A little more
India.
A lot less roaming.

Travelling to India: what to know before you go

India is a country of enormous variety, from the Mughal monuments of the north and the forts of Rajasthan to the Himalaya, the ghats of Varanasi and the beaches and backwaters of the south. It suits travellers interested in history, food, spirituality and landscapes, and rewards those who plan a focused route rather than trying to see it all at once.

Where to go

• The Taj Mahal, Agra. The white marble mausoleum built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal is at its most beautiful at sunrise.
• Delhi. The capital combines the bustle of Old Delhi's bazaars and the Jama Masjid with Mughal monuments such as the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb, the Qutub Minar and the broad avenues of New Delhi.
• Rajasthan. A state of palaces and forts: Jaipur's Amber Fort and pink old city, Udaipur's lakes, Jodhpur's blue houses beneath Mehrangarh Fort, and Jaisalmer, a living fort town at the edge of the Thar Desert.
• Varanasi. One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, on the Ganges, where pilgrims bathe on the ghats at dawn and the evening aarti ceremony fills the riverbank with lamps and chanting.

Best time to visit

For most of India, the best time to travel is from about October to March, when it is dry and cooler; this suits Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Goa and Kerala. From April to June, the plains become very hot, and many people head for hill stations such as Shimla and Darjeeling.

Staying online in India

Mobile data is generally fast and widely available in cities and towns, and 4G and 5G cover most populated areas and main rail routes. Coverage becomes patchy in the Himalaya, including much of Ladakh, in remote desert and forest areas and on some islands. Wi-Fi is common in hotels and cafés but quality varies. Many everyday services, from ride-hailing to food delivery, depend on a working phone. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.