India travel guide

Before you go to India

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Cities in India

• New Delhi India's vibrant capital — a layered metropolis of Mughal monuments, colonial boulevards, bazaars of Old Delhi, and world-class museums.
• Agra Home to the Taj Mahal — the world's most iconic monument to love — as well as Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Panaji Goa's charming capital of sun-bleached Portuguese villas, the Latin Quarter of Fontainhas, and the sparkling Mandovi riverfront — a coastal…
• Mumbai India's Maximum City — a pulsating megapolis of Bollywood, Art Deco architecture, colonial heritage, street food, and the iconic Gateway of…
• Varanasi One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and Hinduism's holiest, where ancient ghats line the sacred Ganges for ritual…
• Udaipur City of Lakes nestled in the Aravalli Hills, home to palaces perched over shimmering waters and a timeless romantic skyline.
• Manali Adventure capital of the Himalayas — a base for Rohtang Pass, Solang Valley skiing, river rafting, and trekking into Lahaul and Spiti.
• Leh High-altitude desert capital of Ladakh at 3,500m — monasteries, lunar landscapes, the Indus Valley, and some of India's most dramatic…
• Amritsar Spiritual heart of the Sikh faith — home to the breathtaking Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, and the Wagah…
• Rishikesh World Yoga Capital on the banks of the Ganges — the gateway to the Char Dham, internationally renowned for yoga, white-water rafting, and…
• Shimla Former summer capital of British India — Victorian architecture, the Toy Train, Mall Road, and mountain panoramas at 2,200m in the…
• Haridwar One of Hinduism's seven sacred cities — pilgrims descend to bathe in the Ganges at Har Ki Pauri and witness the mesmerising Ganga Aarti at…
• Jaisalmer The 'Golden City' rising from the Thar Desert — a living fort city of honeyed sandstone, camel safaris, and star-lit dunes.
• Munnar Emerald hill station of endless tea gardens, misty peaks, and the rare Neelakurinji flower — Kerala's most beloved highland retreat.
• Kochi Port city where Chinese fishing nets, Jewish synagogues, Dutch palaces, and spice warehouses tell 500 years of trade — Kerala's…
• Hyderabad City of the Nizam's opulence — Charminar, Golconda Fort, fragrant biryani, and Hussain Sagar lake at the crossroads of old and new India.
• Khajuraho Medieval temples of extraordinary erotic sculpture — the Chandela dynasty's UNESCO World Heritage masterwork of love, life, and divinity.
• Pondicherry French colonial quarter of cobblestone streets, bougainvillea facades, and Aurobindo Ashram — a peaceful blend of Tamil and French culture…
• Prayagraj Sangam city at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers — host to the world's largest human gathering, the Kumbh…
• Madurai Temple city of extraordinary antiquity, centred on the towering gopurams of the Meenakshi Amman Temple — the living heart of Tamil culture.
• Port Blair Capital of the Andamans — the Cellular Jail of colonial memory, crystal-clear waters, coral reefs, and jumping-off point to Havelock and…
• Mathura Birthplace of Lord Krishna and one of India's seven sacred cities, filled with over 1,000 temples and alive with Holi and Janmashtami…
• Hampi Ruins of the magnificent Vijayanagara Empire scattered across a surreal boulder-strewn landscape on the Tungabhadra — a UNESCO World…
• Sawai Madhopur Gateway to Ranthambore National Park — India's most accessible tiger reserve, set against a dramatic 10th-century fort backdrop.
• Alleppey The 'Venice of the East' — a labyrinth of backwater canals, rice-paddy shores, and iconic houseboat cruises through Kerala's serene inland…
• Pushkar One of the world's oldest cities, built around a sacred lake and the only Brahma temple in India, hosting the famous Pushkar Camel Fair.
• Darjeeling Queen of Himalayan hill stations — toy train rides, sunrise over Kangchenjunga, first-flush Darjeeling tea estates, and the Buddhist Ghoom…
• Mysuru The 'City of Palaces' — Karnataka's cultural capital, famous for the illuminated Mysore Palace, Dussehra celebrations, sandalwood, and silk.
