How To Use This E-Book
Getting Around the e-Book
This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to India, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.
The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of India, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in India are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of India. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.
2017 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Indias Top 10 Attractions
Top Attraction #1
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Hampi
The deserted Vijayanagar capital is perhaps Indias most evocative ruin. For more information .
Top Attraction #2
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Jaisalmer
The desert citadel has a golden sandstone fort and wonderful old town houses. For more information .
Top Attraction #3
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Ladakh
Where Buddhist monasteries hug the hills. For more information .
Top Attraction #4
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Madurai
Famed for the Meenakshi temple, with its brightly coloured and towering gopuras. For more information .
Top Attraction #5
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Agra
Location of the Taj Mahal and other Mughal wonders, including nearby Fatehpur Sikri. For more information .
Top Attraction #6
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Khajuraho
Hindu temples festooned with erotic sculpture. For more information .
Top Attraction #7
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Keralas backwaters
The palm-lined backwaters represent tropical India at its most intense. For more information .
Top Attraction #8
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Varanasi
The bathing ghats of this sacred city present an unforgettable spectacle. For more information .
Top Attraction #9
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Ajanta and Ellora
Superb frescoes and sculpture adorn these breathtaking cave temples. For more information .
Top Attraction #10
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The Golden Temple
The Sikhs holiest shrine in the city of Amritsar ranks alongside the Taj for its ethereal architecture. For more information .
A Perfect Tour of India
Day 1
Old Delhi
After breakfast on the verandah at the Imperial, head across town to Shah Jahans implacable Red Fort, former seat of the great Mughal emperors. Recover from the sightseeing with lunch, then visit the Jama Masjid mosque for a matchless view over the surrounding rooftops. After supper, catch a Bollywood blockbuster at a multiplex on Connaught Circus.
Day 2
South Delhi
The crumbling 15th-century Afghan tombs in Lodi Gardens provide a superbly atmospheric spot for an early-morning limber up. Afterwards, browse the antique shops, hip clothes boutiques, art galleries and ethnic jewellery stalls jammed into the old alleyways of Hauz Khas village. Spend the afternoon exploring Humayuns Tomb and the Qutb Minar complex.
Day 3
Agra
Arrive at the Taj Mahal in time to catch sunrise over the splendid white marble mausoleum, and return in the evening to see how striking it is at sunset. Spend the period inbetween taking in the nearby Agra Fort, the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah and Akbars fabulous mausoleum at Sikandra, where monkeys and gazelle graze in the grounds like a scene from a Persian miniature.