India Tourism - Travel to India

Flag

Quick Facts
Capital	New Delhi
Government	federal republic
Currency	Indian rupee (INR)
Area	total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km
Population	1,045,845,226 (July 2002 est.)
Language	English, Hindi, and 14 others
Religion	Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)

India is a peninsular country in the south of Asia. India mixes ancient civilizations, fascinating religions, philosophy, languages, monuments and cultures with modern technology, economy, and media. India along with it's neighbours excluding china and Myanmar are referred to as the Indian Sub-Continent because of the wide diversity in geography, culture, language and ethnicity.

Indian dress of Rajasthan

Regions in India

The North -- the country's capital, the Taj Mahal and remote Himalayan mountains
The West -- deserted deserts, Goa, alternative beaches and Bollywood
The South -- colorful Hindu temples, tropical forests, Backwaters of Kerala, Beaches and Ghats of Karnataka and islands
The East -- India's poorest region, its largest city and holiest river
The North-East -- remote and sensitive, the country's tribal corner

Cities in India

There are thousands of cities in India; these are some of the more popular among travelers.

New Delhi, the Capital of Ancient Bharath and Modern India
Calcutta, the City of Joy
Madras
Bombay
Agra -- home to the Taj Mahal
Lucknow
Bangalore -- The Garden City, Pub City, Silicon Valley of India, Land of Silk, Gold, Sandal, Incense etc.
Ahmedabad -- Most beautiful textile museum of the world
Rajkot -- The city in Gujarat where Mahatma Gandhi pursued early education, also famous for sweets and dandiya/garba raas dances.

Other destinations

Beaches in Goa

Understand India Tourism

Map of India

With a surface area only about one-third the size of the United States, India is the second most populous country in the world, with more than one billion people as of 2002.

India has two broad coasts, on the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Bay of Bengal to the east. Both have tropical or temperate beaches with various levels of development. To the north, India is separated from China by the forbidding Himalaya mountains and the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan. To the northwest is a long and tumultuous border with Pakistan; the northeast of the country wraps around Bangladesh and borders on Myanmar.

Although India is often associated with jungles -- and there are jungles here, of course -- the tropics share the sub-continent with a temperate zone in the north, deserts in the northwest, and the alpine regions of the Himalayas.

India has a rich diversity of culture and tradition. It's probably the only country where people of so many different origins, religious beliefs, languages and ethnic background coexist. Due to this rich diversity the number of festivals that are celebrated in different parts of the country varies. There are holidays that coincide with these festivals. In addition to these there are national holidays which are applicable across the country. Here is a list of national holidays. For regional holidays look under the particular state.

History of India

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, goes back at least 5,000 years. One version goes that Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. A more modern version emanating from both Right-Wing and Non-Ideological historians state that the Aryan tribes migrated and blended with the Dravidian tribes rather than invade them. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in 12th were followed by European traders beginning in the late 16th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947.

The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, corrupt bureaucracy, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, ethnic and religious strife. All this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.

Get into India

Travel to India By Plane

Almost every big city in this country has an airport. Some major points-of-entry are:

India has homegrown international airlines (Air India, Indian Airlines), but perhaps a safer and more convenient method of reaching India is via a non-Indian carrier like Singapore Airlines, Thai or British Airways, all of whom fly into Delhi, Bombay and other locations.

Within India, the state run airline, Indian Airlines, is widely considered substandard to the privately run Jet Airways, which operates modern aircraft across much of the country. There are other private airlines as well. Tickets are generally reasonable, although far more expensive then rail travel.

Travel to India By Boat

India has several international ports on its peninsula.

Travel to India By Train

India boasts the biggest network of railway lines in the world, and the rail system is surprisingly efficient. Luxurious it is not, but India's railways are perhaps the best way to get to know the country and its people. A few important tips regarding rail travel:

Train tickets are in high demand, especially during the summer and winter breaks. This means that without careful planning, it may be next to impossible to get tickets for long distance travel (for example from New Delhi to Bombay). However foreigners can get tickets from a quota reserved for them. In big cities, you have a specific counter or even a special office for them. If you plan to travel in 1st Class A/C (see below) tickets should be easier to get - they are in less demand. In New Delhi, you can pay your tickets in US dollars. In this case, you will pay a higher rate. For air tickets, you have to pay the "foreigner" price. Rail passes are also available, and are called Indrail passes. There is more information at http://www.indianrail.gov.in/intert.html

