New Delhi
88 hostels · dorms from €3
The capital: Mughal monuments, enormous markets, and the gateway to the Golden Triangle.
India country guide
Things To Do In India
A country the size of a continent with twenty-two official languages, the cheapest long-distance trains anywhere, and food that changes completely every few hundred kilometres.
€5
Dorm bed, from
22
Official languages
68,000km
Of railway
€1
A thali that defeats you
Pick a region rather than a country
India is 3,000km across and trying to see it in one trip is the mistake everyone makes first. The sensible approach is to choose a region and travel it properly.
The north has the Golden Triangle — Delhi, Agra and Jaipur — which is the standard first trip and covers the Taj Mahal, Mughal forts and Rajasthan's palaces. Further north again, Rishikesh and the Himalayan foothills are where the country goes quiet and cool.
Goa and Kerala in the south are a different country in climate, language, food and pace: beaches, backwaters, coconut and fish rather than wheat and dairy. Mumbai is the commercial capital and the most immediately navigable big city for a first visit.
Three weeks does one region well. Six does two. The trains are the great pleasure and the great planning task — they are cheap, extensive and book out weeks ahead.
Where to go
Trains and cheap domestic flights link everything, and distances are much larger than they look.
Agra
41 hostels
The Taj Mahal at sunrise, a Mughal fort, and a city most people pass through in a day and could give two.
Jaipur
72 hostels
The pink city, Rajasthan's capital, with hill forts and palaces and the best crafts in the country.
Udaipur
53 hostels
Palaces on a lake, the prettiest city in Rajasthan, and the one people stay in longest.
Jodhpur
29 hostels
The blue city under an enormous hill fort, with a stepwell in the middle and the Thar desert beyond.
Jaisalmer
61 hostels
A golden sandstone fort still lived in, at the edge of the desert, and the base for camel safaris.
Pushkar
18 hostels
A holy lake ringed by ghats and temples, a camel fair in November, and no meat or alcohol in the town.
Amritsar
15 hostels
The Golden Temple, which feeds 100,000 people a day for free, and the border ceremony at Wagah.
Rishikesh
80 hostels · dorms from €3
On the Ganges in the Himalayan foothills: yoga, rafting and no alcohol or meat in the holy zone.
Varanasi
80 hostels
The holiest city on the Ganges, where cremations happen in public on the ghats. Intense and unmissable.
Kolkata
14 hostels
Colonial architecture, the best literary and coffee house culture in India, and Durga Puja in autumn.
Mumbai
73 hostels · dorms from €6
The commercial capital: colonial architecture, Bollywood, street food and the Gateway of India.
Goa
92 hostels · dorms from €6
Beaches, Portuguese churches and a season that runs November to March. The easiest landing in India.
Hampi
7 hostels
Boulder-strewn ruins of a vast Vijayanagara capital, with a river, rice paddies and a long-staying traveller scene.
Kochi
26 hostels
Kerala's port city: Chinese fishing nets, a Jewish quarter, spice warehouses and the backwaters starting south of it.
Darjeeling
16 hostels
Tea estates under Kanchenjunga, a toy train up the hill, and the Himalayas on a clear morning.
Leh
17 hostels
Ladakh at 3,500 metres: Buddhist monasteries, high passes and a season that runs May to September.
What kind of trip is this?
India supports every kind of trip, and the region you choose matters more than the type.
Culture in India
Mughal forts, Hindu temples and the Taj Mahal.
What to do
- The Taj Mahal at sunrise
- Amber Fort in Jaipur
- Evening aarti on the Varanasi ghats
Spots to visit
- Taj Mahal
- Amber Fort
- Varanasi ghats
Reading on culture in India
Food in India
It changes completely every few hundred kilometres.
What to do
- A thali that keeps refilling
- Mumbai street food at Chowpatty
- A Keralan fish curry
Spots to visit
- Old Delhi
- Mumbai street food
- Kerala
Reading on food in India
Beach in India
Goa and Kerala, from November to March.
What to do
- North Goa for parties, south Goa for quiet
- Kerala backwaters by houseboat
- Palolem at sunset
Spots to visit
- Palolem
- Agonda
- Varkala
Best cities for it
Reading on beach in India
Adventure in India
The Himalaya, and rafting on the Ganges.
What to do
- Trek in Himachal or Ladakh
- Raft the Ganges at Rishikesh
- Ride the Nilgiri mountain railway
Spots to visit
- Ladakh
- Himachal Pradesh
- Rishikesh
Best cities for it
Reading on adventure in India
Budget in India
The cheapest major destination in the world.
Things to do
Things to do in India
The Taj Mahal deserves the reputation and rewards an early start — it opens at sunrise, and the marble changes colour in the first hour. Agra otherwise is a day, and the fort there is better than most people expect.
