This 2 week India Itinerary is laser focused on the most popular sites in India. Exploring Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Agra (Taj Mahal), and Rajasthan India.
Below is a brief summary of the highlights for each area:
Delhi – “Old Delhi” is a phenomenal place to walk around and one of the most unique places in India, Langer Hall is an amazing place to visit and provides meals to thousands and thousands of people each day, and Qutub Mina is a set of structures that anyone coming to Delhi should see
Taj Mahal – The Taj Mahal could be a day trip from Delhi, or an overnight stay. A guided tour will be valuable to understanding why it is always listed as one of the 7 wonders of the world.
Ranthambore – Go outside the norm and go on a safari
Jaipur – This is truly a wonderful city, full of amazing architecture like the Pink Palace, a classic Rajasthan fort – Nahargarh Fort and wonderful, curious sites such as the water palace – which appears in the middle of a lake
Varanasi – This is a vast cultural experience with Evening Prayers that attract more people than a Taylor Swift concert, the famous Ganges river (and all of it’s associated daily activities), and the special Sarnath
2 Week India Itinerary
- Day 1 – India Itinerary – Arrival
- Fly to Delhi India, take the day to get over jet lag
- Day 2 – India Itinerary, Old Delhi
- Visit Old Delhi – Go early and see the shops opening up, the monkeys crawling on the rooftops and perhaps stealing the odd fruit, and go in and out of local stores that are just opening for the day. Everything below is close to Old Delhi and can be seen in a single day.
- Jama Mosque – In Old Delhi, This ia a large mosque full of people praying, do be respectful!
- Chandni Chowk – One of the oldest and busiest markets to see
- Delhi Red fort – This is a renowned location known for it’s historical significance as well as it’s architecture
- Humayun tomb – The first “garden tomb”, located conveniently to Old Delhi!
- Day 3 – India Itinerary, Taj Mahal
- Leave Delhi by a 1 hour train ride (Gatiman Express) to the Agra to see the Taj Mahal
- Mehtab Bagh garden – The garden itself is interesting to walk around, but the true and best reason to come here is to see the view of the Taj Mahal from across the river – without the crowds
- Taj Mahal – Learning about the history of this place, how it was constructed and seeing all of the people who come to it makes it a wonderful experience
- Day 4 – India Itinerary – Drive to Ranthambore National Park
- Get picked up by a driver and drive to Ranthambore National Park, see the following along the way
- Fatehpur Sikri – This is about a 1 hour drive outside of the Taj Mahal, it is a “red fort” with interesting features to explore
- Chand Baori – This is a quick stop, but worth it’s worth it to see one of the greatest stepwells in India
- Arrive at hotel in Rajasthan National Park and relax until the morning
- Day 5 & Day 6 — India Itinerary – Do varied Ranthambore National Park Safaris
- Day 7 – Get to Jaipur
- Drive to Jaipur, this will take most of the day
- Arrive at your hotel and get settled
- Experience an Evening High Tea at Rambagh Palace with Peacocks walking alongside your table
- Day 8 & Day 9 – Jaipur Experiences
- Water Palace – Close to the Amber Palace there is a lake, where in the middle of the lake is a palace! It was not designed to actually be underwater, so we cannot visit, but the view is great.
- Amber Palace – Go in the early AM and take an elephant ride through the fort’s gates, explore the palace, take in a free puppet show, drink water
- Panna Meena Ka Kund – A local stepwell, near the Amber Fort
- Snake Charmer – Sometimes, just outside of the palace are snake charmers
- Hawa Mahal – Drop by to check out the beautiful architecture of the building (from the outside only), it’s a photo opportunity but also a designed to give those on the inside a private way to view the outside world.
- Astronomical Observatory – If you have any scientific curiosity, then this will blow you away, this place is also called Jantar Mantar
- Bar Palladio – It feels like walking into a Wes Anderson film, but the cool drinks are nice after a warm day
- Day 10 – Fly to Varanasi
- Patrika Gate – It’s just another photo opp on the way to the airport, but it is pretty neat to walk around it as well.
- Fly to Varanasi
- Day 11 – Varanasi
- Ganges Boat Ride – Take this in the morning to be able to enjoy watching people bath themselves in the Ganges River, from the river itself
- See Sites walking along the Ganges River – There is so many locals participating in activities on the Ganges, walking it will give you perspective
- Banaras Hindu University – For a cultural experience.
- See local sites in Varanasi – These sites are all relatively easy to see and fairly quick to get through – Bharat Mata Temple, Durga Temple, King Aurangzeb’s Mosque; Sacred Bull, Shiva Temple, well-of knowledge, Kala Bhawan Art Gallery, Vishwanath Temple, Golden Temple, Bharat Mata temple and Durga temple and Tulsi Manas Mandir.
- Day 12 – Varanasi
- Sarnath – A short drive from Varanasi, Sarnath is where Buddha first taught the Dharma after his enlightenment and is a very important location for Buddhists.
- Take the rest of the day in Varanasi City or take more time to enjoy the Ganges River
- Experience Evening Prayer along the Ganges River
- Day 13 – Delhi
- Fly to Delhi in the AM
- Lotus Temple – A visual masterpiece, where people of all faiths are welcomed
- Qutub Minar – A tall tower that is also surrounded by various impressive structures
- Gandhi Smriti Museum – showcases artifacts, photographs, and documents related to Mahatma Gandhi’s life and the Indian independence movement
- Langer Hall / Gurdwara Bangla Sahib – A spot where they feed thousands of people daily, well worth visit and tour of the back workings of the facility
- India Gate / Delhi Memorial Visit – war memorial to honor the soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War I
- The National Museum – Contains artifacts spanning over 5,000 years of Indian history and culture
- Day 14 – Fly home!
