Hi all,

I recently received a tour brochure from Odysseys Unlimited which offers a two week tour of 3 cities in India - Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Apparently there are at least 3-4 night minimum in each city, with local touring from there.

Can anyone tell me if the distances between these cities are very large (or, pose challenges which would make the trek a long one). If I should decide to go on a tour like this, I'd prefer not to spend a day in between cities sitting on a tour bus.

thanks!

Two weeks is too long for just those 3 cities. You need at least 3 full days (4 nights) in Delhi if you plan to shop, 3 if you don't. You need 2 days (3 nights) in Jaipur. You do not want to stay more than 2 nights in Agra. Touring Agra involves seeing the Taj in the morning and again in the afternoon plus visits to the Agra Fort and "Baby Taj". You stop at the abandoned city of Fatephur Sikri on the way to Jaipur.

Delhi - Agra is about 2 hours by express train or 3-4 hours by car. Agra - Jaipur is 6-7 hours with the stop at Fatephur Sikri. We did not do Jaipur - Delhi but I think it is about 4-5 hours.

So the itinerary would look like this:

Day 1 arrive Delhi (usually late)
Day 2 Delhi
Day 3 Delhi
Day 4 Delhi
Day 5 Delhi - Agra
Day 6 Agra
Day 7 Agra - Jaipur via Fatephur Sikri
Day 8 Jaipur
Day 9 Jaipur
Day 10 Jaipur - Delhi - Depart Delhi (usually at night)

To make it two weeks, you could tack on Ranthambore National Park between Jaipur and Delhi or fly back and forth to Varanasi from Delhi.

I do not recommend a group tour (or any tour that involves a bus) for India. You can arrange for a private tour with your own car and driver - gives you much more flexibility. We did it through Compass Tours in Delhi - arranged it all via e-mail. There are other reputable operators mentioned on this board as well.

Craig, thank you! that is good information. if it helps, here is the actual itinerary:

Day 1: leave home.
Day 2: Arrive Delhi
Day 3: Delhi “New Delhi” .
Day 4: Delhi “Old Delhi”
Day 5: Delhi/Agra on the way, visit the S.O.S. Children’s Village
Day 6: Agra Taj Mahal
Day 7: Agra/Sikandra/Itmad-ud-daulah
Day 8: Agra/Ranthambore stop at Fatehpur Sikri, Mid-afternoon we reach Ranthambore National Park
Day 9: Ranthambore morning and evening game drives through the former hunting grounds of Maharaja of Jaipur.
Day 10: Ranthambore/Jaipur
Day 11: Jaipur
Day 12: Jaipur/Sanganer
Day 13: Jaipur/Delhi
Day 14: go home

note the first and last days are in transit, so, it's actually a 12 day trip on the ground.

thanks again.

i have not been there as of yet, but this looks like a very good tour...i agree with craig that i would prefer to do this with a private driver and guides as needed....i have priced out such a trip staying at mid-class hotels (not the top choices) and the price was about $1800 per person with no airfares....

Hi RHK

I believe they are in top hotels, I'll check the itinerary again. A friend of mine from India advised me to stay in top hotels for the most part there.

I hear ya on private drivers, definitely preferable.

FYI--my hotels were not the imperial or oberoi but the hotels just below that like oberoi maidens in delhi, taj view in agra----that general level...all perfectly nice, but not lux, hotels...

i am looking at a dec, '06 trip so only fishing at this time...

i have been getting three different quotes and all seem about the same, pricewise, but each is quite different for hotels...

We spent a week in Jaipur and it was not enough. Jaipur is fabulous for sights, shopping, food, shopping and shopping. And how could you not see Udaipur? 3 full days in Delhi is one too much. Some would say 3 too much.

I'm sorry Lyndie but Jaipur is a ripoff for shopping compared to Delhi where you did not spend much time. Maybe you had more time in Jaipur and were able to work some good deals but for us American folk that can only take 2 weeks total at a time, we don't have that luxury. Therefore, Delhi is the place to shop and spend more time.

Flygirl, that sounds reasonably close to the 12 day in-India itinerary that we did.

But we still did not spend more than 2 nights in Agra. I have never heard of SOS Children's Village. Sikadra is where Akbar's tomb is located - not a major place to go. Itmad-ud-daulah is "Baby Taj" - very worthwhile and uncrowded.

