Last Updated on March 4, 2025

HOW TO ORGANISE The Perfect FIRST TRIP to India

As an independent traveller, I usually book a flight, get a visa if necessary (you will need one for India, and should apply online 30 days before your departure), arrange accommodation online and find out the best way to travel between cities if my itinerary demands it. Planning my first trip to India felt different. The country is vast and I had many preconceived concerns that made me somewhat anxious about how to organise it all. Chief amongst these was how to get around. Everyone I spoke to about India said ‘get a driver’. While this sounded like a great idea, I had no notion of how to arrange a safe driver or whether such a person would meet me in the middle of the night when my flight arrived in Delhi.

Even after I had booked my flight, I had still not resolved this conundrum. Then I had a fortuitous meeting with the owner of an Indian travel agency and everything fell into place. Popular India Vacations organised everything I needed and let me keep control of the aspects of the trip I wanted to arrange myself. Thus, my independence was preserved while all the aspects of travel in India that concerned me (primarily personal safety, especially on the roads) were taken care of. A perfect balance.

Since I only had two weeks of holiday time available, I knew I had to restrict my travels to one area. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I decided to confine myself to a very popular route for first-timers to India – a few days in Delhi, then a visit to Agra to see the Taj Mahal before travelling to Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. This trip is often referred to as The Golden Triangle. It can be done in a week. As I had two weeks, the most affable and helpful Mr Singh of Popular India Travels suggested that I add in a few extra stops in Rajasthan. These included Jodhpur and Udaipur which I very much wanted to see. I was also offered some alternative options including a few days in Jaisalmer – on the edge of the desert with camel treks and desert camping – or some of India’s famous animal sanctuaries where tigers and birds are to be enjoyed. Rajasthan – the land of the kings – is a vast state so three to four weeks would be ideal, but even two weeks gave me a good taste of India and left me with an appetite for more.

In India, the museums and monuments all have two queues – one for locals and one for foreigners. Sometimes there is a third queue for women and certainly, when one goes through security (at almost every monument) there is a separate queue for women. The price differs for locals and foreigners who pay much more for entrance fees (as we should in my view, the entrance fee still being nowhere near what we expect to pay in the UK). Our driver, Anand, was so helpful with this. He would accompany us to every ticket office, help us to buy the tickets and then help to negotiate the queuing system for security. At this point, he would leave us to get on with our visit – or hand us over to a guide if we had requested he arrange one for us. In India, drivers are not permitted by law to act as guides. Guides are specially trained and have to pass a government-controlled exam.  Anand waited for us for hours on end until we had finished our visits, with no pressure or time constraints. It made every visit so easy and relaxing.

My Golden Triangle Itinerary

If you are flying in from the UK you may very well arrive in the middle of the night. I had my concerns about touching down after 1 am but Delhi airport was buzzing. Popular India Vacations will arrange for the driver to fetch you from the airport and you can rest assured that he will be waiting for you.

Over three days in Delhi, I concentrated on museums and sights in New Delhi, Old Delhi and South Delhi.

Places of Interest In New Delhi:

India Gate looks rather like the Marble Arch or the Arc de Triomphe and commemorates the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting alongside the British army in World War 1. This is a gentle introduction to Delhi as one can be driven close by and take a gentle walk while also seeing the Parliament buildings.

Humayun’s Tomb – The precursor to the Taj Mahal, was the first of many magnificent tombs we visited in India. Arched facades, marble and red sandstone with Islamic geometry will set you up for the aesthetic of many of India’s outstanding tombs, architectural and artistic splendours.

National Gallery of Modern Art – housed in the 1936 former Maharajah of Jaipur’s palace, The National Gallery of Modern Art comprises a fascinating collection. Two buildings, one, somewhat like the British Museum in London, housing an array of fascinating artefacts while the other traces the development of Indian art from the mid-19th century. As someone who loves nothing better than an art museum, I felt rather sad at the poor state of the displays and the almost complete lack of context by way of any explanation of what was on show.

National Crafts Museum – one could spend half a day here but we had only a few hours. Take the audio guide which will provide you with lots of information about the highlights of this fascinating and well-designed tour of regional Indian crafts. These include extraordinary textiles, ceramics, sculpture and artefacts which reveal much about regional variations that contribute to India’s very rich cultural tapestry.  One of the best museums we visited on our trip. In the grounds, there are craftspeople from across India, creating and selling crafts as well as an outdoor food market. Don’t miss the wonderful restaurant, Café Lota which is near the entrance to the museum so can be visited independently.

