a result, their enthusiasm for the trip grew as the departure date came closer. This rubbed off on us, and my husband and I spent many hours researching things to do in Mumbai, which used to be known as Bombay . When we discovered that the city had a host of child-friendly attractions we decided to go the whole hog and spend the entire eight-day holiday in the city.

We arrived the night before the wedding . Rochelle was a flower girl and looked adorable in a colourful sari. The Hindu ceremony took place under a canopy , known as a mandap. The bride wore a red and white sari, with fine henna designs decorating her hands.The couple exchanged garlands and rings and had their feet and hands were washed in a bowl of water . The actual marriage was signified by the priest placing a sacred rope around the bride and groom's neck. We met many of Lee-Anne’s relatives and were warmed by their hospitality and friendliness.

With the wedding over, we were ready for sightseeing and fun . Despite the city being pretty congested, we found plenty of places for the children to play. They loved climbing on the Boot House (where "an old lady lived in a shoe") in the Kamla Nehru Park, playing on Juhu Beach and running around the grounds of the ocean-side Bandra Fort and the parks on the Bandra Bandstand promenade. Everywhere we went, we saw families out enjoying the fresh air.

Getting around the city was great fun. We squeezed onto packed buses, flagged down battered taxis, clambered into tiny auto-rickshaws and even boarded a bright red double decker London bus for a ride through the Fort area. As a special treat one night, we took a ride along the Marine Drive seafront in glittery horse-drawn carriages.

We found the city pretty hot and humid, but we soon learnt that it was best to wake up early and go out until noon. Then we would return to our hotel until 3pm to avoid the real heat of the day, before going out again. Food was no problem at all. As a big international city, Mumbai has many Western-style restaurants and fast food joints, but we got more adventurous as the trip progressed and the children were soon hooked on idlis (rice cakes) and dosas (pancakes).

Here are just six highlights of our sightseeing in the city:

1. Essel World and the Water Kingdom
These adjoining theme parks are the Disneyland of Mumbai. Essel World, spread over 64 acres at Gorai, is India's largest amusement park. It offers more than 45 thrilling rides and games and our young ones found them infinitely more exotic and exciting than their Western counterparts.

The Water Kingdom next door is the largest theme water park in Asia and the place to be when the heat gets too much. It offers loads of innovations, including the world's biggest wave pool, heart stopping rides 'n' slides, river adventure cruises and much more. We dedicated a whole day to these parks, and our children would happily have returned the next day.

2. Tour of Bollywood
We knew that Mumbai was the home of India's cinema industry, but we were stunned by the sheer scale of Bollywood. We learnt that it make more movies than the Hollywood studios and that more than 14 million Indians go to the movies every day. We booked a tour which took us to a studio outside the city where a film was being made. The melodious music and colourful outfits delighted the children, who made us promise to take them to see an Indian movie back in Melbourne. The tour also took us past homes belonging to the industry's biggest stars.

3. Nehru Science Center
This science park, the largest in the country, was a huge hit with the kids. More than 50 hands-on and interactive exhibits show off the basic principles of science and technology. There are things to push and pull and open and close. Exhibits include mechanical stuff like a railway engine and an old tram car. The adjoining planetarium had a great sky show for children.

4. Prince of Wales Museum
Who would have thought that three Aussie kids would learn about birds and other animals in India? But that's exactly what they did in the Natural History section of this museum, which has a wonderful exhibition of birdlife and animals native to the area. My husband, meanwhile, had a great time checking out the museum's fabulous collection of priceless Tibetan and Nepali art.

5. The Gateway of India
This magnificent arch, built by the British in 1924, has become the symbol of the city. We started off with tea at the Taj Mahal Hotel, another of the city's landmarks. Overwhelmed by the splendid architecture and genteel atmosphere of the place, the children were on their best behaviour! We walked down to the Gateway, where the kids loved watching the boats in the harbour.

6. Elephanta Caves
We caught a ferry from the Gateway to the Elephanta caves, which are located on Gharapuri island 10 kilometres away. These mystifying rock-cut temples, which date back to the 7th century, are a fine example of Hindu architecture. The big attraction of this ancient place is the huge three-headed bust of Lord Shiva, popularly known as 'Trimurti'.

Our holiday ended all too soon. As our kids lamented, they had yet to meet a snake charmer or ride an elephant. Without a doubt, Mumbai had been a huge hit with our family. With so many other destinations in India, we will definitely return in the near future. Rajasthan, Jaipur, Kerala...here we come!

For other reports on India, go to our archive