I'm going to be arriving in Delhi on the 15th of Nov, ready to spend a month in India. Can anyone give me a bit of advice on my route?
The initial plan is to spend a day or two in Delhi, get used to the weather/heat, sort ourselves out, then travel down through Rajasthan, vising the Taj Mahal in Agra on the way.
We then plan for a few days in Mumbai, before spending Christmas on the beach in Goa.
Can anyone advise on any must-see places to do on our route?
Any advice is welcome, thanks!
Hello Beckiboo
I think the route u take can be a personal choice. Absolutely everywhere in India is absolutely fascinating.
But i am just going to warn u, that i was in India 10 years ago and Train and bus travel can be very very slow, so dont be in a hurry. It is however fun, because there are plenty of spectacles. Some unbelievable.
When i was there plane passes for travel in India were also available. They were not expensive, and i think they gave unlimited travel, for a month. Anyway, as it was such a long time ago since i was there, if u want to know exact details about what i just said, then perhaps somebody with up to date information can give it.
Mel
Must see in Rajasthan(in my opinion)
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Pushkar
Can see
Udaipur
Mt.Abu
From Delhi jaipur is well connected, since after Delhi it will be first big city and interesting also, you may need 3 days,from there Jodhpur is overnight ,palace,fort and central market are worth seeing,1-2 days are enough,overnight is Jaisalmer an exotic place ,includind a camei safari it may take 3 days,Pushkar will take one day but you cant omit it.Udaipur and mt.abu is for nature lovers with plenty of time.
-snip-
[ Edit: Sorry no personal email addresses in the forum threads ]
You might also want to consider checking out the Ajanta/Ellora caves. They are supposed to be beautiful and spectacular and they are on the travel path when ppl make their way down from Delhi/Golden Triangle to Mumbai. Also worth considering is flying from Mumbai to Goa to save you time and then you can spend more time relaxing on the beach. check out www.airdeccan.net - they are a discount airline which has prices significantly cheaper than indian airlines or the other major competitor. The only downside is that you have to book this yourself on the internet as agents won't book it for you and many ppl have never heard of the company (even though it is legitimate).
Hi
I would suggest you to take the domestic cheap airlines maximun as possible. Doing so end of the month you would sure end up with a bonus of spending more time in the places you wanted to be.
If you are looking for a unique train journey in india I would suggest you ' ooty nilagiri (nilgiri) express' or if your budget allows you, the 'palace on wheels'.
I wouldnt suggest you spending NoT more than 2 days each in Mumbai and Delhi.Make sure when you plan for Agra you leave in the morning from DELHI and get back from Agra to Delhi or proceed your onward destination from there the same evening.
I'm not sure if you have browsed much about Kerala in India. Kerala is a state in the south-west which I would strongly suggest you to visit. Its also one of the top 'must see places' recomended by national geography. Munnar, Kollam, Alleppy, Kochi, Kuzhupilly are few of my fav places in Kerala.
www.goair.in, paramount, spicejet, Air sahara, jet airways, Kingfisher, indian airlines, are few of local airlines.
Cheers
How long roughly would it take to travel from Delhi down to Goa? I want to go overland ideally as I want to see some of Rajasthan etc. I think when you fly sometimes you miss out on all the best bits!
Is there a good transport system going down the west coast of India?
hi Becki,
india has a good and reliable railway system which u can use to travel from Delhi to Mumbai,the only downside is that it takes time,24hr+ to travel the distance,but u wil be able to savour the varied hues of the great Indian landscape.
the situation has definitely changed a lot from what it was earlier with regards to road n rail transport,there r buses plying between,delhi-mumbai and mumbai-goa route which u can utilise if u dont want to travel by train.i would suggest train travel as it is more comfortable and safe.
Kerala as blackmagic put it is a must see...u should see the place to believe it...any assistance that u may require in goa or kerala please feel free to contact me..
regards,
Vicky
heya
that sounds like a pretty good plan for a month although i would suggest an internal flight down to goa as the train is a very long journey!
deffo go to pushkar theres no alcohol there or meat or eggs but its a nice place to go for two days or so... theres a buffet for 50 rupeesb at om shiva, all you can eat & its great!
also if you aint afraid of rats go to the karni matta temple in bikaner... its the most unusual temple i have ever seen...
uduaipur is also very nice & when i was there in feb the lake was full, something which hasnt happened for a good few years!
as for xmas in goa i'd say head to Palolem... the beach is fab, cheap beach huts, good food places... xmas isnt really celebrated in goa, you do get beggars dressing up as santa though who come & try to shake your hand so you'll give them money!
im going back to goa for xmas & cant wait!
steph
Thanks so much for your advice everyone.
I think we'll probably travel overland from Delhi to Goa, we've got a month and a half to kill so want to see some interesting places on the way!
I'm going to book certain hotels in advance, i.e the ones on the beach in Goa for Christmas. Can anyone recommend any good hotels they've stayed in? Palolem sounds fab, we'll probably want to be there at Christmas.
Also - how easy is it to find accomodation as you go along? We hope to travel down from Delhi, see a bit of Rajisthan on the way - will it be easy to find a room for the night, I dont want to have to book everything in advance 
heya
I flew to chennai on the 1st dec last year and then got a flight to trivandrum and worked my way up the west coast...
didnt book any accom in advance for anywhere except mumbai, had no problems, some from the LP book were full but still managed to find a room...
in Palolem the beach huts are run by several different people, just walk along the beach & people will approach you left right & centre! some of the dont have a name, i stayed in one called beach view hut I think, hopefully going back there for xmas myself!
try not to worry too much & just enjoy it...
if you want any more info on places down the west coast send me a PM and ill help the best i can
steph x