India in February

[Moe]

I'm getting ahead of myself, but with the frigid weather we've been having, I can't help but think of somewhere deliciously warm to plan a trip.

I've been jonesing on India, short-ish trip, perhaps 10 days (inclusive).  I'm ok with the long flight from the US for perhaps just 8 days, and there's minimal issue with jet lag.

We'll be flying into Mumbai (flying with miles).

Priorities? Which ones did you like most? (obviously not all will be done - I think we'd pick 2 or 3 places max)

We're easy travelers, we like walking, exploring, like both touristy sightseeing places and off the beaten path treks; we also like to just relax in parks, observe culture and lifestyle, and chill even in the bustle and hustle of the biggest metro areas. 

Delhi
Mumbai
Agra (to see Taj Mahal)
Varanasi
Udaipur/Jaipur
Golden City?
Khajuraho
Dharamsala?
Kerala (ok, I'll admit that a few days chilling on some remote backwater, or beach in Goa, is absolutely mesmerizing as I stare out at the 3' of snow outside.)
Darjeeling (ok, this just sounds magical, tea tasting!)

I fantasize about a day of hiking, either in the mountains, or in some backwater place.


I'm aware that these locales are all over, and am ok with taking trains throughout the country.

If you've been for a shortish time, which were your favourites?

[mdgirl]

I would cut out Mumbai unless there's something particular you want to do there. It's more of a business center and there's not a whole for tourists to see. Trains are fine, but there are also several small airlines if you want to cover larger distances (we've used Jet and they were fine).

[alleinesein]

Honestly based on the amount of time that you have DO NOT take the train all over the country. It can take 3 days by train to reach some parts of the country from Mumbai. Mumbai to Kolkata takes 3-4 days by train.

You can do a few different itineraries
1. Mumbai (2 days)- Golden Triangle (4 days)- Mumbai (2 days). This would give you a day to recover from jetlag and to hit some of the main sites in Mumbai. Fly into New Delhi on the morning of the 3rd day and hit the main sites in New Delhi. 4th day hire a car to drive to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. You can either spend the night there OR continue on to Jaipur. Days 5 and 6 in Jaipur. Fly back to Mumbai on the night of the 6th day or the morning of the 7th day. Spend your last 2 days in Mumbai hitting the rest of the sites.

2. Mumbai-Kerala-Mumbai. Same time allocation as above. 2 days in Mumbai, 4 days in Kerala (spend 2 nights on a house boat and 2 nights in a hotel), 2 days in Mumbai.

3. Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai. 2 days in Mumbai, 4 days in Goa, 2 days in Mumbai.

Major sites in Mumbai:

-Gateway to India/Colaba. SoBo is the part of the city that is the most recognized. The Colaba causeway is full of tourists (domestic and international) and there is a ton of stuff in the area (museums, shops, etc). Cafe Leopold is a huge ex-pat hangout but they do have a/c and cold beer. If you need a coffee fix there is a Starbucks on the backside of the Taj Palace hotel. Do not buy any souvenirs in Colaba- you will get ripped off. You can find the same stuff in East Dadar/Lower Parel for half the price.

-Gandhi's House. Its small and you can combine it with other things.

-Dhobi Ghat aka the huge outdoor laundry. I dont get the appeal and managed to avoid it while living in Mumbai.

-Dharavi slum. You can hire a tour guide to check out the slum. I personally do not like the fact that its being exploited as a tourist thing.

-Elephanta Island. An island about an hours boat ride from the Gateway to India. You can get your outdoor hiking fix for the day. Its an archaeological site with lots of wildlife. The monkeys will steal your food! If you are there during monsoon season the boats might not be running over to the island.

-Kanheri Caves at Borivali Park. Another archaeological site and its a good day trip. Hundreds of caves carved into the side of a mountain. Amazing views from the top of the hill.

-Beaches. Juhu and Chowpatty are 2 of the big ones.  Juhu beach is in the western suburbs.  Chowpatty beach is adjacent to Marine Drive.  Marine Drive is great for people watching at night.  Grab some food at Bachelors or an ice cream at Naturals and just sit on the wall and watch the city come alive. 

