Basic historical & cultural sightseeing - 10 days in the end of April

Zafar · Apr 10th, 2008, 18:16

Dear all, I decided to start new thread, as the subject changed (i gave up Goa).

Me and my gf decided to concentrate on historical part of the trip (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, + maybe Jodhpur and Jaisalmer). The trip to Goa appears to be either very lengthy (by train) or too expensive (by plane)...
What other cities/places would you suggest me to visit within 10 days, apart from:
1 day - arrival to Delhi, sightseeing, shopping
2 day/night travel Delhi-Agra
3 day - Agra, sightseeing
4 day - travel to Jaipur, Jaipur sightseeing
5 day - Jaipur, sightseeing (departure to ???).
6 day - some great historical sights nearby????
7-10 day - some great historical sights nearby???
10 day - Delhi sightseeing and shopping
11 day - departure from Delhi

As an addition we could travel to some wildlife sanctuary for half a day maybe, if somewhere around Delhi-Agra-Gujarat?
Thanks!

jyotirmoy · Apr 10th, 2008, 18:18

If you are interested in history spend one more day at least in Delhi.

Zafar · Apr 10th, 2008, 18:21

Thanks, I will spend one more day in the end in Delhi then. What to do other 2-3 days?

camelgirl · Apr 10th, 2008, 20:21

There are many choices of things to do in and around Jaipur. Here's a link to give you some ideas.

Keep in mind it will be very, very HOT in April.

http://www.jaipur.org.uk/

Zafar · Apr 10th, 2008, 20:26

Thanks, camelgirl, I will consider staying extra day in Jaipur, which would mean 3-4 days in Delhi, 1.5 day in Agra and 2-3 days in Jaipur. I would still have 1-2 days of something else to do. Any thoughts, suggestions? Some other interesting places to visit, not too far (max. 3-4 hours of train/bus travel) from one of these cities? I would appreciate any ideas!

atala · Apr 10th, 2008, 21:42

Is this your first time in India? Since you mention an interest in historical and cultural places, i would recommend that you visit some villages as well, because most Indians really live in villages. How about a temple town near Agra where you have many Hindu monuments to choose from, temples that is...
check e.g. this thread: what to see in vrindavan?
It is 50 kms (30 miles) from Agra, on the way from Delhi.

Zafar · Apr 11th, 2008, 00:55

Thanks! Are there regular buses to this village Vrindavan? Because I don't want to spend much on taxi. How long do you think i should plan spending there? 3 hours enough?
Thanks a lot!

atala · Apr 11th, 2008, 16:09

With buses it would become a tedious whole-day-trip, coming and going from and to Agra. I propose that you fit it in coming from Delhi, before proceeding to Agra. You could take the Taj Express from Delhi that stops at Mathura (leaves 7:15, arrives 9:05), and take a taxi or Autorickshaw from there to Vrindavan. If you did arrive with that train, you would be in Vrindavan before 10 a.m. which is an excellent time for seeing temples and other sights. In this case 3 hours would be enough indeed. You could leave by the same route, back to the railway station, or take a bus from Vrindavan itself to Agra (there are also buses to Jaipur from Vrindavan, if you needed it).

Visiting Vrindavan is not just a small-village-visit, it is a major event on any Hindu's pilgrimage agenda. It is an extremely picturesque village worth any tourist's attention. Inspite of its importance for Hindus not many foreign non-pilgrim tourists visit there. Highly recommended, it might be your trip's top highlight.

Zafar · Apr 11th, 2008, 16:23

Dear atala, unfortunately we have already bought tickets for Delhi-Agra (late evening 23rd April) and Agra-Jaipur (16.35 25th April). I was thinking of visiting Vrindavan from Agra on 25th, going on morning, coming back in the afternoon to take train to Jaipur. What do you think? How long the bus will take to Vrindavan from Agra? Thanks!

atala · Apr 11th, 2008, 16:41

In that case you could take the Intercity Expr Nr 4211, that leaves Agra Cantonment 6 a.m. and is at Mathura at 7 a.m. Then leave Vrindavan by bus to Agra around noon (to where your luggage is) to catch your train there.

A taxi would cost max 900 Rupees Agra-Vrindavan-Agra including waiting charges. Would be better for peace of mind and in case you wanted to bring your luggage along.

jyotirmoy · Apr 11th, 2008, 16:51

Vrindavan can not be called a village.

Zafar · Apr 11th, 2008, 17:03

Thanks! We will have only small backpacks! Travelling light...

this time at least. I will if there are train available. Thanks for advice!

Jyotrimoy, sorry if we offended you. At least, I did not know what to call it. We will say a town from now on...

atala · Apr 11th, 2008, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyotirmoy

Vrindavan can not be called a village.

Oh come on! To European standards it is definitely a village. It may not be so for Indians with some obscure classification idea (as in everything else), but for me it is. But call it town, if you prefer, call it whatever you like, it remains what it is, a small place with lots of narrow alleys and lots of temples. One could easily compare it to some villages in Italy for instance.

camelgirl · Apr 11th, 2008, 20:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by atala

Oh come on! To European standards it is definitely a village. It may not be so for Indians with some obscure classification idea (as in everything else), but for me it is. But call it town, if you prefer, call it whatever you like, it remains what it is, a small place with lots of narrow alleys and lots of temples. One could easily compare it to some villages in Italy for instance.

Yeow!! Over-reaction here!!!

Why take this so personally??? Calm down. With a population of about 60,000 people Vrindivan certainly is a town. Even a smaller town like Pushkar has about 15,000 people. I think that a village in India is more likely to have a few hundred people and there are probably thousands of those kinds of villages.

