India for 2 weeks in December/January

Old Apr 10th, 2014, 09:11 AM
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India for 2 weeks in December/January

Hi all

I will be traveling from the US with my significant other to India in December for a friends wedding. The wedding is in Calcutta from December 31-4th. I am trying to plan a trip around that. We only have 2-3 weeks, depending on how things budget out. We Definitely want to see the Golden Triangle but apart from that we do not know how to best allocate our time. I want to see all of India, but I know that is not possible. Our travel dates before and after the wedding are flexible. Would you have any suggestions as to must sees and logistics of it all? It would be so appreciated! It is my bfs first time out of the country and I want to make him as addicted to traveling as I am
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Old Apr 10th, 2014, 09:28 AM
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As it's your boyfriends first time out of the country (and it's to India- talk about culture shock!) maybe try a group tour of the Golden Triangle? I did an 8 day one with G Adventures, it was GREAT! Highly recommend it Also, super reasonable price-wise!

Maybe you could fly in, do the Golden Triangle, fly to Varanasi (Ganges) and then on to Kolkata for the wedding?

Have so much fun!
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Old Apr 10th, 2014, 10:33 PM
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Besides the golden triangle and Calcutta, you can at max squeeze in one more city.I'm partial towards Udaipur since it is a relaxing place compared to the frenzy of the golden triangle.
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Old Apr 11th, 2014, 05:33 AM
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Thank you guys so much! This is a wonderful start to our planning.

PS I am of Indian decent and have not been to India since I was a child over 20 years ago, so this is a very meaningful trip to me. Thank you all for your help
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Old Apr 11th, 2014, 05:43 AM
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an indian based agent might be of great help to you. I used castle and king in delhi twice and found them great to work with... their pricing was excellent too.

I would stick just to the golden triangle as things move very slowly in india.. major sights: delhi, agra, Jaipur and Udaipur for pure pleasure.
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Old Apr 11th, 2014, 11:17 AM
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When booking the tour how did you pay? In advance with a credit card or in person with cash?
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 10:03 PM
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You can include Varanasi, Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur. You can tour before your friends wedding or after wedding.
If flying in to Delhi then fly to Varanasi (2N) and then to Kolkatta. You can include visit to Darjeeling also.
From Kolkatta you can fly to Delhi to start tour by car to visit Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur.
deepak
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 07:49 AM
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Thank you guys. These are the proposed plans by King and Castle:

Delhi-Varanasi-Fatehpursikri-Jaipur-Delhi (Ten days)

Delhi-Varanasi-Khajurahu-Orchha-Jhansi-Agra-Fatehpursikri-Jaipur-Delhi

Instead of Khajurau, Orccha, and Jhansi, would you recomend Udaipur and Johdpur? (If possible) Any other recomended changes?

I am also going to ask if he can change our the plans so we end up on Kolkata when we need to.
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 02:19 AM
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Golden Triangle including Delhi,Agra and Jaipur would take around 8 days according to me as there are many places to be discovered on this tour.I would suggest you to explore this thoroughly first and then visit Kolkata. Kolkata is a fun place to be and you could explore many great places there.Have a relaxing vacation rather than one where you keep switching flights from one place to another.India can't be explored in such a short span.If you still have time visit Goa with your BF its in Southern part but you would enjoy it.
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 04:20 AM
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You mentioned that you've 2-3 weeks so you can cover golden triangle easily. Try to explore some more places like rishikesh and manali as these places in north India around the triangle. I think you can cover these places too if you plan your journey wisely. Anyways ENJOY india.
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 07:09 PM
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We had a fantastic trip to India in Feb. We used www.legendsandpalaces.com and Mr Singh took amazing care of every aspect of our trip. We paid in cash before we left.
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 08:53 PM
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Golden Triangle Tour is one of the most visited Tour in India and also most recommended Tour. Most of Travel agencies offers Golden Triangle Tour with other Tours Of Rajasthan and Kerala and other destinations. In Golden Triangle Tour Delhi Shekhawati Jaipur,Ranthambhore,Shahpura, Udaipur,Jodhpur & Delhi,Agra are available. and if you want to other destinations Goa, Bangalore, Ladakh, Manali, Oli, are the places you must visit.
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Old Jul 5th, 2014, 03:26 AM
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Hi,

You can see for Delhi(02) - Agra (01) - Jaipur(02) - Pushkar(01), Udaipur(2), Jodhpur(01), Jaisalmer(02), Bikaner(01), Mandawa (01) - Delhi (01).

See if you like the plan and places. If you people are interested in wildlife you can visit Ranthambhore for 02 nights after Agra and before Japipur.

Thanks,
Sam
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Old Jul 5th, 2014, 05:56 AM
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I've taken two extended trips to India, and we didn't do the usual stuff that all people do. First piece of advice: don't just aim for the usual large cities so many people visit as a part of the Golden Triangle. This is not representative of true India. Of the places mentioned above, I've been to Delhi, Pushkar, Udaipur, Jodphur, Jaisalmer, Mandawa, Varanasi, Orchha, Khajuraho, and Shekhawati area.

First of all, if at all possible, make it a three week trip. Second, you may want to think about adding in a few nights at a heritage property out in the country (I have suggestions if you want them).

Here are MY takes on the places I've visited:

Delhi--fine in small doses. We've seen lots of Delhi in four half days of sight-seeing that have been scheduled around transportation in/out of Dehli. This is adequate and you don't need to schedule a huge hunk of time here.

Pushkar--an absolute pit. I have no idea why this is so constantly recommended.

Udaipur--a nice place for a two day break if you want something that has a bit more of the cafes/restaurants of a European-type place.

Jodphur--has an interesting old section that is a maze of streets, and the fort is impressive.

Jaisalmer-- one of our absolute favorites. If you visit, make sure to stay in a lodging inside the fort up on top with views so you can sit on the rooftop and just observe life below.

Varanasi--an absolute must-do. Minus the cell phones and plastics, this is life and spirituality as it could have been hundreds of years ago.

Orchha--we really liked this smaller town with lots of old edifices to see and walks to take. A low-key hassle-free place that deserves two nights.

Khajuraho--I know it is UNESCO World Heritage-listed, but it is far,far down on our list of places in India we'd recommend.

Mandawa and the Shekhawati area--okay, but with limited time, I'd make different choices.

No one has mentioned Bundi in Rajasthan. We liked it a lot, and it could logistically fit in your plans.

Bottom line: don't just to the totally typical tour of the Golden Triangle added on to your Calcutta wedding. There are many better choices that this.

Note: we have now spent nine weeks in the northern half of India and have yet to make it to the Taj Mahal, and we have no regrets.
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