Other things to do in Mumbai. 
Shop- you can find decent priced souvenirs and gifts at the High Street Phoenix Mall.  Cashmere Atelier sells pashminas for half the price that you will find in Colaba. If you like fabric and silk hit up Mangaldas Market.  Its in the older part of the city (near Zaveri bazaar) and has aisles and aisles of vendors.  You may need a guide because not all of the vendors speak english and most of them only accept cash.  Santacruz Marketplace is great for jewelry.  Its next to Santacruz station so its easy to get to via train, cab or rickshaw. 

Food- I ate mostly at restaurants in Bandra.  For a quick bite on the go I love Pico Express.  Bungalow 9 and Saltwater are both in Bandra west and cater to the more upscale crowd; menus are continental and prices are similar to the US.  Cafe Basilico is near Pali Hill and offers a good selection of lighter fare as well as grilled meats.  Pali Hill Cafe has a good burger; I dont know what animal its made out of but its tasty.  Barbeque Nation (Pali Hill and other parts of the city) has more food that you can possibly eat.  Sanchos is the only mexican restaurant in Mumbai that has decent mexican food; this was our go to place whenever we were homesick. The Tasting Room is hard to find (at the back of a compound located inside of a shop) but they have a decent wine list and a relaxing atmosphere.  Mad Over Donuts makes vegan donuts that are really good.  They have locations all over the city.  The Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra has a good chinese restaurant (Ming Yang Chef David is amazing and if you dine there on a night that he is working he will create a meal for you) and a good Indian restaurant (Masala Bay this place is usually packed on weekends and you can spot a few Bollywood stars dining with their families).  My favorite place for Indian is a little hole in wall called Mahesh- they are on CST Rd behind Trade Center BKC.  They have the best Tandoori chicken I've ever had.  Zaffran has good Biryani and some good soups.  Tamnak Thai in Shivaji park is good if you want a different type of curry.

I lived in Bandra for 22 weeks and absolutely LOVE Mumbai.  Feel free to hit me up for more information.

ETA- forgot a few other restaurants   Rays Cafe and Pizzeria in Bandra on Hill Road- the peri peri chicken pizza and the tandoori chicken pizza are good.  They use indian spices in their pizza sauce so the pizza has a distinct indian flair.  Burgs is a local burger joint- love the Mac and Cheese Bomb, Birdy Num Num and Tandoori Paneer.  They make a good Burnt Caramel Shake.

For good people watching on a weekend head over to Bandstand, Bandra West (you can tell the cab driver Bandstand or Taj Lands End to get there).  People camp out in front of Mannat trying to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh Khan.  There is a Cafe Coffee Day right around the corner and you can sit on the patio and watch the people along the waterfront.  There is also the ruins of an old fort at the end of the road (past the Taj hotel).  From there you have an amazing view of the Arabian sea, the Mumbai skyline and the Worli Sea Link bridge. 

Another area attraction is the Global Vipassana Pagoda.  Getting there is an adventure.  You can take a cab to Gorai Creek and then hop on the Esselworld ferry.  Then you follow the path up to the Pagoda.  It is still in the construction phase but it is beautiful.

[alleinesein]

I'll post this on its own instead of adding to the wall of text.

Weather in Mumbai isn't as bad as people say it is. I was dreading the heat and while it is hot and humid I think that central Florida is worse than Mumbai. I was there in June, July, August, September, October, February and March. June-September is typically monsoon season so it does rain and its not as hot. The air is much cleaner in monsoon season and everything is green. Some parts of the city will flood when it rains and the train tracks can get flooded.

If you visit Agra in the summer it will be HOT- temps over 100F+.

What airline will you be cashing in miles on? I only fly BA to BOM because they have a flight that leaves LHR around 930pm that gets you into BOM around 1015am the next day. Its the only international arrival at the airport at that time so its not a mad house. They also have a flight that leaves around 2pm to LHR. Most of the international flights arrive between 11pm and 2am and its a nightmare at the airport. It can take hours to clear customs and immigration. International departures tend to be around 3am. You will need your boarding pass OR a copy of your itinerary just to get into the international terminal. Security can take 1 hr and since women have their own line it can take longer (1 line for women compared to 4-5 lines for men).

Don't exchange money at the airport. You can make arrangements with your hotel to have them pick you up at the airport. Your driver will stop at an ATM so you can get cash. Citibank, Icici, HSBC, and BOI are all over the place. Most ATMs will let you withdraw between 10K and 20K INR at a time. Definitely get small bills from the hotel front desk especially if you will be staying in the western suburbs and using rickshaws to get around (rickshaws are only in the western suburbs so if you stay near Colaba you wont be able to use them).

