India - Transfer at DEL

Hi

Is two hours enough to transfer from domestic to international at T3?

I can buy such a connection on the same PNR, but I'd rather buy two separate tickets because of price and flexibility.

If two hours is not enough, is there really no hotel attached to the terminal or with an airport shuttle, where I could stay overnight?

I also consider staying overnight in Delhi, visiting Taj Mahal by early train and returning to Delhi the same evening. What would be a convenient hotel in Delhi regarding the trains both to Taj Mahal and the airport?

Thanks!

as a courtesy to other posters who have given this information multiple times on the india forum, i would suggest you do a search before posting a new thread....all you answers can be found in existing threads....

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1232691-need-help-del-tight-jet-airways-united-connection.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1218487-transit-through-del-t3.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1206601-transferring-between-ay-del-t3.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1204880-delhi-t3-xfer-international-flight.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1207224-delhi-airport-hotel-recommendations.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1112777-del-airport-xfer-domestic-international.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1150726-new-transit-hotel-del-open-already.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1144006-good-delhi-airport-hotel-other-than-radisson-lounge-ok-longer-layover.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1240923-1000-tour-agra-delhi.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1237945-dehli-agra.html

as a courtesy to other posters who have given this information multiple times on the india forum, i would suggest you do a search before posting a new thread....all you answers can be found in existing threads....Your advice is generally correct and thanks for pointing out the threads in question. I seem to have missed the one about the airport hotels. Sorry. This is my first visit to the India forum.

Let me still recap the answers as I've understood them. Sorry that not everything is clear to me still.

1. If I understand correctly, two hours should be enough to connect especially if you don't have to recheck baggage as I don't. Still, delays occur, and without a single PNR and inflexible tickets you always run a risk at having to purchase a prohibitely expensive additional one-way ticket.

2. The only hotel close to the airport seems to be the Radisson. I went to their site and they did have a rate of 10000 Rph (excluding taxes of about 20%) that includes airport transfers. Would not touch them with a long stick with those prices, especially in a low-cost country. Ibis and HI don't seem to be real airport hotels. Also, as this is FT, I'd prefer a chain with a good loyalty program like Hilton, Marriott or Accor hotels. Not sure how Radisson treats their loyal customers.

I still miss a recommendation of hotel regarding the trains both to Agra/Taj Mahal and the airport? What would be a decent hotel close to the New Delhi station? Ideally, would it be possible to walk to both the station and to the Metro to the airport? Or is it possible to take the train to Agra directly from the airport? I see it has a railway station.

Or maybe the culture in India is to just hop on a taxi whenever you need to go somewhere :)

Or maybe the culture in India is to just hop on a taxi whenever you need to go somewhere :)

I stick to taking taxis -- or (better yet) calling up radio taxis -- around Delhi when I don't have a car. The same goes for pretty much any large city in India.

There is no rail line from the airport to Agra. You would have to use a regular railway station rather than the Delhi metro to get to/from Agra.

When DEL hotels are overpriced nowadays, there is the option of a pay-by-the-hour hotel facility at the airport itself. Combine that with a hired car for the hours there, and there's more bang for the buck than paying an inflated price for the Radisson in DEL.

[The Radisson Delhi (closest to the airport) is one of the properties where I have had the worst luck in trying to get in on a certain promotional rate discussed in the Hotel Deals thread relevant to the family of hotels. It works for the Radisson in Connaught Place quite regularly, however. Hope that helps even as it won't do anything in terms of frequent guest program credit.]

1. If I understand correctly, two hours should be enough to connect especially if you don't have to recheck baggage as I don't. Still, delays occur, and without a single PNR and inflexible tickets you always run a risk at having to purchase a prohibitely expensive additional one-way ticket.

2 hours is more than enough....i would suggest sticking with a single pnr....

2. The only hotel close to the airport seems to be the Radisson. I went to their site and they did have a rate of 10000 Rph (excluding taxes of about 20%) that includes airport transfers. Would not touch them with a long stick with those prices, especially in a low-cost country. Ibis and HI don't seem to be real airport hotels. Also, as this is FT, I'd prefer a chain with a good loyalty program like Hilton, Marriott or Accor hotels. Not sure how Radisson treats their loyal customers.

the hilton janakpuri is about 15-20 minutes away by cab....you could consider that as well....the airport hotel is another option....

I still miss a recommendation of hotel regarding the trains both to Agra/Taj Mahal and the airport? What would be a decent hotel close to the New Delhi station? Ideally, would it be possible to walk to both the station and to the Metro to the airport? Or is it possible to take the train to Agra directly from the airport? I see it has a railway station.

there is no good hotel walking distance from the train station....but the le méridien, shangri la, imperial & a few other good hotels are a 5-10 minute cab ride away....

you can take the metro from the airport to the train station....you will then have to catch the train to agra from there....

I stick to taking taxis -- or (better yet) calling up radio taxis -- around Delhi when I don't have a car. The same goes for pretty much any large city in India.

When DEL hotels are overpriced nowadays, there is the option of a pay-by-the-hour hotel facility at the airport itself.Thank you GUWonder, a couple of questions still if you don't mind. By calling up, do you mean phoning the taxi companies?

Would the pay-by-the-hour hotel facility be available for passengers that have not yet been able to check in? Can they be booked in advance?

the hilton janakpuri is about 15-20 minutes away by cab....you could consider that as well....Great! I will certainly check that option.

Thank you GUWonder, a couple of questions still if you don't mind. By calling up, do you mean phoning the taxi companies?

yes....there is a sticky thread in the india forum with taxi information....that will have some useful info....

Would the pay-by-the-hour hotel facility be available for passengers that have not yet been able to check in? Can they be booked in advance?

you can book the car from the hotel in advance but will probably end up paying 5 times more than you would if you booked a radio taxi....

An update may be in order...

I stayed at the Hilton Janakpuri as per keyser's recommendation. My pre-paid (non airconditioned) taxi took about 25 mins to the hotel in the afternoon and the cost was just 320 INR. As Hhonors Gold I was upgraded to the executive floor with a pool view. The lounge was great and I had a good rate although they apply a strange fixed luxury tax of 1300 INR instead of (the standard?) 10%.

Some words of warning though. The hotel does not accept Diners Club even though I had used it at hhonors.com to book the prepaid room. They then charged my Visa in Euros with their own currency transaction fee/rate without my permission. No biggie, but anyway! Going back I made the mistake of accepting the "hotel taxi" instead of e.g. Meru cabs. Of course the meter "broke down" on the way to the airport. I paid a flat fee of 500 INR which is of course still ok. The taxi driver appeared very pleased. The ride to the airport in morning traffic took about an hour and in very bad traffic it might become a real problem to catch your flight in time.

You could also take the metro to the airport (involving one change of trains) but I have no experience of that.

The Janakpuri Hilton is like a new Hilton anywhere; a contrast e.g. to the Mumbai Hilton which is a very old-fashioned ex-Le Meridien.