Lodi Road Street Art – don’t miss the street art in the Lodi Road area. Nearby, the large Lodi Park is perfect if you have time for a stroll.

Connaught Place was built to resemble the Royal Crescent in Bath with its Georgian architecture. It is nowadays a commercial area filled with international brands and loads of restaurants. We did a bit of spontaneous shopping at a cubbyhole-sized shoe shop where I bought a pair of silver ballet slippers, Indian style, for £12 which my husband said I would never wear and I have since proved him wrong.

What to see in Old Delhi:

Jama Masjid – India’s largest mosque is not to be missed on a visit to Old Delhi. It has a capacious courtyard that can accommodate 25,000 people for prayers. Red sandstone and marble with wonderful Islamic architecture and views over the city all make for a most atmospheric visit. There are four watchtowers and two minarets where from 40m high one can get a bird’s eye view. Of course, first, you have to climb up.

Chandi Chowk rickshaw tour – just outside the Jama Masjid you will find rickshaws lined up waiting to escort you around the Chandi Chowk market. This is a very chaotic area, a maze of alleyways and bazaars, motorbikes, loads of people, and a great deal of noise – I would advise a guide.

Our driver made all the arrangements and off we went, with our guide escorting us around the tiny streets on the back of a rickshaw. We stopped off to look at the wedding market –  every Indian bazaar we visited over two weeks had tiny alleys packed with an endless array of wedding dress shops.

Then we visited a narrow alley – Naughara Galli – renowned for its painted, 18th-century havelis (old merchants’ houses) one of which is now a Jain temple with a most stunning interior – the walls are covered with glass mosaics depicting Jain deities and mythology. A detailed tour would require several hours. We merely had time to glance and marvel as we walked through this most unusual space.  Other havelis are occupied by jewellery makers going back generations. One is a luxury hotel. I would recommend a tour of this market area as it would be very easy to get lost in the sinuous streets.

The Red Fort – I was in two minds about visiting this fort in Old Delhi as I had read varying reports. I was rather disappointed by the fort which, although vast, is by far the least interesting and least maintained – some of it is rather derelict – of all the forts I visited later in Rajasthan. If you are touring Rajasthan after visiting Delhi then you can safely give this fort a miss.

Raj Ghat – this was our final – and most moving – stop in our day spent touring Old Delhi. It is a very well-manicured park on the banks of the Yamuna River that contains at its centre, a large black marble platform and memorial to Mahatma Gandhi who was cremated there following his assassination. It is a very peaceful place and all around the site are trees planted by foreign dignitaries over the decades.

Unmissable things in South Delhi:

Bahai House of Worship (known as the Lotus Temple) – This beautiful temple – as the name suggests it resembles the lotus flower – is reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. It is set in a large area of garden and seems to hover above a series of shallow pools. You queue, remove shoes and are ushered inside in small groups.

Inside is an impressively large and peaceful prayer hall with ice-cold marble benches. If you don’t have time to queue, at least see it from the outside from which viewpoint it is at its most impressive. Our driver told us that the queues at weekends are very long whereas on a Thursday when we visited, there was a very short one.

Qutub Minar – I was blown away by the Qutub Minar – we only ended up there because our driver could not believe we had not yet seen it and insisted we did. He was so right on this one. He also offered as options, some alternatives. Over the centuries there have been many incarnations of Delhi and this site is part of one of the first. The main attraction is a 73m tower built by Qutubuddin Aibak to celebrate the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu Kingdom. It has five distinct storeys in red sandstone and marble with beautiful Islamic carvings. Alongside – and also really well preserved – is India’s first mosque – the Quwwat-el-Islam mosque which dates back to the 12^th century. It is an exquisite example of the pre-Mughal dynasties in Delhi.

Where we ate in Delhi:

We had two quite fabulous meals in 5-star hotels which were the only occasions on which I veered off a vegetarian path while in India. The first was an outstanding meal at Jamavar, a fine-dining Indian restaurant in The Leela Palace Hotel. The second was a dinner at Bukhara at the ITC Hotel. Book as far ahead as you can, months if possible. We could not get a reservation but there is a queueing system from 7.30 pm. As it was our final day in Delhi and our flight was only at 3 am, we were happy to queue and finished our dinner by 10.30. You can sit in the stunning lobby while you wait or in the bar of this beautiful hotel. Go to both dinners very hungry.