We did Ranthambore after Agra - Jaipur. Arrived at Ranthambore in time for an afternoon game drive. Not sure that Sangener is a major site. We did one day in Jaipur city - the City Palace, Palace of the Winds, Jantar Mantar and some shopping. 2nd day - Amber Fort and some shopping. Our 3 days in Delhi were Old Delhi, New Delhi and South Delhi with shopping in the late afternoons.

You can read my trip report at:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34578710

Sanganer is 11 kms from Jaipur and is where you can see paper making and block printing on textile factories. It's fabulous to buy these items, but also important to see how they are manufactured and probably more interesting for guys who get sick of the shopping. There is also the Shri Digamber Jain temple, check that out if you haven't already been to a Jain temple.

A huge advantage of working with a travel agent on a customized tour is you can idniacte what you would like to do and then ensure you ahve enopugh time and the requisite infrastructure eg cars, drivers, guides, etc to do it. EG I agree with Craig that much of the shopping in Rajasthan can be done in Delhi - indeed if you go to the recoed shops like Anokhi and Cottons they all ahve Delhi branches which are often better stocked than their Jaipur ones! BUt Lyndie is also right re Jaipur shopping being interesting - esp if you like the experience of shopping in local bazaars. On a first and short trip to India Delhi makes sense as a gateway, a shopping destination and IMO because the history of the city is fascinating. As an example our driver took us to a tomb, a Hindu temple and a Sikh gurudwara on one afternoon - seeing all 3 (and the latter 2 are functional not monuments) was a great reminder of how the religions co exist in India, how each is practiced, etc.

With all due respect to Craig, whose posts I generally enjoy, flygirl has not said what she enjoys doing while traveling. Also, I believe Craig has been to India once so far, and may not have seen all there is to see and do each place he mentions, like Delhi or Jaipur. I personally could and have spent weeks in Delhi. If you like museums, Delhi offers the largest number of them in India. While Delhi does offer some great shopping, the shopping in Jaipur is excellent (esp jewelry) if you take the time to get away from some of the main tourist trap areas and if you don’t let your driver take you to his “cousins” place. You could spend an entire day in the City Palace as it has extensive collections. You can also get to rural areas outside Jaipur that are wonderful for day trips. I think Agra is “worth” more that 2 days, glad to see Sikandar on your itinerary.

Flygirl, you have to decide what your objective is on this trip. India is a huge country with diverse things to do and see. I don’t think 2 weeks is too long to spend, although I second the idea of going to Ranthambore. However, as I have posted many times before, driving from Agra to Ranthambore is a horrible, bone-crunching drive which I have done once and would never repeat. Unless the road has been paved since 2000 (which no one has indicated here is the case) I would NOT recommend that you do it. (We thought it looked possible on the map too). I am in India (Hyderabad) today for work and don’t really have time to call up earlier posts, but if you search my name, you will see my previous postings on this subject. I would suggest going to Jaipur first and then taking the good road down to Ranthambore. I would also suggest at least 4 game drives as you can get onto different tracks and see more wildlife. You can take a train from Ranthambore to Delhi, takes about 4 hours if my memory is correct.

You have not mentioned the time of year you are going. If you are going any time other than about December to late March, then you will need to slow the schedule down as it will be quite hot and you will get less done each day.

Cicerone is quite right in her travel suggestion. IN April last year we took the train from Delhi-Sawai Madhopur, boarded 8 AM, diesmbarked noon then an hour by road to Ranthambore in time for a quick lunch then an afternoon game ride. We did 2 more game rides than drove from Rantahmbore to Jaipur - good road, 4 odd hours, one of my friends enjoyed the country side so much she took more than 100 pics en route. Jaipur to Agra then Agra back to Delhi.

We traveled Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Ranthambore - Delhi. The drive from Jaipur to Ranthambore takes about 4 hours. We took the train from Ranthambore to Delhi - 6 hours or so. 2 nights at Ranthambore will get you 4 game drives but you won't have time to visit the fort, check out the Dastkar Crafts center and Anokhi or just relax. I suggest you do 3 instead.

As Hobbes said, the countryside between Jaipur and Ranthambore is very scenic and loaded with photo opportunities - one more reason to have your own car and driver. The is also plenty to see on the Delhi - Agra and Agra - Jaipur drives.

thank you everyone for all the comments!

a little about me - I've traveled quite a fair bit, but mostly in Europe with some forays to Canada and South America (international trips that is). Several have been solo and with only two exceptions have been planned out by me.

