Places to Visit in India

Delhi

Culturally and historically rich modern capital city with numerous world heritage sites to visit.

Udaipur  

Arguably the most romantic city in India, with ornate Rajput palaces floating in the middle of two shimmering lakes.

Bandhavgarh National Park  

Deep in the eastern tracts of Madhya Pradesh, this park is rich in animal and birdlife, including tigers and leopards.

Konark  

A colossal thirteenth-century temple, buried under sand until its rediscovery by the British.

Gokarna  

The beautiful beaches on the edge of this temple town are popular with budget travellers fleeing the commercialism of nearby Goa.

Taj Mahal  

Simply the world’s greatest building: Shah Jahan’s monument to love fully lives up to all expectations.

 Kochi  

This atmospheric harbourside is strung with elegant Chinese fishing nets.

Tikse  

The most architecturally impressive of the many dramatic monasteries within striking distance of Leh.

Vanarasi

City of Light, founded by Shiva, where the bathing ghats beside the Ganges teem with pilgrims.

Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur

The epitome of Rajput power and extravagance, its ramparts towering above a labyrinthine, blue-painted old city.

Amritsar  

The largest city in Punjab, and site of the fabled Golden Temple, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine.

Rajasthan

The teeming bazaars of the Pink City in Jaipur burst with vibrant cloth, jewellery, Persian-style pottery and semiprecious stones. Simply the best place to shop in the Subcontinent.

Gangotri  

An atmospheric village on the Ganges that serves as a base for the trek into the heart of the Hindu faith – Gomukh, the source of the Ganges.

Jaisalmer  

Honey-coloured citadel, emerging from the sands of the Thar Desert.

Palolem  

Exquisite crescent-shaped beach in Goa’s relaxed south, famous for its dolphins and local alcoholic spirit, feni.

Kolkata

Durga Puja at Kolkata held in September or October, when every street and village erects a shrine to the goddess Durga. Kolkata (Calcutta) has the most lavish festivities.

Manali–Leh Highway

India’s epic Himalayan road trip, along the second highest highway in the world, is the most popular approach to Ladakh, and revered by motorbikers, cyclists and drivers alike.

Dharamsala  

Perched on the edge of the Himalayas, this is the home of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan Buddhism in exile.

Madurai  

Definitive south Indian city, centred on a spectacular medieval temple.

Kerela

Lazy boat trips wind through the lush tropical waterways of India’s deep south

Fatehpur Sikri

The Mughal emperor Akbar’s elegant palace complex now lies deserted on a ridge near Agra, but remains one of India’s architectural masterpieces.