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India's Golden Triangle and Varanasi

India’s Golden Triangle has earnt itself legendary status and for good reason, with the frenetic backstreets of Delhi, the glittering palaces of Agra and the rose-tinted buildings of Jaipur among the key lures. This 12-day tour combines the enchanting trio with historic Lucknow and sacred Varanasi, offering plenty of off-the-track experiences along the way – from cycling with the Taj Mahal in the distance to tea with a Nawab, street food excursions to tours of Bollywood.

Tour type Itinerary

Duration 7 nights

Min price range p/p

£2,875 - £3,495pp including international flights

Itinerary overview

Day 1

Arrival in Delhi

On arrival in Delhi, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the ...

Day 2

Delhi

Enjoy a full day in the city today. If you’re feeling energetic, opt for a Delhi by Dawn tour to ...

Day 3

Delhi & Jaipur

After breakfast, transfer by private car to Jaipur, also known as the Pink City. Painted rose to ...

Day 4

Jaipur

Continue your explorations in Jaipur today. Embark on an optional architectural walking tour, tak...

Day 5

Jaipur & Agra

Travel to Agra this morning to see one of India’s true bucket-list sites – the Taj Mahal. Set on ...

Day 6

Agra & Lucknow

Set the alarm early this morning for an optional sunrise visit to see Agra’s crowning glory, the ...

Day 7

Lucknow

Lucknow was the centre of the Nawabs – or viceroys – in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today you’ll...

Day 8

Lucknow & Varanasi

After an early breakfast, you’ll be driven to Lucknow station to catch the train to Varanasi. Set...

Day 9

Varanasi

Continue exploring Varanasi today, with several optional experiences available; embark on an earl...

Day 10

Varanasi & Mumbai

Transfer to Varanasi airport today and fly to Mumbai, where you’ll be met and driven to your hote...

Day 11

Mumbai

Make the most of your final day this morning with an optional dawn tour to see Mumbai and its mar...

Day 12

Mumbai & Departure

The tour comes to an end today. After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your fl...

Not ready to head home?

The Maldives

If some down time after your India trip is on the agenda then the Maldives is the ultimate beach ...

Highlights of trip

Chandni Chowk by Night

Exploring Chandni Chowk by night gives you a chance to understand the real spirit of Delhi. It’s like a movie unfolding around you, a whirl of architecture and food, history and business. At night, it’s less crowded so there’s more opportunity to engage with locals and after sunset, Chandni Chowk glows and glitters with store lights. There’s a maze of different streets to discover that specialise in everything from silver and spices to saris and glass bangles. If you want to buy something, you guide will help you haggle, which is a ritual in Old Delhi. The tour starts at around 5.30pm exploring on foot, as your guide explains the evolution of Old Delhi. You’ll see various businesses and have the opportunity to sit with people and hear about their lives. You might meet the ear-cleaning-man, who wears a red hat and carries tools to remove wax from people’s ears – it’s a great photo opportunity as is the chai vendors swirling tea in their metal pans. As you walk, your guide will point out religious landmarks like the Sunehri Masjid and Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, a Sikh temple with a community kitchen. The highlight of the trip though is always the food. You will have dinner at Karim’s (guest to pay directly), a restaurant that serves Mughlai cuisine. It was set up in the 1940s by Karim, a chef who served in the kitchen of a Mughal emperor and wanted to introduce this food to ordinary people. The dishes have a Persian influence and include lots of bread and kormas, all cooked in an open kitchen. Afterwards, wander around the street food area where you can sample desserts like bread pudding and mango ice cream. You’ll get to try everything from samosas to chai – food is a very important part of experiencing Old Delhi.