Far less glamorous but serving delicious food – for a fraction of the price of the two dinners above – was the restaurant at the Crafts Museum. Café Lota showcases the regional cuisines of India – as the museum displays regional crafts – the food was both very creative and utterly delicious. I wished I had time to return. The restaurant can be visited independently of the museum and is also open for dinner (when the museum is closed).

A coffee stop at United Coffee House in Connaught Place was a surprising delight. Once inside its doors, one enters a vibey space that harks back to colonial times with large chandeliers and even larger portions. We shared a ginormous samosa with a pot of masala chai – and if you are a coffee drinker you will be spoilt for choice.

Getting from Delhi to Agra

The drive from Delhi to Agra is around 4 hours on a well-maintained, three-lane highway. Getting out of Delhi is an experience is chaotic traffic but that is why having a driver is such a good idea. Agra is most famous for the Taj Mahal but what impressed me about this sprawling city is that there is so much more to see. You may, like me, be someone who does a lot of research before a trip or you may want to ask your driver where the best sights are. Anand made some great suggestions for places he knew we would enjoy.

Sights not to miss in Agra:

Agra Fort – the fort complex is set in a garden blooming with flowers. Unfortunately the British destroyed countless buildings to build barracks but there remains much to see. Beautiful marble buildings are part of the appeal – it was occupied by Shah Jahan who was allegedly exiled here by his son, although some historians contest this. Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal for his late wife and he had a lovely view of it from the fort. We were excited to get our first glimpse of this iconic building as it glimmered in the distance.

Mehtab Bagh – this is a park behind the Taj Mahal, just over the Yamuna River which it overlooks. From here one has a stunning view – especially in the late afternoon light – of the back of the Taj Mahal which looks the same from all four sides. This was one of those pinch-me moments, I felt quite emotional to be standing so close to this iconic building. If you think visiting the Taj Mahal is too touristy, please think again. It is thrilling.

Taj Mahal – having seen the Taj Mahal from the back the afternoon before, my appetite was whetted which helped get me out of bed at 6 am the next day. Hotels generally allow visitors a late breakfast as many guests go to the Taj Mahal before dawn and return up to three hours later. The entrance ticket allows three hours which is more than sufficient. Going at dawn means the tour busses have not yet arrived and we found few people there. We entered at the West Gate where there was no queue at all. Don’t take any bags. But do take your camera. If you hire a tour guide then they will take many photos for you – all the iconic shots, on the bench where Princess Di sat looking unhappy and all the other well-known viewpoints. It is a jaw-dropping place when seen up close – the pieta dura (marble inlay work) is exceptional, the marble filigree work is exquisite and renders the structure both substantial and yet light and floaty. This ethereal effect was enhanced by the mist that surrounded the Taj Mahal as dawn broke. The whole experience is quite mesmerising. In the evening I sat on the rooftop of my hotel and watched as the Taj Mahal glowed in the setting sunlight, slightly pink where the light hit the dome.

Sikandara or Akbar’s Tomb – India is full of mausoleums which may sound gloomy but is anything but. After all, the Taj Mahal is itself a mausoleum. Sikandara is the mausoleum of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. Completed in 1613, it combines Hindu and Muslim architecture and is ornately decorated and beautifully preserved. The stunning gateway in red sandstone and marble opens into a lovely set of sunken gardens and pathways.

Itimad-ud-Daula’s Tomb – or The Baby Taj as it is known – this precursor to the Taj Mahal is the tomb of a Persian nobleman, Mirza Ghias Beg, the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal who is buried in the Taj Mahal. Although smaller than the Taj Mahal it is well worth visiting. Completed in 1628, the white marble and pietra dura is exquisite and inlaid with semi-precious stones. Inside the tomb, there are delightful decorations with floral marble carvings and painted niches with delicate, whimsical scenes of fruit and flowers.  It was the first tomb built on the banks of the Yamuna river and we sat on a bench watching the monkeys in the garden. The garden is typically Islamic being divided into four quarters by waterways and a large basin in the centre.

Where we ate:

Pinch of Spice is a well known restaurant where there were many tourists but also local people. It is not often that I have eaten in a place where I was discouraged from ordering more than I needed. The portions were large and very tasty. A half portion of butter chicken and a main of paneer lababdar (paneer in a rich, tomato sauce) with some rice and naan was plenty for two hungry diners.  Service was brisk so we were out within an hour.

