- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- Perfect travel to India
What is India in the mind of a modern traveling person? The golden beaches of Goa, where it is so pleasant to meditate in the early morning and enjoy the discos late in the evening - time. The treasures of Agra, the main of which is the magnificent Taj Mahal, built as a monument of eternal love - two. The gray Himalayas and the purest mountain rivers, of which you can safely drink water - three. Amazing Andaman Islands, where you can meet Aboriginal people from the stories of Conan Doyle and dive in search of marine treasures - four. And also a trip to India - sacred cows and colorful saris, chai-masala and hot cakes with ghee, magnificent jewelry exhibitions and elephants as a taxi for those who understand life and are in no hurry. India should be comprehended gradually and thoughtfully, it is not in vain that this country has so many constant admirers, for whom other states on the planet, it seems, do not exist at all.
Important points
- An Indian visa can be obtained both at the consulate and online on the TVOA website. The collection fee is $ 60.
- Interesting offers for flights to India are offered by Arab air carriers. Special rates are often available at Qatar Airwais and Emirates.
- India's time difference with Moscow is +2.5 hours.
Choosing wings
India has a developed network of airports, including several international ones:
- Moscow and Delhi are connected daily by regular direct flights of Aeroflot. Travel time is just over 6 hours, and the ticket will cost about $ 400.
- A connecting flight will be much cheaper. On the wings of Air Astana, for example, you will have to pay $ 300 for a round trip ticket. The journey, taking into account the connection, will take about 10 hours.
- Aeroflot planes fly to the beaches of Goa in the summer from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The seasonal schedule can be found on the company's website. Charters take to the skies from the capital, Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk.
- In addition to Delhi, international flights are accepted by the airports of Cochin, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Madras.
- The international airport in the state of Goa is located near the village of Dabolim. Its code is GOI.
Hotel or apartment
The question of choosing an Indian hotel should be approached especially carefully. All hotels existing in the country can be roughly divided into two groups:
- World famous chains. Fully meet their standards, stardom and comfort level declared by the company. They boast a high degree of guest safety.
- Local hotels, which have a classification, but the number of stars on the facade, on closer inspection, does not say anything.
If you do not have extra funds, but are not too pretentious in everyday life, travel to India is your format. A room in the center of Delhi can be rented for $ 15 per day, while at your disposal you will have your own bathroom, air conditioning, antique furniture "from the palace" and wireless Internet. The staff cannot guarantee special cleanliness, but having your own towel and slippers in your luggage more than compensates for the not ideal state of living conditions.
For $ 40- $ 50 per night, you can count on a room in a clean hotel with a relatively high level of service in Agra, Jaipur or Mumbai. The price includes breakfast, which includes English toast, fresh fruit and decent service.
Renting an apartment in India is not worth it both because of the cheapness of hotels, and because the sanitary condition and safety of tourists in the country still leave much to be desired.
Transport subtleties
Traveling long distances across the country is best done by plane. Trains in India are a special "pleasure" and only the first class will not seem scary to the Europeans, the tickets to which are close in price to air.
You can buy a train ticket at a special ticket office for foreigners at railway stations. When boarding the train, you will have to fight off local porters and beggars, find a place for your carriage to stop on the platform and find your own name in the lists of passengers quickly posted on the doors by conductors.
You can rent a car in India, but the driving style of local drivers, kilometer-long traffic jams, sacred cows and pedestrians of all ages on the roadway add a lot of exoticism during the trip. For long-distance distances, you can also rent a taxi with a local driver, for whom all the above-described realities, due to their great experience, are not obstacles.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
The not-so-perfect sanitary condition of Indian catering does not at all guarantee problems if certain rules are followed. First, choose cooked dishes from the menu. Do not order sliced fruits, salads or fresh juices if you are not dining at the Hilton's restaurant. Avoid ice in drinks. Try to get used to spicy food, because the presence of spices in Indian food is not only a tribute to local taste traditions, but also protection against most intestinal infections.
Useful details
- Always carry bottled water and a bottle of disinfectant gel or wet wipes with you.
- Avoid offers of help from street beggars and dubious personalities surrounding attractions. They can be very intrusive, and therefore do not hesitate to refuse sharply and decisively.
- Do not tempt fate and do not walk along remote city streets at night. Try to keep expensive photographic equipment closer to your body, like your wallet, even during the day. By the way, this security measure is very important not only for protection from street thieves, but also from monkeys.
Perfect travel to India
When choosing the time to travel, take into account the weather forecast in cities and resorts in India. Heat in tandem with high humidity can negate all favorable impressions, and therefore the period from mid-June to the second half of October is not the most favorable time. The rainy season is characterized by sudden tropical downpours that result in seething streams on the streets, traffic jams and stifling humid heat that ensues.
The second half of spring is characterized by dry air and high temperatures. Thermometer columns in Goa, Delhi, Mumbai during this period often cross 40-degree marks.
The ideal weather for travel in India is set in the middle of autumn, when the heat subsides and the air temperature in the tourist regions does not rise above + 30 ° C. The comfortable atmosphere remains on the beaches of Goa, and in the parks of Delhi, and on the bustling streets of Agra until the end of March.
