cwn

Thanks everyone for the comments and ideas on my first pass last week. Now I think we good to go with air, hotels, car, driver, tour guides and visa application sitting in the visa office. I am posting this “final” itinerary as a new thread in hopes that if I have a gross mistake in it, someone who has been there done that will catch it for me. We can still make changes in the land part. And I can add things that we might like to work in if time allows.

We are using the Oberoi package and as some have suggested will eat most meals in the our hotels. I know there are better places to eat in some cases, but the ease of just staying at the hotel for dinner and maybe even using room service after a long day, appeals to us big time. I do want to see the Imperial, so thought we would eat a lunch there and several have mentioned Rambagh Palace and Niro’s in Jaipur. Thought we would try for a dinner and lunch at those two places.

It is a fast and classic first timer’s short trip, mainly because DH really doesn’t want to do this and is just humoring me! I goal is to see (some of) the important “classic” sites and do some shopping. I am happy to get this much. We both enjoy photography and I know there will be excellent opportunities in that respect. Maybe DH will fall in love.....

Arrive NDelhi ~12:00AM Hotel transfer to Oberoi New Delhi Hotel. Room on arrival.

Friday - April 12 - Delhi BEGIN India Car and Driver service: Car and Driver 11 on.
Delhi Oberoi overnight
11:00AM Start
1.) Nizamuddin East Market for Anokhi Discount Outlet.
2.) Cottage Industries Emporium.
Connaught Circle for FabIndia, Anokhi maybe.
3.) Old Delhi for Chandi Chowk rickshaw ride and Red Fort for photos.
4.) Humayaum’s Tomb for photos
Back to hotel for dinner, ~6:00PM.

Saturday - April 13 - Delhi Car and Driver for the day.
Delhi Oberoi overnight
~9:00AM
1.) Lalkot and Quitub Minar for photos
2.) Dilli Haat
Shantushti Shopping Conplex or Khan Market if still looking.
3.) Imperial for lunch and colonial building
4.) The India Gate for photos
5.) Lodhi Gardens for photos
Back to hotel for dinner ~5:00PM

Sunday - April 14 - Delhi to Agra Car and Driver for the day.
Agra Oberoi Amarvilas overnight
~9:00AM
Drive to Agra (on new road).
1.) Agra Fort for photos/tour
2.) Itimad-ud-Daula for photos (either before hotel check-in or later with gardens)
Check into Amarvilas, lunch, afternoon at leisure.
3.) Mehtabh Bagh, short stop for sunset Taj photos from across river.
Back to hotel for dinner ~6:00PM

Monday - April 15 - Agra to Japiur Car and Driver for the day.
Jaipur Oberoi Rajvilas overnight
~6:00AM
1.) Taj Mahal at sunrise for photos/tour.
Return to hotel for breakfast, check, check out and leave for Jaipur by ~10.
2.) Fatehpur Sikri for photos/tour.
3.) Abhaneri for Harshat Mata temple and Chand Baori for photos.
Arrive hotel ~6:00PM

Tuesday - April 16 - Japiur Car and driver for the day.
Jaipur Oberoi Rajvilas overnight
~9:00AM
1.) Amber Fort (when it opens) for photos/tour.
2.) Photo stops for Jal Mahal Palace and elephant washing.
2.) Amber Anokhi Block Printing Museum for tour plus Amber temple and step well nearby for photos.
3.) City Palace for photos/tour and lunch
Back to hotel for leisure time
Round trip back to town later for some shopping and dinner at Rambagh Palace or Niros ~6:00PM (Gem Palace/Bazaars/Anokhi/FabIndia/Cottons) and Dinner at Rambagh Palace)

Wednesday - April 17 - Japiur to Delhi Car and driver for the day.
Oberoi Gurgaon overnight
1.) Leisurely check out. ~10:00AM
2.) Hawa Mahal for photos
3.) Jantar Mantar for photos/tour.
4.) Lunch Niros or Rambagh Palace (A little time at Bazaars??)
5.) Leave for Delhi
6.) Arrive hotel . ~6:00PM
END India Car, Driver, Guide service

Thursday - April 18 - Delhi to Amsterdam via Helsinki
Hotel transfer to airport at ~8AM for 10:30AM flight. Arrive AMS 5:45PM
Transfer to Estherea Hotel for 2 nights
April 20 to 27
AMA Verde Tulip river cruise

Unscheduled week with rent car. Fly home from FRA.