Getting to Japiur via Fatehpur Sikri

One of the joys of having a driver is that you can stop between major cities to visit areas of interest. You could of course visit Fatehpur Sikri on a tour bus but a private visit was special. Although it is a mere 37km from Agra, the traffic leaving the city is mayhem, literally a free-for-all at the intersections with cars, bikes, rickshaws and tuk-tuks coming and going in every direction. Do not attempt this by hiring a car and driving yourself. Get a driver. Everyone seems to know what they are doing even when to the outside observer it seems like utter chaos. Cows are absolutely everywhere alongside and sometimes on the road. At one point a heard of buffalo trotted alongside us in the road.

Fatehpur Sikri is essentially an abandoned city, built in 1571 by Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal ruler of India, who was particularly interested in architecture. It is an outstanding example of Medieval town planning and was abandoned a mere 14 years after completion. Myth has it that it was discovered that there was insufficient water to support the city but this is now considered unlikely. With such astute planning and attention to every detail, the water supply would not likely have been overlooked. More likely is that there were political reasons behind the capital of the kingdom being moved to Lahore after Fatehpur Sikri had served its brief purpose of supporting Akbar’s expansion into Rajasthan.

It is a huge site and you could easily spend most of the day here – we had only a few hours as we had a long way still to travel that day. A very good guide book was most helpful, although you could equally hire a guide to usher you around. Much of the complex is built in sandstone, a large range of buildings erected around large plazas, fabulous domes like inverted lotus flowers, lovely Hindu architecture. Royal palaces, meeting halls, and pavilions are all very evocative of the royal life that once took place here. The complex also contains the Jama Masjid, an enormous mosque encompassing both Persian and Indian design. A marble tomb is another highlight as is the Buland Darwaza – a monumental gate that is visible for miles around and proclaimed Akbar’s power. Those with even the slightest interest in history and architecture will thoroughly enjoy a visit.

As if this was not excitement enough for one day, Anand then drove us a couple of hours further, off the main highway, to another highlight of our trip. Abhaneri is a tiny town with a very famous stepwell, the Hindi word is ‘baori’. This is an 800 year old feat of engineering, the 19.6m deep well first dug and then the stepped walls built. Not only is it very beautiful – the symmetry is stunning – it reminded me of an Escher drawing. The steps enabled people and animals to get down to the water.

Visiting Jaipur

Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan and the last stop on The Golden Triangle route. Known as The Pink City, Jaipur is both graceful and elegant as well as sprawling. There is so much to see that a week would be best, but we only had a couple of days. Hence we cherry picked the highlights. So as to maximise our experience of the city, Popular India Vacations organised a guide for us during our stay in Jaipur.

The Pink City is so-named because the buildings in the old city are all required to be painted the same shade of pink. The buildings are set along wide streets, set out in a grid fashion – you take your life into your hands when you cross on foot – and it gives a uniform and ordered look to the town unlike some of the other old city centres we had visited.

What we saw:

The City Palace – One of the major sights in the old city is the City Palace, the royal residence that was built from 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Even today members of the Jaipur royal family live in the complex. Their quarters are not open to the public but the rest of the large complex has been transformed into a fascinating museum. Our guide ushered us around the heritage buildings filled with outstanding arts and crafts of Jaipur. One of my favourite pieces was a pair of gigantic silver gangajalis (water urns) – each large enough to fit a man inside. These were used to transport water from India when the Maharaja visited England and wanted his own holy water supply. In India these very heavy vessels were transported by elephant and I did wonder how they were transported once they reached England.  There are pavilions, meeting halls, open squares, monumental gates, an armoury, paintings, photographs and maps and a gorgeous collection of palanquins – the chaises that were carried to transport the royal family.

Jantar Mantar – Even if you have little interest in astronomy don’t miss a visit to this outdoor observatory, the likes of which I have never seen before. At first glance this UNESCO World Heritage Site resembles a sculpture park but on a closer look each huge structure is a masonry instrument of great astronomical precision. It was completed in 1734 and built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh who founded Jaipur. The 19 instruments were used to measure time – the world’s largest stone sundial – the altitude of the heavenly bodies, position of the sun and so on. Our guide was enthusiastically informed about astrology and astronomy but even when my head was overfull of facts, I loved the sculptural beauty of these extraordinarily preserved instruments.         

