HMPS

You can go to South, States of Kerala , Tamil Nadu etc. Again historic temples, people, backwater canal trips, a range of five starts to a guest house.....also you can hop over to sari Lanka especially if you can find the CX or QR cheap fares in J.
Ithe north you can go to Varanasi, Khajuraho etc.

pinniped

Another country that doesn't send suicide bombers: Vietnam.

Even if this thread completely goes off the rails and ends in bad OMNI I'm happy for one thing: it made me google Kerala and add it to a long list of places I'd like to visit someday. ^

You want to go where?

As far as India is concerned, let's remember that the OP will only be there a week. That's not a lot of time for multiple destinations, especially since this will be the first trip there. I would stick to (at most) two destinations. That will give you some time to really absorb the difference, rather than spend the entire time transiting from one place to the next.

barte

I've recently been to all 3 locations and can tell you this :

Italy :
You won't regret to visit Rome, Florence, Tuscany. Absolutely great if you love history, art and good food. See Rome and die is an expression for a reason.
Price is considerably higher a day then the other 2.

Vietnam :
Interesting cities (HCMC and Hanoi) and astonishing landscapes ( From Halong Bay to the rice terraces.) but the atmosphere is sometimes lacking for me.

India :
An experience you will never forget. The way of thinking is so different. Everything is a sort of organised chaos which somehow seems to work. Food here is brilliant almost everywhere you go for a fraction of a price. Very rich culture (Go to Delhi for example)

You can also arrange almost everything you want last minute. Also probably the cheapest option, even the top hotels (Leela, Taj, Oberoi).

Dudemius

Seems the Istanbul option in the OP just fell off the map. Having just visited Istanbul this past November I would put in on the short list of top destinations I've experienced. In Istanbul you can take the subway from Europe to Asia. And return by boat. That's just cool. I would go back.

I enjoyed a brief Vietnam visit in 2012 but it was kind of like checking boxes on my ASEAN list. I liked Cambodia & Malaysia better.

My one visit to India was a 10 day business trip to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, with a weekend side trip to Agra by private car with some colleagues, including locals, to visit Taj Mahal. Personally I have no desire to ever set foot in India again. Even on a business account it's too chaotic for me. However, it's impossible to suggest that a person who's never been to India shouldn't make India a priority. You will see things you could never have imagined.

Have not been to Italy yet. Need to go, but other EU countries keep calling to me.

India or Istanbul are my suggestions.

Giggleswick

Not a big deal, but actually that's Naples. Rome is "una vita non basta" (one lifetime is not enough).

HMPS

I believe OP has a week available for India.
Enough time for the Golden Traingle that includes the Taj Mahal.

As motel earlier, even a month or two are not enough to " do" India.

The week they spend will give them a lifetime of memories and allow to decide whether to return.

airmotive

BTW...India has new Visa-on-Arrival scheme for American citizens.

https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html

pinniped

Awesome. Even better than the process from just 2 years ago... ^

barte

In my own language we use Rome for some reason... weird

You want to go where?

I was questioning whether it was enough time for the entire Golden Triangle, especially given that the "week" in question includes getting to and from India.

barte

I would stick with Delhi & Agra for that timeframe.
Or take more days off

pinniped

So, six nights on the ground in India? Only really need 1 in Agra...you could still do 2 to 3 in each of Jaipur and Delhi. We loved Jaipur: I'd hate to skip that one.

We flew in to DEL in an afternoon and headed directly to Jaipur. That was really the only part of the trip that felt like a long(ish) drive...about 5 hours with minimal stopping, other than the minor car accident we were in. (Totally normal...plan on being involved in one or two while you're there...it's part of the experience. ) The road from Jaipur to Agra has several interesting stops along the way, so it doesn't feel like you're really losing time being in the car. The road from Agra to Delhi goes by in a snap because it's boring: a modern superhighway with no animals, pedestrians, tuktuks, etc.

One could easily tack on a 1-hour flight to Jaipur and start the tour from there: that's not a bad option. But the richness of that first few hours on the road in India is something I'll truly never forget...the people, bizarre vehicles large and small, fauna all over the roadway, sights, smells, scenery...everything. That ride was as completely foreign as anything I've ever done.

barte

My first trip to India, arrived in Bangaluru somewhere at 3 am.
Took a taxi and spend the next hour scared as the driver was speeding and dodging people, animals, obstacles (we had a near mis with a big rock which was right in the middle of the highway for some reason), lorries packed with too much stuff while seeing absolutely nothing. No accident though. So I can amagine the 5hour trip @pinniped

But you get used to it so fast. Crossing the street trough all the traffic without looking seems almost normal now.

You want to go where?

When I went from Delhi to Agra there was no modern superhighway, so I did get the animals, pedestrians, tuktuks, markets, etc. Definitely wasn't boring but it did take a long time. I did see the Taj as a day trip from Delhi, but I would have preferred at least an overnight there. I haven't been to Jaipur but I know that there is a lot to see there.

I have primarily been to India for work and have been able to see things only as individual add-on days to my trips. Everything I have seen seemed to beg for more time than I could devote to it, hence my thought of more in-depth experiences in fewer places.