Seeing all of India in one trip is impossible. So here is an itinerary to focus on the Golden Trinagle: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, the advice of those who have been there and offers you an itinerary that has already been tested.
When our desire to travel is irrepressible but time is not our friend, it is good and right to choose a strategic itinerary that gives us the illusion of grasping the essence of a continent as vast as theIndia. The Golden Triangle could be your prelude toNorthern India.
Personally I did this tour over a total trip of three weeks doing the tour of the north of the country but if you have only ten days or less (eight days) you can focus on the three cities that characterize the Golden Triangle starting from Delhi, a capital full of incredible contrasts, to go to Agra, where the most famous monument to love in the world, the Taj Mahal, is located, and finish in Jaipur, vibrant with colors and home to wonderful royal palaces.
Agency or do it yourself?
Once the flight is booked e obtained the visa, you will have to decide whether to rely on an organized tour or move independently. If you are not a novice traveler you will have no problem moving independently, perhaps organizing the various trips on site by relying on the hotel or guesthouse where you will stay: let's not forget that this area of India is decidedly touristy, therefore very structured to offer different services and for every budget. If, on the other hand, you prefer to rely on an agency and not think about anything, to save money I suggest you contact several Indian tour operators and make you send more quotes (only condition: speak English) to agree on the tour, hotels, budget etc. An agency that I recommend is the Sharp Travel.
Period
This itinerary can ideally be done in every time of the year; I was there both in August and in December and in both cases there were negative and positive aspects. The humidity and the oppressive heat (sometimes with some evening showers) in August are really unbearable, I don't deny it, but you survive everything especially if you can't choose the period in which to travel. In December the only drawback was the fog, a perennial fog that caused major delays to the trains but above all, during the visit to the Taj Mahal, the blanket was so thick that unfortunately my travel companion does not have among her memories the postcard image of the entrance to the complex, with the Taj that stands out against the background in all its grandeur. I remember that I have even with the indecent humidity of August.
Silver lining: you will have an excellent excuse to justify a return to India. Negative side: nobody, you are taking a trip to one of the most indescribable continents ever: you will remember this by laughing about it.
Itinerary:
Delhi - The first city I visited in India, a hard, strong impact, accompanied by a single question in the head: "Where the hell have I ended up?". City that has definitively baptized me. In India I love to move around in tuc-tuc and you will not struggle to find them outside your hotel. Usually after the necessary negotiation with the driver, a figure is agreed that is good for both of you to be carried around all day. Excellent thing, among other things, for when you leave each site, because you will be attacked by the other drivers that you will keep at bay by saying that you already have "yours".
Start from the old city, a hymn to Mughal architecture: the Red Fort, its alleys and colorful bazaars. Visit the Great Masjid Mosque, in the red sandstone of Shahjahanabad which is the largest in India.
Take a trip to the Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi's mausoleum which is located in a park with fountains and exotic trees. It is a very simple square platform in black marble, here you can relax a little and catch your breath from the infernal traffic and deafening noises. You will need it! Do not forget to be taken to New Delhi to admire the government building, theIndia Gate and the presidential residence, the Humayun Mausoleum and Qutab minaret. You will also see many visiting Indian families here and I loved watching them move in their elegant and colorful clothes.
The entrances to all the sites have different prices for tourists and Indians (who pay much less) and the camera always has a separate cost!
Agra - It is about 240 kilometers from Delhi. You can travel them in any way: train, bus, internal flight, private car. To you the choice. Remember that trains must be booked in advance and they were, for me, one of the most exciting parts of the journey even if they put a strain on me physically and psychologically. In any case I would do it again! The first time I didn't like Agra at all, I had seen the Taj and literally ran away; the second time I re-evaluated it and it went much better.
For the visit to the Taj (closed on Friday) choose the time you prefer to see it in the light you have imagined since your departure; There are three ticket offices, south, west and east of the complex, where you can buy tickets from dawn to dusk. For us, the ticket costs about 10,50 euros, the Indians pay about 20 cents.
You will certainly be stopped by those who propose themselves as a guide; if you want to be sure of having a professional guide, contact theIndia Tourism Office in Agra. Usually in Agra you stop very little but in reality, if you can spend at least two days here, visit the Strong red, a Unesco world heritage site and a small jewel, the Itimad-ud-Daulah's tomb, better known as Baby Taj.
Perhaps for some I will say a heresy but personally I liked him much more than his very famous brother. Undisputed peace and a cozy atmosphere reigns there, both in the garden that surrounds it and inside the mausoleum there are far fewer tourists and it is a masterpiece of marble details and white elegance. I would have spent the whole afternoon here if I could.
Jaipur - It is about 5 hours by car from Agra for 239 kilometers but before getting there make a short stop at Fatehpur Sikri, a beautiful example of a Mughal walled city, a mixture of Islamic and Hindu styles. The only negative note: the street vendors here were so insistent as to be really annoying and made me want to escape! Apart from that, the citadel is very well kept and it is certainly worth a visit, even the market through which I passed before reaching it gave me great smiles and a thousand colors as always. There were a lot of sweets and the vendors made me taste a lot of delicacies. I was delighted to watch them fry, knead, roll ... all always with great skill and exceptional dexterity.
Jaipur I could not wait to see it because it was defined the Pink City. This color is given by the fact that the old town is painted in a single pink-terracotta color. Here too there is a strong point: I'm talking about that of Amber from the top of which you can enjoy a spectacular view of the beautiful gardens below and the valley. Many reach the top on an elephant, a questionable choice for me and to be boycotted. For the visit to the Amber fort, consider that you will need at least a whole morning, because it is located about forty kilometers from Jaipur.
Back in the city, stroll around the city bazaars. Here I bought the most beautiful fabrics. You will go crazy for the choice: handicrafts, ethnic jewelery and Indian souvenirs to go. To visit theAstronomical Observatory and Palace of the Winds. The latter particularly struck me: the facade, in pink sandstone, has about a thousand windows that are elegantly worked in lace and I was fascinated by the idea that it was used by court women to observe life on the street without being seen. I enjoyed doing the same… it was a bit like being in the theater and enjoying a particular vantage point.
A tip: if you decide to do this tour and you can choose the period, know that a March 2016 in Jaipur theHoli Festival, the wonderful festival of colors. Make sure your dates coincide!
