I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to India, it's been a dream of mine for a while now. I'm most interested in visiting historic sites and landmarks (most importantly the Ajanta/Ellora caves). I don't need to stay in fancy hotels or enjoy a classy night life. More than anything I want to be safe and I want to see interesting places. So any advice on:

How to get around?
Where to stay?
What to see?
A realistic itinerary (potentially a 3 week trip)?
How easily will I be able to get by knowing only English?

Or any other advice. Like I said this is still in the very early stages, I just want to get a sense of what I need to consider. Thanks!

-W

Ask it here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=491), it might help.

How to get around?

Depends how much you have to spend and where your going.

Where to stay?

Again depends how much you have to spend but personally I think India is a good place to go for the better end hotels if you can aford it. Nice to have somewhere to retreat to after the busy nature of the streetlife and its pretty good value with alot of hotels having a far bit of history/character, old colonial mansions, converted raja's palaces etc.

What to see?

Again depends what you like, the Rajastan sites have the ancient momuments, the north west/east the mountains, the south the beachs etc.

A realistic itinerary (potentially a 3 week trip)?

Don't try to do the entire country, if you only have three weeks I'd make some prior arangements to get the most out of your time.

How easily will I be able to get by knowing only English?

You won't be able to communicate with alot of the locals but theres a good chance anyone who deals with tourists a fair bit will have at least some english.

Best advice, avoid all water that doesnt come out of a bottle, including tapwater to brush your teeth and ice in your drink.

just make sure you eat at a proper place. don't simply eat those street food. or else you would end up spoiling your 1-2 days on bed...

more than 5 peoples whom i know complaining about food poisoning...

it's serious!

I had to stick to 5 star hotels for all my food. Bring lots of medicine just in case. I would not suggest sampling street food.

It appears the middle-class 4* lodging facilities are very limited in India, even in large cities. The 5* hotels are ultra-expensive - around USD 250+ a night.

Better fly in and out from different cities, like flying into Delhi and back via Chennai.

If you want excellent, reliable Maharashtrian food that isn't "5* hotel" or expensive, but relatively safe to eat, visit "Highway Gomantak" in Bandra, Bombay.

You'd be better off not going.

So essentially what I'm hearing is: beware of local water and food. But there must be something in between street food and 5-star hotel restaurants.

So essentially what I'm hearing is: beware of local water and food. But there must be something in between street food and 5-star hotel restaurants.

medically, food poisoning is about your stomach's ability to resist any bacteria or elements which not familiar to it. once your stomach is getting familiar, then you will be ok, and you will have no problem of taking street food ever since...so...i think 1 day lying on bed is not a big deal huh? ;)

don't you consider a homestay? i think food served at home is a cheaper yet better option.

So essentially what I'm hearing is: beware of local water and food. But there must be something in between street food and 5-star hotel restaurants.

Read my post.

"5* hotel food" in India is a complete waste of time.

I have been to India 4 times in the last decade. One one trip I was there for 2 months, on another for 3 months. 3 weeks is not a long time in such a large country.

I suggest you fly into New Delhi. If you are on a tight budget you can stay near the Main Railway Station and the fabulous and colorful outdoor markets and bazaars of Pahar Ganj. Try the Hotel Gold Regency, Hotel Ajanta, etc. Clean, respectable multi-story hotels with good restaurants but not at all expensive. In Pahar Ganj I use the services of Invicta Travel Agency - they arrange all my transportation from hiring a car with personal driver (about US$65 a day ... remember, just renting a car is about $55 a day!) or to save money by getting you train tickets, etc.

From New Delhi you can spend a week or so exploring Rajastan, the most exotic and colorful state in India. Visit the holy city of Pushkar, the blue city of Jodhpur, the pink city of Udaipur, visit the Jain temple in Ranakhpur with it's thousands of marble columns - no two exactly alike! If you get a car and driver visit some small villages. The people will treat you like a visiting prince!

From Rajastan spend a few days in Agra. Visit the Taj Mahal. Then see the Red Fort, and don't forget the ancient city of Fatehpur Sikri.

After Agra, head eastward to Varanasi (Benares) one of the holiest cities in the world. Hundreds of shrines and temples. People bathing in the Holy Ganges River. Naked holy men (Sadhus). Just a few kilometers from Varanasi is Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining Enlightenment in a deer park: it has a 2,200 year old stupa erected by King Ashoka the Great, and many different Buddhist temples representing the styles of Japan, China, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, Bhutan, etc.

You can see all that in 3 weeks. Much more interesting than Mumbai or Kolcata from a touristic point of view.

