getting around delhi and agra

forgetthewayhome

so im scared that im only gonna travel 4 blocks in any direction once i get to delhi cuz ill be so overwhelmed...im staying either at connaught place or pahaganj. anyone have some things i could check out?

also with agra. i know its a tourist trap, but i really gotta figure out a way to get there safely and find a place to stay thats decently priced. the forums are great but its hard to weed the information out.

thanks!

Aishah

If you can afford the YWCA in Sansad Marg nr CP I think you will be much less overwhelmed than in Paharganj. If you are a single female, youngish, then the easiest thing for you is to have them arrange a day tour by small car of all significant places of interest. If 2 of you, then check out where you want to go and take autorickshaws. Be guided by price by asking at the desk. I think they could arrange an auto tour with a fixed price there as well. Have a read of Delhi threads re warnings etc. Also places of interest and get yourself more familiar with what to expect. Much the same goes for Agra. Be particularly careful on the train Delhi to Agra if this is how you are travelling - much stealing is going on that train.

__________________
"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

karuna

**hugsssss* to you, because I remember feeling EXACTLY the same way about Delhi.

Our first night there, we sat in the hotel room for ages listening to these weird, alien noises coming up from the street below (which later we discovered weren't alien at all: some exotic birdsong = cars reversing, strangled screaming = someone selling peanuts, and duck being abused = tuk tuk horning), and wondering what the hell would happen when we went outside.

If you're nervous by nature, Paharganj may overwhelm you as the rickshaw wallahs and tour touts and their brothers and their verygoodshops hang out there. Connaught Place is similar. If you're nervous, I'd really recommend staying at Master Guest House in New Rajinder Nagar. It's a lovely, residential area which you can walk around without being hassled, and slowly get a feel for the city, and the owners are very helpful and knowledgeable and can ease you into things gently. They'll give you advice on travel to Agra, and if you're still feeling nervous about it they'll arrange a car and driver for you.

But mainly: don't worry- just go. And remember- that isn't a strangled duck, it's just a tuk tuk.

Aishah

Master Guest House is excellent but the only factor here is the cost - it is quite expensive in comparison to others. Connaught Place is not so bad - I have never felt overwhelmed there, but I didn't like Paharganj. MGH has a website so you could check out whether you can afford it.

karuna

That's very true, in which case your suggestion of the YWCA is better. I think the rates on MGH website might be out of date- I seem to remember them looking rather low last time I saw them, but I might be misremembering.

Aishah

My friend paid 2500 rupees (rough round figure) when she stayed there as a single woman in Feb: YWCA is currently 1560 rupees- these rates are per day and one night; check out for YWCA is 12 noon, if your room is available you can check in a little earlier. This rate is with a/c - it may be cheaper without.

atala

If i were you I would go to a nice small pilgrimage town like Vrindavan near Mathura and not far from Agra where you can feel safe even at night wherever there are shops, and then do a day trip by a hired car to Agra which is just 50 kilometers (30 miles) away. Agra as a city is not worth a visit, except for the Taj Mahal. so no need to stay over there.

From Delhi to Mathura I would take the Taj express which is a higher class AC train that requires reservation. Or hire a car to go there. In a place like Vrindavan you can stay at a cozy temple guest house for maybe Rs 50 or so. Besides being safe and staying inexpensive, you get a real nice experience of the old ritual side of India, colourful and delightful as it can be.

Travellerette

Hi Forgetthewayhome - I'm also gonna be travelling alone (and there's no way I'll fit in there) - and am worried that I'll just hang out in my hotel room reading a book I've been recommended (by Rohinton Mistry) again and again!

One minute I'm excited, the next terrified! Aishah has been a great help as have others in helping me try and plan my time there. Hopefully there will be more people like us travelling. I hope to do some day tours so that I can see the city with others. One of my coworkers that visited told me today that she quite liked Delhi.... then again her budget was substantially higher than mine and she was with 3 other people!

I'm only spending a few days in Delhi, but like you, I'm also looking at either Connaught Place or Paharganj - just because of the centrality of it all. So far I have it narrowed down to Ringo (Connaught) and Anoop (Paharganj). Anoop seems to have OK review on here (Plus it has an upstairs terrace that it shares with it's sister Hare Krishna). At least with Anoop I can have something to eat without leaving the hotel! Both also have airport pickups which I will definitely be taking advantage of.

I agree that weeding through this site can be tough - lots of conflicting info compared to my roughguides book - but people seem pretty good about giving personal advice. I've certainly been asking lots and lots of questions!

Cheers to us meeting new people, seeing amazing things and having the trip of a lifetime!

kristinm

Hey when are you guys going? We don't mind hooking up with people, I'm sure the 3 of us in our family will be driving eachother mad by then!

Travellerette

I'll be there for 3 days near the beginning of Nov 07. Only 1/2 a month left until my flight! EEEK! I'd love to be able to find some people on here that'll be interested in seeing some sights with - or at least to back me up with bartering at the markets .

Here are some of the places I've decided to go:

Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mt Abu, Aurangabad, Mumbai - and hopefully part of Goa.

Unfortunately becuase of the tight itinerary (I have 5 weeks) Maybe we can try and book a same city tour or something.

Have you been able to find any reputable tour groups? I was thinking of just checking out the state tourist office or something. Do you know where we can book those kind of tours? That way we could try and arrang a meeting - yet it will be in a completely public place - I'm quite leery of meeting strangers off here - you never know who is atually typing on the other of the net.

volunteer

I am also going to Gurgaon and will be their for 6 weeks. Getting in group to do so siteseeing would be fantastic. First trip to india and am a bit nervous/excited. Training some wonderful people right now in the states and will be their on business. Have 4-5 weekends to do as much as possible. Good luck to you and maybe we will bump into each other

kristinm

No - we're going in Jan/Feb... never mind, I'm sure you'll meet people, I certainly hope we do or one of us might not come home! We are not doing a tour (only the one I've organised!) although I kind of wish I had let someone else do all the work!!!! I do know someone my girlfriends have all set off this week with a tour organiser they know from Sydney (she is married to a Varanasi-er). I'll PM you.

Bex

travellette - we'll be in Agra on 11 November, but sounds like you'll be gone by then

kristinm - make sure you check out the Indian Tourism Office, at the Glass Factory on Pitt St Mall - the service is very middle-class-India hehe

Travellerette

too bad... i'll be leaving agra on the 10th... you'll just miss me.

kristinm

We are planning to go in there - just haven't made it in. Hang on I'll pm you about something.