briar10016

Hi,

We are traveling India for the first time this coming July. We know that this is a horrible time to visit, monsoon & intense heat, however we have no choice since we will be attending a friend's wedding in Trichy. For our visit, we are planning to stay five nights in Delhi and two nights in Agra. We'll then fly to Trichy for the last week of our trip.

Is this too much time in New Delhi? I didn't want to overbook our schedule with a lot of cities, due to the heat.

We will be staying in the Oberoi for both Agra and Delhi.

I've been reading posts in this forum, and reviews of the hotels, and the Oberoi seems to rank highly with everyone.

Is two nights in Agra too much? I've read that some people only stay there for one day.

Does anyone have recommendations for what to do in or around Trichy?

Any recommendations or advice will be appreciated. Also any advice on how to deal with the heat & monsoon will be helpful.

Thanks!

h2babe

Are you going to Taj when you are in Agra? How will you be getting to Agra from Delhi? The car ride is about 4-5 hrs so this will be too much to be done in one day, in my personal opinion. General advice would be - always drink bottled water, stay away from raw veggies, take your malaria pills, and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. And sunscreen!!

waynehazle

2 nights in Agra is needed.
there is more than just the Taj.
Fatehpur Sikr is a must see, as is the Agra Fort.
Baby Taj also recommended.

briar10016

Actually, we are planning to take the train from Agra to Delhi in the morning.

We will be visiting the Taj Mahal, of course, and also hopefully the Fatehpur Sikri on the second day.

Is a day trip to Fatehpur Sikri feasible? We're hoping to head out from Agra early in the morning to see Fatehpur Sikri, and come back to Agra for the evening.

Thanks for y'all advice!

thursdaysd

Yes, the day trip is feasible. Suggest getting up early and going to the bird sanctuary at Bharatpur first.

sgbargyle

I've traveled extensively in hot July in India. If you like to shop, five days in Delhi isn't too much because of the emporiums. Go to Connaugt Circle it is a neat area to just walk around in. Not sure where you are going for the wedding, is this South India? We traveled with 3 kids ages 5, 8 and 11. We took nuts, granola bars, crackers, oranges, bananas, bottled water and ate them while we traveled and then always make sure that when you eat that the food is steaming. On the road eat fried food if you need to. These things will keep you "safe". But then we all explored the wonderful tastes of India and had our share of trouble for it but it was SOOOO worth it.

briar10016

Thank you for all your advice. Perusing everyone's report on their India vacation, and reading everyone's advice has been extremely useful.

briar10016

From what I've read, getting an airport pickup from the airport is recommended. We are not traveling through a travel agent or tour group, so we're arranging for all the hotel, transport etc.

Would arranging an airport pickup for when we arrive in New Delhi be recommended?

Secondly, we called our hotel, and according to them, an airport transport costs 3,250 INR one way, which seems incredibly expensive.

Is this the going rate? Is there a different option?

My concern is that we'll be arriving in the evening, around 9 PM, and might be tired. It wouldn't exactly be pleasant to be haggling the first second we arrive in India.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

mush

3250 INR for a airport transfer seems ridiculous. It should cost less than that to go from Delhi to Agra, which is several hundred kilometers away! You will be better off taking a taxi to the hotel from the airport. You dont need to worry about haggling, you can go with a pre-paid taxi option. See this link for some discussion on that: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel...axis-BR-1.html

You may want to think about what you will do in Delhi for 5 days. I would suggest flying out to Varanasi for a day or two, it is just a couple of hours by flight.

sgbargyle

Varanasi is actually an excellent suggestion, or Amritsar for the golden temple, but that is more of a one day thing, Varanasi has lots to see and there is also nearby Sarnath where Bhudda sat under the Banyan tree and received englightenment. I found Sarnath beautiful, the temple intriquing, the grounds quiet, clean and the nearby village had people making sarees on their looms while wathcing tv! Varanasi is an incredible experience but it is narrow alleyways, lots of commotion, gorgeous temples everywhere, you certainly get the impression of one of the oldest cities in the world!

While in Delhi try to see the lotus temple. This is a peaceful, beautiful temple of white marble I believe, in the shape of a lotus.

Wonderful, incredible India!

abi_maha

Also I don't think July will see monsoons in Trichy or TN, in these parts the heat is best combatted with an umbrella and white cotton/linen clothes that fully cover you to avoid sun burn. Would also recommend prickly heat powder to avoid rashes. Drink plenty of tender coconut water that is available every where.

abi_maha

Hi briar10016,
Am from India and can I believe definitely give you some suggestions, 5 days in Delhi is a little too much. However let me list out the things to do while there:
Airport transfer should not cost more than Rs 750, no matter where in Delhi ypu may want to go. There are govt operated taxi pre-paid offices in the airport, book from there (though you may stand in the queue for 20 mins).
You have to see Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Stroll around the India gate in the evening when you will also see the parliament house and foreign embassies around it (if it interests you). The lotus temple is also on the way to the Qutub Minar, it is a very beautiful temple. On the wya back from the same stop at Delhi Haat fr some shopping, however a visit to the flea market of Janpad and Sarojini nagar is a must. You can pick some clothes and jewelry for as little as 100 Rs!
Oberoi is the best place to stay in my opinion too, however recent reports suggest it is a little run down.However if they book your cabs for you the charges will be sky high!
One day trip to agra is actually quite enough, however in this weather it may be a little too taxing in my opnion, so you can stay the night and then leave the next day to Fatehpur sikhri.
You could consider shortening your Delhi trip and consider a trip to Mussoorie- a hill station that is the gateway to Gangotri(origin of Ganga). Check this link for more info on the same. http://www.geocities.com/visituttara...howtoreach.htm

abi_maha

Varanasi is a piligrimage center, it is bound to be very crowded and I don't know if the site of cremation and burial rites will interest you....however read up on the same before you decide.
Now Trichy, I am a tamilian so I can throw some insight on what is do-able here. There is a ganesh temple on a small hillock that you can visit while in Trichy, but it will be hot! Madurai is another temple town around Trichy. Check http://www.madurai.com/access.htm
The heat will get to you,so pls travel around in A/c cabs and carry loads of bottled water.

Nywoman

Hi,
2 days in Agra is not too much.
If you take the morning train which is very pleasant you can check in to the hotel, may be see Baby Taj, and the Red Fort and hit the Taj Mahal as the sun sets. Get up at the crack of dawn see it as the sun rises then hire a driver to go to Fahtepur Sikr. Yes it is doable in one day.

The bird sanctuary at Bahratpur is an early morning excursion and if there have been rains a wonderful experience. It is nice even when dry. Make sure you get a guide who can point out all the different birds.

Enjoy and drink lots of water

gshah18

If its your first time visiting the Taj, I actually recommend seeing it twice. First, go for sunrise, when crowds are much less, and do it with a guide so you understand the history and some of the intracacies. Then, go back in the afternoon when the sun is hitting it differently and explore on your own at your own pace. There will be a lot more people now - so to get away from it, take the row boat across the Jamuna river and see the Taj from the back.

In the afternoon, you can visit Agra Fort or just relax out of the heat at your hotel.

On your second day, get up very early and go to Bharatpur, although in July I'm not sure how many birds will be there. Afterwards, you can visit Fatehpur Sikhri and be back in Agra in the late afternoon.