Be prepared for the smell. You will either smell the city non stop or you will get used to it and it wont bother you.

Your first car ride will scare the ever loving crap out of you and you will be praying to every single deity out there (and quite possibly soil yourself!). Rickshaw rides are even more exciting. If you get a chance to ride a motorcycle in the city...do it! I spent my 37th birthday on the back of a motorcycle (with no helmet) zipping through the streets of Bandra and Pali Hill. Best birthday EVER!

[expatjen]

I live in South India and it's definitely warmer here in Feb than in Delhi. Personally, if I had only 8 days, I'd do either Kerala (houseboat through backwaters) or Goa.

Where are you flying out of?

[expatjen]

If you like hiking and nature/wildlife, you could always check out places like Coorg or masinagudi near Bangalore for a relaxing few days. Only caveat is that you'd have to drive to/from those places.

[elizann]

DH and I had nine days this summer in India. We visited Varanasi, Golden Triangle and Kerala. All totally different and amazing. However, we did not have much downtime with this schedule (my Indian colleagues thought we were crazy to do so much so fast). I knew with my work schedule while I was there this was my only chance to see these areas and made it work. We flew and used private drivers; I think this is a must to get to 2-3 spots in this amount of time.

I did a weekend trip to Mumbai and enjoyed it. Personally I would minimize time there to visit other areas, but it is a great city.

I loved India--trying to get another work trip back this summer to visit the other places on your list!!!!

[pittpurple]

Do you definitely have to fly into Mumbai? If so, I'd focus on that area as it will take ages to get up North. We spent 2 weeks in India in October a couple years ago but flew into Delhi and stayed with the Golden Triangle. We travelled by train and I very much recommend booking your trains ahead of time so you can pick your class of travel - we always did air conditioned train rides but at a couple different classes and there is a huge difference. Check out www.seat61.com/ for tons of advice.

I absolutely loved Jaipur, it was by far our favourite city but the Taj Mahal is possibly the most amazing thing I've seen in my entire life.

We had fine experiences on the train except for one - a dramatic rush about a train station to find our train and then a theoretical 2 hour journey that turned into an 8 hour one. My advice - bring food and drink with you any time you get on a train. We didn't... it was a long, long day! That's the only reason I wouldn't suggest flying into Mumbai and then taking the train anywhere far away in just 9 days.

[GilliC]

I've been to India for a couple of shorter trips. Since we typically had to spend some time with family, we'd usually divide a 2-week trip into one week of sightseeing and one week in Bombay.

Of the places on your list that I've been, here are my opinions:
Delhi
- We didn't spend much time in Delhi, but I really don't feel like I'm missing out on much.
Mumbai
- I love Bombay for shopping, and I'm fond of the colonial architecture. But it's really not my favorite place in India, and with a short visit, I wouldn't make it a priority.
Agra - The Taj Mahal really is incredible. It's one of the few places where even though my expectations were sky-high, I still wasn't disappointed. You typically see it from far away, but the building is just as magnificent up close.
Udaipur
- I looooooooved Udaipur. It's one of my favorite places in the world. The town has a pleasant low-key vibe, the lake is gorgeous, and we took a day trip to Ranakpur, which was pretty incredible.
Jaipur - I liked Jaipur. There's a lot to see, and in terms of history/museums/sightseeing there's more to do that a lot of places.
Kerala - The backwaters houseboat cruise was a great experience and worth its reputation. I wasn't terribly impressed by Cochin. Munnar was a surprising treat. If you're into tea, this is a great little town and the tea plantations in the hills make for gorgeous scenery. Thekkady was underwhelming. We did a guided wildlife trek at the Periyar Reserve, but we really didn't see much (just a few insects and birds).
Goa - I love Goa. The beaches are all very different, though. My XSIL has an apartment in Calangute, so we spent a lot of time there just relaxing at one of the beach shacks. I was there in February one year, and it was still pretty crowded with lots of British pensioners. They clear out a bit later in the year when it starts to get hotter.