Hawa Mahal – Known as the Palace of the Winds this is one of the loveliest buildings I saw in India and we saw some stunners. It is the iconic image of Jaipur, a tall structure, in pink, with hundreds of jalis (lattice window coverings) with green shutters. This building allowed the women in the royal household to look out over the street without being seen from the outside. The best view of the building is from over the street where we climbed up many flights of steps to a rooftop restaurant where we had a wonderful view of the building while we enjoyed cups of masala chai.

Monkey Temple – Jaipur has a plethora of temples in the hills around the city and this is an unusual place. About 10km outside of Jaipur, the Galjati temple is built into the mountainside and when we arrived there were many pilgrims in brightly coloured saris and attire, the men bathing in ritual pools and the women pouring water over their hair with jugs of water. Monkeys are considered a deity in India due to the Hindu god Hanuman, half monkey, half human. At the monkey temple you can get as close to the monkeys as you choose. The babies in a creche-type sandpit were particularly cute.

Amber Fort – Each city in Rajasthan seems to have a fort, one more impressive than the next and as one visits them one learns more and more about the constituent parts they all contain. . This one, outside of Jaipur is well worth a visit. The fort is very striking from the outside. It is built – as to be expected – on top of a hill and it is reflected in a large lake that is situated below. Inside there are some extraordinary sights, chief amongst which is the exquisite glass palace, the glass being convex mirrors that are used like a mosaic on every surface. Not only is the architecture of the fort breathtaking but so is the marblework, the decorations and the sheer scale of the complex. Several visits are needed to do it justice.

Gaitor ki Chhatriyan – this is the mausoleum where the royal tombs are located. The memorial structures, constructed from white marble are best seen in the late afternoon sunshine. It is probably not a ‘must see’ item, more of a hidden gem, and we enjoyed strolling about this uncrowded and picturesque place with strikingly beautiful architecture.

Praktiki Gate – it took an age to drive here in the traffic but en route, we caught sight of the Albert Hall museum (which we did not have time for but you might want to add to your list). It is a most unusual place – a ceremonial set of arches that is somewhat like a tourist agency will all the big cities of Rajasthan represented by enormous murals. Lots of wedding photographs were being taken there so we had a great time looking at wedding couples in their fabulously colourful attire.

Shopping in Jaipur:

Jaipur is an outstanding city to shop. I took a half-empty suitcase to India and although I rarely shop while on holiday, I could not stop on this trip. Jaipur is renowned for its block print industry and there are an endless number of outlets where you can shop until you drop.

The markets are a great place to look for bracelets and trinkets. Look out for the traditional lac bracelets from Jaipur, a sort of resin which is used to make beautiful jewellery. The market alleys are not for people who suffer from claustrophobia as ‘packed in like sardines’ is the only way to describe the sort of pushing and jostling that is required to make one’s way along these narrow passageways. That said, the tiny shops are fascinating and each alley sells a different set of merchandise.

Be aware that your guides will almost certainly take you to various outlets (where they arrange commissions I believe) and you will have to be made of stone to resist the impressive skills of the salesmen. I always entered the shop saying I was not going to buy anything yet came away with armloads of items from a handmade suit (within a few hours my husband had a suit delivered to our accommodation – though it is not as cheap as one might think), tablecloths, shirts, dresses, cashmere blankets and jackets, scarves, bags, trousers – the choice is endless. Although I came back with a lot of new items, I have worn everything and had many compliments as the fabrics are gorgeous and the clothes, Indian style, are very comfortable to wear.

A final note on proper preparation and planning

Much of the success of my first trip to India was down to the input of Popular India Vacations. We would not have seen half of what we did without a driver and the peace of mind and sense of safety that we had was priceless. The benefit of an agency of this sort is that you can provide them with the budget you are working with and they will arrange a trip accordingly with hotels in your price range. Or you can book your own accommodation if you prefer. The drivers do not only get you safely from A to B but add so much by way of their knowledge, insights, enthusiasm, and general sense of interest in your enjoying India.

Popular India Vacations +91 98290 11557.  www.popularindia.in

Contact Mr Karni Singh (karni.singh@popularindia.in) who will help make your India travel plans a reality. While the company works across the whole of India, it specialises in The Golden Triangle, Rajasthan, Gujurat, Kerala and Indian wildlife.