Help: Two weeks in India
 

My husband and I are first time travelers to India and are looking for some suggestions on a two week initerary for the end of January.

We are flying into New Delhi and plan to stay there for two nights. From there, we plan to go to Jaipur then Udaipur for 3-4 days. Then, on to Agra (how can we miss the Taj Mahal) but I've heard there's not much else worth seeing here so are planning on only one night here.

That leaves us with about a week to spare! Should we hop a flight South to the beaches (Goa)? Any other suggestions or must-sees?

What we're looking for: we want to experience the country and the people! We've heard that travel in India is quite the experience! We have traveled in Thailand, Cambodia, Turkey, Egypt & Brazil so hope that we are somewhat prepared!

Thanks for any suggestions.

you will be prepared from past travels, at least partially...

i am planning a similar trip....i am having more days in delhi and more in jaipur....i am not going to udaipur...we will spend two nites in agra for convenience and so that we have a full day there....

at the end of my trip i am going to kathmandu for 3 days, so my trip will total 14 days as well

You may very fruitfully plan your itinerary to include 1 night in Agra, between Delhi & Jaipur. In Agra you have Taj Mahal. But you also have Fort Agra, a massive sandstone structure, seat of one of the most powerful empires the world has seen. Many a politico-cultural decision taken at this place have had a perfound impact on the Indian history & culture, so to miss it is a mistake. Continue your travel to Jaipur & stay there for atleast two nights. Now from Jaipur to Udaipur is nearly 425km by road & you will need to break your journey either at Nimaj luxury camps or Deogarh for a night. From Udaipur (2 nights), you may fly out to Mumbai on way to Goa warm beaches.
However, since you say you wish to experience India I would rather suggest that you spend your two weeks in Rajasthan. There are nth number of possible itineraries one can chose from.
Enjoy Yourself.

Again,
To experience India & it's people the best is to blend rural India, off-beaten destinations in your itinerary. That is where India lives...70%!

i agree-rajasthan is definitely the most facinating state so spend more time there and then plan to go south to Kerela-its "god's own country'a nd awesome not to miss the beaches, massages, backwaters and jungle treks etc tec..

Save the south for another time - you will need the whole two weeks for Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan. We only had 12 days and did Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Ranthambore Park. You really need 2 nights in Agra because you should see the fort - it is part of the Taj Mahal story as the king that built it was banished there by his son. Also, a visit to the "baby Taj" on the other side of the river is quite worthwhile.

I'd suggest Kerala over Goa. Does anyone else agree?

I personally think you only need one night in Agra, as long as you arrive in the AM on one day. We had a driver pick us up at 6AM in Delhi, leisurely stopped at sites along the way, and arrived at our hotel in Agra around 11AM. We showered/freshened up, ate lunch at the hotel, then went to see the fort and Taj Mahal without rushing at all. On top of it, our guide was quite talkative, but we still had plenty of time.

We stayed at the Amarvilas, and the next day, we relaxed a the hotel - watched the sunrise over the Taj Mahal from our balcony, ate breakfast with the Taj insight, relaxed at the pool, and continued staring at the Taj Mahal from our balcony - again and again.

If it fits in your budget, I highly recommend spending the extra money to stay at the Amarvilas. Last year, for us, it was a splurge (we cut down on our hotel expenses for Jaipur), but it was completely worth it!!!

I agree that if you get an early start and check in early at your hotel (preferable Amarvilas), you could do the Taj and the Fort in the afternoon, although the Taj is better when the sun is low - we saw it at sunrise - awesome. If you stop at Fatephur Sikri on the way to Jaipur it will take pretty much of the day so with only one night you would not be able to lounge around in the morning like the above poster.

We did also stop at Fatephur Sikri on the way to Jaipur, after lounging at the hotel until 3PM. Didn't feel rushed at Fatephur Sikri either. The only (slight) issue was that we arrived at Jaipur later than expected as we hit some traffic. But it was fine - we slept in the car the rest of the way...

