3 weeks India in September (First Time)

@Bateman23, have you already booked your tickets?

Train 12401 from Mughal Sarai to Tundla shows 21 available in 2AC. Mughal Sarai is around 14 kms from Varanasi and Tundla is around 24 kms from Agra.

If you leave a day later on a Saturday, 14863 shows 9 available in 3AC from Varanasi to Agra.

Wow guys, thanks for your quick help. I have not booked the tickets yet, but will either do it today in the evening or tomorrow morning! Tundla seems to be 30km from the Taj Mahal, and train would be arrving there either at 6.30 or 3.30 in the morning.

I just talked to an Indian guy and he said I should not bother with AC2 nor AC1, AC3 is more than fine and not worth the extra money .

Hm, probably it is wise to skip Kashmir for this trip, sounds quite dangerous there:

The attractions of Srinagar are myriad – placid mountain-backed Dal Lake with its slumbering houseboats, famous Mughal gardens, the historic wooden mosques of the old town and a remarkable wealth of home-grown handicrafts. Twenty years ago it was justifiably one of India's greatest attractions for foreigners. However years of unrest have left the tourist industry in tatters. In recent years things had been improving with an ever increasing influx of domestic visitors until summer 2008 when an arcane land dispute reignited tensions. While that dispute was settled, the continuing presence of vast military forces in the city remains the cause of considerable discontent (army personnel seem to occupy more hotels than tourists). Summer 2010 proved particularly bloody with protesters regularly pelting the armed forces with stones while over sixty civilians were killed by the army. Tourists are not targeted in the violence but the city has spent much of the summer locked down in curfews and strikes. Practically speaking this means that shops, restaurants and banks can be closed for days on end. And venturing into the Old City is unwise in case of stray stones and bullets. The Nehru park area and lake road are generally safe but ask advice before strolling too far. Many hotels are closed but houseboats are generally entirely away from any whiff of violence and are not only calm but prices are unseasonably low. If you do go through Srinagar at times of curfew, you might need to arrive and depart very late or before dawn to avoid barricades. Overall it is not necessary to avoid Srinagar altogether but you need to follow events carefully as the conflict doesn't seem ready to die down. Visiting Srinagar without thoroughly checking the latest security situation would be foolhardy.

Moderator Note:

Is this your own text? If not please specify the source. Thank you.

Hm, probably it is wise to skip Kashmir for this trip, sounds quite dangerous there:

The attractions of Srinagar are myriad – placid mountain-backed Dal Lake with its slumbering houseboats, famous Mughal gardens, the historic wooden mosques of the old town and a remarkable wealth of home-grown handicrafts. Twenty years ago it was justifiably one of India's greatest attractions for foreigners. However years of unrest have left the tourist industry in tatters. In recent years things had been improving with an ever increasing influx of domestic visitors until summer 2008 when an arcane land dispute reignited tensions. While that dispute was settled, the continuing presence of vast military forces in the city remains the cause of considerable discontent (army personnel seem to occupy more hotels than tourists). Summer 2010 proved particularly bloody with protesters regularly pelting the armed forces with stones while over sixty civilians were killed by the army. Tourists are not targeted in the violence but the city has spent much of the summer locked down in curfews and strikes. Practically speaking this means that shops, restaurants and banks can be closed for days on end. And venturing into the Old City is unwise in case of stray stones and bullets. The Nehru park area and lake road are generally safe but ask advice before strolling too far. Many hotels are closed but houseboats are generally entirely away from any whiff of violence and are not only calm but prices are unseasonably low. If you do go through Srinagar at times of curfew, you might need to arrive and depart very late or before dawn to avoid barricades. Overall it is not necessary to avoid Srinagar altogether but you need to follow events carefully as the conflict doesn't seem ready to die down. Visiting Srinagar without thoroughly checking the latest security situation would be foolhardy.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/ja...#ixzz23B2F7gwM

I think I can cancel trains until 3 days before departure, is
that right? I am just wondering how much of the money I will get
back, I guess it is just the railway fare, but not the charges,
so in the example below I will get back Rs 3,410.00 of the
total of Rs 3583. When I cancel within 3 days before departure
I am not getting anything refunded?

Adult
Rs 3,410.00 (Rs 1,705.00 x 2)
Railway charges
Rs 90.00
Cleartrip Service Fee
Rs 20.00
Transaction Fee
Rs 63.36
Total
Rs 3,583

Railway Refund Rules: http://www.indianrail.gov.in/refund_Rules.html

hello from udaipur,

so far all worked out pretty well with the suggested tour, thanks a bunch guys. however, we still have to plan the last
days after amritsar where we have 4 more days which we want to spend in north india. apparently there is a bus
from amritsar to jammu which takes around 3 hours and we could spend the rest of the day there. then we have another 3 full days before trying to catch a night train back to delhi from amritsar. has anyone some suggestions how we can fill these last days after jammu? is it possible with public transport to make our way to srinagar or mcleod ganj or is the time we have not enough?


18.9 amritsar
19.9 amritsar
20.9 Jammu
21.9 ?
22.9 ?
23.9 ? and NIGHTtrain from amritsar to delhi
24.9 23.00 return flight from delhi

many thanks
bateman