Hi all, I am visiting a friend in Bangalore for one week in November (during Diwali). It is my first time in India, and although my friend lives there for the time being, she is American
I am visiting a friend in Bangalore for one week in November (during Diwali). It is my first time in India, and although my friend lives there for the time being, she is American and knows little about the country. Any itinerary advice? Keep in mind these things:
1. We are planning to fly between cities.
2. We are not exploring Bangalore.
3. We will be there during Diwali, as I mentioned above.
4. We'd like places that are fairly easy to reach, given our short timeframe (no plane-to-train-to-bus-to-taxi destinations, pls, lol)
5. We'd like to experience both urban and less man-made parts of India.
We were thinking of choosing among these places: Kerala, Goa,Mumbai, Delhi (or Agra), Chennai
Questions I have:
- Are 3 out of those 5 destinations (2 nights at each place) doable?
- Is it worth it to make the trip northward to Delhi/Agra to see the Taj Mahal, or should we save that for another time?
- Between Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai, which would you pick? I'm indifferent about Delhi- I just wouldn't want to regret not seeing the Taj. I'd love to see Mumbai, but Pondicherry outside of Chennai sounds pretty fascinating.
- We really want to see both Goa and Kerala, but are they similar enough that we should just pick one?
- Which cities throw the best Diwali celebrations?
Sorry for the long post, but there's a lot of info out there, and we're not sure what's most feasible! Any and all feedback is very greatly appreciated.
First, I'll just say that Diwali is not my favorite holiday. Very noisy and messy and I generally go someplace to hole up for the duration. But that's me and I know many people enjoy "exuberant" holidays more than I do.
I'd suggest EITHER Goa or Kerala if you plan to spend your entire week in one or the other. Both are good for more outdoor activities and sightseeing which require the time to do them. I don't think either would work for 2 nights here and there. And certainly not both.
I love Pondicherry and a visit to nearby Auroville ( http://www.auroville.org ) would be a must, one of the most fascinating places I've visited anywhere in the world. You might spend 3 nights in each place and could have a very satisfying visit.
Unless you plan to base yourself in Delhi, which I like, I'd save the Taj Mahal for another time. Generally I'm not a big fan of cities although I do like Calcutta for a break from peace and quiet but that's out of your way. But Pondicherry is urban enough for me and has the advantage of having Auroville nearby. Also beaches and Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) for it's temple south of Chennai. I think if you flew into Chennai and went directly to Pondicherry you'd have a lovely and a unique week without spending all your time traveling between places, a great waste of time for so few days.
Jyphoto, thank you for the advice. I have talked it over with my friend, and we have decided to stay in south India... we were thinking Mumbai and somewhere in Kerala (Kochi, Munnar, or Varkalla)- do you all think that's feasible? We would do Mumbai 3days/2nights, and Kochi, Varkkallai, or Munnar (not all 3, just 1!) 5 days/4 nights (turns out I have 8 days, rather than 7). Like I said, I want to experience urban India, and natural India, and I think the south has plenty of both- what do you think?
It's tough to advise you when I haven't been to all the locations, most notably to Mumbai. It sounds like my idea of hell but I also know it's a favorite among city lovers. So consult a good guidebook for that part or maybe another traveler from the forum community can help.
If I were to choose 2 places for you in the area of the western part of South India I'd choose Fort Cochin, a lovely place to hang out and walk around plus a Kerala Backwaters boat for maybe 3 days/2 nights. These are readily accessable without a lot of time on the road. A Backwaters cruise is one of those experiences unlike any other anywhere that I know of and I recommend it highly. You would have a traditional boat with boatman and cook to yourselves and quiet and privacy, unusual in India. I did mine from Alappuzha (Alleppey). They can be arranged from any accommodation there and I think it would be wise to reserve it in advance. I also love Goa, stay in Panjim and visit Old Goa which is unique and was fascinating to me.
The most efficient itinerary and I think maybe the best as I see it would be Mumbai (if you must) - Fort Cochin - Backwaters. The latter 2 are close together but very different. I think that would be the very best you could do with the time you have.
If I were to choose 2 places for you in the area of the western part of South India I'd choose Fort Cochin, a lovely place to hang out and walk around plus a Kerala Backwaters boat for maybe 3 days/2 nights. These are readily accessable without a lot of time on the road. A Backwaters cruise is one of those experiences unlike any other anywhere that I know of and I recommend it highly. You would have a traditional boat with boatman and cook to yourselves and quiet and privacy, unusual in India. I did mine from Alappuzha (Alleppey). They can be arranged from any accommodation there and I think it would be wise to reserve it in advance.... The most efficient itinerary and I think maybe the best as I see it would be Mumbai (if you must) - Fort Cochin - Backwaters. The latter 2 are close together but very different. I think that would be the very best you could do with the time you have. Posted by jyphoto
Hmm, we were thinking along the same lines: Mumbai (2 nights) - Fort Cochin (2 nights) - Backwaters at Alleppey (1 night) - Varkala (2 nights). We were thinking we would just do a 24-hr backwater return cruise in Alleppey, and head to Varkala to finish things out. All places seem to be quite accessible by train, so that's why we thought to include Varkala... you think this will be too much? Is it worth it to cut backwaters short, and do Varkala, or skip Varkala altogether? We wanted to experience city, beach, backwaters...
