Delhi-based: First time in India, tiny bit of free time, seeking advice

sqrlgrl

OK,coming to India for 12 days only, feels short for a country I've never been to - and India of all, a dream for me. My husband has a conference and I will be meeting with some Fair Trade producers while there for my own business. We are staying at a private apartment in Pancscheel Park with a car & driver.

I am female & will find myself alone most of the time. I have been to Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Peru, Spain, Greece, Italy, lots of places. Am I going to be able to deal with India? It's been a loooong time since I've traveled - I am tall, red hair, hard to blend in. I really want to be able to visit some markets & check out some stuff but am not going to have fun if I am harassed the whole time. Any advise on what I can expect, anything I can do, any place I absolutely should not go? Places I should go? I love gardens, beautiful buildings, colors textures

My husband and I will have 3 days (ONLY! ah, the days when I had months to explore a place like India.....) after his work ends to ourselves. We never have that. What should we do? We are the kind of people who go to music festivals for vacation, camp with our little kids, stay in rental apartments over hotels....
He wants to see the Taj Mahal. Is that the best thing to do, our first time in India, with 3 days based from Delhi?

I LOVE the idea of something along the lines of Kerala Tree Houses (too far of course), some cool place to stay/thing to see that you can't find anywhere. Ideas??? Don't mind traveling 1/2 day one way to get somewhere special.

thanks!

machadinha

Who's to say, but I reckon: Yes

Oh & welcome to IndiaMike. No real advice, others will.

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shashank.aggarwal

when are you planning to come ?? I am sure you can get along just fine..

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ronsaik

The Taj (and Fatehpur Sikri) are certainly worth seeing. But there's more to India than Agra.

Since you love the idea of tree houses, one option would be to fly down to Khajuraho, see the temples there, and spend a couple of days at the Ken River Lodge on the fringes of the Panna National Park. KRL have a tree house restaurant...i suppose that would come close :-)
KRL apparently organise a night safari as well. Different and fun.

Amalfi

Panchsheel Park is one of the poshest and greenest areas of Delhi. You will love it there and with a car and driver , you would be safe from the touts and autorickshaws and can explore Delhi at your leisure without the harrasment. Since you have 12 days at your disposal , enjoy at your pace.

The monuments to visit in Delhi –
Humayun’s Tomb , Qutub Minar and Red Fort – All world heritage sites

Lotus Temple – Marble lotus shaped place of worship for Bahais

Akshardham Temple – Largest temple complex in the world as awarded by Guiness Book
Jama Masjid – Largest mosque in India

India Gate / Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace) – They now have a public ceremonial change of guards every morning on Saturdays at 10 am (pls check)

Shopping -
Dilli Haat – A bazaar setting with craftsmen and artifacts from all around India as also restaurants of all available cuisines in India.

Connaught Place – The heart of Delhi . It is a circular market about a roundabout. The buildings are old British Victorian style. Adjoining are Janpath Market( For Ethnic tid bits ) and Cottage Industries Emporium opp it ( for Handicrafts )

Hauz Khas Village – Just a stone’s throw away from Panchsheel Park. This is the place for designer boutigues and small shops for ethnicwear , curios and handicrafts.

Select City Walk , Saket– This is the latest and best shopping Mall in Delhi 1 km from Pansheel Park. You can catch a movie at PVR City Walk in the same complex.

Parks and Gardens :
Lodhi Garden – A tranquil heaven in the heart of the city with landscaped lawns scattered with ruins.
Mughal Gardens – If you are there in feb , you can visit them . These are the Presidential Gardens designed in traditional Mughal style.

For a first timer to India , most certainly Taj Mahal ( 2 hrs by train) will have to be the top short excursion from Delhi. All other places , you will waste most of the 3 days traveling to and fro .

brownboy66

Welcome to IM!

so is the Taj Mahal worth it? You bet - photo's do not do it justice - especially early in the morning when the sun is rising. If you were to do a day trip by car (leave at some ungodly hour in the morning) - get to the Taj in time for sunrise - spend a hour or so there - find somewhere for breakfast (plenty of hotels where you can do that) - you'll have the rest of the day to see maybe the Agra fort (much more impressive/ bigger than the red fort in Delhi), or you could go to Fatehpur Sikri. You could try to do both - but that would be a long day indeed before getting back to Delhi.

In Delhi - if you like markets there are plenty to choose from - or/ and do a rickshaw tour around old Delhi (that's worth a couple of hours one morning). Both the ride and shops are an eye opening experience (or eyes tightly shut depending on the other traffic around you). Ummm.....Humayun's tomb is great if you like gardens, history, water canals, and wow - is it quiet and empty (again - you could easily spend a couple of hours there)! The history of the place is well written up too. Hard to believe its in the middle of Delhi.

ummm....what else....Delhi folks, what am I missing?

(opps - crossposted with amalfi's very comprehensive list)

shashank.aggarwal

Don't worry BB Bhai, you are yet to attend a meetup...once you do that and meet Jyoti dada and other veterans...I am sure you will be hooked to Delhi much more than you are now..

You suddenly will discover that Delhi is one of the most under-rated tourist cities in India and may be world..

Let JyotiDa wake some Djinns for you..

sqrlgrl

Thanks everyone for the great advice from my original post. We are leaving next week and I still have 2 nights unplanned. We are in New Delhi for a little more than a week, and then I have booked us one night at the Taj Mahal. This leaves us with 2 nights at the end. Where should we go? Should we go back to Delhi, maybe stay in a different part of the city? Preferably, are there any really neat little towns or villages outside Delhi that would be nice to stay for 1 or 2 nights? We'll need someplace with good transportation options back to the airport. All advice is welcome! Thank you so much!

machadinha

This series I've never used, but it comes well-recommended: http://www.outlooktraveller.com/bookdetail.aspx?id=5

Alternatively, I suppose looking around IndiaMike some more should be helpful.

iwanttogoback

sounds like a meet up with some of the IM regulars is in order!

i'd add to all the votes for the taj - it is definitely worth seeing, and as has been pointed out, can be done in a day.

machadinha

You mean New Delhi Meetups ?

iwanttogoback

seems to be a way of life for delhi members these days.

brownboy66

I'll drink to that!

shashank.aggarwal

And what a way it has been !!

jyotirmoy

A night at Neemrana fort is recommended.
Watch the light & sound show at Red Fort one evening.