First Trip To India - Thoughts As To Itinerary?
May 24th, 2010, 09:04 PM
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First Trip To India - Thoughts As To Itinerary?
Hi All -
I am a long-time Fodorite but new to the India/Asia Forum, so I apologize in advance for the many newbie/ignorant questions you will be getting from me over the next few months.
I am planning my first trip to India this December/January. I have 14 nights and will focus on the traditional Northern India/Rajasthan itinerary. My travel companion and I are pretty active travelers, but we also don't like to feel rushed. On the whole, we avoid 1-night stays and prefer to have a little time to explore the culture of the area in which we're staying. That said, we understand that there is A LOT to see in India!
So, we need help with an itinerary. Ideally, we'd like to spend time in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Varanasi. Craig recently commented that a good itinerary for a first-time visit to India would be "3 or 4 nights Delhi, 2 nights Agra, 3 nights Jaipur, 3 or 4 nights Udaipur, and 3 nights Varanasi."
Craig's itinerary sounds like a great pace for us, but it leaves out Jodhpur. So, here's my question: would you skip Jodhpur, or skip something else in favor of Jodhpur, or take a couple of nights away from somewhere else in order to experience Jodhpur? Help please!
I am a long-time Fodorite but new to the India/Asia Forum, so I apologize in advance for the many newbie/ignorant questions you will be getting from me over the next few months.
I am planning my first trip to India this December/January. I have 14 nights and will focus on the traditional Northern India/Rajasthan itinerary. My travel companion and I are pretty active travelers, but we also don't like to feel rushed. On the whole, we avoid 1-night stays and prefer to have a little time to explore the culture of the area in which we're staying. That said, we understand that there is A LOT to see in India!
So, we need help with an itinerary. Ideally, we'd like to spend time in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Varanasi. Craig recently commented that a good itinerary for a first-time visit to India would be "3 or 4 nights Delhi, 2 nights Agra, 3 nights Jaipur, 3 or 4 nights Udaipur, and 3 nights Varanasi."
Craig's itinerary sounds like a great pace for us, but it leaves out Jodhpur. So, here's my question: would you skip Jodhpur, or skip something else in favor of Jodhpur, or take a couple of nights away from somewhere else in order to experience Jodhpur? Help please!
May 24th, 2010, 09:49 PM
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Rushing up India is a big mistake, as already mentioned by all experienced travellers to this country. Intensive sightseeing, noise levels & other ground features / conditions tend to wear out, quickly. Ordinarily, 3 nights in Delhi to begin with will place you in the right sort of mood to explore further. Delhi itself has a lot to offer. But then Delhi accomodation is expensive. Varanasi could be cut down to 2 nights, for you will arrive there in the afternoon & will have enough time to explore the Ghats, later that evening. 03 nights in Udaipur should be fine. However, a night in Jodhpur, rooted as it is in the haory past, should be in order, for you can not miss the Mehrangarh fort, which is very photogenic & offers great views over the blue city, on the western side. The trick is to be in Mehrangarh in the morning, when the light conditions are good for taking some nice pictures. There are several good properties / routes to choose from as you move down towards Udaipur, after visiting the Ranakpur temples & Kumbhalgarh. An overnight in a village destination in this area will give you a feel of what actually the colourful Rajasthan is all about.
I also believe that you must put up for one night in a destination like the Samode Palace.
Very best for your plans!
I also believe that you must put up for one night in a destination like the Samode Palace.
Very best for your plans!
May 25th, 2010, 10:13 AM
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Thanks!
So here is one alternative:
3 nights Delhi
2 nights Agra
3 nights Jaipur
1 night Jodphur
3 nights Udaipur
2 nights Varanasi
As an alternative, I could take one night away from Jaipur and stay somewhere like Samode Palace.
Thoughts?
So here is one alternative:
3 nights Delhi
2 nights Agra
3 nights Jaipur
1 night Jodphur
3 nights Udaipur
2 nights Varanasi
As an alternative, I could take one night away from Jaipur and stay somewhere like Samode Palace.
Thoughts?