Any comments...suggestions for improvements?

lcuy

On Saturday, I'd have lunch at Santushti market, then dinner at Spice Route in the Imperial. Dilli Haat always takes longer than you think, so you'll hit Santushti at the perfect time for lunch at Basil and Thyme.
https://www.facebook.com/basilandthyme

If you go to the Imperial for lunch you'll not only have to backtrack to India gate, etc, but I think Lodhi Gardens will be dark by the time you get there. If you need to drop anything, I'd drop the gardens. It seemed to be mostly a good place for lovers to make out than a great garden..

The restaurants at the Delhi Oberoi are nice, but the Imperial's Spice Route is way better:

http://www.theimperialindia.com/impe...e=dining&rid=8

Delhi-ites eat very late, so if your day is long, you'll still be able to dress up and make a night of it. (There is somewhat of a dress code; no flip flops or sneakers!)

cwn

Thanks Icuy,

Sounds like a good idea for Sat. I was trying to figure out how to work B&T into the plan. It sounded like a neat place to eat and I wouldn't mind having another shopping "minute".
The Imperial is probably a better place for a dinner anyway.

Thanks again for the ideas.

dgunbug

On the way to Jaipur, try stopping at the Monkey Temple. We thought it was very interesting.

cwn

dgunbug,

I had that on the list at first, but thought that we would not have time.

We will visit the Taj for sunrise before we leave Agra. I think we can be on the road no later than 9:30-10AM.

Don't know if we will have enough time to get to the Oberoi Rajvilas by dark if we include the Monkey Temple though it does appeal to me. I believe the hotel is before we actually get to Jaipur on the Agra highway. But this may not make nuch difference in the travel time.

We want to stop at Fatehpur Sikri and the Step Well for sure. The heat, how interesting each site turns out to be (to us anyway) and how well I am moving that day will determine how long we spend at each place. Since each site is some time apart that will give me a chance to rest between each bout of walking if it is a bad day.

Any one stopped at all three places? How long did it make the trip?

I have read various drive times, Agra to Jaipur, but don't know if stops were made and for how long.

One thing we will do is take a box lunch from the hotel for snacks during the trip. We do not like to waste time during drives for a lunch. Normally we just snack as we go. Especially if we are trying to see as much as possible while traveling.

I assume the driver/us will want a pit stop. This has worked well in other parts of Asia..on paper the person arranging the car seems OK with it...so we will see.

lcuy

The actual driving time from Agra to Jaipur took us 5 hours. I remember it well, because it was my first long distance drive in India. (We'd taken the express train to Agra).

We saw the Taj at opening, went back to Amarvilas for breakfast, then squeezed in a fast swim at the pool. Really, don't miss this pool. Our guide met us again at 10 to go along to Fatehpur Sikri. We toured FS for about an hour, then went with only the driver to Jaipur.

***Don't read this part if you're worried about Indian roads******

Of course the road was terrifying- potholes from the monsoon, fast & scary passing, lots of animals and humans darting into traffic and enough truck carcasses at the side of the road to know it wasn't as safe as I hoped. I wasn't experienced enough to tell the driver to knock it off and even worse, I saw the driver nod a few times like he was sleepy. I felt compelled to chat with him the entire time while my daughter slumbered unaware!

We stopped for a quick lunch, where I hoped he had a lot of chai, had another quick tea stop for his benefit, then arrived at the Samode Haveli at about 5 pm. I was so shook up I wanted to return to Delhi by train, but our TA convinced me that the Jaipur - Delhi highway was better. And in truth, that ride wasn't nearly as bad. Tthat day we weren't rushed, it was a divided highway in better condition, I was insistent the driver take it slower, AND I took an Ativan in advance!

