Luxury holidays in India
See the Taj Mahal blush rose at first light, then travel on to the palaces of Rajasthan. Our drivers and guides carry the logistics, and we book every hotel between stops.
It comes off your final price, and is refunded in full if you don't go ahead.
Waking in a former maharaja's palace, with the lake below your balcony and breakfast served on the terrace, is the India many travellers come for. Rajasthan does it best. Udaipur's palaces sit on the water, Jaipur's pink old city rewards an early start, and the desert forts glow in the late afternoon. A private driver and guide make the distances easy.
The Taj Mahal is worth timing for sunrise, before the heat and the crowds arrive. In Varanasi, an evening boat on the Ganges shows the ceremonies on the ghats, and in the south Kerala trades forts for backwaters, tea hills and spice gardens. A few nights on a rice barge or at a tiger reserve lodge round out a first visit.
India
9 days · 8 nights
Delhi → Varanasi → Khajuraho → Agra → Jaipur → Delhi
Begin in Delhi, then fly east to Varanasi for the evening ceremony on the Ganges and a dawn boat ride. From there you follow the temples of Khajuraho and Orchha to Agra and the Taj Mahal, then the forts and palaces of Jaipur before driving back to Delhi.
India
6 days · 5 nights
Delhi → Jaipur → Agra → Delhi
A short, classic circuit of northern India. From Delhi you drive to Jaipur for its forts and palaces, then on to Agra by way of Fatehpur Sikri, with an afternoon at the Taj Mahal and a morning at Agra Fort before returning to Delhi.
India
6 days · 5 nights
Delhi → Jaipur → Agra → Delhi
This version of the Golden Triangle gives Delhi a full day, from the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk to Humayun's Tomb and the Qutub Minar. You then spend two nights in Jaipur and one in Agra, visiting the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on the final morning before the drive back to Delhi airport.
India
11 days · 10 nights
Delhi → Jaipur → Agra → Khajuraho → Allahabad → Varanasi
Old and New Delhi, the pink city of Jaipur and the Taj Mahal at Agra, then east by train and road through Orchha and Khajuraho to the river confluence at Allahabad and the ghats of Varanasi.
India
7 days · 6 nights
Kochi → Periyar → Kumarakom → Kerala backwaters → Kovalam
Begin in Kochi, with its synagogue, Dutch Palace and fishing nets at sunset, then climb inland to the lake and spice country of Periyar. From there you come down to the backwaters at Kumarakom for a night aboard a traditional houseboat, and finish with two free days on the beaches of Kovalam.
India
14 days · 13 nights
Chennai → Pondicherry → Thanjavur → Chettinad → Madurai → Periyar → Kumarakom → Kochi
You begin in Chennai and Kanchipuram, then follow the coast past the Shore Temples to Pondicherry. Inland you see bronze casters, the great temple at Thanjavur and the mansions of Chettinad, then cross to Kerala for a spice plantation in Periyar, the backwaters of Kumarakom and a final stop in Kochi.
India
10 days · 9 nights
Mumbai → Jodhpur → Jaipur → Delhi → Agra
You start in Mumbai with the dabbawalas, a Bollywood dance class and the spice markets. Then you fly to Jodhpur and Jaipur for forts, villages and home cooking in Rajasthan, drive to Delhi, and take the train for a day at the Taj Mahal.
India
12 days · 11 nights
Mumbai → Jaipur → Ranthambore → Agra → Varanasi → Delhi
You begin in Mumbai, then fly by private jet to Rajasthan for tiger drives in Ranthambore and three nights in Jaipur. A single day takes you to the Taj Mahal and on to Varanasi, where you see Sarnath and the Ganges at dusk and dawn, before a last day in Delhi.
India
11 days · 10 nights
Chennai → Pondicherry → Kumbakonam → Thanjavur → Madurai → Periyar → Alleppey → Kochi
Begin in Chennai and travel south through the great temple towns of Tamil Nadu, from Mahabalipuram on the shore to Thanjavur and Madurai. Then cross into Kerala for the spice hills of Periyar, a night aboard a houseboat near Alleppey and a last evening in Kochi.
India
16 days · 15 nights
Mumbai → Udaipur → Pushkar → Jaipur → Agra → Panna National Park → Varanasi → Delhi
You start in Mumbai and fly to Udaipur, then spend two days among the camels and pilgrims of the Pushkar Fair. Jaipur and the Taj Mahal follow, then tiger drives in Panna National Park, the temples of Khajuraho, the Ganges at Varanasi and a last day in Delhi.
Hosts open their homes and kitchens, and naturalists take you into tiger country.
Arrive as the gates open and watch the white marble of the Taj Mahal turn from grey to gold, before the day's crowds arrive.
Step into the home of descendants of the Rathore dynasty in the Aravalli hills for a private cooking lesson, then sit down to the dishes you made together.
Spend an evening at Dharampura Haveli, a restored 19th-century mansion near Chandni Chowk, with kite flying on the roof, classical dance and dinner.
Taste your way through the capital's food, rich korma and hot, syrupy jalebi among it, with a guide who knows the best stalls and the stories behind them.
See the city wake up on a guided early tour, from markets heavy with vegetables, spices and flowers to the streets before the traffic starts.
Time your visit for Diwali, the festival of lights in October or November, or Holi in spring, and join a local family to celebrate at home.
Spend a night on a machan, a raised platform bed like those farmers use to watch their crops, listening to the forest in tiger country.
Cruise Vembanad Lake on a converted rice barge, past palm-lined villages and paddy fields, with meals cooked on board.
The north brings palaces and forts, while Kerala and Tamil Nadu bring temples and backwaters.
Mughal tombs, the Red Fort and the lanes of Old Delhi beside the wide avenues of New Delhi, where most of our trips begin.
The Taj Mahal at first light, Agra Fort across the river and the red sandstone city of Fatehpur Sikri nearby.
Rajasthan's royal cities: Jaipur's pink old town and Amber Fort, and Udaipur's lake palaces framed by the Aravalli hills.
Dawn boat rides past the ghats of the Ganges, then the carved temples of Khajuraho, a short flight away.
Kochi's old port, the spice and tea hills around Periyar and slow days on the backwaters of the south west coast.
Temple towns such as Madurai, the French quarter of Pondicherry and the shore temples near Chennai on the Bay of Bengal.
The dry months after the monsoon suit most regions, and the hills take over when the plains grow hot.
Cool, dry and clear in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan, warm in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Dry and pleasant across the country, a fine month for Varanasi and the south.
Warming up in the north, with the Holi festival of colours in most years.
Hot across the northern plains, while Kerala's hills stay milder.
The hottest month in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan, before the monsoon breaks.
The monsoon reaches Kerala and Mumbai, and the heat lingers in the north.
Monsoon rain across most of India, with green landscapes and fewer travellers.
Rains continue, though Udaipur's lakes fill and the hills turn green.
The monsoon eases in the north, with humid days before the dry season.
Dry season returns to the north, with Diwali in October or November.
Clear and cool across the north and Kerala, with Tamil Nadu's own rains into December.
Cool and dry in the north, warm on the Kerala coast, busy over the festive weeks.
Delhi has direct flights from Europe, the Gulf, North America and Australia, and connections reach most other Indian cities.
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