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Getting Around by Air
The state domestic airline is Indian Airlines (IC) (website: www.indian-airlines.nic.in). The network connects over 70 cities. Other domestic airlines include Alliance Air (3A), a subsidiary of Indian Airlines, Jet Airways (9W) (website: www.jetairways.com) and Air Sahara (S2) (website: www.airsahara.org).
Air Passes
There are various special Indian Airlines fares available to foreign nationals and Indian nationals residing abroad, which may be purchased either abroad or in India, where payment is made in a foreign convertible currency (such as US Dollars or Pounds Sterling). With the exception of the Youth Fare India (see below), discounts of 90% are available for children under two years of age, and of 50% for children aged two to 12. Full details of all the special fares are available from Indiatourism. A summary of each is given below. Group discounts of up to 30% are also available.
Discover India: seven-day, 15-day and 21-day tickets offer unlimited economy-class travel on all domestic Indian Airlines services. No stop may be visited more than once, except for transfer.
Youth Fare India: valid for three months, offering a 25% discount on the normal US Dollar fare. It is available to those aged 12 to 30 at the commencement of travel for journeys on economy/executive class of domestic air services and Indo-Nepal services.
India Wonder Fares (North, South, East and West): valid for seven days, offering unlimited economy-class travel. No town may be visited more than once, except for transfer. Details of the main air centres included in the deal can be obtained from Indian Airlines offices.
Departure Tax
Discover India: seven-day, 15-day and 21-day tickets offer unlimited economy-class travel on all domestic Indian Airlines services. No stop may be visited more than once, except for transfer.
Youth Fare India: valid for three months, offering a 25% discount on the normal US Dollar fare. It is available to those aged 12 to 30 at the commencement of travel for journeys on economy/executive class of domestic air services and Indo-Nepal services.
India Wonder Fares (North, South, East and West): valid for seven days, offering unlimited economy-class travel. No town may be visited more than once, except for transfer. Details of the main air centres included in the deal can be obtained from Indian Airlines offices.
£8.
Getting Around by Water
There are ships from Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras) to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Contact Shipping Corporation of India (tel: (033) 248 2354, in Kolkata or (044) 523 1401, in Chennai; website: www.shipindia.com) for details. There are also services from Kochi and Calicut to the Lakshadweep Islands (website: http://lakport.nic.in). Services are often seasonal, and are generally suspended during the monsoon. There is a catamaran service from Mumbai (Bombay) to Goa. One particularly attractive boat journey is the ‘backwaters' excursion in the vicinity of Kochi in Kerala. Several local tours are available.
Getting Around by Rail
The Indian internal railway system is state-run by Indian Railways (tel: (011) 340 5156 or 334 6804; website: www.indianrail.gov.in). There are six classes of travel: first-class air conditioned, first-class sleeper, second-class air conditioned, second-class sleeper, third-class air conditioned and air conditioned chair car. Major trains carry restaurant cars.
Special trains: The Palace on Wheels is an Edwardian-style luxury steam train with 14 coaches. Modern amenities include air conditioning. Tariff includes cost of travel, full catering and conducted sightseeing tours. Itinerary: Delhi-Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Ranthambae-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur-Bharatpur-Agra-Delhi. Royal Orient Express: This luxury train journeys through Gujarat and Rajasthan taking in the sights of Chittargarh, Udaipur, Palitana, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The trip takes eight days and accommodation is in furnished carriages with lounge, minibar and kitchenette. Multi-cuisine restaurants are also available. Contact Indian Railways for further information. The Fairy Queen is the oldest steam engine in the world. The journey is a two-day round trip from Delhi to Alwar. Guests are taken to Sariska Tiger Reserve for a jeep safari and stay overnight in a hotel. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway operates from Newjalpaiguri to Darjeeling. It climbs 5,000ft (1,525m). Hill Trains: Narrow-gauge rail lines completed in the 19th century link numerous hill stations. For example, the Kolkata (Calcutta)-Darjeeling route takes eight hours.
Other trains: The Rajdhani Express trains are deluxe super-fast trains connecting Delhi with Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Bhubhaneswar, Guwahati, Jammu Tawi, Secunderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Ajmer and many others. Shatabdi Express: Super-fast trains connecting major and secondary city centres. Snacks and meals are provided. Konkan Express: This route is Mumbai-Goa-Mangalore.