May 25th, 2010, 11:56 AM
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You're spending a long time on the road for a single night in Jodphur. Take the night from Jaipur and add it to Jodphur. Otherwise you won't see Jodphur at all since you'll arrive in the late afternoon and have to leave the next morning to reach Udaipur if you're stopping at Ranakpur.
May 25th, 2010, 01:01 PM
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I just came upon this thread now. We've never been to Jodhpur because we could never quite fit it in to an itinerary. If you don't like to feel rushed, you will need to cut something out. Take a look at when flights are available. There are good connections between Jaipur and Udaipur, Udaipur and Varanasi but you need to decide whether the time of day is right for you. Use kayak.com to see your options. We spent 4 nights in Udaipur but we are shoppers, which takes extra time - you will need a full day to visit Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh from Udaipur though if you are not stopping there from Jodhpur. The activities around Udaipur's City Palace will consume a full day. As for Jaipur, the Amber Fort is very impressive and takes a half day. The City Palace there is lame compared to Udaipur's - if you wanted you could limit your time in Jaipur to one full day (2 nights) and see the major attractions.
Just to complicate things a bit, we did 2 nights at Ranthambore park on our first trip to India which was a wonderful break from the chaos of the cities - if you are safari types, I would consider a stop here as an alternative to something else.
Just to complicate things a bit, we did 2 nights at Ranthambore park on our first trip to India which was a wonderful break from the chaos of the cities - if you are safari types, I would consider a stop here as an alternative to something else.
May 25th, 2010, 08:14 PM
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I agree with Craig that the City Palace in Jaipur is lame. I would cut down Delhi. I know that a lot will probably disagree with me, but I only spent two nights in Delhi and could have done with zero nights there if I had to cut down on any of the other cities. I think one full day in Jaipur is good, the fort is impressive. The fort in Jodphur is fantastic too.
May 26th, 2010, 06:37 AM
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Hey ... Delhi is a decent starting point and a good place to find your feet but there is nothing special there. May suggestion would be to go ~
Delhi - 2 nights (Find your feet)
Jaipur - 2 nights (Nice city, ride an elephant up to the fort, touristy but a must)
Pushkar - 2 nights (Relaxed and peaceful)
Jodphur - 2 nights (Personally nothing special but still a good place to visit)
Udaipur - 2 nights (Cool, relaxed city on the lake)
Ranthambore(National Park, might see a Tiger)- 2 nights
Agra - 2 nights (Not a great place to go, but still a must do for the Taj)
Varanasi - 4 nights(My favourite place in India, on the Ganges and so much to see)
This way you see lots of places, is a sensible route and not too rushed, although some of the driving distances can take awhile as indian traffic is not always great (that is putting it politely) ... Enjoy and good luck!!
Delhi - 2 nights (Find your feet)
Jaipur - 2 nights (Nice city, ride an elephant up to the fort, touristy but a must)
Pushkar - 2 nights (Relaxed and peaceful)
Jodphur - 2 nights (Personally nothing special but still a good place to visit)
Udaipur - 2 nights (Cool, relaxed city on the lake)
Ranthambore(National Park, might see a Tiger)- 2 nights
Agra - 2 nights (Not a great place to go, but still a must do for the Taj)
Varanasi - 4 nights(My favourite place in India, on the Ganges and so much to see)
This way you see lots of places, is a sensible route and not too rushed, although some of the driving distances can take awhile as indian traffic is not always great (that is putting it politely) ... Enjoy and good luck!!
May 26th, 2010, 06:59 AM
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IMHO the last thing you need to do is add places. Are you driving, except for the Udaipur to Varanasi leg? Figure out how long the drive is between your destinations. You'll see the time rapidly dwindling. Go slow.
May 26th, 2010, 07:19 AM
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Marky83 - looks great, but it's 4 more nights than I have, unfortunately.
live42day - you are not the first person that has said that about Delhi. I am torn about it, as we tend to like big cities (we loved Cairo, for example).
