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Our India Trip Itinerary

  • Writer: Sahaana Uma
    Sahaana Uma
  • Jul 30, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jul 30, 2024

Our recent trip to India was a special experience for us because not only did I get to show Miad around my hometown, but I also got to view a routine destination from a fresh perspective. I was initially very nervous because while I am Indian-born, I didn't have any experience navigating the country on my own prior to this since I've never been there without my parents before. Our family trips tend to be focused around being home, so I haven't spent much time outside of our native state of Tamil Nadu either. This time, since I was bringing two non-Indians and we were venturing into regions where I didn't even speak the language fluently, I felt responsible for them having a good time and spent the days before the trip anxiously worrying about everything that could go wrong. It didn't help that my parents stressed me out further with their own concerns about letting me take the lead, but in retrospect, all this pre-vacation anxiety was completely unnecessary. In reality, navigating India was no different than any other international destination and this experience left me with a newfound confidence that in the future, I don't need to depend on anything except my desire to go.


If you're curious to explore India but hesitant, this is your sign to go for it. One disclaimer I will say is that our trip was half tourism-half family focused, so we had to plan our itinerary accordingly based on personal plans and priorities. If you are visiting solely for tourism, I would probably recommend a slightly different itinerary (i.e. Fly to Chennai or Bangalore, Make your way to Kerala via Ooty or Munnar, etc.), but I wanted to share our itinerary regardless in case it's helpful for anyone.


Day 1: Delhi

Hotel: The Leela Palace

Transport: Hotel Car


  • Explore Chandni Chowk Market

  • Red Fort

  • Drive By: India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan

  • Vasant Kunj Mall

Note:

  • The Red Fort (and a couple other attractions) are closed on Mondays. Double check hours/times before planning


Day 2: Delhi

Hotel: The Leela Palace

Transport: Delhi Private Tour


Note:

  • We had to do it during the day as part of our tour but The Lotus Temple is supposed to be really nice during sunset if you have the flexibility to plan accordingly

  • If we had more time, we would have also visited the Akshardham Temple but as there's a massive Akshardham back in New Jersey, this was low priority for us.

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Day 3: Agra

Hotel: The Leela Palace

Transport: Taj Majal Private Tour


Note:

  • People also choose to stay in Agra and then go directly to Jaipur from there (this is what our tour package actually recommended cause it would have saved us transit time) but we really didn't want to lug our suitcases and repack/unpack for one night so we chose to stay in Delhi. Plus, we loved the Leela.

  • The sunrise Taj Mahal tour requires a 2:30-3am pickup but if you plan this for the first couple days of your trip, chances are you'll be jet-lagged and it won't be that hard to wake up. Plus this is definitely the ideal time of day to go in terms of minimal crowds.


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Day 4: Jaipur

Hotel: Holiday Inn Jaipur


Note:

  • We originally wanted to take a train from Delhi to Jaipur but we were unsure about how to book trains in India with the different types of seats/cars and we had gotten sick by this point so didn't want to take the risk with trains

  • The Delhi to Jaipur route is supposed to take 4-6 hours but depending on weather conditions and traffic it can take much longer so keep your day flexible

  • There are options to see Jaipur by car but we definitely recommend TukTuk to get around faster.

  • We couldn't do the Birla Mandir but if you have the chance, visit this temple at night/evening

  • In general, make sure to carve out time to see Jaipur at night because the views are stunning

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Day 5: Jaipur

Hotel: Holiday Inn Jaipur

Transport: TukTuk Tour


Note:

  • Most of these private tours are flexible so if there's something you do or don't want to do, just let the tour guide know and most likely they will accommodate

  • We wanted to see the Rambagh Palace grounds, so we chose Verandah Cafe but all the restaurants in Rambagh are on the pricier side (for Indian standards)


Day 6-7: Travel to South India

We stayed at my family home and they took the lead in organizing this portion of the trip so I don't have links to share since I did not personally book anything.


  • IndiGo Flight: Jaipur --> Bangalore --> Trivandrum

  • Nagercoil Sightseeing: Landscapes, Mountain Temples, and Town Center

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Day 7: Kanyakumari

  • Padmanabapuram Palace

  • Mathoor Thottipalam (Aqueduct)

  • Thiruparappu Waterfalls

  • Kanyakumari

    • Vivekananda Rock

    • Kanyakumari Temple

    • Dwarka Beach

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Day 8: Trivandrum, Kerala

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum


  • Kovalam Beach

  • Shree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

  • Lulu Mall


Day 9: Alleppey, Kerala


  • Backwaters Houseboat experience (Food included)

Note:

  • The houseboat we did was a one bedroom since it was just the 2 of us but if you're planning to go with a larger group like a family, they also have large houseboats with multiple bedrooms available.

  • We had to go via Trivandrum for personal/family plans but the easier way to access Alleppey is via Kochi

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While we only covered a small fraction, it's left us with such an appetite to explore further on future trips - Goa, Varanasi, Kashmir...We have so much more left to see! I used to smirk at foreign tourists who go to India and then claim to have "found themselves" or experience some sort of profound impact, but after being a tourist there myself, I have to admit - I kind of get it. The variety of landscape, culture, and food from region to region is very unique to India and the deep sense of community leaves a lasting impression.

 
 
 

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