• Tirupati Home to the Sri Venkateswara Temple atop Tirumala Hills — the world's most visited religious site, receiving over 100,000 pilgrims daily.
• Dharamsala Home-in-exile of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government — McLeod Ganj blends Himalayan trekking, Tibetan Buddhism, and café culture.
• Kolkata The 'City of Joy' — a literary, artistic, and culinary powerhouse shaped by the Bengal Renaissance, the Raj, and the warmth of its people.
• Aurangabad Gateway to the UNESCO-listed Ajanta and Ellora cave complexes — masterpieces of ancient Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain rock-cut art and…
• Thekkady Periyar Tiger Reserve — one of India's best wildlife sanctuaries, where elephant herds come to the lakeshore in a landscape of…
• Gangtok Sikkim's mountain capital of monasteries, orchid gardens, and misty ridgeline views — a serene gateway to Nathula Pass and Buddhist culture.
• Vrindavan The divine town where Krishna spent his youth — a forest of temples, bhajans, and the mystical Yamuna banks that draw millions of pilgrims.
• Bengaluru India's Silicon Valley — a cosmopolitan Garden City of tech campuses, Vidhana Soudha, Cubbon Park, and a buzzing craft beer and restaurant…
• Jaipur The 'Pink City' — Rajasthan's capital famed for the Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, and vibrant bazaars of gems, textiles, and handicrafts.
• Jodhpur The 'Blue City' crowned by the mighty Mehrangarh Fort, where indigo-painted havelis spill down ochre hillsides.
• Srinagar Kashmir's summer capital of Dal Lake houseboats, Mughal gardens, and the floating market — the jewel of the Himalayas.
• Chennai Tamil Nadu's capital — a grand Dravidian metropolis of towering gopurams, Marina Beach, colonial Fort St. George, and classical Carnatic…
• Gulmarg Himalayan ski-and-meadow resort town with the world's highest gondola, in Kashmir.
• Pahalgam Pine-clad valley town on the Lidder River, an Amarnath base and trekking hub.
• Jammu The "City of Temples" and winter capital of J&K, gateway to the Kashmir valley.
• Katra Pilgrimage base town for the Vaishno Devi shrine in the Trikuta hills.
• Sonamarg Alpine "meadow of gold" stopover toward Ladakh, framed by glaciers and the Sindh River.
• Kaziranga UNESCO World Heritage Site and stronghold of the one-horned Indian rhinoceros — over 2,000 rhinos roam the Brahmaputra floodplains and…
• Shirdi Home to the shrine of Sai Baba — one of India's most visited pilgrimage sites, drawing over 60,000 devotees daily from every faith.
• Puri Sacred pilgrimage city on the Bay of Bengal — Jagannath Temple, one of the four Hindu dhams, and the world-famous Rath Yatra chariot…
• Nainital Kumaon's gem of a hill station curled around a crescent lake, ringed by oak forests and Himalayan peaks — a beloved colonial escape.
• Ooty The 'Queen of Hill Stations' in the Nilgiri mountains — pine forests, tea gardens, Botanical Gardens, and the celebrated Nilgiri Mountain…
• Ahmedabad India's first UNESCO World Heritage City — Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram, stunning stepwells, a vibrant textile heritage, and the exuberant…
• Guwahati Gateway to Northeast India on the Brahmaputra — the ancient Kamakhya Temple, Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, and vibrant Assamese silk and…
• Fatehpur Sikri A perfectly preserved Mughal ghost city built by Akbar in red sandstone and abandoned after just 14 years — a haunting UNESCO World…
• Shillong The 'Scotland of the East' — a cool pine-scented plateau capital of living root bridges, Ward's Lake, and a surprisingly vibrant music and…
• Lonavala A breezy Western Ghats hill station of cascading waterfalls, ancient Karla and Bhaja caves, and misty viewpoints above the Deccan plains.
• Kanchipuram City of Thousand Temples and famed Kanchipuram silk — one of seven sacred Hindu cities, home to towering Dravidian temples spanning 2,000…
• Ajmer Pilgrimage hub of the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, drawing millions of devotees and serving as gateway to Pushkar.
