Discussion
I would fly to Delhi then head south.
As Dehli is close to Agra so the Taj Mahal and Red Fort is also in Dehli, Lotus Temple.
Then I would head down to Amritsar see the Golden Temple.
and Possibly the Khalsa Heritige Centre in Anadpur.
Then Fly to Mumbai and check the film sets Juhu Beach is there although I dont think its the cleanest and possibly on to Goa.
As Dehli is close to Agra so the Taj Mahal and Red Fort is also in Dehli, Lotus Temple.
Then I would head down to Amritsar see the Golden Temple.
and Possibly the Khalsa Heritige Centre in Anadpur.
Then Fly to Mumbai and check the film sets Juhu Beach is there although I dont think its the cleanest and possibly on to Goa.
Add Rajasthan, Jaipur after Agra may be Ajanta and Ellora caves. If you go to the Delhi train station (take your passport with you because I left mine at the hotel and had to go back) from there you can plan your itinerary and book all your train tickets - 1st class a must. If going to Punjab use the Shatabdi express.
Air travel is good and cheap enough but India at ground level is something else.
What ever you do, be a little adventurous, watch what you eat and above all enjoy your selves.
Air travel is good and cheap enough but India at ground level is something else.
What ever you do, be a little adventurous, watch what you eat and above all enjoy your selves.
johnnybegood said:
I would fly to Delhi then head south.
As Dehli is close to Agra so the Taj Mahal and Red Fort is also in Dehli, Lotus Temple.
Then I would head down to Amritsar see the Golden Temple.
and Possibly the Khalsa Heritige Centre in Anadpur.
Then Fly to Mumbai and check the film sets Juhu Beach is there although I dont think its the cleanest and possibly on to Goa.
agree with this... but try some train travel, not too much flying, 1st class is cheap if you're precious.As Dehli is close to Agra so the Taj Mahal and Red Fort is also in Dehli, Lotus Temple.
Then I would head down to Amritsar see the Golden Temple.
and Possibly the Khalsa Heritige Centre in Anadpur.
Then Fly to Mumbai and check the film sets Juhu Beach is there although I dont think its the cleanest and possibly on to Goa.
shindha said:
Add Rajasthan, Jaipur after Agra may be Ajanta and Ellora caves. If you go to the Delhi train station (take your passport with you because I left mine at the hotel and had to go back) from there you can plan your itinerary and book all your train tickets - 1st class a must. If going to Punjab use the Shatabdi express.
Air travel is good and cheap enough but India at ground level is something else.
What ever you do, be a little adventurous, watch what you eat and above all enjoy your selves.
and this too. Air travel is good and cheap enough but India at ground level is something else.
What ever you do, be a little adventurous, watch what you eat and above all enjoy your selves.
The Lonely Planet Guide is a bit prescriptive, because you'll just do what everyone else of a certain age does, but it's a scary pleace with no guidebook.
The cities are fantastic, disgusting, fascinating and busy.
The towns and countyside are just fantastic.
Most of the country are simply trying to survive though, so be prepared to see some sights!
When (not if) you're ill, pay for a good doctor if needed and book into the nicest hotel you can find. The home comforts go along way from the toilet seat...
Talk to the Indians, so many of them will light up at the sound of spoken English. It's only in the developed world that poeple try and rip you off for your cash/iPhone/watch etc
Sky Travel was showing Luxury Train Journeys Across India yesterday - very informative - hopefully they'll repeat them even the Indian chap presenting seemed to style himself on Bon Jovi.
Some useful stuff too like not going to some tiger reserve as most have been poached and the chances of seeing one were about nil.
Some useful stuff too like not going to some tiger reserve as most have been poached and the chances of seeing one were about nil.
Edited by LuS1fer on Monday 19th December 09:16
You can book indian trains online at http://www.cleartrip.com/trains now, and print off an e-ticket. All very easy. Everything revolves around reservations (everything except the lowest unreserved class needs one) and there is very little penalty to making a reservation months in advance then cancelling it at the last minute, so it can be difficult to get one at short notice. Don't expect to go to the station just before a train is due to leave, buy a ticket and go as you can here. Great way to travel though, and in the AC classes pretty comfortable. There are Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express trains now too which go between the major business & tourism centres which are quick, very comfy and provide food and drink on the way.
