Tips For Visiting Amritsar And The Golden Temple With Teens (2024)

Last Updated on March 13, 2024 by Nicole

When I decided that India was my bucket list destination for my 50th birthday, the Golden Temple in Amritsar became a priority. It is a breathtakingly beautiful building and I loved reading about its’ massive kitchen, all run by volunteers, serving between 50,000 – 75,000 free meals a day. So, our family of 5 (three teenagers) spent a few days exploring the Golden Temple and other places in Amritsar, including the Wagah Border, a short drive away. Amritsar was our gateway into India on our 2 week trip, and quite frankly, we were not properly prepared to be a tourist there. Here is why, travel tips for touring Amritsar, and our experience at the Golden Temple.

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Background To Our Visit To Amritsar

We had a tour operator with whom I worked to create our itinerary in the Punjab. Its’ agents were waiting for us on our arrival and guided us through every moment of our itinerary in Amritsar and the Golden Temple. This was no different from several trips that I had already planned and taken with my kids in Asia, Africa and South America.

I was very much convinced that this was “good enough” – as it had always been good enough before. I had been to over 50 countries –  my children around 35. We were very comfortable travelling in developing countries. With our experience and some local guidance, we would be ready for our time in Amritsar, the Golden Temple and beyond.

I was completely wrong!

Amritsar Travel Tips

The following travel tips are specific to Amritsar, but they were also relevant for some of our time in Rajasthan. Reviewing and appreciating them will will make your arrival to the Punjab a little easier.

You Need To Dress Conservatively

After spending a few days in Dubai, we flew to Amritsar to start our trip in India. What a contrast! Notwithstanding Dubai is a Muslim country, foreign women may dress as they choose so long as it is respectful.

Me and my 12 year old daughter wore shorts, t-shirts and dresses that were above the knee. We never felt uncomfortable and did not face any more attention than we would normally receive in Canada.

However, fast forward a couple of days, and we were on our flight to Amritsar. My daughter and I wore shorts and loose fitting t-shirts. Essentially, comfort clothes for a flight from one hot country to another. I immediately knew we had made a mistake upon arriving at our gate at the Dubai airport.

The waiting area was filled with Sikh men dressed in long pants and long sleeve shirts. Once they noticed me and my daughter, the staring began.

First of all, there wasn’t another woman in sight. Indeed, once we boarded our full plane, I counted three other woman, all of them Indian. Second of all, these three women were fully covered with pants and long sleeve shirts, notwithstanding the heat.

I felt very uncomfortable at the gate, on our flight and at the Amritsar airport going through immigration. My teenage son became alarmed by the staring and also, quite interestingly, angry at us for the attention. He wanted us to change as soon as possible and stop drawing attention to ourselves. I wanted to be swallowed into the floor.

We changed into loose fitting long sleeves tops and pants at our hotel and headed to the Golden Temple for our first tour. Once there, everyone continued to stare. Now what?

Everyone Stared At All Of Us

No matter where we went or what we did in Amritsar, people stared at us. We all wore long pants/skirts and loose fitting tops, and yet the stares continued.

However, it was different than before. No longer were the looks disapproving and reproachful, but merely curious. And the stares were not only directed at me and my daughter. People could not keep their eyes off all of us. My husband and sons are enormous (6’5″, 6″4′ and 6’2″, or 196 cm, 193 cm, 190 cm) and we were all obviously tourists.

We did not feel threatened by the stares, but were not happy with them either.

Over the week or so that we were in Punjab, we slowly understood that we were one of only a handful of non-Indian tourists that come there and sightsee.

I guess they were as curious about us as we were about them. It was an interesting situation to be in, and one for which you should be prepared if you visit this region.

Staring in other regions of India

As an aside, men continued to stare at me and my daughters (my 19 year old joined us in Delhi) during our whole stay in India. On occasion, men followed us, once 10 – 15 of them, even while surrounded by my husband and sons, and a male Indian guide.

Unfortunately, the stares and attention were no longer curious or felt innocent. My daughters and I often felt threatened by this kind of attention, notwithstanding our long travel history.

For more information about other concerns that I had while travelling in India, please see my article 20 Pros And Cons Of Visiting India.

We Were Popular With The Paparazzi

We could not take a single step in and around the Golden Temple without someone asking one or all of us for a photo. They didn’t care which one of us was in it – they just wanted that photo. Better yet, if one or all of them got in the photo with us!

Initially, it was unnerving and then, overwhelming. If you are a seasoned traveller, unfortunately when you are in a foreign country and a local wants a photo of you, you brace yourself for the scam. You wonder if they are intending to pickpocket you, or use that as a segue way to ask for money, offer you a tour, or try and sell you a trinket. Nothing good usually comes from the connection.

At first, we refused the requests for photos. However, after the third or fourth appeal by another smiling person, I asked our guide what was going on. He said that they were all so proud that we were visiting their most important religious site that they wanted to show their family and friends that we had come. After that, how could we refuse?

However, we eventually had to or we would have never gone more than a few feet from our spot. It felt odd to be so in demand and even more odd to say no to these enormous families with the cutest kids who all wanted to have their photo taken with you. But, we learned to say “no” and move on.

Time and Scheduling Is Fluid

My experience on our travels is that when I book a three hour tour, it lasts around three hours. Normally, there is a predetermined schedule with approximate times to be spent at each place. However, that wasn’t really the case during our Amritsar sightseeing.