• Pune Maharashtra's cultured second city — home to the Aga Khan Palace, Shaniwar Wada, vibrant café culture, and the OSHO International…
• Bhubaneswar Temple city of Odisha — 'City of Temples' with over 700 medieval Kalinga temples, the Udayagiri-Khandagiri caves, and emerging modern art…
• Cherrapunji The wettest place on Earth — a cliff-top village of breathtaking canyon views, thundering waterfalls, and ancient Khasi root bridges in the…
• Visakhapatnam Port city of beaches, submarine museums, Araku Valley tribal highlands, and the scenic Eastern Ghats — Andhra's most scenic coastal…
• Konark The Sun Temple of Konark — a 13th-century chariot-shaped UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece, and the Sun Temple festival of classical dance.
• Mahabalipuram Seaside UNESCO World Heritage Site of stunning Pallava rock sculptures, the Shore Temple, and the giant carved panel of Arjuna's Penance.
• Madikeri Heart of Coorg — India's 'Scotland' — a mist-laden coffee and spice country of rolling plantations, waterfalls, and the ancient Raja's Seat.
• Orchha Timeless Bundela capital of frescoed palaces, chhatris on the Betwa river, and the Ram Raja Temple where God is worshipped as a king.
• Mount Abu Rajasthan's only hill station, perched in the Aravalli range, famed for the exquisitely carved Dilwara Jain temples and Nakki Lake.
• Kalpetta Gateway to Wayanad — Kerala's tribal highland of ancient cave temples, misty peaks, coffee estates, and the Edakkal Cave petroglyphs.
• Thanjavur Ancient Chola capital crowned by the Brihadeeswara Temple — a UNESCO masterpiece of Dravidian architecture and a hub of classical…
• Bodh Gaya Buddhism's holiest site — the Bodhi Tree under which Siddhartha attained enlightenment, the Mahabodhi Temple Complex, and monasteries from…
• Nashik Pilgrimage city on the Godavari, hosting the Kumbh Mela every 12 years, and centre of India's fastest-growing wine region.
• Bhuj Gateway to the Rann of Kutch — famed for exquisite Kutchi embroidery, mirror-work crafts, and the vast white salt desert that transforms at…
• Varkala Dramatic cliff-top beach with natural mineral springs — a laid-back alternative to Kovalam, beloved by yogis and surfers alike.
• Mussoorie The 'Queen of the Hills' above Dehradun — Mall Road, Kempty Falls, Camel's Back Road, and sweeping Himalayan panoramas draw year-round…
• Somnath Site of the first and most sacred of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva, rebuilt seven times and set against the Arabian Sea on the…
• Kovalam Kerala's original international beach resort — three crescent beaches with a lighthouse backdrop, Ayurveda centers, and calm Arabian Sea…
• Tiruvannamalai Sacred Shaivite pilgrimage city at the foot of Arunachala Hill, home to the vast Arunachaleswarar Temple and the ashram of Ramana Maharshi.
• Lucknow The 'City of Nawabs' — celebrated for its Mughal-era monuments, refined Awadhi cuisine, chikankari embroidery, and gracious tehzeeb culture.
• Rameshwaram Southernmost pilgrimage island linked by the Pamban Bridge, site of the Ramanathaswamy Temple with its legendary 1,212-metre corridor.
• Chandigarh Le Corbusier's modernist planned city — Rock Garden, Rose Garden, Sukhna Lake, and the avant-garde Capitol Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage…
• Mahabaleshwar Maharashtra's premier hill station known for its strawberry farms, panoramic Ghats views, and the origin of the Krishna, Venna, and Koyna…
• Kanyakumari Land's end of the Indian subcontinent where three seas meet — famous for its stunning sunrise, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, and the…
• Ramnagar Gateway town to Jim Corbett National Park — India's oldest tiger reserve, offering exceptional wildlife safaris through dense sal forest…
• Thrissur Cultural capital of Kerala, home to the spectacular Thrissur Pooram elephant festival, the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, and ancient…
• Ujjain One of the seven sacred Hindu cities, site of the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela — sacred on the banks of…
• Kolhapur City of the powerful Mahalakshmi temple, royal Maratha heritage, and Kolhapuri chappals — a proud cultural capital of southern Maharashtra.