Marija - I would like to do a combination of driving and flying (or train travel) depending on what makes the most sense for the itinerary. There are places I'd like stop between Agra and Jaipur and between Jodhpur and Udaipur, so it seems likely that the only flights will be Udaipur/Varanasi/Delhi (or however we end up doing that combo). I really want to avoid adding places, as I feel that we're already pushing it.
live42day - you are not the first person that has said that about Delhi. I am torn about it, as we tend to like big cities (we loved Cairo, for example).
Marija - I would like to do a combination of driving and flying (or train travel) depending on what makes the most sense for the itinerary. There are places I'd like stop between Agra and Jaipur and between Jodhpur and Udaipur, so it seems likely that the only flights will be Udaipur/Varanasi/Delhi (or however we end up doing that combo). I really want to avoid adding places, as I feel that we're already pushing it.
May 26th, 2010, 02:53 PM
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Actually Delhi has its problems like pollution and horrendeous traffic but there is a ton to do there. Attractions include;
1. The Red Fort.
2. Quatab Minar.
3. Jama Masjid.
4. The aforementioned Lutus temple and Gandhi's tomb.
5. The home of Indira Gandhi which is a moving monument to her life and her tragic death.
6. Shopping in Connaught Place and if you are really adventerous try Chandi Chwok.
As for Agra besides the obvious, the Taj there is also Agra fort and Fatepur Sikri.
Pushkar relaxing??? Well for us it was like this. As soon as we got out of the cab and I took my wallet out I sensed a man coming towards me like a predator to prey. Instinctively I gripped my wallet and looked to see his narrowed eyes, the eyes of a man who had bad intentions on his mind, like robbing me. Once he saw I was on to him he veered off. Later we went to a temple and were met by a man who id'd himself as a student there who said he would give us a tour but wanted NO money. After the tour he began to argue loudly about his tip. Yes, the money he said he did not want. My BIL gave him some money but that wasn't enough and there was a scene. Then we went to temple next to the lake. A man stopped us and again said he wanted no money ("I have my own money") but wanted us to take our shoes off. OK. So then we walked towards the lake to take a pic and another man dressed like a priest began shouting and waving us off. No pics unless we gave him a donation. I took a pic or two anyway and he was not pleased but at this point I really didn't care. So I say be very careful in Pushkar.
BTW I did ride the elephant to the fort in Jaipur. Never again. Pretty boring. Actually very boring.
This is another POV and I hope it helps.
Namaste, Larry
1. The Red Fort.
2. Quatab Minar.
3. Jama Masjid.
4. The aforementioned Lutus temple and Gandhi's tomb.
5. The home of Indira Gandhi which is a moving monument to her life and her tragic death.
6. Shopping in Connaught Place and if you are really adventerous try Chandi Chwok.
As for Agra besides the obvious, the Taj there is also Agra fort and Fatepur Sikri.
Pushkar relaxing??? Well for us it was like this. As soon as we got out of the cab and I took my wallet out I sensed a man coming towards me like a predator to prey. Instinctively I gripped my wallet and looked to see his narrowed eyes, the eyes of a man who had bad intentions on his mind, like robbing me. Once he saw I was on to him he veered off. Later we went to a temple and were met by a man who id'd himself as a student there who said he would give us a tour but wanted NO money. After the tour he began to argue loudly about his tip. Yes, the money he said he did not want. My BIL gave him some money but that wasn't enough and there was a scene. Then we went to temple next to the lake. A man stopped us and again said he wanted no money ("I have my own money") but wanted us to take our shoes off. OK. So then we walked towards the lake to take a pic and another man dressed like a priest began shouting and waving us off. No pics unless we gave him a donation. I took a pic or two anyway and he was not pleased but at this point I really didn't care. So I say be very careful in Pushkar.
BTW I did ride the elephant to the fort in Jaipur. Never again. Pretty boring. Actually very boring.
This is another POV and I hope it helps.
Namaste, Larry
May 27th, 2010, 01:10 PM
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Hi Abby,
I have NOT been to India, but have spent the past few months working out our itinerary for our 17-day on the ground trip in November/December. We have selected a very similar itinerary, also didn't want to jump around, and after FINALLY resolving that we wouldn't be able to spend time in Kumaon, in the Himalayan foothills, came up with the itinerary below. (We're using Ajay at Yatrik, an agency that several Fodorites have used and recommended highly). Once we finally got the itinerary in place, several of the experienced India travellers and regular contributors to the forum commented very nicely on the pace and hotel choices, etc. I've copied it below in the hope that it may prove helpful. Good luck! Doing the research is part of the fun, we always find.