We used a professional travel company for our tours while in India called Indian Vistas. They were truly excellent. Every driver and guide showed up on time and were knowledgeable and helpful.

However, a lot of tours ran as long as you wanted or needed, and they were very happy to take a detour from the preassigned schedule to show you something interesting. There was never a complaint or an excuse.

As wonderful as it sounds (and it was wonderful), sometimes it was confusing to figure out whether we were still on the original plan or on another one; whether we were surpassing our original allotted time (and should offer to pay more); and whether we were somehow inconveniencing the guide or the driver, whether it was our idea or theirs!

I learnt during our time in Amritsar and in India generally, that my concern was a Western preoccupation. Our guides and drivers were happy to spend time with us showing us the sites. Time spent and the original schedule were starting points. We made sure we tipped well to show our appreciation and more importantly, relaxed about the unexpected twists in our day!

The Golden Temple

The Golden Temple is the most important pilgrimage site for Sikhism in the world. Accordingly, there are thousands and thousands of visitors from all over India and the world visiting this site on a daily basis.

Multiple buildings surround the Golden Temple. They house, among other things, areas for religious study, accommodation for pilgrims, and kitchen facilities to feed tens of thousands of people a day. Most areas are open to the public. At your convenience, you are welcome to wander on the campus exploring the different buildings and rooms.

Our Visit To The Golden Temple

We had a private guide lead us through an evening and a morning at the Golden Temple. There were many awe inspiring moments. Here’s why.

• The Golden Temple is totally encased in gold. At night, thousands of lights shine onto the exterior of the gold to create a dazzling appearance. In front of it, there is a massive man made shallow pond that reflects the lights. The effect of the gold, the lights and the reflection of the gold and the lights onto the pond, is absolutely captivating.

• Everyone who enters the Golden Temple must cover their head. They provide orange scarves for those who do not have their own head scarves. Upon entering the complex, I saw a sea of orange scarves, and immediately, I felt connected to the Golden Temple and the other thousands of other visitors.
• There are hardly any non-Indian visitors. When we were there, I felt that I was a part of an important religious celebration without feeling like a tourist. We were welcomed and invited to celebrate the Golden Temple like every other person there regardless of our faith.
• Families were everywhere. There were little ones running around with parents chasing after them. Surrounded by their families, the elderly walked with their children and grandchildren. They seemed thrilled to share these moments with them.

• Although the Golden Temple is an exceptionally important religious site for Sikhs, the atmosphere at the Golden Temple was joyful and celebratory. People talked, children played, and everyone was taking photos of themselves and each other. You didn’t need to whisper or be deferential.

• Everyone was having their own individual moments. There were huge public areas and walkways around the pond and the buildings. There was a lot of space for everyone to move around as they wished and choose their own moments to reflect and practice their faith.

The Kitchen in the Golden Temple

I loved spending time in the langar, or the kitchen at the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple offers free meals, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to anyone, without any questions asked. In fact, it makes between 50,000 – 75,000 meals a day. Donations by visitors fund the kitchen and volunteers run and operate it. Anyone can volunteer at any time, including children.

The kitchen is an enormous multi-building facility which houses some industrial size cooking apparatuses and washing equipment. However, not as much as one would think!

When I heard about a kitchen churning out over 50,000 meals a day, I immediately thought that the kitchen would have some kind of automation to accomplish this. But, I was completely wrong.

Volunteers do most of the meal preparation and clean up by hand. You can imagine the number of people that have to be volunteering every moment in order to produce enough food to supply over 50,000 meals a day. It was absolutely amazing to see.

Volunteering in the Golden Temple Kitchen

In one building, people sat on the floor, wherever they found a spot, surrounded by vegetables. They peeled and/or cut one after another. Just when we thought these volunteers would finally finish their pile, another volunteer happily arrived with another cart of unpeeled and unsliced vegetables. It was endless.

Nearby, dozens and dozens of volunteers stood along enormous sinks with hoses to wash dirty plates and cups, the pile of which never shrank. In an assembly line, they soaked dishes first, then washed, then dried, then stacked them for reuse again.

In another building, people sat on the floor around low lying tables and made roti, a flat bread cooked on a griddle. Some volunteers made the dough, others rolled and shaped it, and still others grilled it. Again, the supply chain never slowed down or were at a loss of supplies. When the pile of dough within arms reach of a volunteer looked like only a handful of roti were left, another delivery of dough arrived within seconds.

Volunteers cooked huge vats of vegetarian soup or curries in yet another building. They stirred these massive vats of food with enormous wooden ladles that looked like someone had hand cut from a large tree.

Our Experience In The Kitchen

When we were there, I watched dozens of people come and go and volunteer in one area or another. Volunteers arrived at a station, sat down or nudged themselves in to a line, and the group reshaped and continued on their mission. They stayed for 5 minutes or a couple of hours. It did not matter. Everyone’s contribution was welcome. The buildings were a buzz of activity and people flowing into and out of groups of people.

Our contribution? We sat, peeled and cut potatoes for awhile. Then, we tried to roll out the dough and shape roti. Everyone was kind and thrilled to show us the ropes. It was an extraordinary experience.

Last Word

Amritsar is an extraordinary destination to visit. However, you need to understand how to dress and how the locals will treat you. The Golden Temple is one of the most unbelievable religious sites in the world. The friendliness and easy going atmosphere welcomes the faithful and visitors alike. Volunteering in the kitchen is an amazing experience to do alone or share with your family.

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