Rajasthan is the classic circuit: Jaipur's forts, Jodhpur's blue city, Udaipur's lake palaces and Jaisalmer's desert fort, all linked by trains and buses over about ten days.
Varanasi is the one that stays with people. Cremations take place openly on the ghats, the evening aarti ceremony draws thousands, and a boat on the Ganges at dawn is the single most affecting hour available in India. It asks for respect rather than photographs.
In the south, Kerala's backwaters by houseboat and Goa's beaches are the gentler end, and Rishikesh has yoga, rafting and the Himalayan foothills behind it.
Food and drink
Eating in India
Indian food as served abroad is mostly one region's cooking. Here it changes completely as you travel: wheat, dairy and tandoor in the north; rice, coconut and fish in the south; fierce vegetarian thalis in Gujarat; Mughlai meat dishes in Lucknow and Hyderabad.
A thali is the best value meal anywhere — a tray of several dishes with rice and bread, refilled until you stop, for €1 to €4. Street food is superb and is where most stomach trouble starts, so the usual filter applies: high turnover, cooked hot in front of you, busy with locals.
Drink bottled or filtered water only, and that includes avoiding ice in smaller places. Lassi, chai and fresh juice are everywhere and cost pennies.
More on food and drink in India
Nightlife
Going out in India
Nightlife varies enormously by state, because alcohol laws do. Gujarat and Bihar are dry, Rishikesh is dry within the holy zone, and several states have high taxes or restricted hours. Goa is the exception at the other end — cheap alcohol, beach parties and a season from November to March.
Mumbai has the country's best bar and club scene, and Bengaluru has the craft beer. In both, it is closer to a European night out at European prices.
Elsewhere, evenings are about food, markets and rooftop restaurants rather than bars, and that is the normal rhythm rather than a limitation.
Getting around
Getting around India
The railway is the great Indian institution: 68,000km of it, tickets from a few euros, and sleeper berths that turn a 500km journey into a night's accommodation. Book through IRCTC weeks ahead, because popular routes genuinely sell out, and understand the classes — AC3 is the practical middle, sleeper class is cheapest and hot.
Domestic flights on IndiGo and others are inexpensive and save days on the long legs, which matters more here than almost anywhere.
In cities, use Uber and Ola rather than negotiating with rickshaws, which removes the whole haggling problem. Prepaid taxi booths at airports and stations are the safe alternative.
More on getting around in India
Costs
What India costs
India is the cheapest major destination in the world. Dorms start around €5, a thali is €1 to €4, an overnight train in sleeper class is a few euros, and a comfortable day lands between €15 and €30.
Goa in peak season and the big-city hotels are the exceptions, and organised treks or houseboat trips add up — a Kerala houseboat is €80 to €150 a night, which is the most expensive thing most travellers here do.
Cash still matters outside the cities, though UPI and cards are now widespread. ATMs are everywhere; withdrawal limits are lower than in Europe, so expect more frequent trips.
Safety
Staying safe in India
India requires more awareness than most destinations in this guide, and that is worth stating plainly rather than softening.
Scams are common and persistent around tourist sites and transport hubs: fake tourist offices, drivers claiming your hotel is closed, and "official" ticket counters that are not. Book transport online, go directly to your accommodation, and treat any unsolicited approach at a station as a sales pitch.
Women travellers face more harassment than in most countries covered here, and many choose to travel with others, dress conservatively, avoid arriving anywhere at night and use women-only train carriages where available. This is not universal and millions of women travel India happily, but pretending the risk is the same as in Japan would be dishonest.
Stomach trouble is near-universal at some point. Bottled water, hot fresh food and a course of rehydration salts in your bag cover most of it.
Entry and documents
Entry and documents
Almost all visitors need a visa in advance. The e-visa system covers most nationalities and is applied for online with a photograph and passport scan, usually approved within a few days — apply through the official Indian government portal, not the many lookalike sites that charge several times the fee.
Passports need six months' validity from arrival and two blank pages.
Some regions require additional permits, including parts of the northeast, Ladakh's border areas and the Andaman islands. Check these separately if they are on your route, because they cannot always be arranged on arrival.
More on entry and documents in India
When to go
October to March is the answer for most of the country. The monsoon arrives in June and the pre-monsoon heat in May is genuinely dangerous in the north.
Jan
Peak season. Cool in the north, perfect in Goa
Feb
Excellent nationwide. Prices at their highest
Mar
Warming fast. Holi mid-month
Apr
Very hot in the north. Hill stations start to make sense
May
Dangerously hot in the north. Avoid the plains
Jun
Monsoon arrives in the south and moves north
Jul
Full monsoon. Green, cheap, and Ladakh is at its best
Aug
Still monsoon. Kerala is lush and very cheap
Sep
Rain easing. Good value before the season starts
Oct
Excellent. Diwali falls in October or November
Nov
The best month. Cool, dry and festival season
Dec
Peak. Cold nights in the north, packed in Goa
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs for Delhi, which swings enormously. The south is warmer and less extreme year-round, Ladakh and the high Himalaya are only accessible in summer, and the monsoon moves north across the country from June.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in euro equivalents of rupees.