Yes, I do think adding another location for the short time you have would be too much. I'd encourage you to add 1 more night each in Ft. Cochin and the Backwaters instead. That would amount to just 2 full days in Ft. Cochin and 1 full day of peaceful drifting in the Backwaters, very little as it is.
I took a taxi from Ft. Cochin to Alleppey and it worked out very well. It's usually the best way if the distance is not too great.
Regarding more places vs fewer I've learned this in general and it applies especially in India. The best time you have in a country is almost always the time spent not moving. The place you are becomes more interesting as you learn more about it and find parts of it you wouldn't have if you'd left in a hurry. You see faces you recognize and who may recognize you, you find better places to eat and can go back to your delight and the owners, that sort of thing. When you keep moving you skim the surface of a place. It takes time to focus and if you keep going you never do so you never really see them. Also, consider that you will be IN India whether you keep going or stop to enjoy a place. Why go 4 places in a hurry if you can go 3 places better. Something it took me a while to realize, in our fear that we will miss something we miss almost everything.
I belive that you have somany destinations to see but time is resticted..Any ways Let me tell you that India is a huge country really big Chennai & pondichery are lais on south east cost of India where as Mumbai & Goa are in west..Cochin is in extreame south & Delhi /Agra are in extreame north. However the Bangalore is like a center point to approach all these places. Therefore if you plan to visit any of these palces you have to travel either by plane or train. The best itinerary for you could be worked out from Bangalore it self from bangalore you can really have visit to the most rural and cultural areas of India. Please go through the itinerary given below. For more help you can contact Surender in India at surender.p.chauhan@gmail.com he is good and competent who can help you to arrange your travel there........Cheers....Happy journey...yours zenith
Day -1 Arrive Bangalore stay in Bangalore. Day -2 Bangalore to Mysore Drive to Mysore arrive Mysore and visit the place of the Maharaja built in 1911-12. The palace is of harmonious syntheses of the hindu and saracenic styles of architecture with archways, domes, turrets, colonnades and sculptures which are magnificent. Visit the ArtGallery; drive upto Chamundi hill to see ChamundeshwariTemple & a panoramic view of Mysore. On the way back, see the Nandi Bull. Overnight Mysore. Day -3 Mysore to Hassan Drive to Hassan. Full day excursion to Belur and Halebid. The Chenna Kesava templeChenna Kesava temple of Belur built 900 years ago is an exquisite example of Hoysala art. Halebid's 12th century Hoysaleswara.Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples are master pieces of Hindu art. On the return, if time permits, visit Sravanbelgola. At Sravanbelgola, hewn out of a single rock and visible from a distance of 25 kms is the statue of Lord Gomteshwara which is bathed with milk and honey once every 12 years. Overnight Hassan. Day -4 Hassan to Hospet Morning drive to Hospet. Visit Hampi. The once beautiful capital city of Vijayanagar Empire - greater than Rome, had palaces, temples & sculptures, spread all over. The city was razed to the ground by the Sultanates of South in 1565. Some of the interesting ruins remaining are the Virupaksha, Vittala and Hazara Rama temples huge Ganesha and Narasimha images, the elephant stables, the Queen's Bath, carvings on the Ramachandra temple & Lotus Mahal. Overnight Hospet Day -5 Hospet to Badami Morning drive to Badami stopping at Aihole & Pattadakal on the way. Aihole is the cradle of stone temple architecture of the southern DravidaSchool. The oldest temple, Lad Khan goes back to the 5th century A.D. There are 70 temples in this group. The Durga temple is noted for its sculptures. The Meguti temple is built of 630 small stone blocks. The RavanaphadiCave has some beautiful carvings. Pattadakal, referred to as Petrigal, reached its pinnacle of glory under the Chalukya kings from 7th to 9th centuries. The oldest in this group is the SanghameswaraTemple. The MallikarjunaTemple has pillars depicting life of Krishna. Virupaksha temple has sculptures and panel scenes from the epics, the Ramayana & Mahabharata. The PapanathaTemple has impressive carvings on pillars and ceiling. Day -6 Badami Morning tour of Badami. Badami also known as Vatapi is rich with Hindu and Jain temples carved out of sand stone hills. The carved temples date back to the 6th century. Of these, three are Hindu and one Jain. Sculptured out of solid rock they are adorned with carvings. The Fort, on top of a hill encloses large granaries, treasury & a watch tower. The Malegitti Shivalaya temple set on the summit of a hill is built of stones without mortar. Day-7 Badami to Bangapore (by Train) Take return train to Bangalore or if you wish you can extend your travel to Goa from here.
