India

The classic first circuit links three cities a few hours apart. Delhi pairs the Mughal lanes and Red Fort of Old Delhi with the broad avenues of New Delhi. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal and the red sandstone Agra Fort on the Yamuna. Jaipur, Rajasthan's capital, adds the Pink City, Amber Fort and the Jantar Mantar observatory. Most travellers spend a week on the loop, by train, road or a mix of the two. It is at its most comfortable from October to March; from April to June Delhi's average highs run at 36–38°C. Jaipur is especially atmospheric at Diwali, which falls in October or November by the lunar calendar, and the north celebrates Holi in March.

India's largest state is known as the Land of Kings. Beyond Jaipur, the Ministry of Tourism highlights Udaipur's lakes and City Palace, the blue houses and Mehrangarh Fort of Jodhpur, the golden sandstone of desert Jaisalmer and the lake and temples of Pushkar. Mount Abu is the state's only hill station. Palace hotels, step-wells and desert camps make it easy to linger. Note that the FCDO advises against all travel within 10km of the India–Pakistan border, which runs along Rajasthan's western edge, so we keep desert trips to the main towns.

Mumbai is India's commercial capital and, for many UK travellers, its second gateway after Delhi: a city of Victorian Gothic stations, seafront promenades and grand hotels such as the Taj Mahal Palace. North of it, Gujarat is less visited. Ahmedabad, on the Sabarmati River, is the state's largest city and a good base for its old quarters, mosques and textile heritage. Gujarat is one of the states where alcohol is banned, and the FCDO notes that offences there can carry long prison sentences. Mumbai takes the full force of the monsoon from June to September.

India's smallest state is best known for its beaches, from the busy sands of Baga and Calangute to quieter Palolem in the south. Around 450 years of Portuguese rule left forts, painted houses in Panaji's Fontainhas quarter and the churches and convents of Old Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the Basilica of Bom Jesus. The FCDO notes that opportunistic crime targets the many visitors, and that drinking alcohol in public outside licensed premises is illegal. Beach season runs from roughly November to March, once the monsoon has passed.

The south feels very different from the north: greener, slower and shaped by the sea. Kerala's backwaters run through nearly half the length of the state, and houseboat trips are the obvious way to see them. Kochi has Fort Kochi, Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue, while Munnar, at about 1,600m, is a misty tea-country retreat. Across the hills, Tamil Nadu is famed for its towering temple gateways, and Bengaluru and Chennai are the main gateways. The southwest monsoon soaks Kerala from June, while Tamil Nadu's main rains fall from October to December.

India's mountain north runs from Ladakh in the far north-west to Sikkim in the east. Ladakh, sometimes called Little Tibet, is a high-altitude desert of Buddhist monasteries such as Hemis, Thiksey and Alchi, with Leh as its base and lakes such as Pangong at about 4,350m. Altitude is a real consideration: TravelHealthPro flags the risk of altitude illness above 2,500m and gives Leh, at 3,514m, as an example. Some border areas need special permits. The FCDO advises against all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, except air travel to and within the city of Jammu, so we do not suggest trips there.

East of Delhi, the Ganges plain holds some of Hinduism's most sacred places. Varanasi, one of the world's oldest living cities, is defined by its riverside ghats. The Ganga Aarti, a ceremony of lamps, chants and prayer, is held at Dashashwamedh Ghat every evening, and a dawn boat ride shows the river at its most devotional. Manikarnika Ghat is a cremation ground, and visitors should keep a respectful distance and not take photographs there. The plain shares Delhi's climate: very hot from April to June, wet from July to September.