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• Encounter the two sides of Delhi: New Delhi is a modern city, offering Lutyens' architecture; ‘Old' Delhi is several centuries old, with narrow winding streets, temples and bazaars. See the Red Fort, the nearby Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque) and the Qutab Minar's soaring tower.
• Gaze at the sacred River Ganges. Along its bank is the wondrous city of Varanasi, India's holiest Hindu location with its ghats which, at dawn, are thronged with pilgrims and holy men performing ritual ablutions and prayers.
• Discover the ‘Golden Triangle'. Delhi is its centre. In the southeast lies Agra, and the Taj Mahal. To the southwest, in Rajasthan, is Jaipur, the ‘Pink City'. Visit the Amber Palace and the Palace of the Winds. To the east of the triangle lies Khajuraho with its famous friezes.
• Visit the most romantic city in Rajasthan, Udaipur, built around the lovely Lake Pichola and famed for its Lake Palace Hotel, and dubbed the ‘Venice of the East'.
• Enjoy the Hill Stations as a retreat from the heat of the plains. Less than 320km (200 miles) to the north of Delhi is Shimla. The hill station for Kolkata is Darjeeling and the hill station for Chennai is Kodaikanal.
• Wonder at Kashmir's flower-spangled meadows, icy mountain peaks and clear rivers. Jammu is the railhead for Srinagar, the ancient Mughal capital. Lake Dal has houseboats where visitors can live surrounded by scenery so beautiful it is known as ‘paradise on earth'.
• Escape Indian stereotypes in Mumbai (Bombay), the capital of Maharashtra, a bustling port and the commercial centre of India, with plate-glass skyscrapers and modern industry that jostles alongside bazaars and a hectic streetlife. The city is also the home of the film industry. Welcome to 'Bollywood'.
• Enjoy India's beaches. Mumbai has Juhu and Chowpatti. Goa offers some of the finest beaches and the luxury resort of Aguada. Marina Beach in Chennai is the second largest in the world. The state of Kerala includes the famous beach at Kovalam.
• Observe rock-cut temples, such as the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta, which date back at least 2,000 years. The caves at Ellora depict religious stories and are Hindu, Buddhist and Jain in origin.
• Go south to Chennai (Madras), India's fourth-largest city and capital of Tamil Nadu. It has few tall buildings and enjoys the ambience of a market town rather than a huge city. See Chennai Lighthouse and the city's many Christian churches.
• Go east to Kolkata (Calcutta), capital of West Bengal and India's largest city, with its colonial buildings in Chowringhee. It is a major business centre with many markets and bazaars. Central Kolkata contains the Maidan, the central parkland.
• Orissa state is famous for temples. Bhubaneswar has 500, including the Lingaraja Temple. Puri, one of the four holiest cities, in July stages Rath Yatra, where icons of gods are drawn on massive wooden chariots. Konarak is known for its ‘Black Pagoda'.
• Thrill to the wildlife in over 70 national parks, 400 wildlife sanctuaries and 24 tiger reserves. The Indian tiger and the Asiatic elephant are still found in most regions. Among the best known reserves are Bharatpur National Park in Rajasthan and Sundarban National Park in West Bengal.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Gaze at the sacred River Ganges. Along its bank is the wondrous city of Varanasi, India's holiest Hindu location with its ghats which, at dawn, are thronged with pilgrims and holy men performing ritual ablutions and prayers.
• Discover the ‘Golden Triangle'. Delhi is its centre. In the southeast lies Agra, and the Taj Mahal. To the southwest, in Rajasthan, is Jaipur, the ‘Pink City'. Visit the Amber Palace and the Palace of the Winds. To the east of the triangle lies Khajuraho with its famous friezes.
• Visit the most romantic city in Rajasthan, Udaipur, built around the lovely Lake Pichola and famed for its Lake Palace Hotel, and dubbed the ‘Venice of the East'.
• Enjoy the Hill Stations as a retreat from the heat of the plains. Less than 320km (200 miles) to the north of Delhi is Shimla. The hill station for Kolkata is Darjeeling and the hill station for Chennai is Kodaikanal.
• Wonder at Kashmir's flower-spangled meadows, icy mountain peaks and clear rivers. Jammu is the railhead for Srinagar, the ancient Mughal capital. Lake Dal has houseboats where visitors can live surrounded by scenery so beautiful it is known as ‘paradise on earth'.
• Escape Indian stereotypes in Mumbai (Bombay), the capital of Maharashtra, a bustling port and the commercial centre of India, with plate-glass skyscrapers and modern industry that jostles alongside bazaars and a hectic streetlife. The city is also the home of the film industry. Welcome to 'Bollywood'.
• Enjoy India's beaches. Mumbai has Juhu and Chowpatti. Goa offers some of the finest beaches and the luxury resort of Aguada. Marina Beach in Chennai is the second largest in the world. The state of Kerala includes the famous beach at Kovalam.
• Observe rock-cut temples, such as the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta, which date back at least 2,000 years. The caves at Ellora depict religious stories and are Hindu, Buddhist and Jain in origin.
• Go south to Chennai (Madras), India's fourth-largest city and capital of Tamil Nadu. It has few tall buildings and enjoys the ambience of a market town rather than a huge city. See Chennai Lighthouse and the city's many Christian churches.
• Go east to Kolkata (Calcutta), capital of West Bengal and India's largest city, with its colonial buildings in Chowringhee. It is a major business centre with many markets and bazaars. Central Kolkata contains the Maidan, the central parkland.
• Orissa state is famous for temples. Bhubaneswar has 500, including the Lingaraja Temple. Puri, one of the four holiest cities, in July stages Rath Yatra, where icons of gods are drawn on massive wooden chariots. Konarak is known for its ‘Black Pagoda'.
• Thrill to the wildlife in over 70 national parks, 400 wildlife sanctuaries and 24 tiger reserves. The Indian tiger and the Asiatic elephant are still found in most regions. Among the best known reserves are Bharatpur National Park in Rajasthan and Sundarban National Park in West Bengal.
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.