tqdtla

Hi Guys
Planning a trip to India in September.

Flying into Delhi on 9/7 at 12:30am.

Places we want to Visit. Agra, Jaipur, Ameritsar, Udaipur and last few days in Goa.

Will fly out of BOM on Friday 9/22 at 1:30am.

I think we will fry from Goa to Bom in the afternoon of 9/21 and just hang around city for half a day.

We are not planning to stay in Delhi less then a day.

Also, we will be there during the full moon, are there special admission to see the Taj at this time and who do we book this with?

any help is great

vp_singh

Night viewing of the Taj is generally very disappointing. the reason is that you are not allowed to go beyond the inner gate, for security reasons.These are as per the instructions of the Supreme Court of India. The tourism department is trying to get a relaxation on this point of court ruling, so that the tourists are allowed to approach the midsection of the gardens in the foreground of the Taj. However, this may take some time, if at all rules are relaxed. The best time to see the Taj is early morning when the changing modulations of a rising sun enhances the beauty of the monument.
At Amritsar, the Golden Temple is best visited early in the morning to avoid large congregation of the devotees visiting the shrine. Also, the ceremony of 'Palkhi Sahib' late into the night is worth having a look at.
Best Wishes.

ASHAMS

Hi,

Let me help you with this....

01)
Since you are flying in at 0030 hours on 9 September - you shall need to book your Hotel in Delhi from the 08 September onwards.....

02)
Amritsar is the first place aftre Delhi that you should ideally visit ...since it shall be some what of a side tracking from other places....
Delhi to Amritsar - and back is best done by comfortable - Acc train - Shatabadi Express .....
While in Amritsar you must visit the Golden Temple - early morning and evening for Palki Ceremony and than also the Wagha Border to see the ceremony which happens there everyday...

03)
The travel order should be - Delhi - Amritsar - back to Delhi - and than Agra - Jaipur (enroute seeing deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri) - Than Udaipur-Bombay - Goa - (same day connecting flights) - than back again to Bombay for Final departure...

04)
Hotels must be booked in advance since even in the off season the hotels are quite full .... What is your budget ?? I can suggest hotel depending on your budget...

05)
the Full Moon date in September is 07 September - but Full Moon viewing is a let down really - since they only allow tourists till th eouter gate of the monument...and it is not worth it to pay so much for it..

Much rather view the Taj during sunrise and also in the afternoon and stay there till the sun starts setting...
Other beautiful view of Taj is from across the Yamuna river....you have to meander through the small lanes and go over to the other side and view the Taj from across the river - lovely sight...

Let me know if you need more insights....

All the best...

hobbes

Fly into Delhi and out of Mumbai is perfect. Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi, by fast train, overnight in Amritsar. Then back to Delhi, Delhi-Agra fast train, spend 1 night in Agra to see the Taj as soon as it opens at sunrise, pick up pre booked car and driver in Agra, Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur by road, I would suggest minimum 2 nights each in Jaipur and Udaipur, then Udaipur-Mumba by air, Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai by air or overnight train if you want to save money. Pl advise budget for hotel recos.

tqdtla

Thank you SOOOOOO much for your help!!!

since i only have 14 days total, do you recomend taking out GOA? and spending more days in Udaipur and jaipur?

tqdtla

sorry also planning to spend $150 to $200 a night on room for 2

tqdtla

Fly into Delhi at 00:30 9/7/06

Agra – should we hire a car and driver to take us straight from the airport to Agra or take the first train out at 5:00? (cost of car and driver?) ( cost of train?)
stay in Agra from 9/7, 9/8, check out on 9/9


Jaipur – (cost of car and driver from Agra to Jaipur?) (cost of train?)
stay in Jaipur from 9/9, 9/10, 9/11, check out on 9/12


Udaipur – (fly from Jaipur to Udaipur)
stay in Udaipur from 9/12, 9/13, 9/14, 9/15 check out 9/16
(extra day here to visit surrounding city “Ranakpur:’)

Delhi – (fly from Updaipur to Delhi)
stay in Delhi from 9/16, 9/17, 9/18 check out 9/19


Amritsar – (train from Delhi to Amritsar)
stay in Amritsar from 9/19, 9/20,9/21 check out 9/22

Delhi – (fly from Amritsar to Delhi at 3:30 9/22)
Delhi to LAX at 8:30 9/22


some people are telling us to not stay in Delhi for more then a day, 2 and a half day in Delhi is too many? or should we take Delhi out?
also is 3 days in Amitsar too many?

tqdtla

Hi guys

after reading some of the post, we have decided to skip Delhi. here is our new schedule

Fly into Delhi at 00:30 9/7/06

Amritsar – (flight from Delhi to Amritsar)
stay in Amritsar from 9/7, 9/8, check out on 9/9

Since Air Deccan has a flight going out of Delhi at 7:30, we will hang around at the airport until then.


