INDIAN WEDDING - HELP!!!
Oct 22nd, 2008, 02:40 PM
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INDIAN WEDDING - HELP!!!
I have put this off for far too long and now I am too stressed for words.
One of my best friends is getting married outside Mumbai on Dec 28 - 30th. I am planning on leaving LAX either late on Christmas or early on the 26th. All of my friends are planning on staying in Mumbai after the wedding to sightsee and celebrate New Year's Eve together. So, on the 1st I want to leave Mumbai. Problem is, I don't know where to go. I only have until Jan 4th.
I was thinking I could fly to Delhi and then do a one day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
I need help though and am open to suggestions. Should I for sure do Delhi and Agra or is there somewhere else I should see?
What is the best way to travel between Mumbai, Delhi, and Agra?
Should I book my international flights into and out of Mumbai or try to leave from Delhi?
As you can see, I need some expertise. And fast!
Thanks in advance for all your input.
One of my best friends is getting married outside Mumbai on Dec 28 - 30th. I am planning on leaving LAX either late on Christmas or early on the 26th. All of my friends are planning on staying in Mumbai after the wedding to sightsee and celebrate New Year's Eve together. So, on the 1st I want to leave Mumbai. Problem is, I don't know where to go. I only have until Jan 4th.
I was thinking I could fly to Delhi and then do a one day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
I need help though and am open to suggestions. Should I for sure do Delhi and Agra or is there somewhere else I should see?
What is the best way to travel between Mumbai, Delhi, and Agra?
Should I book my international flights into and out of Mumbai or try to leave from Delhi?
As you can see, I need some expertise. And fast!
Thanks in advance for all your input.
Oct 22nd, 2008, 06:00 PM
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You'll be tied up with wedding events from 28 to 30 and then you leave on the 4th.
Since all of your friends will be in Mumbai, why not also stay in Mumbai and take a day trip or two from there?
Mumbai is a massive, cosmopolitan city. You will NOT run out of things to do in only a few days.
I personally would not try to go to Delhi and Agra on this trip. It's doable, but rushed. Also, heavy fogs come in out of nowhere during late December and into January and flights can delayed by hours or just cancelled. You don't have that kind of time to lose.
Go back to India with time in hand and more planning of your itinerary and enjoy Mumbai!
Since all of your friends will be in Mumbai, why not also stay in Mumbai and take a day trip or two from there?
Mumbai is a massive, cosmopolitan city. You will NOT run out of things to do in only a few days.
I personally would not try to go to Delhi and Agra on this trip. It's doable, but rushed. Also, heavy fogs come in out of nowhere during late December and into January and flights can delayed by hours or just cancelled. You don't have that kind of time to lose.
Go back to India with time in hand and more planning of your itinerary and enjoy Mumbai!
Oct 22nd, 2008, 08:47 PM
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If you truly only have from Jan 1 to Jan 4, IMO, it is not really feasible to try to get to Agra. First of all the Taj is closed on Fridays, so as Jan 2 is a Friday, this would make for some logistical issues on a trip to Agra which always brings up logistical issues, esp coming from Mumbai which is quite distant. There are no non-stop flights to Agra from Mumbai, you have to transit through Delhi, or fly to Delhi and then take a train or car, either way, IMO you would not arrive into Agra until the late afternoon Jan 1, which either means you hang out in Agra on Jan 2 and see everything <i>but</i> the Taj, then see the Taj on Jan 3 and get on to Delhi for a very brief visit, <u>or</u> you only see the Taj in the afternoon of Jan 1, and leave Agra on Jan 2 and miss sunrise at the Taj, one of the highlights of seeing the monument, IMO. I also heartily agree with the above poster that flights into or out of Delhi in Dec and Jan can easily be delayed or cancelled due to fog, and even driving can be problematic in the morning, so this further adds to reasons for not making this trip on such a short schedule.
Also, Christmas is just about the very height of the tourist season, and Agra is the main tourist attraction, so I would not be surprised if you found most Agra hotels to be full already for those dates.
So, I would also suggest sticking to the Mumbai area. I am not a huge fan of Mumbai for the tourist, but as you will be there anyway. there are some tourist bits and a good museum, some good shopping, etc. Enough for sure to keep one occupied for a 3 days or so. The weather is extremely pleasant, and you may want to spend time in the Juhu beach area or Bandra.
For trips outside Mumbai, the Elora and Ajanta caves would be first on most tourists lists for short trips from Mumbai, and are quite spectacular, esp if you have an interest in Buddhist art. You can fly from Mumbai in about an hour to Aurangabad, and start out from there. I would also say that the Ahmadabad area might be worth consideration, a short visit there to see Gandhi’s ashram and then you can go into the countryside of Gujarat to visit villages which are known for their rather astonishing textile work (I have seen and purchased examples in Mumbai).
Another idea is to go up to Murang, which is a hill station area and would be a bit cooler than Mumbai, esp in December. One place to consider staying is the Verandah in the Forest It’s an old colonial-style hill station retreat (the hotel has a bit more charm than actual facilities, but the ghost of the British Raj certainly is interesting), there is walking/trekking, some birding, etc. Pretty convenient to and from Mumbai by car. See http://www.neemranahotels.com. You might consider going there for New Years with your group.