So even after five additional India adventures, that's why I always advise building in lots of time for delays in India. You don't want to be rushing on the roads, or being forced to travel at night.

dgunbug

We drove from Jaipur to Agra, leaving at approx 8 am, stopping at the stepping well, monkey temple and fathepur sikri. We arrived in Agra in time to see the Mehtabh bagh (sp?) and the taj from across the river. I'm not certain if you can fit everything in with spending time at the tan in the morning as you may want to linger there. Although most people go to fathepur sikri, we enjoyed our time more at the monkey temple as it was different from the forts and palaces that we saw in many other places.

cwn

Thanks Icuy,

I have read some hair raising tales about travel especially on the Agra-Jaipur road. That is why I don't want to plan to much.....but wait and see how it goes that day.

I haven't said too much to my DH about the roads either other than they are bad. I just keep telling him not to set his expectations to high....the hotels should please him, but the rest I don't know.

Also glad to know the Jaipur-Delhi road is "OK", there hasn't been much said about it. The driver will use the new Agra Expressway from Delhi and the reports have been favorable for that road.

It will be an adventure, and I am excited. I got on DH's good side this Fall when I rented a small cottage in the country outside of Verdun, France for 9 days and did all the cooking so he could walk all the WWI battle sites he wanted in the area, his long time dream. I enjoyed the peaceful countryside and he enjoyed the hikes.

cwn

dgunbug, thanks for your information.

I agree that we probably won't have time for everytjing since we are getting a latter start than you did. Hope we can see FS as that is the kind of thing DH likes, but if the touts are bad, we may not stay.

I know he will enjoy the step well, but temples are not so much his thing. Though I would stop at every one!

We will just play it by ear...stopping at the temple if we have time.

dgunbug

The monkey temple is not like others. I don't even recall going inside. The architecture is interesting with the monkeys running about. There is a separate area with people praying and bathing and the setting is quite beautiful. I understand about getting temples out. While I enjoy them all, there is a limit to my husband's tolerance for seeing more of the same. The monkey temple is right on the road and can probably be seen in 1/2 hr. speak to your driver and see what he suggests.

rhkkmk

i think you may find that the road surfaces are improving daily..

cwn

Thanks,

I have a list of must sees for each day, if at all possible, that are above. Then there is a another list of suggestions from my original post that I will see if we can squeeze in. The Monkey temple is on that list.

We do plan to swim and just enjoy the afternoon at the hotel in Agra. If the Rajvilas is as nice as it looks, we will make some time at the hotel too, the second afternoon.

Don't hear too much about the Oberoi properties except the Amarvilas...I know they are costly. I didn't consider them at first except for the Amarvilas. Always wanted a night there! But the Oberoi package deal averages $300 a night for each property including all taxes, airport transfers and breakfast plus a couple of other extras so it seems like a good deal compared to other agents' package prices using Taj, ITC or Marriott in Delhi and Jaipur.

Thanks again for the suggestions and the road reports. Nice to know.

rhkkmk

the marriott in jaipur was new last year and is very nice..

cwn

rhkkmk,
On this trip as originally planned, we were going to stay one night in the Marriott in Jaipur. We were doing a Regent 3 night precruise trip then sailing on to Egypt, the Holy Land and finally ending Rome. We were flying into Delhi four days early and going up to Shimla on our own, doing the pre cruise tour that was one night in each Delhi, Agra and Jaipur then flying to Mumbi to meet the ship..

I already had air to Delhi and home from FRA last Fall when things got tenser in the Mid East. DH said we weren't doing the cruise...we had already been to all the non India sites before and he wasn't going again!....To make our air work for another plan that didn't have more than a week in India....so this is what evolved and I'm glad because the precruise was way short and it didn't include my dream of staying at the Amarvilas. The only big disappointment was I couldn't make the trip to Shimla work out too, but river cruise will be fun.

The ship just finished the reverse of our April itinerary. There have been several reports on Cruise Critic about the India pre cruise portion. Most were happy with the actual tour events and eveyone seemed to think the hotels were good...Taj Palace in Delhi, ITC in Agra and Marriott in Jaipur. However, after reading the reports, I am glad we opted out and are doing a longer and private tour. It has just been hard working everything out to fit the air, I usually do it the other way arount!

