quimbero

I just got back and did my own little itinerary for first time India. Needless to say I would probably change some stuff but here's what I did.

Day 1 Mumbai
Day 2 Mumbai
Day 3 Goa
Day 4 Goa
Day 5 Goa
Day 6 Goa
Day 7 Goa
Day 8 Goa
Day 9 Goa
Day 10 Goa-Kolkata
Day 11 Kolkata
Day 12 Kolkata-Varanasi
Day 13 Varanasi
Day 14 Varanasi
Day 15 Varanasi
Day 16 Varanasi - Khajuraho
Day 17 Khajuraho
Day 18 Khajuraho - Delhi
Day 19 Delhi
Day 20 Delhi (with day trip to Agra)
Day 21 Delhi
Day 22 Delhi-Amritsar
Day 23 Amritsar
Day 24 Amritsar
Day 25 Udaipur
Day 26Udaipur
Day 27Udaipur
Day 28 Udaipur
Day 29 Mumbai
Day 30 Mumbai

I flew everywhere. I didn't get the 'experience' of the trains, but I probably will next time. For a first trip to India, this was enough to cover all that I need to see in India the first time.

Agra; I initally was going to spend the night there but after hearing horror stories, I found 5 other people who were willing to share a taxi from Delhi and it ended up costing us about Rs 6000 altogether as a day trip from Delhi. A tiring day for sure, but the taj mahal was seen.

Too many days in Mumbai. Next time, I'll pay a little bit more to fly into Delhi. The airport is much nicer, there's better places to eat at the airport, and Delhi is a bit more manageable and tourist-oriented than Mumbai is.

I think because I was in the Uk for 2 wintry rainy months, I wanted to spend plenty of time on the beach. I probably could've spent less time in Goa, but if you go to South Goa it's a bit more relaxed. High prices for even groceries.

Kolkata - great city to see with a lot of charm. Will never go again. One day was more than enough.

Varanasi- Great city. I stayed by the river front, as someone on here posted, and it was amazing. I think 4 days here was perfect and I think I could've stayed longer if I had joined some yoga classes, maybe taken some sitar lessons in old town.

Khajuraho- Obviously everyone wants to see the 'kama sutra' temples, and that was nice and neat, but honestly it's a very nice place to relax when ur getting India fatigue. It's in the country, it's much quieter, and it's just a relaxing place. If for no other reason, it was worth it for that.

Delhi - I think Delhi is India's most interesting big city. A lot to do and see, great restaurants, shopping, attractions, and outside the backpacker district, the touts aren't as aggressive as elsewhere in India. That being said, beware of the touts at the train station if you're looking for the foreign tourist office. (it's there, with big signs and tons of tourists walking in and out, don't let touts tell you it's off site... it's a big office, with mostly foreigners, and you take a number and wait, and everyone behind the counter speaks english.

Amritsar - Most people probably only need a day or two here, but I love sikh philosophy and history so this was the highlight of my trip.

Udaipur - Would've been an absolutely lovely place with a significant other. Plenty of beautiful art-galleries, waterfront restaurants, nauseating boat rides and roof-top cafes overlooking the water.... many showing the movie 'octopussy' (which was filmed there)

Things I would change: shorten Goa, cut out Kolkata, and maybe fly into Delhi instead of Mumbai.

rhkkmk

interesting observations

Kathie

Thanks for sharing what you learned on this trip - very useful.

thursdaysd

If you thought Kolkata was a great city with a lot of charm, why are you sorry you went?

I agree with shortening Goa if you spend all your time at the beach - I'm not a beach person - but Panaji and Old Goa are certainly worth some time.

CaliNurse

thanks Quimbero!!

I was going to ask the same about Calcutta. I was there four nights , which was fine, but wouldn't go out of my way to return. And i agree with you about Delhi/New Delhi. BUT the air pollution was pretty bad this past November--the worst i've ever experienced. Cleaner fuel, higher particulate matter (soot, construction dust) .

dewa_retreat

Nice experience of Itenary..

quimbero

So, Calcutta is good.... but honestly it's not a destination. It's an extremely crazy place and it really is good to experience all the insanity that it is. Even other Indians in other cities will tell you how insane Calcutta is.

If it's on the way, or close by, I recommend a day or two, but like CaliNurse said, don't go out of your way to see it.

palmvillage

Kolkata is a city of joy.It is a very nice place and one of metro city of india. There is lots of historical Palaces as it is known as "MEHALO KA SAHAR". And one of the famous site is HOWRAH BRIDGE that is amazing itself. It has a subtropical climate with a seasonal regime of monsoons

vp_singh

Calcutta is best done with Darjeeling and the Glenburn Tea Estate or the Havelock Islands. I did that trip in November 2012 and loved it. Watching the Howrah Bridge from the Ghats was an experience in itself, as the city lay sprawling on the far side of the river Hooghly.
We had one meal at the Bhojohari Manna restaurant. It is Bengali cuisine with a strong mustard oil taste but I did appreciate it.The walking tour of both the old and new parts was most rewarding.
The Oberoi Grand is a good choice for it's location, with the busy markets just behind. Calcutta could be very noisy on the streets. And yes the observation that it is a wee bit crazy, may not be off the mark!
Enjoy your travels!