Planning

India today is one of the most richly rewarding regions of the world to visit. Its scenery is amongst the most varied and exciting anywhere, its history and culture are not just packaged and brought out on show for the tourist, but lived, and its openness, friendliness and freedom from personal threat are increasingly rare among major travel destinations. All of this is readily accessible to travellers on virtually any budget or timescale. Thus, the major cities are all within easy range of exciting 'sightseeing' trips of only two or three days, yet it is easily possible to spend the full six months of a visa allowance backpacking around and touching only a fraction of the places worth visiting. Use our selection of itineraries as a guideline for what is possible within different time frames, and have a look at our sections on when and where to go.