• Dwarka Ancient kingdom of Lord Krishna and one of India's four sacred dhams — the Dwarkadhish Temple rises above the confluence of the Gomti and…
• Dehradun Doon Valley city flanked by the Himalayas and Shivalik ranges — a pleasant base for Mussoorie, Haridwar, and Rishikesh excursions, home to…
• Tawang Remote Himalayan monastery town at 3,048m — home to India's largest monastery, glacial lakes, and a pristine high-altitude landscape near…
• Bikaner Desert city of merchant havelis, the ornate Junagarh Fort, and camel breeding farms — a less-crowded gem on the Rajasthan circuit.
• Bhopal Madhya Pradesh's lake city — a blend of Mughal mosques, tribal art museums, and the largest freshwater lake in India, Bhojtal.
• Majuli The world's largest river island on the Brahmaputra — a living museum of Neo-Vaishnavite satras, mask-making, and traditional Mishing…
• Diu Former Portuguese island territory of sea forts, baroque churches, quiet beaches, and a distinctive Indo-Portuguese culture on the…
• Patna Ancient Pataliputra — capital of the Mauryan Empire, now a Ganges-side city preserving Golghar granary, Patna Museum, and Sikh shrine…
• Pelling Remote Sikkim town with front-row views of the Kangchenjunga massif, ancient Pemayangtse Monastery, and the Kanchenjunga Waterfalls.
• Vadodara Cultural capital of Gujarat — the opulent Laxmi Vilas Palace, Baroda Museum, and a thriving arts scene centred on Maharaja Sayajirao…
• Pachmarhi Madhya Pradesh's only hill station — a Satpura Range plateau of waterfalls, Buddhist caves, dense forests, and British-era bungalows.
• Kavaratti Capital of Lakshadweep — a pristine coral atoll of translucent lagoons, vibrant coral reefs, and unhurried island life in the Arabian Sea.
• Jagdalpur Gateway to Bastar — heart of Chhattisgarh's tribal culture, near the magnificent Chitrakote 'Niagara of India' waterfall and Kanger Valley…
• Auli India's premier ski destination at 2,519m — pristine slopes with views of Nanda Devi and the Garhwal Himalayas, accessible by India's…
• Kohima Capital of Nagaland — site of the epic WWII battle at Garrison Hill, and gateway to the Hornbill Festival, celebrating the rich culture of…
• Ranchi Jharkhand's hill capital of cascading waterfalls — Hundru, Dassam, and Jonha Falls — and scenic reservoirs surrounded by sal forests.
• Imphal Valley city of Manipur — the floating Loktak Lake with its phumdis, Kangla Fort, the women-run Ima Keithel market, and the sacred Shree…
• Jamshedpur India's planned steel city built by Tata Steel: Jubilee Park and zoo, lakes, temples, tribal culture and Dalma hills nearby.
• Agartala Tripura's capital of rose-pink Ujjayanta Palace, Neermahal Water Palace on a lake, and the grand 14-deity Tripura Sundari temple at Udaipur.
• Sasan Gir Last wild refuge of the Asiatic lion — Gir National Park is the only place on Earth outside Africa where lions roam free in their natural…
• Kanha Kanha Tiger Reserve — inspiration for Kipling's Jungle Book, with wide meadows (maidans), Barasingha deer, and one of India's highest tiger…
• Kannur North Malabar's old Kolathunadu capital on the Laccadive Sea — the Portuguese St. Angelo Fort of 1505 faces the Arakkal palace across…
• Kozhikode Calicut on the Malabar Coast, the Zamorins' spice capital where Vasco da Gama landed in May 1498 and opened the sea route from Europe —…
• Thattekad
• Thiruvananthapuram Kerala's capital, spread over low coastal hills around the Padmanabhaswamy Temple — the beaches of Kovalam, Varkala and Poovar all lie a…

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