You could go down to Goa or Kerala and the nice beaches and interesting areas there, the Portuguese influence in Goa, architecture and food; great food in Kerala and a small Jewish community surviving in Kochi, it would certainly be interesting. However again Goa and Kerala are prime tourist spots and at their best weather in December and Jan, so book flights and hotels now, you may find the better hotels already full. Goa is about an hour non-stop, and Kerala about 2 hours (Kochi or Trivandrum). No fog issues.
You could also go someplace like Jaipur, Udaipur or Jodphur, which you can reach non-stop from Mumbai and which IMO would be very nice for such a short visit. Lots to see and do, and you can get a trip out into the desert as well from any of these. Udaipur is smaller and has the lovely lake, Jaipur has many buildings of interest and the excellent city palace museum. Jodphur has the magnificent fort and good little old town bits to wander. There generally are no fog issues for these places, it is mostly Delhi which is the problem, although you could have a chance of some fog delays.
Finally, you might want to consider someplace like Hyderabad, which is a very interesting city in south India with a large Muslim population and which would give you a totally different flavour from Mumbai. Several good museums, the Golconda fort and other interesting architecture and good food. Would be an easy non-stop flight from Mumbai, I would recco Kingfisher Airlines (http://www.flykingfisher.com/) ) or Jet Air http://www.jetairways.com/ over Indian Air. You might even look to flying out of India from Hyderabad, as Singapore Airlines has a non-stop to Singapore, and you could then connect to a flight to the US. No fog issues.
I would suggest you get some guidebooks (old ones from a library are fine) and get an idea of what is in the area of Mumbai. India is a huge country geographically and culturally, and you don’t want to try to go too far afield with only 3-4 days.
You might also want to consider simply staying longer in India and seeing more areas.
Also, Christmas is just about the very height of the tourist season, and Agra is the main tourist attraction, so I would not be surprised if you found most Agra hotels to be full already for those dates.
So, I would also suggest sticking to the Mumbai area. I am not a huge fan of Mumbai for the tourist, but as you will be there anyway. there are some tourist bits and a good museum, some good shopping, etc. Enough for sure to keep one occupied for a 3 days or so. The weather is extremely pleasant, and you may want to spend time in the Juhu beach area or Bandra.
For trips outside Mumbai, the Elora and Ajanta caves would be first on most tourists lists for short trips from Mumbai, and are quite spectacular, esp if you have an interest in Buddhist art. You can fly from Mumbai in about an hour to Aurangabad, and start out from there. I would also say that the Ahmadabad area might be worth consideration, a short visit there to see Gandhi’s ashram and then you can go into the countryside of Gujarat to visit villages which are known for their rather astonishing textile work (I have seen and purchased examples in Mumbai).
Another idea is to go up to Murang, which is a hill station area and would be a bit cooler than Mumbai, esp in December. One place to consider staying is the Verandah in the Forest It’s an old colonial-style hill station retreat (the hotel has a bit more charm than actual facilities, but the ghost of the British Raj certainly is interesting), there is walking/trekking, some birding, etc. Pretty convenient to and from Mumbai by car. See http://www.neemranahotels.com. You might consider going there for New Years with your group.
You could go down to Goa or Kerala and the nice beaches and interesting areas there, the Portuguese influence in Goa, architecture and food; great food in Kerala and a small Jewish community surviving in Kochi, it would certainly be interesting. However again Goa and Kerala are prime tourist spots and at their best weather in December and Jan, so book flights and hotels now, you may find the better hotels already full. Goa is about an hour non-stop, and Kerala about 2 hours (Kochi or Trivandrum). No fog issues.
You could also go someplace like Jaipur, Udaipur or Jodphur, which you can reach non-stop from Mumbai and which IMO would be very nice for such a short visit. Lots to see and do, and you can get a trip out into the desert as well from any of these. Udaipur is smaller and has the lovely lake, Jaipur has many buildings of interest and the excellent city palace museum. Jodphur has the magnificent fort and good little old town bits to wander. There generally are no fog issues for these places, it is mostly Delhi which is the problem, although you could have a chance of some fog delays.
Finally, you might want to consider someplace like Hyderabad, which is a very interesting city in south India with a large Muslim population and which would give you a totally different flavour from Mumbai. Several good museums, the Golconda fort and other interesting architecture and good food. Would be an easy non-stop flight from Mumbai, I would recco Kingfisher Airlines (http://www.flykingfisher.com/) ) or Jet Air http://www.jetairways.com/ over Indian Air. You might even look to flying out of India from Hyderabad, as Singapore Airlines has a non-stop to Singapore, and you could then connect to a flight to the US. No fog issues.
I would suggest you get some guidebooks (old ones from a library are fine) and get an idea of what is in the area of Mumbai. India is a huge country geographically and culturally, and you don’t want to try to go too far afield with only 3-4 days.
You might also want to consider simply staying longer in India and seeing more areas.
