India For The First Time: A 2 Week Itinerary PART 2 (Golden Triangle)

Let’s face it, India is huge! Planning a trip for the first time can be a daunting task. It’s hard to figure out where to begin! For our first trip to India, we wanted to get a snapshot of the country, while seeing some memorable sights along the way. We spent one week in the state of Kerala in southern India and then followed up with the classic golden triangle in the north (Jaipur, Delhi and Agra). Here is part 2 of our first-timer’s 2-week itinerary for India.

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WEEK 2: The Golden Triangle

Day 8: Fly to Jaipur

Although it is possible to take buses or trains, we decided to save time and fly. Upon arriving to Jaipur, we took an Uber from the airport to our hostel. We stayed in a private room at Lostouse, which was well located and fine overall, but we probably would choose a different place next time.

Day 9-10: Explore Jaipur

Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the state of Rajasthan. It is known as the “Pink City”, as the city centre (constructed in the 17th century) is predominately that colour. You can cover a lot of ground in two days, as the city is fairly walkable. Buses are cheap and easy to take. Using Google Maps will tell you which bus number to take. Ubers are also everywhere, which helps avoid the annoying haggling with taxi or rickshaw drivers about prices.

Here are a few things we recommend checking out in Jaipur:

Hawa Mahal: Although we were slightly underwhelmed, it is worth checking out. It is free to look at unless you want to pay to go inside, which we heard was not worth the price of admission. There are a couple cafes across the street with rooftop patios to admire the view from up high.

Fort Amer (Amber Palace): We enjoyed exploring Fort Amer, a UNESCO heritage site. The mix of red sandstone and marble is attractive on the eyes. If you are considering riding an elephant up the hill to the entrance, please read our post, “Are Elephant Sanctuaries Actually Ethical?” before making this decision.

Stepwell: There are a number of stepwells in Jaipur. We visited one nearby the base of Fort Amer and it was really cool. Essentially, it is a well, in which the water can be reached by descending various staircases to the water level.

Jal Mahal (Water Palace): The Jal Mahal is a palace, plumped right in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. This gives the illusion that the the palace is floating in the lake! You don’t need a lot of time there, as you can’t actually visit the palace, but simply look at it from afar.

Coffee: We did find a couple of good cafes in Jaipur. Curious Life Coffee Roasters has delicious coffee, a cool vibe and decent breakfast, albeit Western food. Another great place for espresso perfection is The Little Coffee Shop, a tiny and quiet two-level shop.

Tapri Tea House: This is a great place for afternoon masala chai and yummy Indian treats. Since we were very cautious regarding Indian street food, this is a good place to try many street food delicacies in a hygienic setting!

Bar Palladio: This is a famous bar on Instagram for its exquisite blue motif resembling a palace. It is worth visiting for an overpriced drink or bite to eat. However, if you plan to eat, it may be worth making reservations, as it can become rather busy. Bar Palladio also has a sister cafe across the street, about 5 minutes away.

Peacock Restaurant: This restaurant is well-rated for a reason. We had one of our best meals in Jaipur at Peacock. It has a two levels, live music and delicious Rajasthani food. While the prices are a bit high for India, the portions are very generous and the rooftop setting is gorgeous.

NOTE: We didn’t visit some popular tourist attractions, such as the massively overpriced City Palace or the Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO heritage site with ancient astronomical instruments.

Day 11: Morning train to Delhi and begin exploring the city

Multiple trains run daily from Jaipur to Delhi, although only two are express trains. We opted to take the 6:00am double decker train. We purchased the tickets a day in advance from the train station in Jaipur (we were unable to buy train tickets online in advance on our Canadian credit card). This entailed going to a counter, filling out a form, and then bringing that form to the ticket window to purchase the tickets. There was many “helpful locals” around. We were not sure if their motivations were honest, so we used our best judgement and politely thanked them and declined their help.

