[Anogenic]

Hi!

I'm landing in India for the first time on Oct 15th and not much idea where to go or when. So please suggest me some possible itineraries!

Landing in Delhi - Oct 15th
Flying out of Bangalore to BKK, no set date. (I'm thinking mid December, but if I love India I will stay longer)

Would like to see Nepal before it gets too cold, but if it's already cold there in Oct might skip it because I am travelling around SE Asia after and don't want to have to pack for summer and winter!

Otherwise just want to experience India, a bit of everything, nature, cities, coasts. Got a friend in Mumbai and one in Chennai whom I wish to visit.

So what would your itinerary be for your first trip to India?

Thanks

[WonderWomanUSA]

Not my first trip ... but here's my rough itinerary for an 11-week trip to India:

2008 India Itinerary
Where? Maybe Why?
Kolkata Arrive & settle down
Bishnupur Terracotta temples
Murshidabad
Dhaka                w/Madhu?
Puri ? R & R, eat fish, temple
Lucknow Shop
Delhi Meet friends
Ajmer Sufi & Jain temples
Pushkar ?
Jodhpur passing through
Ranakpur Jain Temple
Udaipur ?
Ahmdedabad Calico Museum, old city
Dwarka temple, sweet town
Baroda Champaneer? Lothal?
Hyderabad Sekhar's Mom
Bidar ? Bidri work
Bijapur Badami? Muslim architecture
Aurangabad Ajanta & Ellora
Nasik Sandeep & Urmila
Hyderabad OR MUMBAI?
Mysore Belur, Halebid
Bangalore Atul & family visit
Puri R & R, Jaganath
Kolkata go home

[jyotirmoy]

This being your first trip I suggest the popular north India tour Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Delhi.
Delhi-Puri-Chennai-Bangalore

[vandy]

After Rajasthan Experience, see your friend in Mumbai, then head to Goa for a few days, train down west coast to Kerala, Explore Kerala from Cochin down
to Trivandrum,Train up to your other friend in Chennai, Then Train ( or fly ) to Bangalore.

Happy Travelling

vandy  

[jyotirmoy]

For an Indian coast experience I would still recommend Puri or Konark or Gopalpur on sea... not Goa

[cyberhippie]

Oh c'mon Jyoti Da the coast around Puri and Konark is ok but for beaches Goa beats it hands down. No question.
And Maharastra beats them both.

If you had listened to good advice you would have seen a much better goa than Baga.  

[jyotirmoy]

You know dear CH bhai I don't listen to good advice and now for you the east coast is some thing you should visit then we can talk... wonderwoman are you here?

[cyberhippie]

I've spent months in Puri and surrounds so I can compare.

I liked Puri and the people are nice too but for the beach I wouldn't bother.

Food's better in Goa too.

Go to both!!!!!!!!!  

[WonderWomanUSA]

jyotirmoy, on Sep 9 2008, 09:24 PM, said:

This being your first trip I suggest the popular north India tour Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Delhi.
Delhi-Puri-Chennai-Bangalore

That particular trip is too full of travelling foeigners for me, and I can't think of many that I would seggest it to.

[Anogenic]

Thanks for all the good advice.

I'm thinking Rajasthan, then thru Mumbai and down the west coast, then back up to Chennai (I'm actually flying out of Chennai now)

I had to book my ticket out of India to get the Visa, so now I know I have exactly 8 weeks, do I have time to first to up to Nepal for a bit?

[jyotirmoy]

If you want to see the mountains why travel all the way to Nepal? From Delhi you can go to Shimla,Manali, Nanital... so many places within easy reach.

[priya]

India's huge, as you know.  See how you get on first with your travels in India, then think about Nepal.

Have a wonderful time, and do pop in and let us know how you're doing.

[iwanttogoback]

Quote

Lucknow Shop

what's on the shopping list in lucknow wwusa?

[SHIMLA]

Hello Anogenic ! I suggest the following :

New Delhi - 3 days
Chandigarh - 2 days
Kasauli - 2 days
Shimla - 5 days
Transit to Kullu - 1 day
Kullu valley - 3 days
Manali - 5 days
Transit to Palampur - 1 day
Palampur - 2 days
D'sala and Mcleodganj - 4 days
Transit to Amritsar - 1 day
Amritsar - 2 days
Transit to Jaipur - 1 day
Jaipur - 3 days
Jaipur to Udaipur - 1 day
Udaipur - 2 days
Udaipur to Mumbai - 1 day
Mumbai - 4 days
Transit to Goa - 1 day
Goa - 6 days
Goa to Bangalore - 1 day
Bangalore and Mysore - 5 days
Bangalore to Chennai - 1 day
Chennai - 4 days

The first fortnight of your trip will be during the Diwali vacations, so ensure that your rail tickets are booked now !!