For a first visit to India with 8-10 days, I would choose either the north and the Golden Triangle (plus Udaipur and maybe Jodhpur) or the south, probably focusing on Kerala. If you have to fly into Bombay, the south would be more convenient, but it's not hard to catch an inexpensive domestic flight to head north. I'm not a huge fan of the trains, because I find them more hassle than they're worth. Booking tickets is a pain. Late trains are a pain. It's an experience, but with a limited time, I would skip it and just fly.

[mrsukyankee]

GilliC for the win (having tried to take trains in the past and then not being able to do to strikes or other issues with the tracks - trains are out for us in the future).

[Moe]

Wow, this is remarkably informative! I'm flying into Bombay because of miles (flying with Delta from MSP - and for some odd reason I can only get flights to Bombay, would have thought that Delhi would have been equally as prevalent), but alas.

I can't book the flight yet, since we're still under then 300 days, again, just educating myself and planning it out, though from this post I am wildly anxious and can't wait, you guys are a tremendous resource!

Thank you.

I think given the options of North vs. South and the time limitations, I'm leaning towards doing the north triangle loop, since admittedly, as cliche as it might seem, I just can't go to India without visiting the Taj Mahal.

I'm definitely bookmarking this post for the future. Thanks again!

[GilliC]

Feb 19, 2014 12:15:36 GMT -5 Moe said:

I think given the options of North vs. South and the time limitations, I'm leaning towards doing the north triangle loop, since admittedly, as cliche as it might seem, I just can't go to India without visiting the Taj Mahal. 

Not clichéd at all, because it really is worth seeing! That's what I did on my first visit! 

[pittpurple]

We loved our trip and the Taj Mahal is honestly worth the trip on its own, go for sunrise...totally worth it

[alleinesein]

Feb 19, 2014 12:15:36 GMT -5 Moe said:

I think given the options of North vs. South and the time limitations, I'm leaning towards doing the north triangle loop, since admittedly, as cliche as it might seem, I just can't go to India without visiting the Taj Mahal.

I'm definitely bookmarking this post for the future. Thanks again!

yeah....i'm the person who has been to India twice and still hasn't made it up to see the Taj Mahal   Im still bitter about it!!  I am hoping to cross it off my list later this year if I can score a volunteer position with an NGO in Mumbai. 

Ugh...Delta into BOM.  I'm sorry.  I got stuck on Delta/Air France on my flight home last year and it sucked ass.  There are 2 separate check in areas in the international terminal for Delta/Air France depending on which city you are connecting through (Paris or Amsterdam).  They fly some of their oldest airplanes into BOM.  If you have the option to upgrade from coach...do it! 

If you can swing your trip to start at the very end of Feb 2015 you can hit up the Holi festival next year.  Its on March 6th, 2015.  You must experience at least one festival while in India. 

[starlily]

If you choose Kerala (the land of my people!), skip the train from Mumbai & take a flight.

[mdgirl]

Feb 19, 2014 16:09:54 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

yeah....i'm the person who has been to India twice and still hasn't made it up to see the Taj Mahal   Im still bitter about it!!  I am hoping to cross it off my list later this year if I can score a volunteer position with an NGO in Mumbai. 

That's me too. We tried my first trip but it was arranged by a family friend and we wound up being driven all the way from Delhi only to find it closed (which it is every Friday, but nobody knew that). Then my second trip we never left Mumbai. Someday (other than a Friday) we'll get there!

[sillygoosegirl]

If you are only going for 8 days, you don't have time to take many trains. India is bigger than it looks. No, seriously, it is. For one thing, world map projections make it look small because it is near the equator. For another thing, they don't have the infrastructure you are probably used to.

However, you can fly from city to city. And could take the train for some short distances... though be warned, they can be very late even when the distances are not great. We took a ton of trains in India, and mostly it was a good experience, but we were there for 6 weeks, and it definitely required patience.

A few thought on destinations:

-If you go to Delhi, don't miss Akshardham.

-Jaipur and Agra are the standard circuit, and we could tell why. Definitely enjoyed them, and they are reasonably convenient to Delhi. Though they were not our favorite.

Amritsar - Was probably my favorite stop in India: Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh especially, but we also liked the Mata Temple and Silver Temple. I think the main thing we found enchanting about the Silver Temple was that we showed up during a service, and there were no other tourists... so maybe that experience could have been anywhere in India. The Golden Temple is amazing. It was by far my favorite single building we saw in India. Liked it much better than the Taj Mahal.