Was happy to do it this way - early start in Jaipur the next AM - gave more time for shopping in Jaipur!

kml - it seems you pushed a bit harder than we did when you were in India. We prefer to arrive at our hotel in time for a leisurely dinner and quite frankly would not recommend long distance driving (or being driven) in India after dark both for safety reasons and the fact that there is so much to see and photograph along the way.

yes, we did have to make sure our time was well planned since we had to make it to a wedding in goa on a certain day. but again, at not one point did we feel rushed. we made it to jaipur with time to shower, and go to the taj rambagh for a nice leisurely dinner.

as for getting driven late, the last hour in the half in the dark was not in a particularly nice area to photograph anyway - city outskirts, being stuck in traffic. but i agree, closer to agra and fatephur sikri, there were great photo ops - and it was still light out!

anyway, i was just giving an opinion and an option for someone who is planning a trip. wasn't expecting to get criticized on how i planned my trip!

kml - please don't take it as criticism - it is just a friendly difference of opinion of which there are many on this board.

Don't Miss Kerala!
It's very special, a sweet and gentle place, and unlike anything else in India, particularly unlike North India.

A whirlwind Kerala trip would include a backwaters cruise, Kathakali performance and perhaps a visit to the tea plantations in Munnar or Peermede.

more Kerala photos can be seen on my blogsite:
http://www.sirensongs.blogspot.com

I would spend more time in Jaipur than just 2 days. I would spend at least 2 nights. There is lots to see and do in and around the area and the shopping is very good there. You can get out into the desert for an overnight if you want.

You probably also want to spend 2 nights in Udaipur, it would depending on when you arrive and how you are getting there. If you arrive by air in the morning and are not departing until late the next day, then maybe one night is OK. If you are driving or arriving late by air, the you might want 2 nights to justify the long drive or short first day.

I personally think that with jet lag, etc you would want 3 days in Delhi so you can just recover on one of them and maybe not do much if you do not feel like it. If you are coming from the US, you most likely will arrive at some absurd hour like 3 am and so your first day may be a bit of a wash out, or more likely you may run out of gas on your second day, just when you have to be moving on. There is a lot to see and do in Delhi. There is also good shopping here, you might consider (or be forced by international airline schedules) a last night here for last minute shopping.

I would suggest you include a trip to Ranthambore from Jaipur for wildlife viewing and, if you are very lucky, tigers. But tigers should not be a focus, just a nice bonus. There is lots of other wildlife to see, and a beautiful wild part of the country. I would plan at least one night. There are only 2 drives a day, one in the morning starting at sunrise and one starting around 2 pm. That is why 2 nights is good, you can drive down in the morning and do an afternoon ride, take 2 rides the next day, and the morning ride the next day and then head back the Jaipur. One night is OK as well if you time it right to get in as many rides as possible. Ranthambore is about 2-3 hours drive from Jaipur by good roads. You can also take a train from Delhi, or get back to Delhi from here by doing Ranthambore at the end of the trip. (Do NOT drive from Agra, bad roads). There are several hotel options to choose from, including one of the Oberoi luxury properties. In January you can stay in tented properties as the weather is so cool. Run a search for Ranthambore here for suggestions, as it is popular on this board.

Other places to consider are Jaislamer and Jodphur, both more off the more usual tourist track of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur.

For something completely different, consider Varanasi, which is a short flight from Delhi and is the most holy site for Hindus and probably the second or third most holy for Buddhists so you can see a lot in a short trip. If you really want to experience the "country and the people" then IMO you have to go to Varanasi because this is where about 800 million Indians eventually want to be and spiritually are every day. . . . In the winter when flying out of Delhi, try to take late morning or afternoon flights if possible to avoid fog delays.

If you have any interest in modern architecture, specifically Le Corbusier, then a trip up to Chandigarh from Delhi would be required. As you can see from these brief comments, 2 weeks just in northern India alone is not enough.

I agree that Goa and Kerala would be lovely as well. This is a hard decision as you would be shortchanging yourself IMO a bit in Rajasthan to include the beach areas on this trip. If you can add a few days t your 2 weeks you might be able to add some beach time.

