19 day trip in february - delhi/agra/rajasthan/varanasi/darjeeling?

Hey folks -

I am traveling to India for 19 days in February, and am trying to figure out the best itinerary. It will be my first time in India, and I'll be traveling solo. I fly in and out of Delhi. Here is what I have been thinking so far. Please let me know what changes you would recommend. I am aiming for low budget travel, and overnight trains where possible or practical. Also, I want to give myself a few days in Delhi on each end of the trip to get suits/shirts tailored. Thanks for your help!

day 1 (feb 13) - arrive in Delhi at midnight, sleep, explore delhi
day 2 (feb 14) - delhi
day 3 (feb 15) - early morning train to agra - evening train to jaipur
day 4 (feb 16) - jaipur
day 5 (feb 17) - jaipur - night train to jodhpur
day 6 (feb 18) - jodhpur
day 7 (feb 19) - jodhpur - leave at night
day 8 (feb 20) - all day train - jodhpur to varanasi
day 9 (feb 21) - varanasi
day 10 (feb 22) - varanasi
day 11 (feb 23) - varanasi
day 12 (feb 24) - train - varanasi to darjeeling
day 13 (feb 25) - darjeeling
day 14 (feb 26) - darjeeling
day 15 (feb 27) - darjeeling
day 16 (feb 28) - train - darjeeling to delhi
day 17 (feb 29) - train darjeeling to delhi
day 18 (mar 1) - delhi
day 19 (mar 2) - delhi
day 20 (mar 3) - fly home (leave 2:45 am)

Looks doable I guess. No real further comments. Except for welcome to IndiaMike

I guess I should have been more specific about the feedback I was looking for. Is is it worth going to Jodhpur, or would Udaipur be a better choice? Also, is Darjeeling worth the trek? (I was thinking about Kathmandu as an alternative) Or, would it be worth it to eliminate one of the stops altogether, so that I can spend more time in any given city? Thanks for any advice.

Jeremy

This is all highly personal of course. However, if to change anything, I'd allot more time to Agra (never been) and less to Jaipur.

What I hear about Agra is seeing its sights + nearby Fatehpur Sikri which seems to be highly recommended should take about 1.5-2 days. No one seems to rave about the city as a place to stay in in any other sense (congested and heavy touting, they say), so I guess that suffices.

Jaipur is obviously famous for its sights; other than that, it's also notorious for its heavy touting again and generally being very hectic and congested. While some report really liking it, many would concur with me that they didn't (however, I more or less accidentally ended up there en route to somewhere else, which won't have improved my impression). So if you ask me I'd check out the sights you want to see there then move on.

Jodhpur is really really worth it, I and many others would say (others obviously don't). Seeing its magnificent fort and just strolling around its bazaar (touts alert again, it's nice though) & absorbing city life would easily merit two days at least I think. If you've been put off by your three earlier very busy cities, but trusting you've persisted this far regardless, this isn't exactly a small country town, but it's still a good place to unwind with a cup of tea on the curb and just watching life pass by (I think, or thought at the time, rather -- that is to say it may have exploded by now, but reports here seem to indicate it's still fairly laid-back, as far as biggish cities go).

Udaipur is quite romantic, I also found it very touristed though, but many seem to really like it. It's also not that splendidly connected; on your trip, I'd say Jodhpur would probably be easier. You'll also see some palaces (which Udaipur offers more of) in Jaipur already I think, while Jodhpur will again give you its fort. A sidetrip from Jaipur to its nearby Amber Fort can be worth it btw; I only saw it from the outside, but it's pretty.

Darjeeling is obviously a long ride to and back, however you seem to have planned it in well with plenty of time, I'd say this is doable, and may be well worth it. I'd also say breaking the journey there in Varanasi, where you again seem to have allotted enough time to experience the city, is a good idea and worth it. So you're stuck with that one long ride back, no biggie, and part of the India experience. One thing about Darjeeling: If the chances of fog are high around that time, this will greatly diminish the experience. I can't tell you, maybe others can. If so, you might want to look into some mountains destination closer to Delhi (Himachal Pradesh/Uttarakhand) if chances are better there.

I've never been to Nepal, but my guess is going to Kathamandu if anything would be even more involved and hasslesome, while to Darjeeling is pretty straightforward (may involve a night's stopover in New Jalpaiguri/Siliguri though, depending on your timings).

So I'd say, just go for it & Remembering others will likely see it very differently again. On the whole, while covering quite a bit of grounds, the itinerary seems pretty well-paced to me, with enough time everywhere and not driving yourself nuts rushing around.

Thanks for the advice. That's exactly the type of feedback that I needed.

How was your trip? Which sights did you end up seeing? My friend and I are planning a very similar itinerary in September; though Darjeeling isn't in the plans.

recommend a day and night at Bharatpur between Agra and Rajasthan, as much for the break from the cities as the world-famous bird park.