There's a very good guide to Indian train travel here: http://seat61.com/India.htm - it's really worth doing, it's dirt cheap even in nicer classes and you see loads as you travel along.
How long do you have? The classic tourist route is the "golden triangle" - Dehli, Agra, Jaipur - and is a good week or two, possibly with some side trips along the way. Amritsar is well worth a visit out of Dehli, as is Shimla (which has a great toy train route up there). Mumbai is great but unless you've got 3+ weeks I'd stick to the North.
There's a very good guide to Indian train travel here: http://seat61.com/India.htm - it's really worth doing, it's dirt cheap even in nicer classes and you see loads as you travel along.
How long do you have? The classic tourist route is the "golden triangle" - Dehli, Agra, Jaipur - and is a good week or two, possibly with some side trips along the way. Amritsar is well worth a visit out of Dehli, as is Shimla (which has a great toy train route up there). Mumbai is great but unless you've got 3+ weeks I'd stick to the North.
Thanks for the stuff so far guys it is all very helpful,keep it coming.
I have always travelled independently but now it`s dawning that USA and european travel is not the same thing and even Cape Town we had my mate to guide us.
The medical side I can cope with I expect the gut problems and will be well prepared.
When you haven`t got to dress for dinner and theatre visits do you guys travel light e.g.take a big rucksack and find hotels on spec rather than make a base?
regards john
I have always travelled independently but now it`s dawning that USA and european travel is not the same thing and even Cape Town we had my mate to guide us.
The medical side I can cope with I expect the gut problems and will be well prepared.
When you haven`t got to dress for dinner and theatre visits do you guys travel light e.g.take a big rucksack and find hotels on spec rather than make a base?
regards john
I was there a couple of years ago with work and it was really not my cup of tea, but each to their own. Do agree with the guy that said when not if you get sick, I was there for two weeks and was staying in a 5 star hotel as my company were picking up the bill and I still managed to get sick for around two days. Without going into too much detail it was so bad I couldn't leave the room for about 36 hours, not nice.
ChrisBMW said:
I was there a couple of years ago with work and it was really not my cup of tea, but each to their own. Do agree with the guy that said when not if you get sick, I was there for two weeks and was staying in a 5 star hotel as my company were picking up the bill and I still managed to get sick for around two days. Without going into too much detail it was so bad I couldn't leave the room for about 36 hours, not nice.
On the flipside , last time I went to India , I was there for three months. Had the runs in my first week and that was it.When I got back to the uk I had them again
apotek said:
Thanks for the stuff so far guys it is all very helpful,keep it coming.
I have always travelled independently but now it`s dawning that USA and european travel is not the same thing and even Cape Town we had my mate to guide us.
The medical side I can cope with I expect the gut problems and will be well prepared.
When you haven`t got to dress for dinner and theatre visits do you guys travel light e.g.take a big rucksack and find hotels on spec rather than make a base?
regards john
I had no stomach problems, but did stick to vegetarian (over a third of the country is strictly veg, and meat doesn't add a lot to most indian dishes), street food that's fried then and there, plus the usual precautions around water. Oddly, everywhere we tried that was in a guidebook was pretty poor, and certainly anywhere that served any kind of western dish served rubbish indian food. Our best meals were in the dodgiest looking places.I have always travelled independently but now it`s dawning that USA and european travel is not the same thing and even Cape Town we had my mate to guide us.
The medical side I can cope with I expect the gut problems and will be well prepared.
When you haven`t got to dress for dinner and theatre visits do you guys travel light e.g.take a big rucksack and find hotels on spec rather than make a base?
regards john
I had a 55l pack plus a smaller daypack as it was the first part of a longer trip, to be honest I could get by with far less and will probably take a 35l one next time. Once you're away for long enough to need to wash clothes you can go far lighter. Pick stuff that dries quickly and you can just do a quick wash in a sink every few days, hang up overnight and pack away dry in the morning. You may not need to dress for dinner, but it's worth dressing fairly smart - long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, partly to keep the sun (and insects) off, but also because indians don't understand why wealthy foreigners would come over dressed like paupers in their shorts and t-shirts - avoid unless at a touristy beach resort. Dress modestly and (fairly) smartly and you get shown far more courtesy and respect.
Easy to find hotels as you go, plenty are listed online or in guidebooks. Pick up an indian mobile SIM (it's some of the cheapest mobile telephony you can have!) and just call ahead.
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