India 3 month itinerary.

Hello,

My husband and I are on a RTW trip, our last country is India

We have 3 months in India, from early Feb until early May. We fly into Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) in Tamil Nadu and need to end up in Mumbai, from where we fly back to the UK.

We were planning to spend a couple of weeks in Tamil Nadu then make our way up north, where we plan to spend most of our time. We were thinking of visiting the following places:

Tiruchirappalli
Madurai
Chidambaram
Puducherry
Mamallapuram
Chennai (maybe for a few days due to it being a transport hub)

Not sure if we'll have time for Bangalore or Hyderabad

Kolkata
Darjeeling (is this practical in March? Do we need a permit?)
Varanasi
Lucknow?
Agra
Delhi
Shimla (is this practical in April?)
Amritsar
Attari (border with Pakistan to see the ceremony)
Jaipur
Jaisalmer
Jodhpur
Mt Abu
Udaipur
Ahmedabad
Mumbai

We plan to travel by train where possible, and by bus and air where necessary.

1) Do the above places look feasible for our time frame?
2) Have we missed out any "must see places" along our route?
3) Any places not worth considering?
4) Are there any flights for our route that we should look into booking now to get cheap fares? Maybe Chennai-Kolkata?
5) Any hill-stations ok in March/April along our route? Would be nice to see some of the Himalayas....

Thanks very much!

Cheekyvee.

Hi
First of all thanks for planning a 3 months in india

We wish to inform you that the best places to view in india were

1. Kerala


2. Goa


3. Himachal


4. Uttranchal


5. Rajasthan


6. tamilnadu and


7. Karnataka

Its better to start by south india and end by north india
Normally u plan to stay 90 days
10 days a state will do and cover all the best places

Sort in to theme basis

1. Hill stations


2. Beaches


3. Pilgrimage centeres

Regards
karthikeyan

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

well you have basically covered most of the places that you can possibly see in India.... However if you are starting down from the south and heading upwards then you should also be visiting Goa because it is a must see destination (i did not see it in your list)The weather this time around specially in the south and west have been relatively hot....places like darjeeling and shimla are nice hill stations but I fear that during the month of april and may these places will not be an ideal time to visit.....

I dunt know how you intend to commute to all the places that you have mentioned in you but it would be recommended that you fly to major cities and then cover smaller places nerby before u head for another city/town....AFT prices have dropped and the domestic airfares have been slashed considerably and will continue to remain so for a while.

I've had two 7 week holidays in India. I bought a 30 day rail pass for the first and a 60 day rail pass for the second (from any big station). I travelled by night and went sight-seeing by day. Don't let anyone kid you that second class is almost as good as first class. It is worth the extra money. Women are allowed to push in front of the queue when booking train tickets or a berth.

From southern India, it's only a short hop by plane to Sri Lanka, which is worth a visit.

Everywhere is worth visiting in India. Some of the best sights I saw there were not in any guide book. (I found the Lonely Planet guide excellent). Watch out for pick pockets in the big towns.

Some tips: If you get diarrhoea or worse; a sure cure is a small spoon full of salt washed down by a sugary drink. It works. Toothpaste is good on mosquito bites. Get it on quick enough and they don't even swell up. A can of insect spray is a good investment.

I would answer ur queries sequentially:

1. Most of the place that u have mentioned can be covered in 3 months time frame....
2. U have missed Kanya Kumari in Tamil Nadu, which is in fact the tip of India and stands at the confluence of 3 seas. It is certainly not to be missed. While in Kanya kumara do not forget to visit the Vivekananda rock memorial and the Valluvar statue. U have also ommitted Goa, which is surprising. While visiting Shimla try to cover Dharamshala and Mac Leodganj also. Darjeeling is fine in March and i would also advise u to visit the beautiful state of Sikkim which has Gantok and changu lake and close to the border of China, u will require a permit for these area which can be arranged by ur hotel or travel agent. Shimla is fine in April, no issues with that. The only thing u will miss is the Trans-Himalayan landscape into Leh- Laddakh as the road from Manali--leh opens only in July. Leh and its surroundings are worth a visit.

