Planning
How to plan your first trip to India: step by step
This article sets out what to do, in order, if you're going to India for the first time and want to plan the trip yourself. By the end you'll have a season and region chosen, visa rules checked on the official portal, an unhurried route without unnecessary transfers, health and insurance sorted, time in reserve and a packed suitcase. You won't find trips, places to stay, transport companies or prices here: only steps and pointers to where you can check current conditions. The examples in the steps are hypothetical.
A first trip to India starts with the calendar, not the ticket. Once the season is clear, everything else falls into place almost by itself.
What you'll need
- Approximate dates and the number of days you have free
- A valid passport: check its validity against the requirements on the official portal
- The address of the official Government of India e-Visa portal, verified via the embassy website
- Time for a conversation with a doctor about vaccinations and a travel first-aid kit
- A phone with an offline map and 112 saved in your contacts
Choose your season
Across most of the country the monsoon rains fall roughly from June to September. On the Goa coast the dry and most comfortable season usually lasts roughly from November to March. Look up the climate of your chosen region for the months you have in mind.
Hypothetical example: your holiday falls in winter, so you can happily consider both the north and the coast.
Choose one region
The north with its cities and forts, the coast, the mountains or the south: each region calls for its own pace. On a first trip it's better to choose one part of the country or one combination, such as cities and the sea.
Hypothetical example: you want both monuments and the sea, so start with the Golden Triangle and finish with a few days in Goa.
Check the visa rules
Most visitors, including from many European countries, need a visa for India. For tourist trips there is an e-Visa, applied for on the official Government of India portal. Conditions change, so read them just before you apply and check the portal address against the website of the Indian embassy in your country.
Hypothetical example: a search engine shows a lookalike site offering “fast-track processing” at the top. Close it and find the link on the embassy website.
Plan an unhurried route
Mark no more than three or four places on the map and leave a rest day between transfers. Distances in India are long, and travelling is more tiring than it looks.
Hypothetical example: instead of five cities in a week, three cities and a free day in the middle.
Sort out health and insurance
Consult a doctor in advance about vaccinations and what to put in your travel first-aid kit. Take out medical travel insurance for the whole trip and keep the details on your phone and on paper.
Hypothetical example: make a doctor's appointment several weeks before you fly, not the day before.
Decide how to get around
Choose a way to travel for each leg: train, domestic flight, car with a driver or bus. Keep a back-up option for important journeys.
Hypothetical example: if the train is delayed, you get to the next city by car with a driver and miss only an evening.
Leave time in reserve
Don't schedule an important transfer on the day you arrive, or a long journey on the day before your flight home. One free day in the middle of the trip will help you cope with both heat and delays.
Hypothetical example: for two weeks, twelve full days and two free ones.
Pack and double-check everything the day before
Light clothing that covers you for temples, a scarf, a hat, sun protection, comfortable shoes, a water bottle, a first-aid kit as advised by your doctor, copies of documents and a charged phone.
Hypothetical example: on the evening before your flight, open your visa confirmation and insurance once more and send your plan to family or friends.
Common mistakes
- Trying to see the north, the mountains and the south all in one trip
- Applying for a visa on an intermediary website that looks like the official portal
- Travelling in the monsoon season without checking the region's climate
- Scheduling a transfer on the day you arrive or right before your flight home
- Drinking tap water and not protecting yourself from the sun in the first few days
- Packing clothes that leave shoulders and knees bare for temple visits
If plans change
- If your train is delayed, cut back the next day's plans rather than your sleep
- If it gets too hot, move walks to the morning and evening and rest during the day
- If you have very few days, choose one region and don't chase a long list of cities
- If your dates coincide with the monsoon, look at regions that are drier in those months and allow extra travel time
Check before you fly
- Season and region chosen
- Visa rules read on the official portal, address checked against the embassy website
- Route planned without unnecessary transfers
- Doctor consulted, medical travel insurance arranged
- Ways of getting around chosen, with a back-up for important journeys
- A free day in the plan and time in reserve before your flight
- Modest clothing, a scarf, sun protection, copies of documents and 112 saved in your phone
Read next
- India visa (in Russian)
India visa: what an e-Visa is, where to apply and how to avoid intermediary websites.
- Getting around
Trains, domestic flights, a car with a driver, buses and rickshaws: how to get around India.
- Local guide
Traveller's rules: sacred sites, clothing, the right hand, photographing people, 112, heat and water.
Sources
- Official Government of India e-Visa portal
- Website of the Indian embassy in your country
- Buddhatour editorial notes
This guide covers independent travel to India in general terms. Visa rules, visiting arrangements at monuments and sacred sites, the weather and conditions on the road all change, so check them against official sources shortly before you fly.