Delhi question
 

What is a nice attraction, say 4-6 by train from Delhi? We are looking for a place to spend a couple of days? Any opinions on Chandigar? Thank you, Larry

Chandigar is interesting because it has so many Le Corbusier building, which are a rather stark contrast to traditional Indian architecture. If you don't like modern architecture, you may not find much of interest in Chandigar. It is a little bit run down and dusty with broken sidewalks in front of the magnificent buildings and the buildings themselves, IMO, are not as well-maintained as they should be (but hey with almost a billion people to take care of, they have other priorities).

I have not been to Alwar, but is reachable in under 4 hours by train from Delhi. There is a famous steam train which runs there from Delhi, the Fairy Queen, which is the oldest running steam locomotive in the world. (It appears you can take this train on a several day journey, including for tiger-viewing, take a look at http://www.luxury-train-travel-tours...iry-queen.html) Alwar is supposed to have some interesting Rajput history and architecture, and there is a lake palace at Silisher, not far away, that is supposed to be very interesting. Best of all, and this is the clincher for me, there is a brand-new Aman resort opening in Alwar in December. They may be offering great deals in January. Take a look at amanresorts.com

Varanasi is another thought, don't think you can take a train in 4 hours, but could fly in less than that time.

Firozabad is another thought (I think you go by train via Agra). Have not been there, but it is also supposed to have some interesting old architecture and it is a center for glassmaking in India. It also has a large number of Jain temples and is a pilgrimage site for Jains, which would be interesting to see, as the sect is quite small in India and not really known outside of India.

I am assuming you have ruled out Agra. I know from your other posts that you have been to Agra before, but IMO it is always worth another trip (been 3 times so far); esp to see Fatephur Sikri outside Agra (also been 3 tines so far) Also, how many days will you be in Delhi? There is quite a lot to do and see in the city, plus excellent shopping, so don't give Delhi short shrift. Beyond the obvious Red Fort, Friday Mosque, they have some excellent museums, like the Craft Museum

Wow Cicerone you need to write a travel book! That is a wealth of info and good recall too. Actually our son, now an adult wants to see the Taj again. Before he saw it as a child and had to accompany us. Now I think he wants to see it for himself so we do plan to go to Agra again. We will be in Delhi for approx. 2 weeks sandwiched by a trip to my wifes home in Raj. from which a trip to Udaipur looks promising. As for Delhi we do plan to tour a bit but as this is our 5th time to India we would like to see something a bit different. I will look into Chandigar and Alwar. Thanks for the info on that resort. It seems enticing. BTW if you don't mind me asking do you work in Asia or at least spend alot of time there? You seem to be as well versed as local. Cheers, Larry

I lived in HOng KOng for 5 years and Singapore for 5 years, and did a lot of work in India. I am very lucky that my job requires a lot of travel. I now live in Zurich and so am busy giving my opinions on the Europe board as well....

Thank you. You are a lucky man amigo. Cheers, Larry :-)

Larry, Cicerone is a woman!

OMG! I do apologize. I am blushing now.

Cicerone,
I was so pleased to see your answer on the question of Chandigar...we'll be in Delhi for about a week and my husband is already suggesting a quick trip to Chandrigar because he's very keen to see the architecture.

We just returned from a trip that included Brasilia which was absolutely fascinating and well worth the time. It's certainly one stop shopping, but you can see alot on an overnight trip as most of the interesting buildings are very centrally located.

Is Chandrigar also somewhere you can also take in in a short time? Would it be plausible to visit just for a night or two?
Again tanks for your help.

PS In case anyone is interested...I emailed the Aman people last week about the new Amanbagh resort and they said that, "All bookings from the dates 20 December 2004 till 31 January 2005 can only be on waitlist. We can only advise availability nearer the date."

Chandigar would be fine for an overnight trip. From memory, the drive from Delhi takes about 4-6 hours depending on traffic etc. You can also take a train in about 4 hours. Sorry, I stayed at a very unmemorable hotel whose name I have erased from my memory. Don' think you will find a lot of good hotels there, I just checked the Taj and Oberoi sites and they don't have anything in Chandigar. Not sure if there are any Heritage Hotels nearby. If you took a train, you could do this as a very long day trip by taking an early morning train up and a late night train back. (I personally am not crazy about Indian roads generally, and definitely not highways at night. . .)

There is a very comfortable fast train from Delhi to Chandigarh called the Shatabdi. Def the way to travel. Train travel in india IMO is more predictable than road. A little more travel you can consider Pragpur, www.judgescourt.com or Glasshouse on the Ganges - www.neemranahotels.com.

OP - if you have been to India 5 times before you must surely be better informed than most posters here?

If not, what were you up to?

Anyway - nobody yet has suggested that you go further north. One of my favourite states is Himachal Pradesh. You would have to fly - Simla has an airport I think. And it's an interesting sort of place. Or Manali - which is Brighton without the sea but could be a starting point for some wonderful places nearby. Depends how much effort you want to put into it.

Another vote, in passing, for Fatephur Sikri.

To Alice: Actually you misread dear. It was 4 times before. And as for your suggestions if you reread we are looking for train travel. Thanks anyway. As for being better informed the obvious answer is if I though so I wouldn't ask now would I? :S-

alice13,
I was born and brought up in India and believe me I do not have a fraction of the knowledge Cicerone or hobbes have or you have for that matter :)
And having been out of the counrty for the last several years, if I had questions I would come to this board.

Just a 'throwaway line' seems to have caused offence - sorry!!

Thank you Indie.

I still stay in India (Delhi) but hats off to Cicerone and Hobbes for their India knowledge. Manali - is a bit far, takse about 10 hrs by road, smallish hill station with great rave parties and the Rohtang pass is a short distance away – tho it will be snowed in. Simla / Kasauli / Kufri / Chail are all near each other (details on another thread), my recommendations will include maybe a trip to Ranthambore sanctuary (as anyway u r going that side, with maybe a night at Chokhi Dhani (a mock up village - near Jaipur) or if u like a bit of adventure combined with spiritualism, I would def recommend a trip to Rishikesh (260 kms by road - 6 hrs) and a bit of white water rafting. Here u can either stay at the ashrams in Rishikesh, in a little upmarket riverside destination like the Glass House on the Ganges or in tented accommodations on the riverside sand banks. My email address is here – write in if u want more details about any of the above – I am a regular to all these places so can fix u up with good people. Chandigarh will be on the way if u r going to Simla anyway. Chandigarh is good for at the most 2 days. No Taj or the Oberoi there : http://www.destinationindia.com/indi...ndigarh_hotels.

The road to Chandigarh is a good (atleast according to Indian standards) 4 lane highway and takes about 3 1/2 hrs, delhi border to chandigarh border. Shatabdi is a good alternative - takes 3 hrs - one leaves in the morning (7:40 am)and one leaves in the evening (5:15 pm)from delhi :
http://www.indianrail.gov.in/shatabdi_trn_list.html

he Delhi Jaipur Highway is also good (again let me stress according to Indian Standards def not like the Nashville to Smoky Mountains or New Jersey To Boston), and even the Del - Agra is good - but tends to get quite crowded. Agra is also good for just about 2 days and can be done in a day also.

http://www.destinationindia.com/india_hotels/

paste this url and then look for chandigarh from the list