Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Mumbai-Calicut-Cochin-Goa-Mumbai

Hi there,

We (2pax) are planning to go on a 20-days short trip to above mentioned cities in this order either in Nov'05 or Jan'06. Stopover each of 1-2 days (Goa: some more days!)

Can you pls. assist our planning (budget: mid-range to semi-upscale) with following information/request:

- Fastest journey (max. 6hrs per route)
- Reasonable fares
- Reasonable comfort (A/C)
- Hotel recommendation
- www-links for hotel booking and city-information (tourist offices)

As we are doing this for the first time any kind of constructive help is needed and highly appreciated.

Many thanks, Felix

Travel

1. Delhi - Agra 2 hours by train, AC Chair Car
2. Agra- Jaipur 8 hours by train, AC sleeper
3. Jaipur-Mumbai 1hr. 30 min. by air
4. Mumbai - Kozhikode 1hr. 40 min. by air
5. Kozhikode - Kochi 0.30 hrs. by air
6. Kochi - Goa 1hr. 10 min. by air
7. Goa - Mumbai 1hr. by air

Websites

1. www.incredibleindia.org

2. www.fhrai.com

The airports at Mumbai and (especially) Cochin are situated quite a disatnce from town.... remember to factor this in to your journey time. It may make the train journey a more time-efficient proposition (e.g. Jaipur-Mumbai and Goa-Mumbai). You can check the rail timetable (and fares) on http://www.indianrail.gov.in/. Just click on "Trains Between Important Stations" and (when you've found your stations in the list) "ALL CLASSES".

You are travelling quite a distance in a short time, so you may find it advisable to use overnight sleeper trains in some cases. If so, the best value for money is to buy 3AC or 2AC. There's not a great deal of difference between the two (especially if you specify that you want the SL and SU berths each time), except that 3AC is MUCH cheaper... slightly more than half. IN 3AC you will travel in comfort and see India for next-to-nothing.

It's a little hard to recommend hotels, since I don't know what kind of activities you want to be near.... for instance, we enjoyed Afonso's Guest House in Panjim (Goa), but possibly you won't want to go to Panjim at all, since it is not on the beach. I will pass on one bit of advice, however.... I presume you are going to Agra to see the Taj. Well, get an afternoon train from Delhi (there are about twenty a day!) and settle yourself into the Hotel Sheela (about 450 rupees a double) for the night. The rooms are pleasant but nothing special.... the grounds, however, are quite lovely, with lush vines and pathways to stroll around. Best of all, it's just 50 metres from the entrance to the Taj Mahal. The ticket office opens at 6 a.m., and, frankly, that's the best time to go, when there is hardly anyone else around. With the Hotel Sheela, you can rise at 5:30, be at the ticket office at 5:50, be in the gate at 6:02, and spend two hours before breakfast watching the sun rise over the Taj. By 8 a.m. you will notice a change.... you can't move any more because of the 456765349847 tourists who have arrived between 7 and 8. When we left, the car parks were already overflowing with tour buses (including the dreaded school groups), and it wasn't even 8:30! That's a good time to have breakfast and then decide what ELSE you're going to do in Agra!

As your plans start to take shape, please write back. In the meantime, read some of the posts by Shimla and Steven Ber, as what they don't know about trains in India isn't worth knowing. You can be sure that, no matter what your question is, they have been asked it already, and the answer is right there, waiting for you.