Always watch your bags, especially in and around train stations. Once on a train, lock your bags to your bunk-- under the bunk if you are on the bottom, or at your head. Make sure to also lock and exterior pockets (keep your TP and anything else you'll want on the outside). While you may be tempted to travel 2nd class to save money, those cars are often overcrowded and you may not even be able to sit for more than a day at a time. Sleeper is usually your best option, ask for an "upper inside bunk" for overnight trips. 1st Class 3 A/C or 2 A/C (meaning 6 or 4 people in a compartment) is, of course even better, if you can afford it, but the A/C can be extreme. In Sleeper Class some people ignore the classes and try to get into your compartment.

Indian trains take a long time to go anywhere. Don't just look at a map and assume a short trip - these trains don't move fast. Bathrooms on Indian trains leave a lot to be desired. Shower and use the toilet elsewhere if at all possible. Bring enough food and water for the journey (including delays): Bananas, bread, and candy bars are good basics to have. At some stations hawkers selling tea or peanuts will go up and down the train, but don't count on this being enough for a 18 or 40 hour journey. On 1st Class you can order all 3 meals from the train workers. Enjoy the train! You'll meet fascinating, wonderful people.

The only international train connection is from Pakistan. See Overland Europe to South-Asia.

Travel to India By car

The road network is also very well connected. There is only one pass over land from Pakistan. See Istanbul to New Delhi over land. Buses cross the border from Nepal daily, usually with connections to New Delhi, Lucknow, and Varanasi.

India Talk

Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people of India. It is very similar to Urdu, Pakistan's national language, which uses a different script.

There are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language.

English is widely spoken in big cities and around most tourist places. Also keep in mind that more than 40% of the population is illiterate.

Do India

National holidays

January 26th - Republic Day -Celebrates the adoption of the constitution and the day India became a republic
February 18th - Maha Shivaratri
Middle of Mar - Holi - The festival of color. Stay away from the streets unless you want to be drenched in water and showered with colored powder. Mostly friendly...
May 1st - Martyrs Day / Labour Day
August 15th - Independence Day - Celebrates the birth of independent India
September 7th - Krishna Janmashtami - Celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna
Oct 2nd - Gandhi Jayanti - birthday of Mahatma Gandhi
October 22nd - Ayudha pooja - locals worship the Deity Durga and perform pooja for their objects of daily use. Workers are given sweets, cash bonuses, gifts, new clothes etc
Sometime around October - Dussehra - celebrated in different names in different parts of the country
November 12th - Deepawali - Festival of lights, celebrates the slaying of the demon Mahishasura. Probably the most lavish festival in the country, reminiscent (to US travellers at least) of Thanksgiving (the food) and Christmas (the gifts) combined. This is by far the most visually spectacular festival of all: houses are decorated, there is glitter everywhere, and if you wander the streets on Deepawali night, there will be firecrackers going off everywhere, including sometimes under your feet.
November 15th - Id-ul-Fitr
December 25th - Christmas

Since the Hindu religion follows the Lunar calendar these festivals sometimes be celebrated on different dates of the Gregorian Calendar.

Buy

The currency in India is the Indian rupee. It trades around 45 rupees to the US dollar and 57 rupees to the Euro. Take a look at the Exchange Rates Table for Indian Rupee for other currencies.

In principle you can live in India for a couple of hundred rupees a day. At the other end of the spectrum you can sleep in fancy 5 star hotels and spend lots of money on food and shopping.

In India you are expected to negotiate the price. If not, you risk overpaying many times - which can be okay if you think "well, it's cheaper than home". However, in the bigger cities, it is often possible to shop at stores where there are no issues of bargaining. Many of these, like the Cottage Emporium in New Delhi, are government run, and very well organized, so that you can sample wares from all across the country in air-conditioned comfort. Although you will pay a little more at these stores, you can be sure that what you are getting is not a cheap knockoff.

Also, very often you will meet a "friend" in the street offering you to visit his or his family's shop. In about 9 of 10 cases this will simply mean that you pay twice as much as when you had been in the shop without your newly found friend.

