I have been scouring Fodors, India Mike and Tripadvisor for months now. I have gone through many different itinerary possibilities and I now need the help of the knowledgeable people on this board. I am asking for suggestions and feedback on how to best use our time and ideas of how to maybe re-work the itin to make a better use of time.

I do 100% realize that this trip is VERY fast paced but we are going to go for it. I am 28 and husband is 32 so I imagine we will be exhausted but able to handle it.

I am working with a travel agent based in India that a few people on this board have used.
Day One/Dec 21 Arrive Delhi at 1:15am

Day Two/Dec 22 Delhi

Day Three/Dec 23 Delhi to Jaisalmer (Fly via JDH)

Day Four/Dec 24 Jaisalmer (Camel Safari)

Day Five/Dec 25 Jaisalmer

Day Six/Dec 26 Jaisalmer to Jodphur (Fly, Train or Drive?)

Day Seven/Dec 27 Jodpur

Day Eight/Dec 28 Drive Jophur to Udaipur (stopping at Ranakpur)

Day Nine/Dec 29 Udaipur

Day Ten/Dec 30 Udaipur to Kota/Bundi (Drive or Train?)

Day Eleven/Dec 31 Bundi (do overnight train to Agra from Kota)

Day Twelve/Jan 1 Agra

Day Thirteen/Jan 2 Agra to Varanasi (train I assume-arrive in Time for evening boat ride)

Day Fourteen/Jan 3 Varanasi

Day Fifteen/Jan 4 Varanasi to Delhi (Fly)

Day Sixteen/Jan 5 Delhi-depart at 3:05am on Jan 6

you have virtually zero time in delhi....day two you can do a few things but you won't be to bed until maybe 3AM, so how much can you do the next day??

I know you are active and can do this, but what about missed/late flights and trains?

Do you have a specific reason for going to Kota/Bundi? I wouldn't think it would be a place that you would squeeze into such a crowded itinerary, so would delete this and give yourself some more time in other spots.

I would fly from Udaipur to Varanasi. You can do this without a Delhi sleepover if you catch the Jet flight at 8 +/- in the morning to Delhi and the afternoon Kingfisher (I think) flight to Varanasi. Then take the night train to Agra and the express train to Delhi. Unless you love night trains, this will make better use of your time.

This was similar to our itinerary, except we didn't go to Bundi.
We also went to Jaipur.
however, we took lots of night trains to cut down on time and costs. Definitely not the most comfortable, but made the best use of our limited time.

I wasn't aware of flights to jaisalmer? i thought that airport shut down awhile ago and only is for military. the nearest airport is in jodhpur to my knowledge. i'd say go take the train from jaisalmer. It's only about 6 hours to jodhpur.

Also, although my trip was rushed, i feel like india was disorderly, so I didn't miss much by not staying in the big cities like Delhi for long periods. It's not much at all like europe where you can stroll. it's pretty much going to markets (which get to be the same since you are dodging peddlers) or walking through people and cars.

Overall though, i love how india still clings to their identity at least in the north. you'll enjoy it.

Just some preliminary thoughts in looking at this:

8 places in 16 days is too many. I would do 4, or 5 at the very most. Even in a place like Europe with excellent public transport and where distances are less, this itinerary would be exhausting and unpleasant. This will all be a blur to you. Slooooow down and you will enjoy the trip much more, IMO. This is not a contest to see how many places you can get to. IMO you will have a better chance of a good “experience” if you take the time to get to know a few places well, than just literally looking for a few hours at so many places.

Jodphur, Jaiselmer, Udiapur, Kota, Bundi are all good choices, but just not all at once in only 8 days. Choose 2 and really see them.

Fog in Delhi and other north India airports is an issue in December. It is heaviest between sunrise and about 10 am and then again just before sunset to 7 pm or so as temperatures are rising/falling. I would advise you to take late morning or afternoon flights, or expect delays for morning and evening flights. Of course afternoon flights will really play havoc with your proposed itin; another reason to cut down on places. I have encountered unbelievable fog in Agra in December, which even slowed the trains down, and made driving from the train station to my hotel an experience not to be forgotten (plus it took a lot longer, although it was very ethereal and beautiful).

Note that December 24, 25 and 26 are all public holidays in India, as is Jan 1. While this may not affect you tremendously, make sure all the things you want to do are open and operating.

Why do you want to be on a night train on New Year’s Eve? You could be in Udaipur at one of the romantic lake restaurants lit with candles, or in Agra at the Amarvillas for a meal even if you don’t stay there. I don’t get it. Any of the places on your itin would be better than a night train on NY Eve.

Jan 2 is a Friday and that means the Taj Mahal will be closed. Your one other day in Agra, Jan 1 there is a good chance, IMO, that the Taj will open late, as that is a public holiday and it’s the day after NY Eve. That means you may miss sunrise at the Taj, a great experience. However, if the Taj will be open on New Year’s Eve next year – a big if – that may be a great place to celebrate. You might want to rearrange your itin to be in Agra for sunrise on Dec 31 and just in case the Taj is open for NY Eve you could also go back that evening.

You seem to have left no time for Fatephur Sikri outside Agra, one of the highlights of going to Agra.

The airport in Agra recently reopened to commercial flights. Kingfisher flies into Agra now. While you could not get to Varanasi in one day because the flight times won’t work, you could do a reverse flight, i.e. from Varanasi to Agra. You may want to reverse your itin. I am not totally sure that Kingfisher would let you do this connection, as it is less than an hour, but it is very much worth asking. They are an excellent airline. You could take #334 departing Varanasi at 1:30 pm and arriving Delhi at 2: 50 pm, then connect to #2301 departing at 3:30 to Agra. Delhi domestic airport is <i>tiny</i> and the gates would literally be next to each other (there are maybe 8 gates at the terminal), so I think this connection should be possible. If possible, I would go business class, as if the Varanasi flight is late they will give you better service in making the connection, IMO. See http://www.flykingfisher.com/

The train from Agra to Varanasi takes something over 10 hours, and I believe that is the night train which is faster. The day train may be slower. You may want to confirm how long the trip is if you have plans for an evening in Varanasi. FYI, most of the activity on the river takes places at sunrise, not in evening or in the dark at night. You also don’t seem to have given yourself more than 1 day in Varanasi, which has much to offer like Sarnath. You might want to spend more time here, skip Delhi and arrange to fly back so that you can fly out on your int’l flight the same day (although spending a few hours at the Radisson hotel by the Delhi airport in between flights would be my recco).

As usual, Cicerone has great advice. It's not a question of stamina, it is a question of whether you will have time to really absorb the atmosphere of places you visit if you rush through them like this. Seems like you really want to do the camel safari, which would I think be a fun experience. I would probably skip Bundi but make time to see Ranakpur and the Jain temples there, which you can visit on a day trip from Udaipur. I liked Delhi (lots of historical sites of interest, good restaurants and shopping, a great market to wander through, and more cosmopolitan than any of the other places you are visiting) and you can easily fly between Delhi and Varanasi to save time.