I hope the OP is planning on going to Fatipur Sikri while in Agra. It's as impressive in it's own way as the Taj (in my opinion)

Zafar · Apr 12th, 2008, 22:49

Hello, ok, let's finish the polemics about Vrindavan...

What would you suggest travelling in Rajastan in 3 days, except Jaipur, which is on the way anyway?
Where could I travel from Agra to Rajastan (Jodhpur or somewhere closer), then Jaipur, then Delhi?
Thanks!
I find that trains are being booked already, so I need to decide fast!

Apr 10th, 2008, 18:16	#1
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Basic historical & cultural sightseeing - 10 days in the end of April Dear all, I decided to start new thread, as the subject changed (i gave up Goa). Me and my gf decided to concentrate on historical part of the trip (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, + maybe Jodhpur and Jaisalmer). The trip to Goa appears to be either very lengthy (by train) or too expensive (by plane)... What other cities/places would you suggest me to visit within 10 days, apart from: 1 day - arrival to Delhi, sightseeing, shopping 2 day/night travel Delhi-Agra 3 day - Agra, sightseeing 4 day - travel to Jaipur, Jaipur sightseeing 5 day - Jaipur, sightseeing (departure to ???). 6 day - some great historical sights nearby???? 7-10 day - some great historical sights nearby??? 10 day - Delhi sightseeing and shopping 11 day - departure from Delhi As an addition we could travel to some wildlife sanctuary for half a day maybe, if somewhere around Delhi-Agra-Gujarat? Thanks!

Apr 10th, 2008, 20:21	#4
camelgirl 10 year Visa okee dokee Join Date: May 2005 Location: Swannanoa NC usa Posts: 947	There are many choices of things to do in and around Jaipur. Here's a link to give you some ideas. Keep in mind it will be very, very HOT in April. http://www.jaipur.org.uk/ __________________ My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

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Apr 10th, 2008, 18:18	#2
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 4,045	If you are interested in history spend one more day at least in Delhi.

Apr 10th, 2008, 18:21	#3
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Thanks, I will spend one more day in the end in Delhi then. What to do other 2-3 days?

Apr 10th, 2008, 20:26	#5
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Thanks, camelgirl, I will consider staying extra day in Jaipur, which would mean 3-4 days in Delhi, 1.5 day in Agra and 2-3 days in Jaipur. I would still have 1-2 days of something else to do. Any thoughts, suggestions? Some other interesting places to visit, not too far (max. 3-4 hours of train/bus travel) from one of these cities? I would appreciate any ideas!

Apr 10th, 2008, 21:42	#6
atala Senior Member, 8 yrs in India Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008 Posts: 691	Is this your first time in India? Since you mention an interest in historical and cultural places, i would recommend that you visit some villages as well, because most Indians really live in villages. How about a temple town near Agra where you have many Hindu monuments to choose from, temples that is... check e.g. this thread: what to see in vrindavan? It is 50 kms (30 miles) from Agra, on the way from Delhi.

Apr 11th, 2008, 00:55	#7
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Thanks! Are there regular buses to this village Vrindavan? Because I don't want to spend much on taxi. How long do you think i should plan spending there? 3 hours enough? Thanks a lot!

Apr 11th, 2008, 16:09	#8
atala Senior Member, 8 yrs in India Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008 Posts: 691	With buses it would become a tedious whole-day-trip, coming and going from and to Agra. I propose that you fit it in coming from Delhi, before proceeding to Agra. You could take the Taj Express from Delhi that stops at Mathura (leaves 7:15, arrives 9:05), and take a taxi or Autorickshaw from there to Vrindavan. If you did arrive with that train, you would be in Vrindavan before 10 a.m. which is an excellent time for seeing temples and other sights. In this case 3 hours would be enough indeed. You could leave by the same route, back to the railway station, or take a bus from Vrindavan itself to Agra (there are also buses to Jaipur from Vrindavan, if you needed it). Visiting Vrindavan is not just a small-village-visit, it is a major event on any Hindu's pilgrimage agenda. It is an extremely picturesque village worth any tourist's attention. Inspite of its importance for Hindus not many foreign non-pilgrim tourists visit there. Highly recommended, it might be your trip's top highlight.

Apr 11th, 2008, 16:23	#9
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Dear atala, unfortunately we have already bought tickets for Delhi-Agra (late evening 23rd April) and Agra-Jaipur (16.35 25th April). I was thinking of visiting Vrindavan from Agra on 25th, going on morning, coming back in the afternoon to take train to Jaipur. What do you think? How long the bus will take to Vrindavan from Agra? Thanks!

Apr 11th, 2008, 16:41	#10
atala Senior Member, 8 yrs in India Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008 Posts: 691	In that case you could take the Intercity Expr Nr 4211, that leaves Agra Cantonment 6 a.m. and is at Mathura at 7 a.m. Then leave Vrindavan by bus to Agra around noon (to where your luggage is) to catch your train there. A taxi would cost max 900 Rupees Agra-Vrindavan-Agra including waiting charges. Would be better for peace of mind and in case you wanted to bring your luggage along.

Apr 11th, 2008, 16:51	#11
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 4,045	Vrindavan can not be called a village.

Apr 11th, 2008, 17:03	#12
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Thanks! We will have only small backpacks! Travelling light... this time at least. I will if there are train available. Thanks for advice! Jyotrimoy, sorry if we offended you. At least, I did not know what to call it. We will say a town from now on...

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Apr 12th, 2008, 22:49	#15
Zafar Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan Posts: 39	Hello, ok, let's finish the polemics about Vrindavan... What would you suggest travelling in Rajastan in 3 days, except Jaipur, which is on the way anyway? Where could I travel from Agra to Rajastan (Jodhpur or somewhere closer), then Jaipur, then Delhi? Thanks! I find that trains are being booked already, so I need to decide fast!