India doesn’t do gentle introductions. Within an hour of landing you’ll have been offered a rickshaw, a chai, a marigold garland and a strong opinion about cricket, usually all at once. It’s overwhelming in the best way, and also a very large country: you could spend a lifetime here and still not see it all. So for a first trip, the trick is to pick one region and do it well.
For most first-timers, that choice comes down to three: the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur; Rajasthan, the land of forts, palaces and desert; or Kerala, the green, laid-back south. Tiger safaris are a fourth option that can join on to either of the first two. This guide explains the differences and compares the tours on our India tours page, with who each suits and its honest drawback.
The quick answer
- Golden Triangle if you have a week or so and want the Taj Mahal and the big sights.
- Rajasthan if you want forts, palaces and colour; pick Classic Rajasthan.
- Kerala if you want an easier pace, backwaters and beaches; pick Highlights of Kerala.
- Tigers if wildlife is the priority; pick the India Safari.
- Families should look at the Family Golden Triangle Adventure or the Northern India Family Holiday.
India tours compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Golden Triangle and Rajasthan | ||||||
| Taj Mahal Short Break from Delhi – 3 Days | 3 | £350 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | The Taj Mahal in three days |
| Classic Rajasthan: Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambhore & Udaipur – 15 Days | 15 | £988 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Forts, palaces and a tiger safari |
| North India Revealed: Rajasthan, Agra & Varanasi – 22 Days | 22 | £668 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Rajasthan and Varanasi on a budget |
| Kerala and the south | ||||||
| Highlights of Kerala: Kochi, Periyar & the Backwaters – 8 Days | 8 | £734 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | A gentle week in Kerala |
| South India Revealed: Kerala to Goa – 16 Days | 16 | £595 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Kerala to Goa by train |
| Wildlife | ||||||
| India Safari: Tigers of Central India & the Taj Mahal – 12 Days | 12 | £1,836 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Tigers of central India and the Taj |
| For families | ||||||
| Family India Golden Triangle Adventure – 10 Days | 10 | £1,065 pp | Low | Max 20 | No | Children aged 7+ |
| Northern India Family Holiday – 10 Days | 10 | £851 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Children aged 5+ |
| India and beyond | ||||||
| Luxury India & Sri Lanka: Taj Mahal to Tea Country – 19 Days | 19 | £4,406 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | In comfort, with Sri Lanka |
| Luxury India & Nepal: Delhi, Varanasi, Pokhara & Chitwan – 19 Days | 19 | £4,707 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | In comfort, with Nepal |
| India & Nepal for 18–35s: Delhi to Kathmandu – 13 Days | 13 | £557 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, to Kathmandu |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which India tour fits →
The Golden Triangle: the classic first taste
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur form a neat triangle a few hours apart, and between them hold many of India’s most famous sights: Old Delhi’s bazaars and the Jama Masjid, the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, and Jaipur’s Amber Fort and Hawa Mahal. It’s the easiest introduction to India, and most northern tours include at least part of it. The honest drawback is that it’s also the busiest, so a good guide and an early start at the Taj make all the difference.
Taj Mahal Short Break from Delhi
Taj Mahal Short Break from Delhi – 3 Days
- 3 days
- From £350 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Delhi, India
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Three days with a leader in Delhi and a local guide in Agra: an Old Delhi walk with a cycle-rickshaw ride and the Jama Masjid, then the Taj Mahal (at sunrise if you choose), Agra Fort and the abandoned Mughal capital of Fatehpur Sikri.
Suits: anyone adding the Taj to a longer trip or business visit. The honest drawback: no meals are included, and it’s a whistle-stop.
Rajasthan: forts, palaces and desert
Rajasthan is India at its most theatrical: hilltop forts, maharajas’ palaces, blue and pink cities, painted havelis, camel fairs and desert sunsets. It takes longer than the Golden Triangle, but it’s what many people picture when they think of India.
Classic Rajasthan
Classic Rajasthan: Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambhore & Udaipur – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £988 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Delhi, India
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Year-round departures
Fifteen days with a local leader and up to 12, by express train and private vehicle. Old Delhi by metro and on foot, the Taj Mahal, a night in the hilltop fort of Madhogarh, Jaipur, a safari in Ranthambhore in search of tigers, Bundi’s murals and a chai master, a lakeside tented camp, a heritage stay in Bijaipur with an open-top jeep ride, Udaipur’s City Palace and Pushkar, with dinner in a local home.
Suits: culture lovers on a budget who want memorable stays. The honest drawback: some hotels are simple, only a few meals are included and there are early starts.
North India Revealed: Rajasthan, Agra and Varanasi
North India Revealed: Rajasthan, Agra & Varanasi – 22 Days
- 22 days
- From £668 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in Delhi, India
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in October, November, December
Twenty-two days the way locals travel, by sleeper train, local bus and auto-rickshaw, with a local leader and up to 16: Bikaner, the golden fort city of Jaisalmer and a night camping in the Thar Desert, blue Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Jaipur, the Chand Baori stepwell, Fatehpur Sikri, the Taj Mahal and finally Varanasi on the Ganges.
