Why am qualified to write this India Travel Guide? I was drawn to India at an early age from my parents. When finally made the move and began travelling in India from 2021 onwards, the person who became my best friend was enthralled with the variety, vibrancy and history of India. I spent over six years there, mostly alone, ever since then, because I like to explore and experience new places on a daily basis.
So, why should you visit India? Well, it's varied geography, rich heritage, multicultural society, ancient cultures, greatly developed cities (Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Bodhgaya, Goa etc) and much more! You could visit India for its historic monuments, for its festivals, for the taste of Indian food, for its markets, for its temples, for its people, for its cuisine, for its festivals, for its people and its wildlife, for its deserts, for its pilgrimage sites and so on. There really is something for everyone in India.
But that was just the first visit. Now I have been to India four times and have written a few reviews as well on each of those visits. This India Travel Guide covers my first visit, which was my maiden trip to India, and covers my experiences in the big cities of India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi etc). This helps you decide if this is where you want to spend your golden moments if it's your first trip to India or if you are going to India again and make a comparison between the good and the bad.
One thing that struck me while travelling in India was the sheer variety of cultures that exists in India. You can be walking in the swanky Srinagar hotel and feel India in a nutshell. Or walking in the darkest desert in Jammu and Kashmir and feel India like you're walking on clouds. If you are travelling by car or by bus or even on a bicycle with you are the memories that come with the journey. So my first piece of advice to you is to be prepared for the diversity of India and be open to it, enjoy it and at the end of it you will know the best places to visit in India.
India Travel Guide also gives you another important piece of advice. You don't have to spend a fortune to see great monuments in India. For example, the Taj Mahal, one of the largest and best known attractions of India has the least expenditure in terms of decoration and embellishment, while the monument Varanasi stands less on embellishment and image matching and more on pure sentiments. Varanasi is located in the Indian state of Pradesh and is famous for the golden temple it houses and for the religious places that surround it. In this India Travel Guide, I would suggest you to avoid Varanasi as it is just not worth the time and effort.
The best way to go about Varanasi is by taking India Travel Guide. For Varanasi, start off your tour in the morning with your breakfast (the best part of your day!) and then take a sightseeing tour through Varanasi, ending with a halt at the Sarnath cave. After that, you would have time to do some tourist attractions in Mysore and Goa before heading back home.
As far as tourist attractions are concerned, India is home to scores of such amazing places. Some of the most popular tourist attractions include the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Amber Fort and Palace in Jaipur, Hanging Gardens of India in Delhi, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Jantar Mantar in Rajasthan and the Kutub Minar in Jodhpur. My advice to you is to book tickets for most of these tourist destinations in advance and make your India Travel Guide to India a must-read before you visit these destinations. The beauty and grandeur of these tourist attractions will ensure that your India Travel Guide to India is a must-read!
The other option for getting an India Travel Guide to India is to browse through the internet or to buy travel books that will tell you all about India. These are inexpensive options that will save you money too. But the single best way to get to see all that India has to offer by foot is to visit the state by trekking or by Jeep. The best part about going by Jeep or on a trek is that you can cover large areas of India in very little time. On the other hand, there are plenty of hotels in Rajasthan and other Indian cities to stay in, making accommodation a breeze.
Up to date information for vaccinations before you travel to India are available from the NHS Fit for Travel website.
Review the latest FCDO Travel Advice before travelling to or from India
The best time to visit India is between October and March when the monsoon rains have ceased and the country is largely warm and dry. The climate does vary considerably by region though this is the peak travel season in Rajasthan and Kerala due to the agreeable weather conditions.
UK citizens who wish to travel to India solely for tourism purpose for a period of up to 60 days can apply for an India E-Tourist visa. E-Tourist visas have to be applied a minimum of four days prior to your journey.
See which forms you may need for entry into India.
The official currency of India is the Indian Rupee (INR). If you're looking to transfer or spend money in India you can grab amazing Indian Rupee deals via Wise.com (GBP to INR).
Royal Bengal Tiger - The national animal of India and Bangladesh, the Royal Bengal Tiger, (Panthera tigris tigris) is the pride of Indian forests.
Hindi food? Despite having popular foods such as Khichdi, rice, biryani, daal, roti, and bhajiya, there is no food that has been declared to be the official National Dish of India.
You can typically expect to pay around £2.22p for an equivalent pint of lager or beer.
The most widely spoken languages of this group are Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Rajasthani, Sindhi, Assamese (Asamiya), Maithili and Odia. You can learn some basic Hindi before you travel to India and really impress the locals!
The currency in India is the Indian Rupee (On bills ranging from INR 300 to INR 1000, you can tip around 7% to 10% of the bill amount. For example, a tip of INR 100 on an INR 1000 bill is a very good tip.).
The GMT time difference is 5.5 hours