Kolkata-Darjeeling-South. Is Amritsar worth going to?

soag

Hi All,

I'm heading to India early next year. I'm flying into Calcutta, heading up to Darjeeling, and then was planning on heading down south along the east coast to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Given that I've already been to Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, is it worth trying to fit Amritsar in between Darjeeling and the nebulously defined "south"? The photos I've seen of it look absolutely amazing, but then again so do those of the Taj Mahal; it's a pity the rest of Agra is lurking just outside the edge of the photo. I also have a lot of respect and warmness for the Sikhs, they seem to be an enormously humble, friendly and dignified people.

I know that travelling to Amritsar adds an enormous amount of travel time - is this worth it? If it's just a case of seeing the golden temple then turning around as is the case with the Taj Mahal, then it's probably not worth it; on the other hand, if Amritsar and Chandigarh (and maybe even Shimla?) are interesting in and of themselves, it's probably worth it.

I've got approx. six weeks maximum to spend in India.

Thanks!

karuna

It sounds like Amritsar would be a huge diversion for you, on that basis alone I'd say don't do it.
The Golden Temple is lovely, but we (my parents and I) found the city to be particularly dirty and congested. It said as much in the guidebook but still it was a bit of a shock.

I'd say save it for next time and fit it in during a longer trip to Himachal or Kashmir.

HTH.

singsub

i suggest you stick to Calcutta, Darjeling, South India or this trip. next time you can do west and north India.

Britishraj

While in Darjeeling there are several places worth a look; Sikkim, Kalimpong, Mirik or hows about a bit of White Water rafting at Rangpo.