Rail Passes
Special trains: The Palace on Wheels is an Edwardian-style luxury steam train with 14 coaches. Modern amenities include air conditioning. Tariff includes cost of travel, full catering and conducted sightseeing tours. Itinerary: Delhi-Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Ranthambae-Chittaurgarh-Udaipur-Bharatpur-Agra-Delhi. Royal Orient Express: This luxury train journeys through Gujarat and Rajasthan taking in the sights of Chittargarh, Udaipur, Palitana, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The trip takes eight days and accommodation is in furnished carriages with lounge, minibar and kitchenette. Multi-cuisine restaurants are also available. Contact Indian Railways for further information. The Fairy Queen is the oldest steam engine in the world. The journey is a two-day round trip from Delhi to Alwar. Guests are taken to Sariska Tiger Reserve for a jeep safari and stay overnight in a hotel. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway operates from Newjalpaiguri to Darjeeling. It climbs 5,000ft (1,525m). Hill Trains: Narrow-gauge rail lines completed in the 19th century link numerous hill stations. For example, the Kolkata (Calcutta)-Darjeeling route takes eight hours.
Other trains: The Rajdhani Express trains are deluxe super-fast trains connecting Delhi with Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Bhubhaneswar, Guwahati, Jammu Tawi, Secunderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Ajmer and many others. Shatabdi Express: Super-fast trains connecting major and secondary city centres. Snacks and meals are provided. Konkan Express: This route is Mumbai-Goa-Mangalore.
Indrail Pass: enables travel on any train within one year. Advance reservation is essential. Indrail passes can be reserved in the UK from SD Enterprises Ltd (tel: (020) 8903 3411; website: www.indiarail.co.uk). The passes can also be purchased in India at all the main railway stations and authorised agents.
Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the left. Outside the major cities main roads and other routes are poorly maintained and congested with poor visibility and inadequate warning markers.
Bus: An extensive network of bus services connects all parts of the country, and is particularly useful for the mountainous regions where there are no rail services. However, public transport is often crowded and can be uncomfortable. Details of routes may be obtained from the local tourist office.
Tourist cars: There are a large number of chauffeur-driven tourist cars (some air conditioned) available in the main tourist centres. These unmetered tourist cars run at a slightly higher rate than the ordinary taxis, and are approved by Indiatourism. Travellers should ask drivers to maintain a safe speed and wear a seat belt where available.
Car hire: Self-drive cars are not generally available. Driving around India is not recommended due to the erratic nature of Indian driving standards.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. A green card is required if importing your own car into India.
Note: Travel in rural areas during the monsoon season can be hazardous and care should be taken. Monsoon rains cause flooding and landslides that can cut off some towns and villages for days at a time.
Bus: An extensive network of bus services connects all parts of the country, and is particularly useful for the mountainous regions where there are no rail services. However, public transport is often crowded and can be uncomfortable. Details of routes may be obtained from the local tourist office.
Tourist cars: There are a large number of chauffeur-driven tourist cars (some air conditioned) available in the main tourist centres. These unmetered tourist cars run at a slightly higher rate than the ordinary taxis, and are approved by Indiatourism. Travellers should ask drivers to maintain a safe speed and wear a seat belt where available.
Car hire: Self-drive cars are not generally available. Driving around India is not recommended due to the erratic nature of Indian driving standards.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. A green card is required if importing your own car into India.
Note: Travel in rural areas during the monsoon season can be hazardous and care should be taken. Monsoon rains cause flooding and landslides that can cut off some towns and villages for days at a time.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
Taxis and auto rickshaws are available in large cities and fares should be charged by the kilometre. They do not always have meters but, where they do, visitors should insist on the meter being flagged in their presence. Fares change from time to time and therefore do not always conform to the reading on the meter, but drivers should always have a copy of the latest fare chart available for inspection. Kolkata (Calcutta) has a 16.5km (10-mile) underground railway. A metro system opened in Delhi in 2004; the remaining sections are due to be completed in 2008.
Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Delhi to other major cities/towns in India.
Note: a. Time by express (not daily); normal train takes 23 hours. b. Time by express (not daily); normal train takes 25 hours. c. Does not include stopover in Chennai. d. Boat journey from Chennai takes three to four days.
| Air | Road | Rail | Sea | |
| Mumbai | 1.50 | 28.00 | 17.30a | - |
| Kolkata | 2.00 | 30.00 | 18.00b | - |
| Chennai | 3.00 | 45.00 | 32.00 | - |
| Port Blair | 5.05 | c | - | d |
Note: a. Time by express (not daily); normal train takes 23 hours. b. Time by express (not daily); normal train takes 25 hours. c. Does not include stopover in Chennai. d. Boat journey from Chennai takes three to four days.
