Our packed North India guide for 2 weeks

17.03.2023 | India, Travel

Our packed North India guide for 2 weeks

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India is special, intense, a lot and so much more. For so long it was on our bucket list, but we always decided for other countries first, since we had a lot of respect for the hustle and bustle of the Indian streets. Well, when we decided to go hiking in Nepal and New Delhi in North India was a regular stop over, we thought – why not challenge us now. And we can tell you, do it, travel to India! It’s mind blowing and I can understand this country a lot better now. You can see a lot of Northern India in 2 full weeks since traveling by train is very convenient. The most common travel route is the Northern triangle with the close together located cities New Delhi – Agra – Jaipur. A lot of people add lovely Udaipur to their travel plan, and additionally Jodhpur and Jaiselmer with longer train connections can be added, too. If you want to see the spiritual city Varanasi, it might be the easiest way to get a short inland flight.

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Take a flight to New Delhi ✓

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1. Explore New Delhi (state Delhi), Day 1-2

New Delhi will definitely challenge you, it’s the biggest city in North India with most traffic and quit overwhelming street life. You can also just arrive in New Delhi and directly take the train to the smaller and quieter Agra, and explore New Delhi at the end of your trip when you are a bit used to Indian street life. You don’t need a lot of time in this city, but still enough time to visit some temples and the spice market. We can highly recommend using Uber for getting to the locations in New Delhi, the gases on the streets can be a lot, and the Uber cars have closed windows, air-conditioning and the drivers are really nice and drive safely! If you don’t get an Uber, ask a tuktuk driver, but you have to bargaining here.

What to do?

Where to eat?

Where to stay?

↠ Read more: coming soon

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Take the train from New Delhi to Agra (220km, 2,5h) ✓

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2. Explore the Taj in Agra (state Uttar Pradesh), Day 2-4

You just cannot skip Agra if you visit North Delhi, the Taj Mahal is one-of-a-kind experience. It is still one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen, due to its symmetry, color and location. Keep in mind, that Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays, we almost went there on a Friday! We cannot recommend enough to line up in front of Taj Mahal before opening times, otherwise it will get crowded! From the homestay recommended you can walk to Taj by foot or take the free bus shuttle. You don’t need a lot of time here in Agra, plan to visit Mehtab Bagh in the evening and Taj the next early morning. Afterwards you can visit Baby Taj.

What to do?

Where to eat?

Where to stay?

↠ Read more: coming soon

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Take the train from Agra to Jaipur (240km, 4h) ✓

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3. Our favorite city Jaipur (state Rajasthan), Day 4-7

There are so many beautiful places to explore in Jaipur, definitely plan a few days here! We spent most of the time on our India trip in Jaipur. My favorite places are the beautiful Nahargarh Fort and Amber Fort, a long beautiful stone wall with arches and little temples. Nahargarh Fort is perfect for sunset, whereas Amber Fort is only possible to climb very early in the morning. Later guards will try to prevent you from going up, since there was an accident with people climbing the wall in a thunderstorm. In the early morning for sunrise we had no problems though! Also Amber Palace and the City Palace is really beautiful!

What to do?

Where to eat?

Where to stay?

↠ Read more: coming soon

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Get a driver to Bundi ✓

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4. Bundi (state Rajasthan), Day 7-8

When you drive from Jaipur to Udaipur, Bundi is located half the way. You can spend there one night as a stopover. Bundi is not that touristic, it’s really authentic. Streets have still mud and stone surfaces and everywhere are pigs, cows and monkeys. It’s not the most beautiful place, since there is a lot of rubbish, but it’s good to experience the real Indian life, aside the tourist path. Bundi has some great stepwells, however sometimes the water level is really high, so you can’t see most of the stairs. In Bundi we found the cutest lady, serving Chai Tea!

What to do?

Where to eat?

Where to stay?

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Get a driver to Udaipur ✓

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5. The relaxing Udaipur (state Rajasthan), Day 8-11

Udaipur is often described as the romantic and calm relaxation city compared to Jaipur and New Delhi. Expectations where high for us. Well it is a lot more relaxing for sure, since it’s a smaller city. The lakes are beautiful, however we have seen a lot of rubbish everywhere in the lakes. There is this extremely expensive hotel Taj Lake Palace on an island in the middle of the lake, we found another hotel Udai Kothi that looks similar and was a lot cheaper. Definitely check out Ambrai restaurant, this one was a highlight!! Also, definitely check out the Cultural Show! Normally we are not big fans of these shows, but this one is extremely good and authentic! I wouldn’t skip Udaipur in my Indian trip, but 2 to 3 nights are enough time in our eyes.

What to do?

Where to eat?

Where to stay?

↠ Read more: coming soon

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Either get a flight back to New Delhi or

Take the train to Jodhpur (250km, 5,25h) ✓

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6. The blue city Jodhpur (state Rajasthan), add 2 days

The smaller circle in North India includes New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. If you have more time, you can expand this circle and include Jodhpur and Jaiselmer. Jodphur is called the blue city, since lots of the bulidng are painted blue. Definitely get an airbnb in the old city. Jodphur has some stepwells where you can take as many pictures as you want without paying a guard.

