Mountains or grasslands, beaches or hinterlands, wildlife tours or adventurous activities, isolated islands or busy metropolises, gastronomic delicacies or native beverages, spiritual holidays or personal vacations – there are many reasons to visit India.
India is ranked 10th for “price competitiveness” in the biennial World Economic Forum (WEF) Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. Luxurious lodging is reasonably priced, eating out is inexpensive, and getting around the country by train. Meanwhile, the rupee’s recent depreciation means that a trip to India is even more affordable than usual. The pound is worth about 6% more in Indian currency than a year ago.
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There’s food to be had
Perhaps no other country can match India’s culinary diversity. Beyond the familiar favourites of chicken tikka masala, rogan josh, malai kofta, and tandoori butter naan, which can often be more challenging to find in India than in the UK, there is an array of fabulous regional dishes to be discovered from Kerala to Kolkata.
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The most well-known structure on the planet
“The Taj Mahal is the most iconic and possibly the most magnificent edifice in the world,” says Telegraph Flight to India from NYC Travel’s India specialist, Gill Charlton.
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And then there’s Delhi’s craziness
India’s capital is a pulsing megalopolis that suffocates and stimulates in equal measure like many of India’s cities. It’s important to stick it out in this tumultuous city because it will eventually show you a side you didn’t expect. You’ll find leafy parks with early morning yoga classes, dusty bookshops full of treasures, opulent Hindu temples, ancient mosques that ring with the call to prayer, and bustling markets full of bargains.
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The Wagah border ceremony
Since 1959, border guards from India and Pakistan have performed a peculiar border ritual that combines “the precision and beauty of ballet and the theatrics and violence of professional wrestling,” according to Jack Palfrey, a recent visitor. The people who assemble to watch every day may expect goosebumps, chanting, and a lot of excitement.
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And you’ll be staying in a palace
In one of India’s former palaces, many of which have luxurious hotels, live like a Mughal king. There are so many options to pick from – get some ideas further down.
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The fauna is amazing
A wildlife-watching tour to one of India’s numerous national parks will allow visitors to observe everything from tigers and elephants to rhinos and Rufous-bellied hawk eagles, as described by Rudyard Kipling. Ranthambore, Pench, Kanha, and Bandhavgarh are some of the most well-known parks in the area.
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Indian art is making a comeback
According to Alastair Smart, the Telegraph’s arts editor, these are exciting days for Indian art, experiencing a resurgence spearheaded by creatives in Mumbai. In his broadcast from the hot Indian metropolis, he details everything.
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There are some fantastic train trips available
Travelling throughout India is an unforgettable experience that combines amazement, apprehensive expectancy, and exhilarating adrenaline. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is a must-see, but more.
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Can cruise Kerala’s backwaters
Kerala’s backwaters are a nearly 50-mile tangle of twisting rivers, canals, and lakes on one of the ancient rice boats, which to carry grain but to ferry.
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Varanasi, for example
“Varanasi is India for the seasoned traveller” Gill Charlton writes. “People are mourning on the terraces is the river; religious figures and pilgrims bathe in the genuinely filthy waters downstream and visit horoscopes and palm readers; while livestock, goats, and worn children search the river’s banks for scraps of food on the ghats – the Direct flights from Delhi to USA of stairs down into the water. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s quite a show.
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A Golden Triangle exists
Because of their cultural grandeur, Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur are the Golden Triangle. These locations are the starting point for a typical northern India journey, including the Taj Mahal and Ranthambore National Park.
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Can hike the Himalayas
Mount Everest is hundreds of kilometres distant from India, yet the Indian Himalayas offer stunning scenery and good climbing along the Nepal-China border. Spend some time in the foothills. A 50-year-old tour by the Beatles made Rishikesh, a north Indian village on the Ganges, famous as “the world’s yoga hub” (with no excessive haste). Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram ruins are run by a charming man with a straggling beard.
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It has a French flavour to it
At least in Pondicherry, a teeny-tiny colonial province held by France from 1672 until 1954. After a visit, Mick Brown observed, “They left a legacy that presents itself in unanticipated ways.”
“The Rue de la Marine, a vast, sweeping promenade along the Bay of Bengal, evokes Deauville or Biarritz.” This town’s street signs are French provincial, and the cops wear red képis for the first time in India.”
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There’s a little piece of heaven here
Goa is beautiful, but the Havelock Islands offer swaying palms, golden beaches, and blue lakes. This tropical island, floating in the Bay of Bengal, provides some of India’s most extraordinary diving and is, by most standards, paradise.
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You may watch a cricket match
Cricket is a national fixation in India, and it is played with zeal everywhere from dusty parks to enormous stadiums. There are good cricket fields in most significant towns, but the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala, which also happens to be home to the exiled Dali Lama, is a must-see. With the snow-capped Himalayas framing it, the ground offers probably the most incredible background of any in India. Exquisite.
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With a good cup of tea
Most teas drank in the United Kingdom originate from India, so you can count on a good cup visiting the subcontinent. The nation provides gorgeous landscapes, colder weather, charming hotels, and great brews and tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam.
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There is a temple where you may regain your trust in humanity
Imagine sharing and celebrating meals with as many as 50,000 pilgrims, or double that many on holy days and festivals. Sikhism’s most important landmark, Amritsar’s Golden Temple in Amritsar, has a langar (dining hall) where it happens every day. Even better, it’s completely free. The Golden Temple is a magnificent illustration of humanity’s best intentions. The feast is open to everyone who comes, and the kitchens (two) and dining rooms (also two) are available all day. It is a location where no one has ever turned away, whether travellers, worshipers, witnesses, or simply amazed.
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In addition, there will be a highly drunken literary festival
Jaipur’s architecture is renowned (the Hawa Mahal is stunning). A visit to Galtaji, often known as “Monkey Temple” because of the legions of macaques who roam the grounds, is a must). According to author Anthony Horowitz, “it’s larger, louder, brighter, and more magnificent than any event they have ever been to.” Hemingway-like alcohol consumption makes Hay or Edinburgh seem like a vicar’s afternoon tea.
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