Mcleod Ganj - probably where you actually want to go if Dharamsala is on your list; culturally hardly counts as India... it's mostly tourists and Tabetans, so a great choice for something different. Also nice hiking in the mountains, though not as nice as most places I hike in the US, so I'd recommend hiking if you are there, but I wouldn't go just for hiking. Though I suppose I've never been on another hike that ended with a spiced omelette and chai at the top. It's the one part of India that we visited where most of the tourists were American rather than European or Australian.

Khajuraho and Varanasi - really touristy, for us they were a long way out of our way and not really worth the effort. Maybe if they are more convenient to your other destinations (or you fly in rather than spending 12+ hours or buses and trains each way), your experience would be better

Udaipur - Great place. Not too much hassle. Lots of tourists, but without feeling like a tourist town in the bad way. Good stuff to see. Wonderful dance performance.

I can't comment on the other places on your list, except to say you can't possibly see even half of what you've listed. And I've heard great things about many of those places too.

India portion of my blog: middendorfrtw.blogspot.com/search/label/India

[raangoli]

Feb 19, 2014 16:09:54 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

yeah....i'm the person who has been to India twice and still hasn't made it up to see the Taj Mahal   Im still bitter about it!!  I am hoping to cross it off my list later this year if I can score a volunteer position with an NGO in Mumbai. 

If it makes you feel better, my parents grew up in India and never visited until maybe 10 years ago


ETA: There is a lot of good advice in this thread. The only other thing I'd add is please, please OP (and others) do not take a tour of the Dharavi Slum. It hurts my heart to read that people are capitalizing on this.

[alleinesein]

Feb 20, 2014 9:44:09 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Feb 19, 2014 16:09:54 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

yeah....i'm the person who has been to India twice and still hasn't made it up to see the Taj Mahal   Im still bitter about it!!  I am hoping to cross it off my list later this year if I can score a volunteer position with an NGO in Mumbai. 

If it makes you feel better, my parents grew up in India and never visited until maybe 10 years ago


ETA: There is a lot of good advice in this thread. The only other thing I'd add is please, please OP (and others) do not take a tour of the Dharavi Slum. It hurts my heart to read that people are capitalizing on this.

Most of my friends in India havent been either but its one of the main reasons why most people go visit India  

A lot of the cab drivers and day tours really push tourists to visit the Dharavi slum.  They even have a Slumdog Millionare themed city tour.  I never understood the appeal of visiting.  Its just pure exploitation.

[raangoli]

Feb 20, 2014 14:48:19 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Feb 20, 2014 9:44:09 GMT -5 raangoli said:

If it makes you feel better, my parents grew up in India and never visited until maybe 10 years ago


ETA: There is a lot of good advice in this thread. The only other thing I'd add is please, please OP (and others) do not take a tour of the Dharavi Slum. It hurts my heart to read that people are capitalizing on this.

Most of my friends in India havent been either but its one of the main reasons why most people go visit India  

A lot of the cab drivers and day tours really push tourists to visit the Dharavi slum.  They even have a Slumdog Millionare themed city tour.  I never understood the appeal of visiting.  Its just pure exploitation.

Yes, completely. I feel like this is something that would only happen in India.  (wilted)

[Moe]

Feb 20, 2014 14:53:07 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Feb 20, 2014 14:48:19 GMT -5 alleinesein said:

Most of my friends in India havent been either but its one of the main reasons why most people go visit India  

A lot of the cab drivers and day tours really push tourists to visit the Dharavi slum.  They even have a Slumdog Millionare themed city tour.  I never understood the appeal of visiting.  Its just pure exploitation.

Yes, completely. I feel like this is something that would only happen in India.  (wilted)

The favelas in Brazil have a similar "tourist appeal" evidently.

I agree with your assessment (exploitation)

[alleinesein]

Wow....go google photos of t2 at BOM.

The new terminal at the airport FINALLY opened last week and its gorgeous! I cannot wait to visit to check out all the artwork.

Love the floor design

[anasara]

Count me in the "I've been to India multiple times but have never seen the Taj Mahal"group.  But in my defense DH is from Tamil Nadu & that's where his parents still live so it's kind of like expecting someone from Miami to have seen Seattle.  He's actually never seen it either & he spent the 1st 22 years of his life in India.