11/27--29--Delhi/The Imperial--went back and forth between it and the Shangri La, and chose The Imperial mainly because it's not a chain hotel and seems to have a very distinctive character. (I've read the many comments about saving one's splurge for the Agra Oberoi Amarvillas) but we're only staying one night in Agra and it's way too high.)
11/29--drive to Agra/ITC Mughal
11/30--drive to Jaipur/Samode Haveli
12/1, 2--Jaipur--one full free day
12/3--Jaipur/Chhatra Sagar
visit villages/settlements around area--and there's supposedly abundant bird life around the reservoir
12/4--drive to Jodhpur/ratan vilas
12/5--Jodhpur
12/6--Jodhpur/Udaipur/Leela Kempinski
12/7, 8, 9--Udaipur
12/10--Fly Udaipur/Delhi/Varanesi/Taj Nadesar Palace--two nights
12/12--Palace on the River or Palace on the Ganges or the Alka Hotel so that we have at least one night on the river--
Apparently the rooms in Palace on the River start on the 3rd floor and the restaurant is on the 6th, and my dh although quite fit isn't supposed to do a lot of stairs; there was a very specific description on Trip Advisor about this, while none of the reviews for other hotels/guesthouses on the Ganges included that information. We decided it probably wasn't a good idea to risk trying any of the hotels/guesthouses along the river for the three nights we're in Varanesi...but a one night stay should be all right.
12/13--fly to Delhi/London/New York
I have NOT been to India, but have spent the past few months working out our itinerary for our 17-day on the ground trip in November/December. We have selected a very similar itinerary, also didn't want to jump around, and after FINALLY resolving that we wouldn't be able to spend time in Kumaon, in the Himalayan foothills, came up with the itinerary below. (We're using Ajay at Yatrik, an agency that several Fodorites have used and recommended highly). Once we finally got the itinerary in place, several of the experienced India travellers and regular contributors to the forum commented very nicely on the pace and hotel choices, etc. I've copied it below in the hope that it may prove helpful. Good luck! Doing the research is part of the fun, we always find.
11/27--29--Delhi/The Imperial--went back and forth between it and the Shangri La, and chose The Imperial mainly because it's not a chain hotel and seems to have a very distinctive character. (I've read the many comments about saving one's splurge for the Agra Oberoi Amarvillas) but we're only staying one night in Agra and it's way too high.)
11/29--drive to Agra/ITC Mughal
11/30--drive to Jaipur/Samode Haveli
12/1, 2--Jaipur--one full free day
12/3--Jaipur/Chhatra Sagar
visit villages/settlements around area--and there's supposedly abundant bird life around the reservoir
12/4--drive to Jodhpur/ratan vilas
12/5--Jodhpur
12/6--Jodhpur/Udaipur/Leela Kempinski
12/7, 8, 9--Udaipur
12/10--Fly Udaipur/Delhi/Varanesi/Taj Nadesar Palace--two nights
12/12--Palace on the River or Palace on the Ganges or the Alka Hotel so that we have at least one night on the river--
Apparently the rooms in Palace on the River start on the 3rd floor and the restaurant is on the 6th, and my dh although quite fit isn't supposed to do a lot of stairs; there was a very specific description on Trip Advisor about this, while none of the reviews for other hotels/guesthouses on the Ganges included that information. We decided it probably wasn't a good idea to risk trying any of the hotels/guesthouses along the river for the three nights we're in Varanesi...but a one night stay should be all right.
12/13--fly to Delhi/London/New York
May 27th, 2010, 09:40 PM
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Ideally I would skip out Jodhpur if you are short on time because getting to Jodhpur just adds a lot to the traveling time. If you are doing Jaipur and Udaipur then you'll be fairly covering quite a bit of what Rajasthan has to offer..On my trip I did about 3 days in Delhi stayed at this Indian Luxury Hotel ITC Maurya , thoroughly enjoyed the food & shopping.. went to Agra , saw the Taj and spoilt myself silly at a spa called Kaya Kalp .. n then moved on to do Jaipur & Udaipur ..one thing that i really liked about Rajasthan was the high quality of the road network..drastically cuts down on the travel time.