On the Goa / Kerala issue - I would definitely choose Kerala if you decide to fly South to the beaches. Have just returned from Goa and frankly I was disappointed - the beaches may have been beautiful once, but they have been completely spoiled by tourism. Palolem in South Goa, described by travel guides as a picture perfect beach is lined with dirty beach accommodation, shacks and you can't walk a few feet without someone on your case selling something you don't want. We did however find one magical hotel in the far North called Fort Tirakol - original fort which has been turned into heritage hotel with amazing views of coastline from its elevated position and fabulous chic rooms. Inside the fort is a small church which the locals still use for mass. Its not on the beach which is a short drive away. Really a place for completely chilling - no night life or much nearby.

Kerala on the other hand is fabulous - the beaches are pristine and quiet - we stayed at Marari Beach which was close enough to Cochin for sightseeing. The backwaters are also a great attraction here - a couple of nights on a rice barge cruising the backwaters is an experience I won't forget. I also enjoyed the food in Kerala much more than in Goa.

This is a hard one. You could go south - Kerala is wonderful - but you could go to so many other places and leave the south for another time and spend a while in Tamil Nadu when you do, which is just as fascinating IMO as Rajasthan! It's just that everyone goes to R. And on a third trip you could go to Himachal Pradesh - quite another world with snow capped mountains, deep river valleys, wildflowers and small towns with small scale palaces and forts quite unlike anything anywhere else. It's still India.

But for a first trip must see - Varanasi would be my pick - perhaps by train? Maybe spend a little more time in each place you have already nominated. I guess you will have a driver so you could also stop at Mt Abu to see the sublime Jain temples there.

Or - I said this was hard - go a little more slowly thru the itinerary you have - and fly of to a beach for 4 days.
Depends how badly you need that beach break.

The Taj at sunrise is a must.

We just returned from our three week trip to India and Pakistan. Without a doubt...Goa is a Go! We spent only three nights there and it seems to be a place where people spend at least three weeks. Next time (and there will be a next time) I will spend more time there. We stayed at a small place called Lagoona Anjuna on Anjuna beach. It was recommnended in Fodors, and we would recommned it as well. It is inexpensive and the setting if very tropical. While there be sure to stop at Looda's cafe on the beach, eat Tiger prawns and watch the sunset over the Arabian Sea

WE've done India twice..Both with a tour company called Imaginative Traveller..First time to Rajasthan/Varanasi (which was amazing)and just last month to Kerala.I absolutely loved both..But they are like night and day..Spending a week in Kerala after hectic Rajasthan would be great because it is so laid back..And people are so friendly..And it is gorgeous..
We are now planning a 2 week trip to Goa for March..as we met someone when we were in Kerala and are going to visit them..Maxtia, I am going to check out the hotel you stayed at, anything else you can tell me about Goa??

I empathise with lyall's assessment of the Goan beaches. It saddens me intensely to say this, but Goan beaches today can be encapsulated in a few words: touts, hawkers, gawkers, litter and assorted con artists. I remember the days of my youth in Goa in the 1970s and 1980s - the days of virgin, wholesome beaches. True, the hippie bums had arrived by the early 1970s, but they had adopted only a few remote beaches as their redoubt.

Having said that, Goa is still a very desirable destination. Compared to the rest of India, it enjoys a very comfortable lifestyle and a relaxed ambience. There are still many off-the-beaten-track areas of great beauty. And if you love fish, I don't think there is a better place on the planet (with due respect to all the lobster lovers from Maine).

The woes of Goa that lyall alludes to are symptomatic of all India. Outside of the 5-star ambit, tourism in a country like India attracts the coarser elements of Indian society. Courtesy, manners and grace are foreign to these aggressive hustlers and after a while it gets on one's nerves. A white Western tourist is a prime target - partly due to the average Indian's inferiority complex vis-a-vis the white man and partly because they know that the white man can be made to part with his dollars with far less effort than a comparably equipped Indian.

Barring divine intervention, India is going to be a less desirable tourist destination in, say, 15 years. Make the best of it while you still can!