Suits: adventurous travellers on a tight budget. The honest drawback: simple hotels, three nights on sleeper trains and hardly any meals included.
Kerala: backwaters, spice and an easier pace
If the north is a symphony, Kerala is a lullaby. Palm-fringed backwaters, tea and spice hills, colonial Kochi and long beaches make it the gentlest introduction to India, and the food (coconut, curry leaf, seafood) is some of the best in the country.
Highlights of Kerala
Highlights of Kerala: Kochi, Periyar & the Backwaters – 8 Days
- 8 days
- From £734 per person
- Max 16 people
- Kochi, India to Kovalam, India
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December
Eight days with a tour leader and four to 16: Kochi’s Chinese fishing nets, spice markets and Portuguese and Dutch heritage, a rubber plantation and a nature walk in Periyar, a cooking demonstration and dinner in a family home, a night on a traditional houseboat on the backwaters at Alleppey, and two nights on the beach at Kovalam.
Suits: first-timers who want India without the intensity. The honest drawback: it’s short, and you won’t see the Taj Mahal.
For more of the south, South India Revealed (16 days) goes from the clifftop beach at Varkala via a backwaters homestay, Kochi and Periyar to Madurai’s Meenakshi Temple, Mysuru’s palace and the boulder-strewn ruins of Hampi, ending in Goa, with three nights on sleeper trains.
Tigers: India’s great wildlife adventure
India Safari: Tigers of Central India and the Taj Mahal
India Safari: Tigers of Central India & the Taj Mahal – 12 Days
- 12 days
- From £1,836 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Delhi, India
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December
Twelve days with a local leader and up to 12: Old Delhi, an overnight train to Khajuraho, safaris in Panna, Bandhavgarh (known for its tigers) and Satpura, including by boat, the evening aarti on the Narmada river, a rickshaw safari at the Bharatpur bird sanctuary, then the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
Suits: wildlife lovers who want the Taj too. The honest drawback: simple stays, early starts and, as with any wild animal, no guaranteed tigers.
India with children
Two family trips combine the Golden Triangle with tiger safaris at Ranthambhore. The Family India Golden Triangle Adventure (10 days, ages 7+) adds two nights in a restored fort with a village walk and cooking lesson, and a camel cart ride at Samode Palace. The Northern India Family Holiday (10 days, ages 5+) adds two nights in a heritage palace hotel in a desert village.
India and beyond
Two comfortable 19-day tours combine India’s highlights with a neighbour, with flights between them: Luxury India & Sri Lanka goes from Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi to Sri Lanka’s ancient cities and tea country, and Luxury India & Nepal continues to Kathmandu, Pokhara and a jungle lodge in Chitwan. For 18 to 35s, India & Nepal (13 days) runs from Delhi via Jaipur, the Taj and Varanasi to Kathmandu. See also our Sri Lanka tours guide.
How to choose
By time. A long weekend: the Taj Mahal short break. A week: Highlights of Kerala. Ten to 15 days: the family trips, the tiger safari and Classic Rajasthan. Longer: South India Revealed, North India Revealed and the combinations with Sri Lanka or Nepal.
By pace. Kerala is the most relaxed. Rajasthan and the Golden Triangle are busier, with more travel. The budget overland trips, with sleeper trains, are the most intense.
By budget. India is wonderful value. The budget trips cost very little; the luxury combinations with Sri Lanka or Nepal cost the most. Live prices are in the table above.
By comfort. Most of these trips use simple or mid-range hotels with some heritage stays. For consistently comfortable hotels, choose a luxury combination.
When to go
October to March is the best time for most of India, with warm, dry days. April to June gets very hot in the north, and the monsoon arrives in Kerala in early June and in the north by early July. Tiger sightings tend to be best in the drier months, from about February, as the forests thin out. The months for each tour are in its fact panel above.
UK visitors need a visa for India, usually an e-Visa applied for online. Check the FCDO travel advice for India before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best India tour for first-timers?
For the big sights, a Golden Triangle or Rajasthan tour such as Classic Rajasthan. For an easier pace, Highlights of Kerala.
What is the Golden Triangle?
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, three cities a few hours apart that hold many of India’s most famous sights, including the Taj Mahal.
Rajasthan or Kerala?
Rajasthan for forts, palaces, desert and colour; Kerala for backwaters, beaches, spice hills and a gentler pace.
Can I see tigers in India?
Yes. The India Safari visits Panna, Bandhavgarh and Satpura, and Classic Rajasthan and the family trips include Ranthambhore. Sightings are never guaranteed.
Is India good for families?
Yes, with the right trip. The Northern India Family Holiday welcomes children aged five and over, and the Family Golden Triangle Adventure children aged seven and over.
Do I need a visa for India?
Yes, UK visitors need a visa, usually an e-Visa applied for online before travel.
Ready for India?
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Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