The next day, we arrived about 20 minutes early for our departure, and essentially needed most of that time to walk to the platform. The train was roomy and comfortable, with plenty of room for luggage. We stored our large bags on bigger racks near the doors.

The entire journey took about 4 hours. Because we were staying in southern Delhi, we got off at Delhi Cantt station and took an Uber to our hostel (Let’s Bunk Poshtel) in the trendy Hauz Khas Village. Hauz Kaus is closed to cars, with the exception of people who work or live in that area. We spent the afternoon and evening in Hauz Khas eating momos, enjoying some tea, getting some work done and exploring the small area on foot.

Day 12: Explore Delhi

Delhi is a huge and incredibly busy metropolis.

Here are a few things worth checking out in Delhi:

Hauz Khas Village: As previously mentioned, we stayed in this neighbourhood. It is filled with restaurants, nightlife, and boutique shops. There is an ancient Fort and beautiful park with a small lake to check out as well. We enjoyed some excellent southern Indian cuisine at Naivedyam. Be sure to have their thali! You won’t regret it.

Old Delhi: There is nowhere quite like Old Delhi. Simply walking around and people watching could encompass an entire day. It is a sensory overload with the mixture of sounds, smells and sights in the area. We strolled passed the Red Fort and through part of the sprawling Meena Bazaar. You can buy just about anything you could ever need there. We also visited the Jama Masjid mosque, but were rather underwhelmed, considering the hefty 300 rupee charge for foreigners to enter.

Dilli Haat Market: This market much less busy than other ones we had visited in Delhi. This is likely due to the fact there is admission charge to enter (100 rupees/person for foreigners). The market itself is filled with artisan crafts from different regions of India. We noticed there were A LOT of scarves! Just like everywhere in India, there are no listed prices, so your haggling skills need to be on point. We did not purchase anything, but it was nice to walk around.

Sarojini Nagar market: This is a more local market, selling mostly clothing items for cheap prices. Be prepared for a constant bombardment of salesmen approaching you and flashing random items in your face.

Lotus Temple: This temple is pretty cool to see, as it resembles a giant lotus. It is a Bahá’í house of worship and can be visited by anyone of any faith free of charge.

Day 13: Day trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra

A visit to India is not complete without visiting the Taj Mahal. Although it is possible to book a train and travel to Agra to see it, we decided to eliminate travel hassles by booking a day trip through Expedia. We booked a sunrise tour, which meant that we got picked up at 3:00am to ensure we reached the Taj Mahal by 6:00am. It was totally worth it! Our guide was great and helped us skip security lines to be among the first people to enter. It was amazing to have pictures at sunrise with no people in them!

After a few hours at the Taj Mahal, the tour guide took us to a gimmicky marble shop where they supposedly restore and replace marble at the Taj Mahal. In reality, after a 5 minute “demonstration” about replacing marble, we were ushered into a showroom and given an aggressive sales pitch to buy items made of marble. If you take a similar tour, ask them to skip this part.

We also drove by Agra Fort to see it. We read online that the fort was not worth the price of admission to enter, especially after seeing Amer Fort in Jaipur, which we had. Our guide confirmed this, and we stopped outside just to take a peek.

Afterwards, we headed back to Delhi and reached our hotel by early afternoon. The entire tour cost $150 CAD for two of us, plus another $48 for entrance tickets. All in all, $200 CAD for a hassle free 10-hour tour was more than worth it!

Day 14: Explore Delhi then depart

We spent our final day in Delhi running some errands: haircut, waxing, laundry, and of course, one last biryani!

Overall, planning a trip to India for the first time can be a challenging task. We hope this itinerary proves to be useful. India is a destination like no other. Sometimes, you can be faced with moments that are incredibly difficult, while at other times, you will be having the time of your life! India is unlike any country we have visited, and we recommend a visit for anyone who loves travel!

If you have not already, be sure to also check out: India For The First Time: A 2 Week Itinerary PART 1 (Kerala)