India is the trip people research the longest before booking, and with reason. Distances take longer than the map suggests, the north and the south run on opposite calendars, and the difference between an exhausting fortnight and a memorable one is mostly decided before you leave. This is what we answer, over and over, ordered.
When to go
India does not have one season. It has three climates on different calendars, and choosing the wrong month is the most expensive mistake available.
The north: October to March
Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi and all of Rajasthan work between October and March. Dry, with highs of 20 to 28°C and genuinely cold mornings in December and January — Jaipur can start the day at 6°C. Pack a jacket even though the destination sounds tropical.
April to June pushes past 40°C and open-air monuments become unusable by midday. July to September is the monsoon: not constant rain, but humid heat and interrupted days.
The south: November to February
Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu are best between November and February, with a second monsoon hitting the east coast from October to December. The south is never cold, so the variable is rain rather than temperature.
The Himalaya: May to September
Ladakh and Sikkim invert the pattern — they open exactly when the plains become unbearable, between May and September. Many mountain passes close in winter.
So the useful question is never "when should I visit India" but "when should I visit this part of India".
How long the flight takes
There is no direct service from most of the Americas or from Australia. From Europe it is eight to nine hours; from the US east coast, fourteen with one stop; from South America, 24 to 30 hours door to door. India runs five and a half hours ahead of GMT — a thirty-minute offset that catches people out when booking connections.
Two consequences worth accepting early: arrival day is not a sightseeing day, and the clock takes two or three days to settle. Itineraries that open with a light day in Delhi are not padding.
Which route for a first trip
The Golden Triangle — Delhi, Agra, Jaipur — exists for a reason. In a handful of days it covers the Taj Mahal, Mughal architecture and the palace cities of Rajasthan, with sane distances between them. It is where the overwhelming majority of our travellers start, and it is still what we recommend for a first visit.
Delhi
Two cities in one. Old Delhi around Chandni Chowk, the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort is dense and loud; New Delhi is wide avenues, Humayun's Tomb — the architectural rehearsal for the Taj — and the Qutub Minar. Two days is right, and the second day is worth far more than the first.
Agra
The Taj Mahal closes on Fridays. It is the single fact that ruins most itineraries and the easiest to plan around; we build departures around it. Go at sunrise, and not for the photograph: the marble shifts from grey to gold in a few minutes and the crowds have not arrived. Agra Fort and the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri justify staying the night rather than treating Agra as a day trip.
Jaipur
The Pink City holds Amber Fort above the lake, the Hawa Mahal, the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar observatory. It is also the best place on the route to buy textiles, with the usual caveat: you haggle, and the first price is never the price.
Beyond the Golden Triangle
Varanasi is the most intense addition — the ghats on the Ganges, the Ganga Aarti at dusk, the dawn boat. It divides opinion more than anywhere else and is what people still talk about years later.
Rajasthan in full — Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer — adds lakes, the blue city and the Thar desert, and needs at least five more days. Ranthambore or Jawai add tigers and leopards for anyone who wants wildlife alongside architecture.
What rarely works is north and south in one trip. They are different countries in practice: four hours of flying apart, different food, different languages, different weather.
Getting around
Distances mislead. Two hundred kilometres can take five hours once roads and traffic are accounted for.
Trains are often faster than cars on long legs and are an experience in themselves; air-conditioned classes are comfortable and sell out, so they are booked ahead. Domestic flights are cheap and buy back whole days on runs like Delhi to Varanasi. For the Golden Triangle itself, a car with a driver remains the most practical option — it allows stops and removes the most stressful part, which is driving.
Food, water and health
The water rule is simple and admits no exceptions: bottled or filtered only, and no ice where the source is unknown. It prevents more trouble than anything else on this page.
With food, anything hot and freshly cooked is safe, street stalls included. What to avoid is raw salad washed in tap water and pre-peeled fruit. Northern Indian food is less fiery than most people fear, and India is probably the easiest country on earth to travel as a vegetarian.
On vaccinations: nothing is mandatory in normal circumstances, but India can require a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from countries with transmission risk. The certificate takes ten days from the injection to become valid, so it is worth checking early rather than late.
Money, tipping and etiquette
The rupee is a closed currency — you change it there or draw it from ATMs rather than bringing it with you. Cards work in hotels, restaurants and city shops; carry cash for tips, markets and short journeys. Tipping is expected in tourist services.
Temples and mosques ask for shoulders and knees covered, and you remove your shoes — socks in the daypack solve hot stone at midday. Some Sikh temples also ask you to cover your head. Eat and greet with the right hand. Ask before photographing people; in some places there is a charge.
Festivals: Holi and Diwali
Holi, in March, is the festival of colours and the most photogenic and most chaotic India gets. Diwali, in October or November, is the festival of lights — cities lit for days and an atmosphere unlike the rest of the year.
Travelling during a festival changes the trip, generally for the better, but it demands far more notice: domestic flights and hotels sell out and prices rise. If your dates are flexible, it is worth aligning them.
What India combines with
Almost nobody flies to India and straight home again. The journey is long and the connection usually passes somewhere worth three days. The three routes we build most often:
India and Nepal. Kathmandu is ninety minutes from Delhi and the shift is total — from the heat and density of the Ganges plain to the Himalayan valleys. It is the most natural extension and the most requested.
India and the Maldives. Closing on an atoll after a fortnight of circuit is the contrast travellers thank us for most. Four hours of flying separates the two.
India via the United Arab Emirates. If the routing already stops in Dubai, three nights turns an awkward connection into half a trip. It works better on the way home, when there is no energy left for a circuit.
What we do not recommend is adding Thailand to the same itinerary. They are two different intensities, and chaining them tends to leave you feeling you saw neither properly.
Common questions about travelling to India
Do I need a visa for India?
Almost certainly yes. Most nationalities apply for an e-visa online before departure, with a passport valid for at least six months from arrival and blank pages for stamps. Start it several weeks ahead — approval is not instant.
How many days do I need in India?
Seven days covers the Golden Triangle without rushing. Ten to fourteen allows Varanasi or the full Rajasthan circuit at a reasonable pace. Under a week forces you to cut exactly what you came for, and jet lag takes the first two days regardless.
When is the best time to see the Taj Mahal?
Between October and March, always at sunrise, and never on a Friday when it closes. December and January can bring morning fog that delays the view, so November, February and March are more reliable if the dates allow.
Is India safe to travel in?
Yes, with the precautions any densely populated destination asks for: attention to belongings in crowds, arranged transport rather than hailed at night, and bottled water. Most problems travellers report are stomach-related rather than matters of safety.
Can I drink the tap water in India?
No. Bottled or filtered only, and avoid ice where you do not know the source. It is the easiest precaution to maintain and the one that prevents the most trouble.
Is it better to travel in a group or independently?
Independent travel is entirely possible, but on a first trip a small group with a local guide removes what consumes the most time and energy: intercity transfers, monument entries, and knowing what order to see things in and at what hour. The difference shows most in Agra and Jaipur.
What plug does India use?
Types C, D and M at 230 volts. Most modern chargers handle the voltage; you need an adapter for the pins.
How much does a trip to India cost?
The international flight dominates the budget. On the ground India is inexpensive for food, transport and entry tickets. What moves the final number most is accommodation class and whether the route runs with guides and transfers included or independently.
