Delhi -Agra -Varanasi -Darjeeling 14th Mar 2 wk trip!

phil1105

Hi people! My girlfriend and I have made last minute plans to visit India..not been before. Flying into Delhi on 14th March for 2 weeks..any itinary suggestions? Thought Delhi, Agra, maybe Jaipur..would love to visit Kerala and Darjeeling but distance may rule one or both out..thanks!

Nick-H

First thing to do... start with a map and a piece of string, check out the distances, mark the places you'd like to see and check how they connect. Two weeks is a very short time: cut out anything that's a long way away from everything else, which means Kerala will have to go, for this time.

That's where I stop giving advice, because I know bits of Southern India only!

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Indizen

So you want to visit the Golden Triangle comprising the capital, Taj n all, and the pink city. That should take a week.
Then fly south to Cochin for the week in Kerala, which could include the hills of Munnar, the wildlife in Periyar, and the popular beaches of Varkala and Kovalam, apart from the cool ambience of Fort Kochi.

Darjeeling would come in your next trip.

Nick-H

It's possible. So many domestic flights now make one end of India to the other just a couple of hours flying.

But I'd give a whole two weeks to Indizen's Kerala suggestions.

This is a holiday, isn't it?

Kerala, at least, calls for relaxation

phil1105

Thanks guys..mabe we will go Delhi,Agra then over to Darjeeling [need some good tea!]and then back to Delhi or forget Darjeeling and fly down to Kerala for the last week..good forum this, found lots of useful info..!

manali4now

These are suggestions close to Delhi:

Agra - train/bus(only for Taj Mahal/Red Fort)
**Amritsar - by train/bus (if interested in the Sikh Golden Temple)
Orchha - train/bus (5 minute drive from Jhansi railway stop) - small town with lots of old, defunct palaces that you can explore
Pushkar - train (via Ajmer)- cool, mellow oasis town surrounding lake. Lots of small temples, total veg place.
**Udaipur - night train from Delhi - larger city, but still romantic with the palaces on the lake (lit up at night).
Bundi - by bus/train.

** means that these places are cities rather than towns. But still have something special.

Take a pass on Jaipur, Jodhpur...these places are expensive, built up cities with some monuments.

My fav pics of India:
Mandu (Mahdya Pradesh)
Pachmari (Maydha Pradesh)
Both are real gems.

FreeSoul

Hi Phil1105 your idea of visiting Delhi and Agra are good. If you have enough time in the first week after visitng Delhi and Agra then go to Darjeeling otherwise avoid Darjeeling and fly down to Kerala after visting the hustling and bustling Delhi and Agra to find some solace. Kerala will offer you beautiful beaches and backwaters to relax. I would have adviced you to travel by the railways (ie. Konkan railways) as it offers beautiful scenaries througout the journey, but because you have just 2 weeks time you better take a flight to Kerala from Delhi. Hope this will help you during your stay in India.
Happy Journey.

fluppet

Hi - Like Phil1105 I'll be in India for 2 weeks in April, the plan I've worked out so far (it keeps being re-written!) is

Delhi - Udaipur - Pushkar - Jaipur - Agra - Khajuraho - Varanai then back to Delhi by plane

Is this way too ambitious?

Is anyone aware of anyway of travelling between Udaipur and Khajuraho or is it best to travel down to Jhansi (and then on to Khajuraho) from Agra? Help!! Thanks

bijapuri

ya, ya could fly, but there's more than enough to keep you udderly fascinated within a day's journey of Delhi, so why spend the money?

I'd suggest you include at least one game park- either Corbett or Rathambore, and give it at least 2 days. Throw in some temples and forts, and you'll eat up 2 weeks in a flash!

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machadinha

Hi, and welcome to IndiaMike.

The details of your itinerary I won't get into, I wouldn't even fly out there for two weeks, so pay no attention to me. Could be doable, could be not, I really don't know.

That one question though: Khajuraho is notoriously hard to get to (except by air, and I think a railway is being worked on, but from the last reports here it seems to be unclear yet). But so anyway from Udaipur (not all that splendidly connected, and rather out of the way, itself), no, forget it I'd say.

Well, one can always get from A to B somehow, of course, allowing for enough relay time and perhaps a breather on the way and so on.

My usual advice: Try to look up India on a map that shows it on the same scale as your home country. And bear in mind the infrastructure and speed of transport may not be what you're used to.

ps The logical sequence as such would seem to be Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Pushkar-Udaipur-Varanasi-Khajuraho. A couple of these could be toggled around. If you want to spread out any potentially hectic destinations and esp. at the start more, I'd try and opt for Delhi-Pushkar-Jaipur-Udaipur-Agra-Varanasi-Khajuraho; the last two could be toggled around again. Agra and Varanasi are both pretty overwhelming (I've never been to Agra mind, but it's said to be so), so I guess having K. inbetween then returning to Delhi for your flight home might be nice.

If there's one place you need to drop, I'd suggest Udaipur; not as a comment on that city, but it's really quite a detour from the rest of your itinerary. (I think... others may well disagree, of course. I suppose it could really all be done in 2 weeks. Again, that's just not my way of going, so I shouldn't comment.)

And pps you'll realize the heat is a concern in that area that time of year. Try this whole thread for a general overview: India climate chart

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Aishah

I wouldn't leave out Jodhpur - the Fort there is one of the best in India. But, what Iwould do is consider your comfort - in April temps will be daily in the high 30's to 40's. Mornings you can do your walking around but I think by afternoon you will want to retreat to an air-cooled room. For travelling consider air conditioning - car or train. Or overnight without air conditioning. You will find afternoons in a non a/c carriage hell. For two weeks I wouldn't be too ambitious re no. of places to visit - If you go to Rajasthan - you could do Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur and overnight Mandore Express back to Delhi from there. Take your time staying at each place.

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manali4now

I would drop Jaipur.

If you have to be at the Railway Jhansi Junction, then instead check out Orchha. It is like a 5 minute taxi ride from Jhansi (3kilometers I believe). It is a river sided by palaces and chatris that you can explore. The village is also quit nice. River is getting polluted with plastic. But this is endemic throughout India.

Much better than Jaipur. Jaipur is highly over-rated.

phil1105

Stuggling a tad here! We arrive in Delhi on 14march and want to visit Agra,Varanasi and Darjeeling. Could you clever people suggest which method of travel is best please?should we get travel card? All trains or fly some of it?...Thanks!!

vsp27759

Dear phil.1105,

The time is too short to suggest, particularly, for Agra-Varanasi and Varanasi-Darjeeling sectors.!!!
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In any case, for Agrafort-Varanasi, you may opt for 4854 (tri-weekly) and 4864 (four days) Expresses and 9569 once in a week.
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Varanasi is connected to New Jalpaiguri once in a week with 5635; and twice in a week with 2436 Rajadhani.
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Otherwise, you need to go to Mughalsarai (**17 Kms. away) and then take 2506 (or) 4056 (or) 4084 which run daily for going to New Jalpaiguri (**nearest rail-head for Darjeeling).
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##The following are non-dailies from Mughalsarai to New Jalpaiguri:-
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5645 (bi-weekly)
5647 (weekly)
5631 (bi-weekly)
2424 (5 days)
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##Please check-up the availability in the above trains. Please don't take Tickets with Waitlisted Status for any one of your forthcoming journeys by different trains.