Baksheesh -- the giving of small bribes -- is a very common phenomenon. While it is a big problem in India, indulging in it can ease certain problems and clear some hurdles. Baksheesh is also the term used by beggars, who can be found throughout India, if they want money from you.

Change

Outside airports you can only change US dollars, and sometimes UK sterling pounds. In big cities, there are now ATMs where you can get rupees against your international Credit card (maximum amount is 4,000-20,000 rupees depending on the ATM). State Bank of India Bank's (SBI) ATMs usually don't accept foreign cards. It is possible to get bigger amounts by "buying" on your credit card, recommended is the Canara Bank which takes only 1% commission, and its branches also in smaller towns allows you the withdrawal of rupees. Despite the wide recommendation to use the Baroda Bank for this purpose, it's a waste of your time.

Eat - Travel to India

The food can be very spicy. If you want to enjoy the local food, start slowly. Don't try everything at once. After a few weeks, you can get accustomed to spicy food. If you would like to order your dish not spicy, ask for "no chili, no black pepper and no white pepper".

India is a great place to be for vegetarians. On menus of almost every restaurant half of the dishes are vegetarian.

Some restaurants - especially those where buses stop after hours and hours of driving - can be very dirty. In this case it might be good to check if there's another one on the opposite side of the street. Fruits that can be peeled such as apples and bananas, as well as packaged snacks are always a safe option.

In south of India "Hotel" means a local restaurant serving south Indian food, mostly Thali and prepared meals.

Like everything in India, the names are spelled differently in different places (sometimes in two neighboring restaurants).

Although you might get a big menu, most dishes are served only in specific hours. Tandoori is an Indian oven, most places serve tandoori dishes only for dinner.

Indian kitchen uses rice flour more than wheat flour.

Indians like their dishes very spicy, you can even find sweet cornflakes with a spicy edge and Indian candies with a piece of chili inside.

Aloo - Potatoes.
Aloo Gobi - Potatoes and cauliflower in a spicy gravy.
Chapatti - also called Roti, Indian thin bread.
Phool Gobi - Cauliflower
Gulab Jamoon - Small balls from dough in a sweet sauce.
Idly - Made from rice, served with spicy sauces, only at breakfast.
Kashmiri Pulao - Rice with vegetables, fruits and dried fruits. Sweet and not spicy.
Masala Dosa - Rice pancake with (spicy) vegetables
Naan - Indian bread made in a tandoori (Indian oven). Most places
Onion Utappa - Like a pancake made out of onion, served with spicy sauce. The dish itself is not spicy but some places add green chili to it.
Palak - Spinach.
Palak Paneer - Cheese chunks in a spinach gravy. Order with plain rice or Chapatti/Roti.
Paneer - Indian cheese.
Papad - Crispy spicy thin dough circle fried in deep oil.
Parota - Fried flat bread
Plain Dosa- Rice pancake
Puri - Crispy puffed dough, looks like a ball, fried in deep oil. Can be served in different sizes. If you find "puri something" it means a few small puris stuffed with different kinds of sauce and curd.
Roti - Indian thin bread.
Thali - Plain rice served with different sauces and vegetables usually served with chapatti, pappad or puri. most places serve this dish on an "eat as you can" basis. In the south this dish is called 'meals'. You might also find Chinese Thali.
Vada -

Drink

Tap water is generally not safe for drinking. However, some establishments have water filters/purifiers installed, in which case the water is safe to drink. Packed drinking water ('not' mineral water) is widely available. Always check bottled water to make sure the seal hasn't been tampered with.

One of the favorite and safest beverages you can get is coconut water. You can almost always find it in any beach or other tourist destinations in the south. In summer (March to July), you can get fresh sugar cane juice in many places. And even a lot of fresh fruit juice varieties in tourist places as well as in local restaurants. Be careful as fresh juice may contain many germs besides unhygienic ice! The juice waalas do not always clean their equipment properly and do not wash the fruits either.

Everywhere you can get tea, usually with milk and a lot of sugar.

Drinking alcohol can either be frowned upon or openly accepted, depending on the region and religion of the area within which you are drinking. For example, as you can imagine, Goa tends to be more free-wheeling (and has low taxes on alcohol), while southern areas like Chennai are less kind to alcohol, and may even charge excessive taxes on it.

