Around 7 million travelers from all over the world visit India every year. Most of them land at New Delhi Airport (Indira Gandhi International Airport), and from here they hire cabs or catch a train to starts their holidays in India. Along with this many travelers also give a day or two in Delhi to explore the tourist monuments of the city and observe the life at India’s capital.
In this post, I’ve tried to present a typical tour itinerary on how a traveler can enjoy a fantastic week (or max ten days) after arriving in New Delhi. So, here goes nothing.
1. Start with a sightseeing tour of Delhi
There are like 40 monuments in New Delhi, which I consider as must see sites. But as most travelers give 24 to 48 hours in the capital, then I would like to share a list of sightseeing sites in Delhi, sent to me by the team of Santram Holidays.
Santram Holidays is Delhi based sightseeing tour operator which offer car rental service and tour packages for Delhi, Rajasthan and a few other sites which are of my interest. As per them, one must spend one day in Delhi to visit:
- India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Raj Ghat
- Red Fort and the monuments of Chandni Chowk
- Humuyan Tomb
- Lotus Temple
- Qutub Minar and the market of CP
One must also taste the street food of Chandni Chowk by night. And have a look at this Delhi sightseeing package by Santram Holidays which share step by step details on all tourism sector of New Delhi. Plus, you can also check Santram Holidays Tempo Tarveller service for group tours of Delhi Agra and Rajasthan. More details at http://santramholidays.in/tempo-traveller/
2. Some amazing cities to visit near Delhi
Many travelers, who have landed at Delhi Airport, are in India for maximum a week. So, I will never suggest them to visit the sites of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer or Udaipur, as they all will spend the majority of time on the road. So, if you have like 4-5 days in India, then plan a Golden Triangle Tour.
In a Golden Triangle tour, you will visit Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, which naturally form a triangle on Map and thus this tour got this name – Golden Triangle. Now as I have already shared the details on sightseeing places in Delhi, so here are some tourism information on Agra and Jaipur.
To reach Agra, you can hire a cab or catch a train. Though with a cab, you can also visit Mathura and Vrindavan which are on route to Agra. At Agra, you must visit:
- Taj Mahal and Agra Fort
- Tomb of Akbar in Sikandra
- The city of Fatehpur Sikri
You can visit all these three sites if you start your tour by morning 7:00 AM. Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Akbar Timb are in Agra, but Fatehpur Sikri is 50 km from Agra, and the site gets close by 5:00 PM. And that’s why I always suggest travelers to either give two days or visit all these sites in one day by starting an early morning tour.
Then from Agra, you should hire a cab for Jaipur which is 250 km or 5-hour drive away. I’m again suggesting a taxi as there is a fantastic stepwell site to see between Agra and Jaipur, which is Chand Baori Stepwell.
In Jaipur, the must see tourist sites are:
- Amber Fort and Jal Mahal
- City Palace, Hawa Mahal & Jantar Mantar
- Albert Hall and Birla Temple
- Galta Monkey temple and Sisodia Rani Bagh
And apart from these tourist sites, Jaipur is the hub for all the amazing handicraft items which are manufactured in Rajasthan. If you are restricted with time and can’t visit other cities of Rajasthan, the shopping experience in Pink City markets is a must.
3. Tour of Rajasthan
And if you are in India for more than a week, then my friend you must visit Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Jodhpur is 350 km from Jaipur, and many travelers love to reach Jodhpur via road. As on route, they visit the cities of Ajmer and Pushkar.
After reaching Jodhpur, one just needs 1-2 days to visit all the tourist sites, fantastic handicraft markets at circuit road, and taste the authentic Rajasthani cuisine. In Jodhpur, you must visit:
- Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada
- Umaid Bhawan Palace
- Mandore Gardens
- Handicrafts shops at Circut road
And if you want to see an amazing temple, then visit the Osian Mata Temple which is 70 km north from Jodhpur. After Jodhpur, the next stop is at the Golden City of India – Jaisalmer.
Jaisalmer is a desert city which is in the middle of Indian part of Thar Desert. Most travelers come to Jaisalmer to enjoy the desert safari and stay at desert camps in Sam sand dune. Sam is 45 km from Jaisalmer, and you can check this list on Jaisalmer desert camp, which tell the best camp sites in Sam and how you should plan a desert safari in Jeep or Camel at Sam.
Apart from the desert, the city of Jaisalmer has some amazing sites like:
- Golden Fort and it’s mansions
- Gadisar Lake and the puppet show organized by NK Sharma
- The old site of Bada Bagh and Vyas Chhatri.
Jaisalmer city also has some amazing rooftop restaurants which you should visit. One which comes to my mind is the Trio restaurant.
Best time to visit India
Well for me any time is best to explore the sites of India, but more comfortable ones will be from September to March, as these are the winter months.
To book your accommodation in India, you should check Booking.com and you can also contact our friends of Santram Holidays to arrange all hotels and transportation from New Delhi.