I love Europe and (but?) it's starting to feel like a second home so it's time to branch out.

I've always had a long list of places to see but somehow always end up somewhere in Europe (not that this is a bad thing). This year I went to New Zealand and also British Columbia - not Europe. it was the trip to New Zealand that convinced me I gotta start seeing more of that part of the world! (just got back barely 6 weeks ago as a matter of fact).

so, when I go to India, first trip will be dipping my toe in the pool. I won't be able to take more than 2 weeks at a time (work - it's that place we go to pay for these things).

I got my alumni mag which highlighted this trip I outlined above. I'm not super crazy about the idea of tours, but, the two times I've used them over the years they were just fine (the only gripe in NZ was the coach rides - every other day was looong! but since I wanted to travel with that group of folks it was a small sacrifice). Hence my big question was "will I live on a coach every other day - apparently it won't be quite as much.

when I go I'm definitely planning a winter trip. this particular one is in mid February. Not sure if this is what I will select, if I jump on it, it's soon (and I have a ton of reading to start, Now) and if I decide to go somewhere else this spring, this trip will be either late 2006 or early 2007.

thanks again for the comments, either way I believe I should start learning so that when I jump on it, I'm prepped.

I have never taken a tour as I don't like organized anything, but I would say that college tours alwasy seems to me from the ones I get and ones friend and relatives ahve been on that they include good quality lecturers so if you do decide to go with a tour, one sponsored by your university is probably a good way to go.

YOu should also probably do some reading, as the tour is leaving out huge chunks of India which may interest you. One would be Varansi, which is the most holy city in India for Hindus and is quite sacred to Buddists as well. Another area would be south India, esp the beaches of Goa and the rivers of Kerala where you can live on a houseboat. There is the east coast areas south of Chennai around Pondicherry which have a French flavor and buidlings from their days as a French colony. If you like the architecture of Corbursier, you can go to Chandigar where there are about a dozen buidlings by him. Then there are the Himalaya regions like Ladkh (which are on my list) I just am on my way back from Hyderabad where I spent the afternoon in the old city and had forgotten how much history was there, and how interesting the old city was, esp as the end of Ramadan is next week and all the Muslims are out shopping for the feast day. I was the only tourist in the Chow Mallwa palace, so got the royal treatment from everyone. REally the choices are kind of endless. Don't just limit yourself to the brochure, you may find other regions interest you more. You can alays get to see the Taj and then go on the other areas.

Cicerone. You mentioned that there are good places to buy jewelry in Jaipur if one goes off the tourist track. Can you suggest any? I'm looking for a nice gold piece with perhaps some stones in it in the $100-200 range. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Craig-I agree to disagree with you. Jaipur is certainly a fabulous city for sights & shopping, if you know where to look. And I made it my business to do research for the specific stuff I wanted, prior to my trip. I wanted silver & gold jewellery with semi-precious stones, patterned & unique Rajasthani cotton quilts, beautiful block printed cotton sheets & pillow slips, curtains & soft furnishings, unique to Jaipur. Jaipur is a world-renowned destination for silver & semi-precious silver jewellery.

Unfortunately one has a greater chance of being ripped of in Delhi because many people aren't prepared to do a bit of research & find out what areas of India are renowned for what items. In Delhi you get stuff from all over India and the mark-ups are huge, especially for American tourists!

It seems that those that disagree with me on shopping in India have had a lot more time to travel there than we have. The OP said she had only two weeks. This from my experience is not enough time to do the normal touring and run all over the country looking for bargains. We did a lot of reasearch before we went but sometimes you don't always know what you like until you see it. For instance, we had no idea what the beautiful marble-inlay items we bought in Agra would look like. We did buy them however not at the place our guide wanted to go to but at a place we had researched in advance. Even with the tourist mark-up the stuff we bought in Delhi was reasonable if not cheap. The dig on American tourists being ripped off was uncalled for Lyndie. I am sure anyone of any nationality can overpay in India. We were looking for ready-made jewelry not stones or silver so there weren't any bargains for us in Jaipur. We did find some lovely pieces unique to India in Delhi. Also, after we saw them, we decided we were not intererested in the block-printed items which are a Jaipur specialty.

Lyndie. Any good suggestions regarding buying gold and semi precious stones and jewellery in Jaipur? Any trust worthy stores? Any info would be greatly appreciated. How did you go about your research?