India

[HalfasleepChrisintheMorning]

We have just booked to go to India at Easter.
Delhi 2 nights Shangri La Eros
Agra 1 night ITC
Jaipur 3 nights Taj Jai Mahal Palace
then fly to Goa - Alila Diwa Club- to relax for a week.
Any top tips or recommendations?
We’ll have a private car and driver for the tour.

Only drink bottled water, if i am not eating in a hotel I avoid meat and dairy items and stick to veg. Helps avoid any tummy issues. Also avoid anything washed in wster like salad because you can't be sure if the water used is clean enough.

Have you looked at the weather in Delhi in April ?

Agree with PP on the food. Do not use straws, make sure that any glass you use is dry and no ice. Remember to sayNO garnish, eg they may sprinkle raw coriander over a dish.

If you are in Goa at Easter it may be fun - Catholic so churches will be busy the whole weekend Thursday-Sunday, there are events but it will be hot a humid.

I found the roads terrifying and far preferred using the excellent trains to travel between cities. Personally I wouldn’t spend 2 nights in Delhi.

I love India. Such a fun place to travel, the food is amazing!

Buy food from the busiest street vendors you can see. Their food turnover will be rapid so nothing will get left for long. Plus it will probably be the tastiest! Veggie options over meat.

Similarly, don't eat at any place with a gleaming kitchen, it is probably not used!

Check bottled water seals - it can often be refilled.

Take a large shawl or something to cover you - even if you are dressed modestly (recommended) you will find men trying to not-so-subtly grope you as they pass. if you happen to be blonde haired/blue eyed, the odds are even higher.

If you take sleeper trains (as pp suggests) and are on open bunks - they are amazingly comfortable and have the cleanest linens I have ever seen, but... sleep with your boots under your pillow or you may wake to find them missing.

Ask your agent/driver to find you a good guide/fixer for seeing the sights. Be prepared to have your breath taken away at the Taj Mahal, even if you have seen it a thousand times in pictures.

If you have any flexibility, fit in a dawn camel ride into the Thar desert at Jaisalmer*. The sunrise is otherworldly.

(*the Golden City, to contrast with Jaipur - pink and Jodhpur - blue).

Unless you are south Asian-looking, do not be surprised if people come up to you and pose while their friends take photos. The first time this happened (at the Taj Mahal) DP freaked out a bit as it resembled a pickpocketing mobbing, but for a lot of Indian people "OMG today we met these foreigners" is an event. By the end of our holiday we were quite used to it, and were even reassuring other tourists. In a church in Kerala there were two 20-something Chinese women who looked completely bemused as an Indian family of 6, led by Granny, squeezed around them for a photo.

Another tip: When (not if) you are approached by people selling stuff as you go round an attraction, the correct response is full grey rock. Don't say "No, thank you", as this is considered an opening bid. It takes a bit of work if you are normally a polite person, but they will go away a lot quicker if you look straight ahead and pretend they are invisible.

By all means try the fresh sodas, such as ginger or lime, from roadside vendors. They are made with bottled water and delicious. Also masala chai, which in the Delhi area comes in a single-use clay cup, which you are meant to throw away although we actually kept a couple as souvenirs.

Carry a few ₹10 or ₹20 notes or coins (we ended up calling these "loo money") to hand to semi-official toilet attendants. (Honestly I've seen a lot worse toilets than most of the ones we encountered, even on the road.) Small tips always go down well in other settings too. ₹100 is about £1 but its tipping effect is more like £5 or £10.

Yes, I know it’s very hot. Although it will be March when we are in Delhi.

2 nights is because day 1 is land from an overnight flight, check in to hotel and have a rest day. Jet lag gives me migraines so I need to take a tryptan on arrival and lie down.

Day 2 is a city tour, then day 3 is off to Agra.

I have actually enquired about getting the train from Delhi to Agra, just for the experience.