Agra – (flight from Amritsar to Delhi)
Air Deccan has a flight from Amritsar to Delhi for $18. The flight gets in at 10:40 am. Should we rent a car and a driver to go to Agra (how much would that cost?) (or take a Taxi to the train station and take the express to Agra? Also does the express train runs all day?)
Stay in Agra from 9/9, 9/10, check out on 9/11


Jaipur – (car hire from Agra to Jaipur)
stay in Jaipur from 9/11, 9/12, 9/13, check out on 9/14

Udaipur – (fly from Jaipur to Udaipur)
stay in Udaipur from 9/14, 9/15, 9/16, 9/17 check out 9/18
(extra day here to visit surrounding city “Ranakpur:’)


Goa – (fly from Udaipur to Goa)
stay in Goa from 9/18, 9/19, 9/20 check out 9/21


last day
Goa to -Bombay – (fly from Goa to Bombay)
On 9/21

Bombay to LAX 9/22– 2:30am

Thanks for all the help everyone have been soooo helpful!!!!

ASHAMS

Hi,

Read your latest posting - here is what I have to say -

01)
DELHI - The hotel costs in Delhi are very high - so some people tend to skip it.....but it is not a place you should miss while on a tour to India....
It is a superb place for sightseeing - lovely monuments like Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun Tomb....it is also the greatest place for shoppingin India - the best bargains are available in Delhi - some of th ebest places to go -Cottage Emporium and Fab india , Lajpat Nagar , GK market etc...

I really suggest that you spend one night in Delhi on the way back from Amritsar..on 09 September....

And Hey - since I am from Delhi - I shall be happy to show show around.....

02)
AMIRSAR - DELHI - AGRA - on 09 September...
You shall reach Delhi at 1040 hours from Amritsar...... now the best touristic trains fromdelhi to Agra leave in the morning itself (Shatabadi express - 0600 /0815 hours and Taj express 0715 / 1007 hours)..
The only other good train is in the afternoon - Gondwana Express - 1430 / 1712 hours....

Fare from Delhi to Agra is around USD 12 per person ..

But as I mentioned above - you should plan to spend this night - 09 Sep - in Delhi.....

03)
Instead of hiring car from one place to another while doing the Agra - Jaipur ciruit - it shall be better cost wise and quality wise - for you to hire a car from Delhi to Agra and than onwards to Jaipur from Delhi itself..... Having a car at your disposal - really means a lot at these places - since there is so much to see and you are alwso able to see the enroute monuments , villages etc....

The approx cost for hiring are as follows - for a good quality Airconditioned Jeep type of vehicle...with tourist permit...

Delhi - to Agra same day drop around USD 155

Delhi to Agra to Jaipur - from 09 to 14 September - around USD 525 in total...

04)
Jaipur to Udaipur - yes, th ebest option is to fly - since by road it is to far off....

05)
4 nights is slightly too much in Udaipur - three shall be sufficient...
One day for an excursion to fabulous Ranakpur temples - 90 kms way / 2 hours drive... on the way back insteading of coming straight - you must come via temples of Eklingji and Nagda...

Rest of the two days in Udaipur - can be spent visiting the other sights...city palace, musuem - make sure you visit the Crystal gallery and the Vintage car section as well here..etc..
Also worth doing is boat ride on Lake pichola and the Sound and Light show at the Palace...

06)
Bombay / goa / Bombay is best by flight .....
Make sure you have hotel bookings at Goa.....because of charters - the hotels are always full...
---

I hope you have all hotels confirmed for your trip..it is very difficult to get good deals after arrival .... let me know if you need some help on this...or suggestions...shall depend on your budget...

Anyway you are welcome to call me in Delhi anytime you are here....my mobile no is 9811120442...(give me your e-mail too..)

Let me know if you need more info....shall be glad to help....

All the best...

tqdtla

Asams , you are SOOOO awsome!!!!! I will check with my partner and see what he things about doing Delhi one day

tqdtla

We are now leaning towards staying in Delhi for one day. Question: does this schedule seems rushed? My partner and i like to go to places where its off the beaten path, thats why we wanted to do 4 days in Udaipur so we can relax and enjoy the local atmosphere and try to stay away from the tourist trap as much as possable.

ASHAMS

Hi ,

Thank you for the compliments....

Staying in Delhi for one night atleast is a good idea - you shall thank me for it later...

Your schedule as of now is not rushed ...you have plenty of time to see everything i nthe places you are visiting....

Off the beaten track...well - since you are first time visitors to India and Rajasthan - you must see the places which are famous...since they are infact very beautiful and nice....

After seeing these places - you have time to see off the beaten track places as well.....