CaliNurse

If you have a choice of only one, I would say see the Monkey Temple aka Galta Ji(just on the outskirts of Jaipur off the main road) instead of Abhaneri. A difficult choice,as they are very different. Two things: it is easier to walk around Abhaneri VIllage and in the small palace there. BUT Abhaneri is ona side road and the round trip from the main highway will cut in to your day. Whereas, Galta-Ji is just off the main highway. Also, you said you have some mobility problems. Gong to galta Ji you do walk up steps, and up a soprt of slanted walk, but it is do-able.

In either place, you will have the fun of being one of the few Westerners--unlike in many otehr places you are visiting

dgunbug

Here is a link to my India picture book if you have not had a chance to look at it yet. There are pictures of the Monkey temple as well as the stepping well.

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...photo-book.cfm

cwn

dgunbug..Thanks for the photo book link. Your pictures are great!

CaliNurse..We do like the road less traveled when we have the chance. I do use walking sticks for steps or rough/uneven/sloping paths. As long as it is not too steep or narrow or just to long a walk I am usually OK. The pictures of the monkey temple do look doable to me.

Hard to pick...may be we skip FS and go for the step well which looks really neat, DH will find it interesting and the temple, I always like temples. I will just leave all the options in and see how the day gets started. If FS is packed with tour groups that will be a big turn off for DH, making it an easier to pick where to spend our limited time.

CaliNurse

CWN, you afr wise and realistic in your planning. India is def'lly a place where what starts as the plan for the day , and what actually happens, are often quite different! Its unpredictability is part of its charm.

cwn

Thanks CaliNurse for you reply, I think I am now comfortable with our plan.....I always plan in great detail, trying to explore all the options we might encounter, regardless of where we go....be it a RV camping trip to parts of Canada or Alaska or a trip some where overseas and now finally India!

I have tried to work in some flexibility so if something is a total turn off for DH, we can move on to something he will enjoy more, even if that means taking him back to the hotel before I continue with the driver on the touring days. The travel time is what it is.

We have never had a bad trip nor have we had one that followed the planned itinerary except for reserved hotels unless it was a cruise. The family joke is....Mom we know what you and Dad planned to do, but now tell us what you actually did.! One time we landed in Germany and picked up a car for a month, planning to spend time exploring SE Germany and along the French border but instead wound up crossing into Italy and going to Tuscany and southern France!

I know we are doing all the things everyone usually does when they go to India the first time. But that is what I have dreamed of doing. Sometimes you just have to be a tourist! Just so excited that DH is finally willing.

Our India visas can in the mail yesterday, YEA! Took DH two days to fill out all the info required on the on line form. He mailed the package with form and passports on Thursday, were notified they had it on Friday and we got the passports with visas back on Tuesday even with the weekend and the holiday...not bad.

We got a 10 year one as we have a cruise booked for 2014 that goes from Sydney to Cape Town making a couple of stops in India. The cruise is lazy transportation for part of our second round the world trip. We want to spend maybe up to a month in Australia again and do another self drive safari in Kruger. We had a ball doing that in 2009.

I may be back with more questions as I start to pack.

Anyway THANKS to everyone who replied with suggestions. When we leave in early April I will post a blog link for the trip in case anyone is interested.

Elainee

We loved staying at the Oberois hotels. Really comfortable and for my husband who does not eat Indian food, great to be able to eat lamb chops everyday.
One note....the food at these upscale hotels, especially on the Continental menu is at NYC prices. Worth it to keep DH happy in India, but the prices were higher than expected.
We stayed at the Imperial and ate at Spice Route. Beautiful room but we were not overwhelmed by the food. In fact, we ate all our dinners except one... Bukhara in Deli. Maybe it was jetlag (it was our second day), but we left right after tasting the food. DH did not like it. We had it packed for our driver. The restaurant was upset that we were not happy and kept adding things to the takeout bag. The bill was $160 for 2 drinks, one appetizer and one main dish.