Major tourist destinations

Places you must not miss on a visit to India

India is big and you cannot visit all places in India even if you are here for a fortnight and keep a hectic schedule. However, if you are in India, it will be worthwhile to visit the important places around your main destination. There are numrous sites guiding you about these places and many of them provide services such as package tours, taxi servides, pick up and drop services, hotel and flight bookings and so on.

The following list is just a reminder that you should visit at least one of them however short your visit to India is.

In general, if you land in Delhi, you must plan a visit to Agra [the city of the Taj] and Jaipur [the city of forts and palaces and a glimpse into colourful ethnic culture of western India] and of course the numerous monuments scattered within Delhi.

If you land in Kolkata, you can think of a visit to Sunderbans besides exploring the British legacy in Kolkata itself .

If you happen to come to Mumbai and have limited time in hand, do visit Ajanta and Ellora caves.

If you come to Chennai, a visit to temple towns in the vicinity will be quite rewarding.

With civilization spanning five millania and enormous diversity of climates and topography, biodiversity, cultures and faiths, every part of India is fascinating. The list is too small to accommodate even world heritage sites.

We'll come with an exhaustive list sometime later.

A. The Taj @ Agra [200 km from New Delhi; connected by road, rail, air]

B. Ajanta and Ellora caves @ Aurangabad [Ajanta 100 km from Aurangabad airport; 60 km from Jalgaon railway station; Ellora 30 km from Aurangabad]

C. Havelock island beaches, Jarawahs, the most recluse tribes in the world +corals [+ some of the most unspoilt beaches] @ Andaman & Nicobar Islands [by air from Chennai or Kolkata; over 1000 km]

D. Forts and palaces everywhere [+ camel ride+ colourful desert culture] @ Rajasthan, the desert province [Jaipur: 260 km from Delhi; other important tourist cities: Jaisalmer, Udaipur]

E. The holiest town of India, a cauldron of civilizations warped in time @ Varanasi [800 km from Delhi; connected by road, rail, air]

F. Cool and beautiful hill resorts @ Kashmir [Srinagar: 880 km from Delhi; best nearby places: Gulmarg, Sonamarg; connected by air, bus, train – nearest railhead Jammu Tawi is 300 km]

G. Himalayan ranges, trekking [+pristine local culture ] @ central Indian hill towns [Starting from Delhi, one can visit hill stations in the following groups: Nainital-Kausani-Bhimtal-Jageshwar, Shimla, Mussorie-Lansdowne- valley of flowers; all are within 250 km range.]

H. Erotic ancient temples @ Khajuraho [600 km from Delhi; connected by road, rail, air]

I. Sunny beaches [+ ancient cathedrals] @ Goa [Panaji is approx 500 km from Mumbai; connected by road, rail, air]

J. Backwaters [+ ayurvedic treatment] @ Kerala [one of the southernmost provinces of India][Thiruananthapuram or Trivandrum is 1250 km from Mumbai; connected by road, rail, air]

K. Magnificent ancient temples at every nook and corner [+hot south Indian food] @ Tamil Nadu, the southernmost part of India [Chennai, the state capital, is an important international destination.]

L. Ruins of Vijaynagar empire @ Hampi [46o km by road from Bangaluru; nearest railway station is Hospet; not very well connected]

M. Mangrove ecosystem @ Sunderbans [world’s largest estuarine sanctuary; can be reached from Kolkata by road; Kanning is 64 km from Kolkata and also has a railhead but other towns are slightly away and connected only by road.]