In Jaipur most off the tourists go to Amber Fort and City Palace - you can visit Jaigarh and Nahargarh fort as well, The Monkey Temple, Brila Temple, ands the Local Bazaars which are a riot of colours - You may visit the famous local markets – Johari Bazaar – (wholesale market for silver, Gem stones and jewellery), Bari Chaupar (famous for Jaipuri Quilts, Lac Bangles, Tribal Jewellery and Leather slippers), Tripolia Bazaar (famous for metal wares), Sanganer (where the block printing and hand made paper factories are located.

In Udaipur - you must visit the City Palace well and later the other sights in the city - and the sound and light show inthe evening and the boat ride....

Other visits - Ranakpur is a must and as I mentioned you can add Eklingji and Nagda temples to this or even a visit to Kumbalgarh Fort and sanctuary - very close to Ranakur (one can even stay there)...

Please understand - there is only a limited amoutn of things you can do in the stipulated time..do not try to fit in everything....

An off the beaten track programme - staying in small hotels in small towns - can ideally be your second trip.... once you are used to India and fascinated by it....... I shall be happy to suggest this as well....

Travel is my passion - so I am quite happy to share my passion with all my friends...

Let me know if you need more info....

steven_ber

I don't look at this forum often, mainly because I'm a budget traveler and I'm astonished at the amount people on this forum spend.

But sometimes I feel like screaming.

Expensive hotel in Amritsar, then go to the airport, then get a flight to Delhi airport, then get to the train station, then get a train to Agra.................AAAARRRGGGG>>>>

Get an overnight train from Amritsar to Agra, think of the time saved if not the money.

tqdtla

Hi Steve,

Partner and I are Budget traveler also.

Taking a flight which will cost $17 from Delhi to Amristar on Air Deccan which takes an hour is worth it. Instead of spending $20 for a 6 hour train ride from Delhi to Amritsar.

Hotels in Amritsar goes for $40 to $60 for very nice lodging. The most expensive I’ve seen in Amritsar is around $150.

Taking a flight from Amritsar to Delhi cost $17 is also worth it rather then spending $20 for a 6 hour train ride back to Delhi

Since we will be in Delhi for one day, we can go to the train station the following day and take the express train to Agra. That’s about $11.

Now does that sound excessive to you?

steven_ber

Hello tqdtla

You've found good prices, not the same as you mentioned earlier ("$150 to $200 a night on room for 2&quot.

I'd be more concerned with all the moving about you got to do to get from Amritsar to Agra, not to mention the cost (if you include the hotel cost).

Train 8238 departs Amritsar daily at 16:10 and gets to Agra Cant at 09:35.

2-tier air con = Rs 1188


It's a hassle free way to meet locals, their standard of English will be excellent, You will likely spend the evening chatting to Punjabis, then have a good sleep, a breakfast from New Delhi station. Then the next few hours chatting to new people on your way to Agra.

When you're hassled by touts in Delhi/Agra and so on, you'd look back on the easy conversations on that train as being one of the highlights of your trip.

Hey, sometimes I'm best ignored; I just love the train journeys in India.

One hotel I'd strongly suggest though, Jasvilas in Jaipur is one of only 2 hotels (out of about 100 I've used) in India I'd highly recommend (the other being the Fairlawn in Calcutta).

Jasvilas costs about $50 for a double room, but don't just take my word
for it, there are 14 replies to the following listing, and not a bad word said.

http://www.indiamike.com/reviews/sho.../cat/33/page/3

tqdtla

Thanks Steve, i was just look at at a few hotels in Jaipur, thanks for the recomendation.

vp_singh

After going through the above posts, which indeed is interesting reading, I would suggest:
a. It is best to avoid Goa from April, when it gets very hot & humid till October, when this region faces the brunt of SW monsoons, making the beaches, an intrinsic attraction of Goa, wet & unpleasantly smelly. The weather chart before me suggests 277mm of rains in the month of September. Goa can be coalesced with the tour of South India.
b. As for your Delhi – Amritsar – Agra & Rajasthan itineraries, keep things simple. I find the outlined plans a bit disjointed, keeping in view the Americans love for luxury & comfort. A days rest in Delhi is a must, to get rid of the jet lag – 15 hours in the plane will kill you.
c. In Amritsar, stay at Mrs. T. Bhandaris guest house, 10 the cantt, run by a 95 year grand old Parsi lady & her daughters. Stay inside the main building & not in the out-houses or you shall be woken up by the auto drivers 4’oclock in the morning. You will get wonderful home cooked meals – old world charm, costing no more than $35!
d. Visit Taj Mahal early morning & linger on, to soak the ambience for an hour or so.
e. The best way to savor your holiday in Rajasthan is not by hopping by air from a to b or even by train, take a cab & add a dash of colour to your plan by going through some beautiful rural roads & by staying at off-beaten destinations, also.
f. Finally, every stone, a palace, a fort in Rajasthan has a story to tell. You must have an escort (if affordable) to take you back to those medieval times…it is like opening John Keat’s ‘magic casement’. A holiday in Rajasthan is much more then splurging in hotels & architectural tours!!
Best Wishes!