What to do?

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Take the train to Jaiselmer (280km, 5h, there is only one airline operating) ✓

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7. Temples and desert in Jaiselmer, add 3 days

Jaiselmer is such a beautiful place with incredible temples, boat trips and trips to Thar Desert! For the temples you might need 1-2 days. If you want to visit Thar desert, plan more time, since it’s a 40 minute car ride to get to the desert. Definitely check out the temples that are build in the water, they look most beautiful for sunrise. The easiest way is to take a flight back to New Delhi, since the train ride takes a lot of time.

What to do?

Where to stay?

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Take a flight from Jaiselmer back to New Delhi (1,5 h) ✓

or take a flight to Varanasi ✓

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8. The spiritual Varanasi, add 2-3 days

Varanasi is best reachable by a short inland flight from New Delhi. There is also a train connection, but it takes a lot of time. This city is one of the oldest and most sacred cities in India. Located on the banks of the Ganges river, it is a place where Hindus come to worship, cleanse their sins, and prepare for their final journey. It is home to many temples, ghats, ashrams and markets. The Ganges river is both a source of life and a destination for death. Hindus believe that dying in Varanasi or having their ashes immersed in the Ganges will liberate them from the cycle of rebirth. Varanasi is a city that can easily overwhelm your senses with its sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings. But it is very interesting to experience the way Indian people think about life.

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Take a flight back to New Delhi ✓

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9. Experience a train ride in India

One of the best ways to explore India is by the thousands of trains in India, which connects different regions. There are many types of trains in India, ranging from local trains that carry millions of commuters every day to luxury trains that offer opulent services and amenities.

We recommend to book your train connections a few days in advance, since the good train sections with AC are often booked fast. We recommend booking directly with the Indian Rail booking system www.irctc.co.in. You have to create a profile before purchasing your tickets, then it’s pretty easy to see all trains and the different available classes for the trains. Tickets can be booked up to 365 days in advance.

It is very important that you know which train class you book! For a short 2 hour train ride it might be very eye opening to sit close together with the locals and no joke (!) pigs and chickens without AC. But for longer train rides it might be more comfortable to switch to a train class with AC.

For overnight traveling we recommend 2 AC or 3 AC, the cabins are clean and comfortable. For traveling during daytime or short distances we recommend EC or CC. On your ticket you can see your seat number and carriage, so you can wait in the right corner at the platform. Keep in mind to bring some warm clothes for the AC carriages.

10. Experience the famous Holi Festival

Holi is one of the most vibrant and joyful festivals in India. It celebrates the arrival of spring, the victory of good over evil, and the love between Radha and Krishna. Holi is known as the festival of colors, because people throw colored powders and water at each other, creating a rainbow of hues. On the day of Holi, people wear white clothes and go out to splash each other with colored water and powders called gulal or abeer. Check the dates for Holi festival, it is often celebrated in March, the best travel time for India. We heard that Holi festival on the open streets can also be very dangerous for women, since men try to touch women a lot. A lot of people recommend to book a “private” Holi festival, where standards are higher.

Best time to visit North India?

Dry season: October to March (winter in India, clear sky, warm, sunny)

Wet season: May to September (not recommended, it gets very very hot and monsoon hits)

Holi Festival: March

Did it feel save?

Yes absolutely! Especially as a woman I experienced nothing bad. Indian people were very polite and respectful to me. However, I didn’t travel alone as a woman, I had my boyfriend with me. I heard so many stories before our trip, that I even bought a fake wedding ring in Nepal before we travelled to India. However, I didn’t use it once, since nobody was intrusive at all. I heard that it helps to smile not too much at men in India. Also there were a few tuktuk drivers trying to get more money after a ride, but in a respectful and normal way I also experienced in many other countries in the world. I can’t say that India was a bad experience when it comes to negotiating, obtrusiveness and spoof.

How expensive is India?

India is the cheapest country I’ve visited so far. However in touristic areas you can book expensive hotels as well or eat in fancy cafés. But overall food and Uber rides are extremely cheap! Also entry fees for temples and Forts doesn’t cost a lot!

How to get around?

In the huge cities like New Delhi and Jaipur we can highly recommend booking a car ride via Uber! You don’t have to bargain, you can directly pay via the app, drivers are friendly and most cars have air conditioning which gives you a nice short and quit break from the loud streets. If you don’t find Uber in your area, there are always tuktuk drivers who drive you for little money. Keep in mind to agree on a price before you hop in, also you have to bargain! For longer distances like Jaipur to Udaipur we always asked the local homestays or hotels and searched via tripadvisor for good rated drivers. Often we contacted them via whatsapp and they agreed one day before the trip. Longer distances might cost you between 30-50€ for the car and the driver.

Where we would love to go next time in India:

We visited India in October 2022.

Anzeige / ad: Most of the hotels, restaurants and companies we mentioned above didn’t sponsor us. All our recommendations are always based on our own opinion.

Crazy, special and intense India - an experience you will never forget!

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