Travelling in India

I may need to travel to Hyderabad, India next month for a week or so. It looks like flights go through Mubai or Delhi. If I want to extend the trip a few days, is it worth spending extra time in Dehli, Mumbai or Hyderabad. Any "must see" places?

All feedback welcome!

Thanks!

Hyderabad has many historic sites that are worth visiting and really good food. Delhi has much more to see than Mumbai but will be really hot and humid in August. From Delhi you could go to see Taj and Jaipur as either individual day trips or extended weekend trip. Delhi and Mumbai have their share of colonial buildings and splendor associated with them.

Mumbai might be in the throes of monsoon but check weather forecasts to see how rains are this year. Mumbai has quite a few beaches but not that many historic sites. Beaches may not be much fun in the rain. From Mumbai you could take a short flight or overnight train ride to Aurangabad to see some of the oldest Buddhist and Hindu caves (Ajanta and Ellora) and other Mughal sites. The caves are amazing. Or you could take a short flight or overnight train to Goa. Again, Goa will be in low season due to monsoons but still enjoyable in my opinion.

I would choose Delhi if you only have a few days. If you're going to India you really want to see the Taj. Plus there's lots to see in Delhi, great food and hotels. With limited time period and if you are traveling by yourself, it's worth it hire a driver/guide.

Thanks so much for the input.

Anyone else?

I would definitely choose Delhi, although I've had very interesting tourist experiences in both. A day trip out to Agra taking in the Taj, Agra Fort, and I'timad ud Daulah's tomb (the "baby Taj" - it's very baby but still worth seeing), is fantastic. Equally - staying in Delhi and touring the city itself will give you plenty to do, between "big" historic sights - the parliament, the India Gate, the fort in Delhi, Jama Masjid mosque are awesome . Equally, one of the coolest parts of my last trip there was standing on the roof of a Victorian era apartment building in the middle of the spice market, and looking at the rose petals and flowers laid out across the rooftops below to dry out, with the smell of chillis, cloves, and turmeric floating around you that you could just about cut with a knife. Mumbai does not have the same historical timescale in easy reach - there are victorian era buildings around the city (the train station particularly), but not as much that is older than that - again though - taking a quick ferry boat (9 miles into the bay) across to the Elephanta Caves was great, and hiring one of the Tourism India guides for the whole trip was absolutely worthwhile. (or a longer trip out to Ajanta etc - but in this case, I'd say figuring out a day trip to Agra if you were in Delhi is an easier process instead). Hyderabad itself is a fun city, with as previously posted above, a lot to see - the Charminar, Golconda fort, Qutb Shahi tombs, the Nizam's museum in the old town, the Makkah Masjid, another absolutely huge old mosque. As a side note - depending on who you fly and if you'll be out there very often, the middle east carriers have direct into Hyderabad flights from hubs like Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Can avoid some of the inconsistencies of lay-overs within India.

Great stuff! The trip is now booked with a few days in Dehli on the front end of the trip.

Suggestions on specific areas and/or hotels to stay? When I usually travel, I prefer to be in the heart of the City to take in the culture and walk around. Is that nuts in Dehli or is it no different than any other city?

(I assume I will daytrip to the Taj, but keep one hotel in Dehli the whole time)

Not a huge fan of Agra myself ... very aggressive in trying to get you to buy everything/something/tour guide. Everyone is "licensed" or "official" and has some sort of laminated ID and therefore in my mind no-one is "official."

Taj and the Red Fort were amazing and once in a lifetime type experiences but I much more enjoyed the Tiger safari in Ranthambore and staying in Udaipur but they are 6-10 hours from Delhi in a good road day.

India is amazing and full of color and chaos and just when everything is about to fall apart and be a disaster it all works out just fine. If you go out and about you will be shocked and saddened and amazed and haunted by a once in a lifetime experience. But you could also probably stick to the hotel district and avoid some of the shock and sad but you in my opinion would be short changing yourself.

Take the time to watch Michael Wood's India before you go ...

http://youtu.be/_OVH5kirr54

Also if you can find BBC Two's program Welcome to India it gives an amazing insight into the country as well

http://youtu.be/jN1PPMW3kHo

There are many good hotels in Delhi near Connaught Place, India Gate and Chanakyapuri - the diplomatic enclave. All these areas are in the heart of the Lutyens' Delhi. Old Delhi is further north and newer parts of Delhi far to the south. Shopping on Janpath from streetside stalls if you want to bargain or Cottage Industries Emporium, a govt run store also on Janpath. In addition, state emporiums (govt run) on Barakhamba Road and also Kamala on same street. In addition, western style clothes/housewares made of Indian fabrics -Anokhi and FabIndia. Not to miss food - Karim's kababs in Old Delhi, Bukhara at the Maurya Sheraton (all visiting US presidents have eaten there and their food is to die for) and maybe Berco's for Indian Chinese (try chilli chicken). Must see sites: Red Fort, Old Delhi - Jama Masjid, India Gate, drive around the Presidential Palace and Parliament, Qutub Minar to the south.

You can daytrip to the Taj but it can be pretty hectic. Driving out one late afternoon staying overnight to visit Taj in the morning and then Agra Fort and then back to Delhi is probably more restful. If driving to Agra/Jaipur, consider staying a night at Neemrana (45 mins outside Delhi), an old fortress that has been converted to a hotel. Really cool. Agra - we went to the Taj at 6 am. It's less crowded, the light is beautiful and not so hot. We stayed at the Mughal Sheraton, parked near the Taj in the morning and then took a horse carriage to the Taj. Agra fort is also a great place to visit. Often missed by tourists is Fatehpur Sikri, on the road between Agra and Jaipur. It is one of the most refined architectural sites in India.

Ranthambhore and Udaipur are pretty amazing, but most likely difficult to fit in a short time.

While in Hyderabad, you must try the biryani. Hyderabad is famous for it. Maybe spicy.