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-   -   Please comment on our 19 day itinerary for March 2016 (https://www.fodors.com/community/asia/please-comment-on-our-19-day-itinerary-for-march-2016-a-1077982/)

robrick Nov 11th, 2015 05:24 PM

Please comment on our 19 day itinerary for March 2016
 
This is our itinerary and was wondering what you thought of it - Could it be tweaked any more? Should we miss some locations and stay longer at others? I'm open to your suggestions.

Delhi 2 Hotel City Star
Agra 1 Bansi Homestay
Jaipur 2 Dera Rawatsar
Fort Barli 1 Fort Barli
Deogarh 1 Deogarh Mahal
Udaipur 1 Ravla Khempur
Udaipur 2 Swaroop Vilas
Bera 1 Castle Bera
Jodhpur 1 Ratan Vilas
Jaisalmer 2 The Gulaal Hotel
Bikaner 1 Gajner Palace
Shekhawati 2 Alsisar Mahal
Varanasi 2 Ganpati Guesthouse

Thank you for your suggestions.

thursdaysd Nov 11th, 2015 08:24 PM

I think you are trying to see far too much. How are you getting around, and have you checked how long it will take to get from place to place? In India you will be very much happier if you travel slowly and eliminate or at least minimize one night stays. And why two different hotels in Udaipur?

CaliforniaLady Nov 11th, 2015 08:43 PM

As usual, I agree with thursdaysd. If I may be so blunt, you are going about this all wrong. You need to base yourself in a handful of well-chosen cities, based on your interests, and take day trips from there. Guides and drivers in India are ridiculously cheap, so they can take you out on an adventure for the day.

My son and I did the following itinerary on our trip. We used guides in Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Varanasi, and we used them for fascinating day trips:
4 nights Delhi
1 night Agra
3 nights Jaipur
4 nights Udaipur
3 nights Mumbai
3 nights Varanasi

See if you can cut down to 6-7 cities. I have traveled extensively independently, and I have found that an average of 3 night stays is a good pace.

julies Nov 12th, 2015 05:37 AM

When in March? About March 15 Rajasthan starts to really, really heat up.

Why are you staying two different places in Udaipur?

I'd eliminate Bikaner and Shekhawati. I've been to the later but not the former.

In your sequence Agra should be between Delhi and Varanasi.

Do Fort Barli and Deogarh offer some unique things you are trying to see?

If you start in Delhi, you can take the overnight train to Jaisalmer. Then move on to Jodphur via train and make your loop from there.

galactus Nov 15th, 2015 08:34 AM

As others have said, you are doing far too much travelling. I personally would suggest doing Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur in this timeframe. Delhi and Agra (coupled with Fatehpur Sikri) take a lot of time to cover well.

My suggestion would be to take a more relaxed pace and use the money saved to possibly upgrade your hotel choices in your chosen cities.

shreyamadhu Nov 18th, 2015 09:26 PM

Definitely seems like a lot of travel. You can have Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur as your priority, spending maximum time exploring these four cities. City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Amber Fort in Jaipur and Bagore Ki Haveli, Lake Pichhola and Sajjan Garh in Udaipur are places you should visit.

ashwinprabhakaran Nov 28th, 2015 09:41 PM

You are planning a lot of travel in a dry region during one of the hottest month of year. If you wish for palace visits like what it appears to be, then Rajastan itself is the best bet. But then I would suggest spending more days in a chosen spot, since you cannot travel around during mid-day. Also, use only air conditioned hotels for your stay.
I always suggest hill stations or the Himalayas for people who travel in India during summer :)

Aliya_Sinha Dec 1st, 2015 03:04 AM

Hey,

As julies said, the northern part of India will much hotter than south side.

You have 19 days in hand.. divide the days like: 10 days northern India.. 9 days South India.. South India has many places that could interest you like: Hill stations, Beaches and backwaters of Kerala, Temples of Tamilnadu..

I am not a go around kind of person.. I like to stay and explore. but.. i think southern parts of India too can entertain..

ChauffeurAdvisor Dec 2nd, 2015 06:24 AM

Hi Robrick,

Your itinerary and choice of hotels seems perfect to experience real India- especially culture of Rajasthan and North India. The choice of off beat small places shows you are more interested in going deeper and experience the authentic rural India meeting local population. I like the Gajner Palace for its romantic lake side location and peaceful environment also providing opportunity for bird watching.

I have two suggestions:

For itinerary, better to reverse and put Varanasi in the end along with Agra and Delhi as Shekhawati is too far from Delhi. It will also put dry region of Bikaner and Jaisalmer in the start while temperature is still cooler.

For hotels, you can also look for;
Rashmi guest house (river facing room) in Varanasi
Mandore Guest house in Jodhpur,
Green Meadow or Colonels retreat in Delhi

Hope it will help you. Feel free to ask for more assistance.

Br,
Atul BLG

robrick Dec 2nd, 2015 05:53 PM

Thank you all for your suggestions. I appreciate the assistance.

knightriders1950 Dec 28th, 2015 02:06 AM

Hi CaliforniaLady,

I feel your proposed Itinerary is perfectly alright, Only thing i would like to suggest that from Delhi go direct to Jaisalmir ( I dont know what is your mode of travel) Then Udaipur-Jaipur Agra-Varanasi( As the distance is less from Agra) then to Mumbai.

Regards

Robin Das ( from India)

robrick Mar 4th, 2016 06:56 PM

Thanks, but I wasn't asking for a new trip itinerary. I don't think you should be advertising for your company at this point.


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