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Architectural Walking Tour

Join a walking tour of UNESCO-listed Jaipur to learn about its architectural jewels. The tour starts at 8.30am when it’s peaceful, before the bazaars and markets take over. This is when locals go to worship and you can join them at one of the city’s oldest temples, which is known for its 300-year-old fresco painting and set in a private family home. This begins a discussion about religion and architecture in Jaipur; where at a junction in the city, you get to see a Jain Temple, a mosque and a Hindu temple. Continue the walk at Broad Road, which was once used by the royal family, so it’s lined by grand houses. As you enter the winding by-lanes you’ll hear about Jaipur’s history as the first planned city in India, the vastu shastra and shilpa shastra architecture and havelis owned by artists, craftsmen and traders. You’ll get to meet some of these characters when you visit the metal-beating community who still work without technology, in the same way they have for 200 years. It’s fascinating to see how everything has been hand-created. Other key architectural sights on the tour include the City Palace, the Ayurvedic hospital and two huge, 10-foot-tall silver jars which belonged to a king of Jaipur. Guests love visiting a local family in their haveli to chat about life in Jaipur and meeting traditional bangle makers. You will end the tour with an immersion into some of Jaipur’s hectic markets. There’s the spice market with over 300 shops which draws buyers from far and wide, followed by the vegetable and flower markets. The flower market is always busy with people shopping for weddings and festivals. This tour is a great orientation of Jaipur; you’ll discover its architecture, religion and crafts and meet the locals, learning the stories and legends behind our city.

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Taj Mahal by Sunrise

The Taj Mahal is a magnificent monument to love and one of the world’s most recognised buildings. One of the best ways to view this iconic landmark is at sunrise, marvelling as the first rays of morning light bathe it in a pearly pink glow. A magical and truly unforgettable spectacle.

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Taj Mahal & Agra City Tour

On this tour you will two major attractions, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Start at Agra Fort where your guide will explain in detail how the Mughal dynasty created this paradise of beautiful gardens, fountains and architecture. You will go through several gates to a palace called Jahangiri Mahal where inside you can discover all the different architectural influences, not just Islamic, but also Jain and Hindu. Next, head to the Octagonal Tower from where you can see all the way to the Taj Mahal. Next you will head to the Taj Mahal stopping at the Mehtab Bagh gardens which enjoy magnificent panoramas of the glorious ivory-white structure. As you get closer, the Taj Mahal’s landscaped gardens will come into full view, lined with abundant trees, fountains, symmetrical paths and canals. You will then be in front of one of the most beautiful buildings ever made. The façade has been designed to impress from every angle with perfectly aligned arches and beautiful stonework decorated with flowers and inscriptions of verses from the Koran. The interior contains more architectural marvels such as the huge marble domed tomb. You will have some free time to explore at your own pace and there will be plenty of photo opportunities.

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A Day in the City of Nawabs

This walking tour of Lucknow is a must if you want to understand the history of the city, its Nawab and colonial roots. Tours are led by knowledgeable local guides who can connect stories of the past with the present. You’ll start with a short horse-drawn carriage ride into the heart of the city and then explore some of Lucknow’s most important buildings and medieval markets. As you’ll discover, the city is a blend of French, British and Nawab history as well as Shiite culture – Lucknow has the largest population of Shiite people outside of Iran. The monuments you will visit tell the story of the Nawabs, who ruled this region in the 18th and 19th century, followed by the British until India won independence in 1947. Sights include the ruins of a palace destroyed during the fight for freedom and the site where the last Union Jack flag was pulled down. You will spend a lot of time at The Residency, where the siege of 1957 occurred and around 3,000 British men, women and children died. It’s a powerful story of tragedy and struggle for liberation. You’ll also explore Dilkusha Park, where the British general Henry Havelock died. Another key stop on the tour is La Martiniere, which was constructed by a soldier who switched sides from the French East India Company and rose to become a major general in the British force. Now a school, La Martiniere is known for its stunning architecture. It’s here that you’ll learn the story of Major William Hodson, another infamous figure in British colonial history, who’s buried here.

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Varanasi on Foot - Northern Bazaars & Hidden Alleys

Experience an adventure in the wonderful and puzzling galis (alleys) of northern Varanasi, also known by the name Banaras. Learn what life is like in one of oldest surviving cities in the world as you take a peek in bazaars and temples, before heading to the lesser travelled part of the city where you can learn a little more about Varanasi’s fascinating history.

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Mumbai by Dawn

Wake early to gain a fascinating new perspective on the daily life in Mumbai. Head to the local fruit and vegetable market where people haggle with wholesalers before heading down to the waterfront where you will visit the Sassoon docks. This is one of the oldest docks in the city and it is here where the night's catch is sold. Experience the hustle, the mass of people and the fast-paced auctions that occur throughout the dock – an amazing example of everyday life in the city.

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