India is quite a large country in terms of size. When this fact and various beautiful cities join together, naturally, it becomes difficult to make choices for short-time trips to India. If you are going to take a trip to India for a short period of time, then you can spend a quality time visiting the cities that you think might attract your attention most. That’s exactly why I’ve written Best India Routes for Short Trips blog post. Apart from the routes here, you can prepare hundreds of route combinations by yourself after determining the cities that you are interested in. While creating these routes, choosing places that have direct rail connection between would be beneficial for you not to worry about the time.
Short info: If you have about a week, do the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. With 10 to 12 days you can add Varanasi. For a beach holiday choose Mumbai, Goa and Kerala, and for yoga and a quieter north go from Delhi to Rishikesh and Amritsar. Pick cities with direct train connections so you spend less time on the road.
Note: I put these routes together after spending five months in India in 2017. The day counts are my suggestions, and train times and prices may have changed, so please check before you book.
5 best India routes for short trips
Golden Triangle, Delhi Jaipur Agra (6-8 days)
The Indian route named “Golden Triangle” that involves Delhi, Jaipur and Agra is one of the most preferred routes. Since these three cities are close to each other and it is easy to shuttle by train, “Golden Triangle” is one of the easiest routes to follow for the ones who want to see the most famous structures and experience the spirit of India. Usually, the tours, which start from New Delhi and visit Jaipur and Agra in order and end in New Delhi again, are planned to continue one week and the round-trip flights are from New Delhi.
Beach route, Mumbai Goa Kerala (10-14 days)
Another route that I consider as one of the best India routes for short trips is Mumbai, Goa and Kerala tour, which I call beach tour. Especially the ones, who have already seen the general structure of India before and want to try a different experience, can follow the beach route and have a very different India experience. As the distances between the cities are long on this route, it is more reasonable to buy the round-trip tickets from Mumbai and Kerala.
Delhi Agra Varanasi (7-9 days)
Despite the fact that “Golden Triangle” is the most popular route of India, I believe that Varanasi is also one of the most worth-seeing places. Unfortunately, the routes that include Varanasi don’t give you any chance to go back where you started because of the country’s size. Thus, the one way tickets must be bought from different places.
Delhi Jaipur Agra Varanasi (10-12 days)
Since Jaipur would be left in the wrong direction, I had excluded it from the previous route but then I couldn’t feel comfortable. The route can surely be followed in this way if you have the time for a couple of days more. Stopping by Jaipur is not that much waste of time. What’s more, the transportation is very easy as there are train accesses to all these cities. But again, it’s better to fly into and out of different cities.
Delhi Rishikesh Amritsar (8-10 days)
After Delhi, one of the most crowded cities of India, if you want to go somewhere quiet and known as the world’s yoga center, Rishikesh will be waiting for you in the north. Both for experiencing yoga and for being close to the places where Ganges River was born, Rishikesh is the right destination. In Amritsar, you can gain a wide knowledge about the Sikhs and experience a different India.
Other India routes
For more planning help, read my tips for train travel in India, my Mumbai travel guide and my Goa travel guide. To know what to expect, you can also read funny things that can only happen in India.
India routes FAQ
How many days do you need in India?
For a first trip I recommend at least a week for the Golden Triangle. With two weeks you can add Varanasi or Rishikesh. India is huge, so if you try to see too many cities in a short time you will spend most of it on the road.
What is the best India route for first timers?
The Golden Triangle. The cities are close to each other, there are frequent trains between them and famous sights like the Taj Mahal are on the way.
How do you travel between cities in India?
Trains are the most practical option on most of these routes. For long distances like the beach route, domestic flights save a lot of time. You can read my tips for train travel in India for more.
When is the best time to travel to India?
For north and central India, October to March is usually the most comfortable time. April to June is very hot, and June to September is monsoon season.
Here, I just wanted to give you the routes which involve the most famous regions and which are appropriate for short-time trips. Apart from these, there are hundreds of route combinations that you can choose considering the cities that you are keen to see. If you are struggling with deciding which city to visit, you can have a look at my Mumbai travel guide and my Goa travel guide. Don’t forget to share your routes with us.
