I've never done group tours (just day tours once I'm already there), always done the backpacker thing, but I really have no idea what to expect with India. My travel style is to usually book a hotel, plan a few activities, then just spend my days walking around a city and exploring areas that seem interesting to me. As you know, wandering in Europe is easy, as the cities are mostly safe, pedestrian friendly (mostly), and there's a public transport system or taxis that can get you to where you want to go.

I've had a lot of conflicting advice about questions I've had whether to hire a driver/guide, booking trains, safety for women, safety of restaurants, walking around the cities, etc. I know that taxi drivers will probably try to overcharge you, but if its just a dollar or two, it doesn't matter to me.

I'm gonna try and keep my first trip to India somewhat simple. I'm flying into Delhi. I'll probably just stick to the tourist trail and do Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. And now...my barrage of questions!

1. Any other cities along that route or nearby I should see?
2. I've been told I need to book my tickets months in advance for long Indian Railway journeys, is that the case for these cities of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur?
3. Should I hire a private driver? If so, how? I'm not crazy about having a driver hang around me all day, as I can't imagine this is cheap or that he'd be useful as a tour guide. Especially when there are guided tours online of Delhi for $10-15
4. What would you advise me about restaurants? I know bottled water and avoid ice cubes.
5. Is India the kinda place where I can just walk out of the hotel and walk in any direction to explore? In Japan, I'd just get out of my hotel and walk. I have maps on my phone so I can always know where I am, but Japan has sidewalks and doesn't have touts trying to hassle you every step you take. I can deal with touts, but not if I'm gonna drown in them!
6. Any issues with safety I need to be concerned with?
7. We are a man and a woman traveling together, I was told that men and women can't ride together on the metro in Delhi.
8. Any other advice you'd pass onto me?

Thank you in advance!