We are going to India in April for 3 wks. We fly in to Mumbai where I have family. The places we want to go are as follows:
1) Jaisalmer
2) Jaipur
3) Delhi
4) Agra
5) Varanasi
6) Shimla
7) Goa
8) Cochin
9) Coimbatore
10) Andaman Islands

Is this possible? Are there places we should eliminate? If so which one(s)?
Also want to get the "Visit India" flight pass - is it better to go with JetAirways or Indian Airlines?
And how do we get from Mumbai to Jaisalmer - I think we may have to connect through Jodphur!

Any help or words or wisdom are appreciated!

Swiss, I think if you re-post with India in the title ( e.g Help needed to plan India trip ) you will get plenty of answers, often members might skip across posts unless they see something that they can help with.

I am no expert on the area though I would mention that you 'do' require a special permit to go to the Andaman islands (!), if you are planning a pass type fare for traveling around decide for certain if you want to to the Andaman islands and then check which of the airlines fly there.

With Mumbai, you have 11 cities spread all over thousands of miles. This means you have less than 2 days per city including transportation time, and in India delays are the rule!

I would trim this list by about half; maybe concentrate on the south or the north, but not both.

Jet is much nicer than Indian Air, but again, check their routss. We found many flights between cities required returning to Delhi and spending the night near the airport there.

My opinion is that's way way way too much traveling for an enjoyable trip. I've traveled to all but three of the destinations you've listed. My experience tells me the logistics involved in reaching all of them in three weeks would have you at the airport for as much time as the actual destinations.

Seattle, LA, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Florida, Tucson, Billings, Santa Fe, Cuba, Hawaii... All be possible to visit in three weeks in the US, but not recommended. In fact I think it could be argued that my fictitious US itinerary would be easier. Not trying to rant but I think a lot of people get the impression that since India is about 1/3 the size of the US it must be pretty quick and easy to get around, it ain't.

I've done the Jet Airways pass before. It worked out alright but isn't that flexible. I believe we had to list all of our destination cities at the beginning of the trip and backtracking is not allowed.

We flew Kingfisher Airlines last month on the advice from some friends in Bangalore. It's definitely better service than any other carrier we've flown in India and costs about half as much as Jet. Not that Jet isn't a fine airline. If it comes down to a more convenient flight time I don't hesitate to take Indian Airlines, the service is adequate.

As far as I know the Jaisalmer flight was an Indian Airlines route that hasn't operated since prior to Sept 11th. And it only originated from New Delhi. Jodhpur is likely to be your closest option.

Hi swiss,

I will recommended to make your itinerary as follows:
Mumbai - Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur - Jodhpur By Air
Jodhpur - Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
jaisalmer - Jodhpur-Jaipur Bu Air
Jaipur
Jaipur - Agra
Agra - Delhi
Delhi
Delhi - varanasi By air
Varanasi - Delhi By Air
Delhi - Shimla
Shimla
Shimla - Delhi
Delhi - Goa
Goa
Goa - Cochin
Cochin - Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore - Chennai
Chennai
Chennai - Andman Islands
Andman Island to Port Blair - mumbai

This is itinerary in which you can cover the palaces as you mentioned.

In my opinion it is better to make the andman island trip seperate otherweise it would be expensive and you can also get the air decan flight and get the cheapest ticket's for the tour for this sector. In my opinion you should fly with jet airways.

From Mumbai to Jodhpur you can fly but in my opinion you should not miss the Udaipur. It is also one of the best palace to visit. If you have any questions feel free to write me [email protected]

enjoy

Thanks for all of the information. It is appreciated. Think we will be eliminating Shimla and perhaps Goa since the beaches are the main attraction in the Andamans.

Would anyone recommend a car and driver from Jodphur to Jaisalmer - I believe its about a 5 hour drive.

Try to route your tickets so you fly into Mumbai and out of Delhi. Most carriers offer this facility. From Mumbai fly to Kerala, from there to Goa, then Goa to Delhi then do Agra, Varanasi, Rajasthan. I would delete Andaman and Shimla from this itineraray (though weather will be much better in Shimla than in Rajasthan!) I suggest you advise budget and start thinking about hotels ASAP. In general Indian Airliens used to have a better network than Jet though post the Jet Sahara merger this may have changed. From Delhi to Varanasi take a flight then switch to a combination of train and car for Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer.

Thanks Hobbes

Our flight tickets are already booked into and out of Mumbai. Do you suggest booking hotels from here? I heard it would be ok to do it once we arrive since April/May is not the high season.