The world’s second-largest nation has bustling cities, ancient ruins, enormous mountains, and much more. There are fascinating cultures, towering temples, delicious cuisines, and beautiful natural sites.
India is a beautiful and fascinating place, but it can be difficult to travel there. Be sure to arrange your travel through local guides; if you don’t book a prepackaged trip or design your trip with an agency, you’ll want to coordinate with locals in each city to arrange transportation (you don’t want to drive in India) and tours.
Itineraries
See
Ellora Caves
The Ellora Caves are a complex of rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monasteries and temples. The Kailasha temple is the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world. They’re stunning and beautiful.
Mehrangarh Fort
Rising out of a 400 foot high rock the “Majestic Fort” was described by Kipling as “the creation of angels, fairies, and giants” and is the most impressive of Rajastan’s many forts. The non nonsense ramparts protect richly decorated apartments within. The outstanding museum within the firsts includes lavishly decorated royal apartments. The fort was […]
Amer Fort
Set high on a hill above Jaipur, Amer Fort is a massive and beautiful fortress with huge ramparts, winding paths, and a hall of mirrors based on Versailles’s. It’s a must-see if you travel to this part of India. If you like, you can ride an elephant up the long path to the fortress.
Taj Mahal
It’s creator Emperor Shah Jahan, said of the Taj Mahal, “It made the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.” Sure enough, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful places in the world, not to mention one of those once-in-a-lifetime bucket list places. Should you make the trip to Agra to […]
Udaipur City Palace
This is the largest palace in Rajasthan, a land known for massive palaces. It covers 2 acres. It is actually an interconnection of several palaces, added to over the centuries by 22 Maharajas. Much of it is now a museum and parts of it are luxury hotels
Meenakshi Temple
This amazing temple covers 14 acres of central Madurai. The current structure was built in the 1600’s but there has been a temple here for 2000 years. The outside is covered with a riot of multicolored images of gods, goddesses, animals, and mythical figures. Enter one of the four entrances (leave your shoes at the […]
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Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is a site featuring astronomical observatories built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, the oldest of which date to 1724. Singh II was a remarkable mathematician and astronomer and a talented ruler, and he was said to speak seventeen languages. If you’re interested in science and history, you should stop by.
Agra Fort
A massive, beautiful fortress built primarily from red sandstone. The Mughal emperor Akbar rebuilt the fort in the mid-1500s; 4,000 laborers worked on the fortress for eight years, finally finishing it in 1573.
Dhamekh Stupa
A Buddhist stupa (though the structure actually began as a pre-Buddhist tumuli) said to mark the site where the Buddha gave the first sermon to his first five brahmin disciples after he attained enlightenment.
Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves are a complex of twelve rock-carved Buddhist shrines dating from the second century BCE to the fifth century CE. They’re beautiful and impressively cut from the side of a hill, and they’re a must-see if you’re in this part of India.
Fatehpur Sikri
Fatehpur Sikri is a city conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar, and it served as his capital from 1571 to 1585. Akbar did much to redesign the city; it’s a beautiful, opulent place constructed mostly from red sandstone. It’s well worth the stop on the route from Jaipur to Agra.
Humayun’s Tomb
Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor. His tomb is an awe-inspiring structure of red sandstone and white marble, the tomb itself is a massive building at the center of a beautiful, sprawling garden. Humayun’s tomb was so grandiose that it even included a separate building that was the tomb for the emperor’s barber.
Bibi Ka Maqbara
Prince Azam Shah, Aurangzeb’s eldest son, built Bibi Ka Maqbara (known as the “mini Taj Mahal”) in the late 1600s as a tribute to his mother. Originally intended to rival the Taj itself, Azam Shah was forced to curb his ambitions due to budgetary constraints. Today it remains a beautiful marble monument with grassy, well-kept […]
Elephanta Island
From the tip of the Mumbai peninsula take an hour boat ride to nearby Elephanta Island where you will visit Buddhist and Hindu rock cut cave temples. While you can see more impressive caves near Aurangabad, these will certainly impress you on your first exposure to India. The caves are about a km walk from […]
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid is the main mosque in Old Delhi. At the behest of India’s fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, construction of the mosque began in 1650. It was completed six years later. Built mostly of red sandstone, the mosque has a massive courtyard and the building itself boasts three huge domes.
Qutub Minar
Qutub Minar is, at 240-foot (73m), the tallest minaret in India. It was built built by Qutab-ud-din Aibak after defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu kingdom in 1192. The tower and the surrounding building and grounds are incredibly beautiful. Given that it was erected almost a millennium ago, Qutub Minar is a remarkable architectural feat.
Archaeological Museum Sarnath
Fascinating archaeological museum featuring artifacts excavated at Sarnath dating to the third century BCE.
Umaid Bhavan Palace
This immense palace was built in 1929 and is a prime example of the opulence of the Indian Raj’s. It has lavishly decorated reception halls, 347 rooms, a vast underground swimming pool, eight dining halls, and is now a luxury hotel in part of it and the residence of the grandson of the Maharaja who […]
Eravikulam National Park
At the top of the mountains in the tea region of Munnar lies this national park where you can take some ice walks through the natural landscape
Devgiri Daulatabad Fort
Daulatabad, also known as Devgiri, is a fortress dating to the fourteenth century. It’s an incredible, multi-level defense system. The fortress has a main entrance at the base of a hill. Within the thick, tall walls is a mosque, a reservoir, and a citadel with dark, winding, bat-infested passages that provide the only access to […]
India Gate
A huge arch modeled after the Arc de Triomphe built by the British to memorialize Indian soldiers who died in World War I.
Do
Ganges Sunrise Boat Ride
Grab a boat in Varanasi early in the morning to see a beautiful sunrise in one of India’s most picturesque locations.
Old Delhi Rickshaw Ride
Take a rickshaw through Old Delhi to see the sights and get the feel of the old part of the city.
Varanasi Evening Prayer
See Varanasi in all of its genuineness, including the dirt and decay. But if you brave the less pleasant parts of the city, you’ll be rewarded by getting to witness an incredible ceremony of prayers, incense, and fire.