All the best !!

Edited by SHIMLA, 11 September 2008 - 08:12 PM.

[WonderWomanUSA]

iwanttogoback, on Sep 11 2008, 06:33 AM, said:

what's on the shopping list in lucknow wwusa?

Chikan-embrodered whatevers, IWTGB. Kurtas, salwar kameez, maybe even a new saree. And the bazaar there is very nice, even if no money changes hands!

[Hyderabadi]

WonderWomanUSA, on Sep 11 2008, 11:25 AM, said:

Chikan-embrodered whatevers, IWTGB. Kurtas, salwar kameez, maybe even a new saree. And the bazaar there is very nice, even if no money changes hands!

While you are in HYD, some suggestions, Bidri:

from: http://www.aptourism...rtsncrafts.html
and more suggestions in this thread for HYD shopping: http://www.gourmetin...?showtopic=4526

[Anogenic]

Thanks Shimla for the great itinerary, however this is 40+ days in the north, and only 18 days south. I'm thinking more of the opposite, like 2 weeks up north, then south for the other 6 weeks. I'm from Switzerland and I see mountains all the time, I need some beach & sun! Also I don't want to have to pack for winter conditions as I'm travelling for another 2 months after in South East Asia afterwards, does this mean I should forget the mountains in October?

Also what you said about Diwali vacations and trains... does this mean if I have nothing booked I could be stuck in Delhi for 2 weeks??? I hate that idea, but I also hate the idea of booking trains now, I'm very spontaneous hate have plans locked down ahead, this whole itinerary thing is mainly to have a guideline to follow!

[WonderWomanUSA]

Hyderabadi, on Sep 11 2008, 08:36 AM, said:

While you are in HYD, some suggestions, Bidri:

Oh, I buy bidri work every time I'm in India, and this year have Bidar on my itinerary -- I want to see someone work on this stuff!

[jyotirmoy]

Mid October is festival & holiday time so I recommend booking your long distance train tickets well in advance.
There is some thing called foreign traveller's quota, enquire at the first floor counter at New Delhi railway station, this counter is for foreign travellers.

[cyberhippie]

All good suggestions WWUSA's itinerary looks fantastic but for a first timer probably a bit complicated, As you haven't yet got your sea legs like WWUSA

My first advice would be not to get too engrossed in being in South India, it's nice and lots to see and do but the same could be said for north and central India which has IMHO a bit more visible culture and monuments than in the south, if it's temples you like then the South probably just edges the North.
Anyway both have a lot to offer.

As I said there's lots of good info on show here so I'll just throw in a few ideas to act as alternatives (there is no BEST itinerary)

So lets try this

Delhi
Nainital (Indian Holiday spot with quite a bit of charm, probably the nicest of the bigger hill stations
Almora (stay in Pappersalli/Kaser Dev above the main town, for wonderfil views to the snowcaps and a glimpse of Kumaoni mountain life)
Jageshwar (enchanting temples in gorgeous surroundings)
Kausani (small holiday resort with some of the best views of the snaowcaps I've seen hundreds of kilometer visible on the near horizon)
Rishikesh (holy town on the ganges)
Agra (for the Taj Mahal)
Bharatpur (the bird park may well be full this year as there has been good rains, go see hundreds of mating Storks, Pelicans etc etc, as well as jackals, deer, pythons and various other birds, all from yout bicycle, a rarity in India, Bharatpur is also a good base to see Deeg and the fantastic deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri)
Gwalior (hilltop Fort/Palace and the first ever recorded use of the number Zero)
Orchha (gorgeous place with ruined palaces, forts temple all set along the Betwa river a top destination)
Goa (for a well deserved break, stay in Palolem, it offer much of what the rest of Goa offers and has a train station to contnue your journey south a side trip to Hampi is also worth thinking about, the train journey is stunning)
Gokarne (sleepy little Holy town just south of Goa)
Ernakulem (for Kochin island, chinese fishing nets, synagogues, Dutch palaces and English churches, the nearbye beach of Cherrai is an easy day trip)
Backwater (gently sail through the canals and lagoons of the Keralean backwaters)
Madurai (stupendous temples and market)
Pondacherry (French baguettes and the seaside)
Mahaballipuram (seaside resort, with temples and hundreds of artisans tappng shapeless rocks into infinitely beautiful ornaments and jewelery)
Thanjavur (chola Temples)
Chennai (home)