May 28th, 2010, 04:01 PM
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Thanks for all the feedback!
520 - Thanks for posting your itinerary. It looks nearly identical to what I'd like to do! I too was thinking about using Ajay at Yatrik. I'm probably going to email him in the next week or so, once I've done a little more research. Did you pick the hotels, or did Ajay suggest hotels for you?
520 - Thanks for posting your itinerary. It looks nearly identical to what I'd like to do! I too was thinking about using Ajay at Yatrik. I'm probably going to email him in the next week or so, once I've done a little more research. Did you pick the hotels, or did Ajay suggest hotels for you?
May 29th, 2010, 10:56 AM
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Dreamcatcher, thanks for your mention of ITC Maurya and ITC Mughal. We have reservations (cheap-o, courtesty of Starwood Points) arrive in a few days and plan also to "spoil ourselves silly" at Kaya Kalp to recover from the long plane trips...and stay out of the midday outside temperatures!
May 30th, 2010, 09:31 PM
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Hi Abby,
Picking the hotels was a combined exercise between Ajay and me; when I first contacted him I was fairly detailed about what kind of travellers we were (mainly independent, pretty experienced, and had done both high and low)and he was very helpful in planning an interesting itinerary and giving a selection of hotels in each place. Initially I was much more focused on figuring out our itinerary than the hotels. Once we finally decided on the itinerary that would work for us, I started focusing on hotels. By this time I had read many many of the Fodorites trip reports, read Trip Adviser fairly obsessively, checked out the Rough Guide, and Eye Witness, plus India Mike and the Lonely Planet sites, and, of course, several of the regular and quite knowledgeable contributors to the India forum were helpful in their comments and feedback.
We wanted to stay in hotels that seemed right for us in terms of cost and character--and comfort and I hope our choices prove out. Above, I explain why we chose the Imperial in Delhi, and if you check out our choices on Trip Advisor, you'll get a better idea of the different hotels.
I think the only two that weren't on any of the various suggestions Ajay made were Ratan Vilas in Jodhpur and the Palace on the River in Varanesi, but Jaipur turned out to be one of the more difficult ones to work out. Samode Haveli was on the original list that Ajay sent, but for various reasons, we did go round a bit on figuring that one out. Ajay has consistently been helpful and pleasant. Some of the back and forth on the choices is all part of the process, I figure.
Hope this has been helpful. Look forward to hearing what your choices are.
Picking the hotels was a combined exercise between Ajay and me; when I first contacted him I was fairly detailed about what kind of travellers we were (mainly independent, pretty experienced, and had done both high and low)and he was very helpful in planning an interesting itinerary and giving a selection of hotels in each place. Initially I was much more focused on figuring out our itinerary than the hotels. Once we finally decided on the itinerary that would work for us, I started focusing on hotels. By this time I had read many many of the Fodorites trip reports, read Trip Adviser fairly obsessively, checked out the Rough Guide, and Eye Witness, plus India Mike and the Lonely Planet sites, and, of course, several of the regular and quite knowledgeable contributors to the India forum were helpful in their comments and feedback.
We wanted to stay in hotels that seemed right for us in terms of cost and character--and comfort and I hope our choices prove out. Above, I explain why we chose the Imperial in Delhi, and if you check out our choices on Trip Advisor, you'll get a better idea of the different hotels.
I think the only two that weren't on any of the various suggestions Ajay made were Ratan Vilas in Jodhpur and the Palace on the River in Varanesi, but Jaipur turned out to be one of the more difficult ones to work out. Samode Haveli was on the original list that Ajay sent, but for various reasons, we did go round a bit on figuring that one out. Ajay has consistently been helpful and pleasant. Some of the back and forth on the choices is all part of the process, I figure.
Hope this has been helpful. Look forward to hearing what your choices are.