Sleep - India Tourism

Choices vary wildly depending on your budget and location. Cheap travellers' hotels are numerous in big cities where you can get a room for less than Rs. 100. If your wallet allows it, you can try staying in former maharaja's residence in Udaipur or modern five-star hotels in New Delhi and Bombay. The top-end of Indian luxury rests with the Oberoi and Taj hotel chains, who operate hotels in all the major cities and throughout Rajasthan.

Two important factors to keep in mind when choosing a place to stay are 1) safety, and 2) cleanliness. Malaria is alive and well in certain areas of India - one of the best ways to combat malaria is to choose lodgings with air conditioning and sealed windows.

Learn

Yoga, ayorvedic massage and language are the courses most often looked for by foreigners. By example, Hardwar and Rishikesh are popular places for yoga courses. Varanasi has a famous university with Hindi classes.

Work

Foreigners need a work permit to be employed in India. A work permit is granted if an application is made to the local Indian embassy along with proof of potential employment and supporting documents. There are many expatriates working in India, mostly for multinational Fortune 1000 firms. India has always had an expatriate community of reasonable size, and there are many avenues for finding employment, including popular job hunting websites like monster.com!

There are many volunteer opportunities around the country including teaching. India has a reasonable presence of foreign Christian missionaries, who for the most part form the non-local religious workers, since the other major religions of the world either grew out of India or have had a long term presence.

Stay safe - India Tourism

India is a country quite safe for foreigners. Avoid going to Kashmir unless you get properly informed about the situation there. Some governments advise their citizens to be caution in traveling to Gujarat because of the communal violence (in the February-March 2002 more than 1,000 people were killed).

India is a poor country, so don't show too many of your valuable goods in public. Unfortunately thefts are quite common in places visited by tourists.

Stay Healthy While You Travel to India

Going to India, you have to adapt to a new climate and a new food. Don't stress yourselves too much at the beginning of your journey to allow your body to acclimate to the country. For example, take a day of rest upon arrival, at least on your first visit. Many travellers get ill for wanting to do too much in too little time. Be careful with spicy food if it is not your daily diet. Diarrhea is common because of water not drinkable and food too spicy. Bring a standard first-aid kit, plus extra over-the-counter medicine for diarrhea and stomach upset. A rehydration kit can also be helpful.

No vaccines are required for entry to India, except for yellow fever if you are coming from an infected area such as Africa. However, hepatitis shots are recommended, as is a booster shot for tetanus. In some places during the monsoon, malaria is quite common. Anti-malarial drugs may help, but become ineffective with some resistant forms of malaria. It is quite necessary in jungle areas near the Nepal border during the rainy season.

Respect

In mosques and most temples it is obligatory to take off your shoes.

Whereas Indian men can be really eager to talk to travelers, women in India often refrain from contact with western men.

Travellers should be aware of the fact that Indians generally dress conservatively and should do the same. Shorts, short skirts (knee-length or above) and sleeveless shirts are not appropriate off the beach.

Female travellers in India

India is a conservative country, and some western habits are perceived as dishonorable for a lady in this culture.

It's not honorable for a lady to touch or be touched by a man other than her husband. It is very rare for unrelated people of opposite sex to touch one another while greeting or otherwise. Therefore, it is advised that you do not shake hands unless the other person extends his/her hand first. You can always just bring your right hand to your heart/shoulder and shake your head the Indian way.

The same goes for smoking. Except in major cities (and only in trendy places or in high society) women do not smoke. A woman who smokes/drinks is assosciated with loose moral charecter in much of the rest of the country.

People are fully clothed even at the beach. So, be sure to find out what the appropriate attire is for the beach you are visiting. (In some rare places like Goa, where the visitors to beach are predominantly foreigners, it is permissible to be nude on the beach).

In some local trains, there are usually cars reserved only for women and designated as such on their front.

In most buses (private and public) few seats at the front of the bus are reserved for women only.

Contact

The country code for India is 91. India is divided into further area codes; see the guides for individual cities for their particular codes. When calling from within India, the area code should include the leading '0', while if you are calling from outside India, the area code should not include the leading '0'.

Most telephone systems are local only, but you can find long distance public phones (STD booths) and internet everywhere nowadays.

External Links for India Tourism

India Ministry of Tourism