First trip to India
Jan 12, 2005 | 2:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Free agent
Posts: 1,389
First trip to India
A coworker of mine is getting married in Delhi in October and the wife and I are going to make the trip over.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
Jan 12, 2005 | 5:14 pm
#3
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA LT Gold; BA Silver; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,103
Definitely go to Jaipur. I was in India year ago for 2 weeks on business and would go back in a heartbeat. I suspect you'll be treated like visiting royalty at the wedding.
Be aware that travel from place to place in India can be a pain no matter what you do. We were told not to take trains. A road trip by bus from Delhi to Jaipur took 6 hours (with my colleagues playing Charades in a mix of Hindi and English!) when we went there for a team-building exercise. It's less than an hour by plane, but the airports have been described here (by people who use them a lot) as bus terminals execpt that planes use them. So, "day trips" can take a good part of the day on the road, although the road can be an interesting destination in itself.
But there are plenty of wonderful things to do in Delhi. The handcrafts at the Dilli Hat, jewelry at Mehrason's (all 22K and only a small markup over the cost of the gold), the Red Fort and the food.
The local paper (Delhi Times) had ads for weekend trips to Katmandu. Not sure how stable it is right now but it's something I'd definitely consider if I had a weekend free there again.
And, my usual advice- go to the library, get guidebooks for India and see what excites the 2 of you, then plan accordingly. India is a fascinating country- I hope you love it as much as I did!
Be aware that travel from place to place in India can be a pain no matter what you do. We were told not to take trains. A road trip by bus from Delhi to Jaipur took 6 hours (with my colleagues playing Charades in a mix of Hindi and English!) when we went there for a team-building exercise. It's less than an hour by plane, but the airports have been described here (by people who use them a lot) as bus terminals execpt that planes use them. So, "day trips" can take a good part of the day on the road, although the road can be an interesting destination in itself.
But there are plenty of wonderful things to do in Delhi. The handcrafts at the Dilli Hat, jewelry at Mehrason's (all 22K and only a small markup over the cost of the gold), the Red Fort and the food.
The local paper (Delhi Times) had ads for weekend trips to Katmandu. Not sure how stable it is right now but it's something I'd definitely consider if I had a weekend free there again.
And, my usual advice- go to the library, get guidebooks for India and see what excites the 2 of you, then plan accordingly. India is a fascinating country- I hope you love it as much as I did!
Last edited by Athena53; Jan 13, 2005 at 5:41 am
Jan 13, 2005 | 4:59 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: PA near PHL
Posts: 438
Originally Posted by brj8826
A coworker of mine is getting married in Delhi in October and the wife and I are going to make the trip over.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
My boyfriend and I are the same way. Did LA in 10 hours. You get a taste, you leave, and if you like it you go back. Good luck in your quest.
Jan 13, 2005 | 10:03 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Somewhere btw the West Coast and Texas
Programs: SPG Plat
Posts: 637
I second the side trip to the Maldives. And if you do go there, might as well head over to Sri Lanka as well, check out Sigiriya, where the rock fortress is located. If you do go to Sri Lanka, then you can also fly first or biz back to the US west coast, although that would require you to get a one-way to DEL, and more one-ways to MLE and/or CMB. You can fly a number of airlines in biz, one-way from CMB to SFO/LAX/SEA. For example, an OZ or SQ ticket, one-way will cost around 800-1000 USD, for the following:
on SQ CMB-SIN-ICN
on OZ ICN-LAX/SFO/SEA
I recently did this on a trip to southern India, turning a simple trip into a multi-country hop. My trip report is here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=382620
on SQ CMB-SIN-ICN
on OZ ICN-LAX/SFO/SEA
I recently did this on a trip to southern India, turning a simple trip into a multi-country hop. My trip report is here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=382620
Jan 13, 2005 | 11:03 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: pdx
Posts: 173
My husband and I are planning a trip to India with another couple in November. We are looking at some of the same cities you are. A friend from India suggested staying at the Oberoi hotels, and if you call and tell them what your plans are, they will make up an itinerary and email it to you to look at. I called three days ago and talked to them. They said they would email me with the itineray in 24 - 48 hours. I haven't heard from them yet, but am hoping to today. You can look up their website online and find the toll free number to call them. Hope this helps you.
Jan 13, 2005 | 12:07 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,785
I would do include udaipur (lake palace) and the deogarh/heritage hotel on the way to udaipur - both are not to be missed. You could do a sidetrip to Nepal or Bhutan from Delhi for about five days - and for beaches I would suggest Goa - not as nice as the maldives but in keeping with the Indian experience and not as much travel time.
http://www.i-escape.com/deogarhmahal...ce=tripadvisor
http://www.i-escape.com/deogarhmahal...ce=tripadvisor
Jan 14, 2005 | 2:41 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Premier, SWA Rapid Rewards, Alaska Air Mileage Plan, AAdvantage, CX Marco Polo
Posts: 544
Originally Posted by Athena53
Definitely go to Jaipur. I was in India year ago for 2 weeks on business and would go back in a heartbeat. I suspect you'll be treated like visiting royalty at the wedding.
Be aware that travel from place to place in India can be a pain no matter what you do. We were told not to take trains.
Be aware that travel from place to place in India can be a pain no matter what you do. We were told not to take trains.
Service on the trains is quite good and the cabins are clean.
Jan 14, 2005 | 4:33 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA LT Gold; BA Silver; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,103
The Palace on Wheels sounds pretty nice. I believe everything I've heard has to do with the garden-variety trains the general population takes back and forth. I just wish the company would send me back so I could find out for myself!
Jan 18, 2005 | 7:50 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: DCA
Posts: 27
Look into getting an airpass on Indian Airlines or Jet Airways. I did 10 cities in 18 days last month with Jet Air. Even with the inevitable winter fog delays in Delhi, I had a great time and saw all the "first-timer tourist stuff".
Jan 19, 2005 | 3:08 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Newport Beach, California, USA
Posts: 36,062
Originally Posted by brj8826
A coworker of mine is getting married in Delhi in October and the wife and I are going to make the trip over.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
We thought this would be a great opportunity for our first trip to India. He is willing to help us out as much as possible and has offered to give us his car and driver to take us out to the Taj Mahal. We are planning on staying for a couple of weeks and will be flying from DFW-LHR-DEL.
What else should we plan on doing while there? He is really pushing for us to go to Rajasthan (including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Taj Mahal (Agra)
My wife and I have very short attention spans when we go to a country for the first time. As an example, when we went to Italy for the first time and did Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa in 5 days and loved it. We use the first trip as kind of a recon mission. We certainly will be going back to these cities for extended visits but we were glad to get a flavor of them quickly.
We would also like to have some beach time and have thought about Goa and possibly even the Maldives.
We are open to going to countries that border India as well.
Any help would be appreciated.
In addition to Agra (which is where the Taj Mahal is located), we've enjoyed:
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Udaipur
Jaisalmar
All are relatively easily reachable by car-and-driver, though we found it convenient (and inexpensive) to fly between some cities.