Prices are in rupees locally; these are euro equivalents. Kerala houseboats, organised treks and domestic flights sit outside these figures.
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- Beds—
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- Getting around—
- Doing things—
What's on
What is on while you are there
Two of these are among the largest gatherings of people on earth.
Staff pick
11–21 October
Mysore Dasara
Mysore
Mysore Dasara, a ten-day Hindu festival celebrated in the city of Mysore, India. With a history dating back to the 15th century, this cultural…
Staff pick
11–21 October
Mysuru Dasara Festival (Naada Habba)
Mysore
Dive into the culture of India with Karnataka’s Naada Habba, a vibrant celebration of Navratri steeped in history and tradition dating back to 1610.…
Staff pick
17–21 October
Durga Puja
Kolkata
Durga Puja, the vibrant Hindu festival celebrating the goddess Durga, is a stunning spectacle of elaborate decorations, traditional rituals, and cultural performances. Held annually…
Staff pick
6–11 November
Diwali Festival (Varanasi)
Varanasi
The Diwali Festival in Varanasi is a magical celebration of light and devotion, transforming the city into a radiant spectacle. The ghats along the…
Staff pick
5–8 December
Kadale Kai Parishe
Bangalore
Kadlekai Parishe is a historic groundnut fair where farmers from across Karnataka gather to offer their first groundnut harvest at the revered Dodda Basava…
Staff pick
20 October
Dussehra (Vijayadashami)
Lucknow
Immerse yourself in Dussehra, one of India's most vibrant Hindu festivals celebrating the triumph of good over evil. Experience colorful processions, captivating performances of…
Staff pick
7 November
Narak Chaturdasi
Panjim
Every year, the enchanting festival of Narak Chaturdasi captivates visitors in India with its unique blend of spirituality and spectacle. Held on the day…
Staff pick
8 November
Diwali Festival
Jaipur
Experience the vibrant and joyous celebration of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, in India. With millions of attendees from around the…
Hostels
Where to stay in India
The highest-rated hostels in the country, live from Hostelworld. The backpacker hostel scene has grown quickly in Goa, Delhi, Rishikesh and Mumbai.
Sustainable
Bhakti Kutir Palolem
Goa
Dorms from €6 a night
See dates and book
New King - Free Airport Transfer
New Delhi
Dorms from €14 a night
See dates and book
Hammock Hostels
Mumbai
Dorms from €11 a night
See dates and book
BlueStays Hostel
Rishikesh
Dorms from €3 a night
See dates and book
Xoxo Hostel
Goa
Dorms from €7 a night
See dates and book
Hostel Smyle Inn
New Delhi
Dorms from €15 a night
See dates and book
Locomo Hostel OG - Stay | Work | Eat
Mumbai
Dorms from €6 a night
See dates and book
Hotel the Moksham
Rishikesh
Dorms from €4 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
The Hosteller Goa, Old Goa
Goa
Dorms from €6 a night
See dates and book
Kuldeep - Free Airport Transfer
New Delhi
Dorms from €3 a night
See dates and book
Nap Manor Hostel
Mumbai
Dorms from €6 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Namaste Hostel, Rishikesh
Rishikesh
Dorms from €3 a night
See dates and book
India travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How long do you need in India?
Three weeks for one region done properly — the Golden Triangle and Rajasthan, or Kerala and Goa in the south. Trying to cover north and south in a fortnight means spending most of it in transit.
Is India cheap?
The cheapest major destination in the world. Dorms from €5, a thali at €1 to €4, overnight sleeper trains for a few euros, and a comfortable day between €15 and €30.
When is the best time to visit India?
October to March for most of the country, with November and February the sweet spots. May in the northern plains regularly passes 40°C, and the monsoon runs June to September — though that is exactly when Ladakh is at its best.
How do I book Indian trains?
Through IRCTC, the official site, weeks in advance — popular routes genuinely sell out. AC3 is the practical class for most travellers; sleeper class is cheapest and much hotter.
Is India safe for solo women travellers?
Millions of women travel India and have a good time, but harassment is more common than in most destinations in this guide. Common approaches are conservative dress, avoiding arriving anywhere after dark, booking transport and accommodation in advance, and using women-only train carriages where they exist.
Will I get sick?
Some stomach trouble is very common. Drink only bottled or filtered water including ice, eat hot food cooked fresh in front of you at busy places, and carry rehydration salts. It is usually a couple of uncomfortable days rather than anything worse.
Do I need a visa for India?
Almost certainly yes. The e-visa covers most nationalities and is applied for online in advance — use the official Indian government portal, because lookalike sites charge several times the fee. Some regions need additional permits.
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