But visit some small villages. See the real India. :)

^^ u r my idol, phil :okay:

After Agra, head eastward to Varanasi (Benares) one of the holiest cities in the world. Hundreds of shrines and temples. People bathing in the Holy Ganges River. Naked holy men (Sadhus). Just a few kilometers from Varanasi is Sarnath, where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining Enlightenment in a deer park: it has a 2,200 year old stupa erected by King Ashoka the Great, and many different Buddhist temples representing the styles of Japan, China, Nepal, Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, Bhutan, etc.

If you're going out that way, consider going to Bodh Gaya in Bihar as well, where all the major Buddhist temples are. It's accessible from Banares by train.

If you're going out that way, consider going to Bodh Gaya in Bihar as well, where all the major Buddhist temples are. It's accessible from Banares by train.

Good suggestion.

Here is another idea: one could head north from New Delhi and visit Chandigarh with it famous rose garden and bizarre "rock garden" that was created with strange mazes and statues and mosaics, Chandigarh is considered the most modern and cleanest city in India. From there head to the mountaintop "hill station" of Shimla, where is it cooler and there are lots of little hotels and restaurants and beautiful views ... it's a favorite honeymoon destination in India I am told.

It also depends on what kind of traveller you are.

If you're kind of my parents ( standard traveller ) I'd simply print out what phillybud mentioned in this page .

But if you're an extreme backpacker as I am, I'd rather go to places like Tiruchirapalli or Calicut as the main base, not New Delhi or Mumbai. Then travel all the way by public transport - trains, buses, vans used by ordinary Indian people- and stay in local's house or in crappy budget room under $5 a night. :cheers:

Hi,

While much of eve-teasing is more annoying than dangerous, there have been attacks against female tourists in India, and it only makes sense to be careful. It is best to avoid arriving in a new destination alone after dark. Lonely walks along unlit streets and quiet beaches are not recommended either. The same applies to cheap local cinemas that show Bollywood films, because the audience usually consists of a crowd of over-exited young boys.

At airports and train stations, pre-paid taxis are generally considered safer than hailing a taxi from the street, but it is still a good idea to try to team up with a group of other travellers if taking a taxi or an autorickshaw at night. Sometimes rickshaw drivers try to bring their male “friend” along on the ride – refuse this, or find another driver. When choosing a hotel, the best guide is one’s own intuition: if the place doesn’t feel comfortable and safe, go somewhere else. In trains there are often “ladies carriages” and in buses there are “ladies seats”.

thanks!

The United States has claimed that India is faced with a 'high threat' from terrorism and asked its citizens to be vigilant, prompting New Delhi to assert that the country is a safe place and such an advisory was unwarranted.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jun/04/india-reacts-sharply-to-us-advisory-says-country-is-safe.htm

^^ Yeah, I read something about that just the other day. That is just ridiculous. My parents just got back from India a week ago and had the time of their lives. My mom said she never once felt any more unsafe there than she did in Manhattan.

I can tell you my trip

- New Delhi
- A train to Varanasi
- A train to Agra
- A driver from a tourist agency in Rajastan (Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur)
- A plain to Goa
- A plain back to New Delhi


Varanasi is a must.
Agra also because of the Taj. All Rajastan has a lot of great cities with lot's of castles and palaces.
Goa is completly diferent. Besides the great beach, people can find a completly diferent attitude there. And then there's the food. After weeks of indian food, i couldn't eat anything more, but in Goa they have a cuisine inspired in the portuguese one, so... lot's of fish, meat,...
Then there's the architecture also very diferent. Churches, houses, ..., sometimes i could feel like i was in Portugal (Goa was a portuguese colony till the 60's).


You'll do fine with english. Of course you can always find someone that doesn't speak english, but the big majority you'll talk to, will speak it without any problem.

I can tell you my trip

- New Delhi
- A train to Varanasi
- A train to Agra
- A driver from a tourist agency in Rajastan (Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur)
- A plain to Goa
- A plain back to New Delhi


Varanasi is a must.
Agra also because of the Taj. All Rajastan has a lot of great cities with lot's of castles and palaces.
Goa is completly diferent. Besides the great beach, people can find a completly diferent attitude there. And then there's the food. After weeks of indian food, i couldn't eat anything more, but in Goa they have a cuisine inspired in the portuguese one, so... lot's of fish, meat,...
Then there's the architecture also very diferent. Churches, houses, ..., sometimes i could feel like i was in Portugal (Goa was a portuguese colony till the 60's).


You'll do fine with english. Of course you can always find someone that doesn't speak english, but the big majority you'll talk to, will speak it without any problem.

let say if i want to spend 2 weeks travelling India, how much the budget? give me budget for backpackers...not luxury travellers...

including train fares, taxis, foods, accommodations...