3. I think all places u have mentioned are nice, u can restrict some places to a single day and spend more time in others
4. Chennai-Kolkata can be booked by air. Look for fares on low cost airlines
5. Hill stations i have mentioned in point no 2

I am based in Mumbai, do let me know if u need any more info or help

Have a nice time in India

Cheers
Arif

I was about to write but then Arif has given you nice tips.

Any hill station is ok in Mar/April/May before the monsoon hits them.
You have missed 3 places worth visit (it is another thing that the whole of India is worth it).
Kerala, Kanyakumari and Goa (which can be done in your last leg alongwith Mumbai).

If you want I can guide you how many days you can spend at each place. Send me a message for that.

I write about these places on my website also.

Varsha,

--> Not much to add to your TN list - although Madurai and Kodaikanal can be a good visit. Kanyakumari is a little out of the way - but again worth a 1 day trip.

--> since you have mentioned that you want to spend most of your time up north - I'll resist the temptation of recommending the beautiful Kerala .

--> trust me you aren't missing anything by not going to Bangalore (I'm based outta here) or Hyderabad.

--> There are direct trains from Chennai to Kolkata - I'd advise you travel in AC coaches - the journey is around 36 hrs long.

--> Darjeeling is very well connected with Kolkata. Regular buses and taxis ply on the route. The Toy Train from Siliguri to Darjeeling is a good experience.

--> There are numerous trains going from Kolkata to Varanasi.

--> Lucknow is connected by Bus/Train to Varanasi - don't miss the famous Tunday Kababs

--> Agra, again is well-connected with Lucknow by bus/train/taxis etc

--> Agra to Delhi is a 4-5 hrs train ride - worth trying the chaats at chandni chowk/paranthe wali gali and Karim's non-veg preparations.

--> I'd advise you to drop Shimla and go to Manali-Manikaran (hot water springs)/Dharamshala instead. Shimla is just too touristy. Overnight buses from delhi are the best way.

--> I am not a 100% sure whether there're direct comfy buses from Manali/Shimla to Amritsar. There might be some govt buses though.

--> Attari (border with Pakistan to see the ceremony) is a day trip from Amritsar

--> Either come back to Delhi and then go to Jaipur on the Volvos running from Bikaner House or take a bus/train from Amritsar - worth trying the chilly pakodas (fries) in Jaipur

--> Most/All of these places are connected by overnight trains with each other - Jaisalmer Jodhpur Mt Abu Udaipur

--> Ahmedabad

--> Mumbai

1) Do the above places look feasible for our time frame? -- Yes the places are feasible - depending upon how much time you wish to spend in each place.
2) Have we missed out any "must see places" along our route? -- Not really. Goa isn't the same place during off-season. Again, Kerala, if you can.
3) Any places not worth considering? -- kolkata and darjeeling - don't see the point - unless you want to visit Missionaries of Charity office and see Tea Plantations. And Ahmedabad
4) Are there any flights for our route that we should look into booking now to get cheap fares? Maybe Chennai-Kolkata? -- Chennai - Kolkata should be a cheap flight if you book well in advance. Otherwise your route is perfect for a train journey - book in advance
5) Any hill-stations ok in March/April along our route? Would be nice to see some of the Himalayas.... -- Kumaon/Garhwal in the lower reaches of the Himalaya are good and well connected with Delhi / Lucknow - Nainital/Saattal/Baageshwar or Pindari Glaciers in Kumaon; Hrishikesh/Badrinath/Kedarnath in Garhwal. I agree with Arif, Sikkim is another option

Let us know if you need further guidance.

Have a good one!
Apurva

Hiya, great trip... I can recommend Darjeeling, Gangtok & Kalimpong, great views of Kanchenjunga... have you considered Khajuraho between Varanasi & Agra? The Kullu Valley/Manali was nice, as was Bhagsunath near McLeod Ganj... & finally between Ahmedabad & Mumbai have you considered Dui? In any case, enjoy your trip!

Hi, Good Morning!!!
Since I had been worked as a professional in tourism so according my practical knowledge you should follow this itinerary which I recently to one person in some other forum:-
01 Day – Delhi
02 Day – Delhi
03 Day – Amritsar by train to visit Golden Temple in Punjab North state of India
04 Day – Amritsar
05 Day – Back to Delhi
06 Day – Drive to Shekhawati area -Rajasthan, most important part of India tourism
07 Day – Shekhawati
08 Day – Bikaner
09 Day – Phalodi
10 Day – Jaisalmer
11 Day – One night in the desert
12 Day – Jaisalmer
13 Day – Jodhpur
14 Day – Jodhpur
15 Day – Ranakpur
16 Day – Udaipur
17 Day – Udaipur
18 Day – Udaipur
19 Day – Chittoregarh
20 Day – Pushkar
21 Day – Pushkar
22 Day – Bundi
23 Day – Bundi
24 Day – Ranthambhore National park
25 Day – Ranthambhore National Park
26 Day – Jaipur
27 Day – Jaipur
28 Day – Bharatpur Ghana Bird Centuary
29 Day – Agra
30 Day – Agra
31 Day – Gwalior
32 Day –Orchha
33 Day –Orchha
34 Day –Alipura
35 Day –Khajuraho – kamasutra Temples
36 Day –Khajuraho
37 Day –Varanasi by train
38 Day –Varanasi
39 Day –Varanasi
40 Day –Calcutta
41 Day –Calcutta
42 Day –Calcutta
43 Day –Flight to Bagdogra and visit next five days Darjeling and Gangtok area in Sikkim area
44 Day –Sikkim Darjeling and Gangtok
45 Day –Sikkim Darjeling and Gangtok
46 Day –Sikkim Darjeling and Gangtok
47 Day –Sikkim Darjeling and Gangtok
48 Day – Flight to Chennai Night in Chennai
49 Day – Chennai
50 Day – Mahabalipuram
51 Day – Mahabalipuram
52 Day – Tiruvannamalai
53 Day – Pondicheri
54 Day – Chidambaram
55 Day – Thanjavur
56 Day – Thanjavur
57 Day – Tiruchirapalli
58 Day – Madurai
59 Day – Madurai
60 Day – Kanniyakumari
61 Day – Kanniyakumari
62 Day – Kovolam
63 Day – Kovolam
64 Day – Varkala
65 Day – Kottayam
66 Day – The backwaters of Karela – you should stay in House boat cruz for great experience.
67 Day – Komarkom
68 Day – Komarkom
69 Day – Cochin
70 Day – Cochin
71 Day – Munnar
72 Day – Munnar
73 Day – Periyar Wild life
74 Day – Periyar Wild life
75 Day – Ooty
76 Day – Ooty
77 Day – Maysore
78 Day – Maysore
79 Day – Bangalore
80 Day – Bangalore
81 Day – Goa
82 Day – Goa
83 Day – Goa
84 Day – Goa
85 Day – Goa
86 Day – Mumbai
87 Day – Aurangabad for Ajanta & Allora caves
88 Day – Aurangabad for Ajanta & Allora caves
89 Day – Flight to Delhi
90 Day – Delhi & Departure as per schedule

Wish you all the best route for your travel.
Thanks.
Raju India.

Hi thanks for all your responses.

Yes we thought about Kanyakumari, but as Apurva mentioned Kanyakumari is a bit out of our way. We do intend to go to Madurai though.

We managed to book some cheap flights from Chennai to Kolkata.

I had a feeling Shimla might be a bit touristy, we'll look into the other places you guys mentioned.

We've kept Goa and Kerala off the list as we have to leave something for our next visit!

From Kolkata we will head up to Darjeeling and might venture into Sikkim i.e. Gangtok and Pelling. From there we need to get to Varanasi. I've looked into flights from Bagdodra and they seem a bit expensive. We'll probably end up getting a train instead.

I just have a one more question...

Can we book train tickets starting from any station (even different train route to the one desired)? e.g. we want to travel from Kolkata to Darjeeling. Could this be booked in Chennai for example?

Thanks for your help.

Cheekyvee.