Golden Triangle with Varanasi

Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel.

• Once you have rested, your guide joins you for a first look at Delhi.
• Begin in Old Delhi at Jama Masjid, then ride a cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, where spice shops, sweet sellers and tangled wires line the lanes.
• If you arrive in the morning, the Red Fort can be added, although it is closed on Mondays.
• After lunch the car brings you to Humayun's Tomb, set in a quiet garden, and past India Gate and the government quarter.
• Wear shoes that come off easily for mosques and carry a light scarf.
• If you land late at night, the plan shifts to a sleep and a shorter city tour the following morning, which we arrange when we plan the dates.
• Dinner is at a place your driver recommends near the hotel.

After breakfast you leave Delhi by expressway for Agra, a drive of roughly three and a half to four hours.

• Your driver stops at a clean rest area for tea.
• In Agra you check in, take a break, and in the afternoon your guide takes you to Agra Fort, the red sandstone fortress on the river where the Mughal emperors lived and held court.
• The audience halls and the view toward the Taj are the highlights.
• Then Itimad-ud-Daulah, the small marble tomb across the river, whose delicate inlay is easier to study in the softer afternoon light.
• If the Taj Mahal is open the following morning, you go at sunrise.
• The Taj is closed on Fridays, so if this falls on a Friday, we reorder the days when we plan.
• Have dinner early and sleep well before the dawn start.

Leave the hotel at sunrise to reach the Taj Mahal gate as it opens.

• Your guide shows you the garden, the marble platform, the inlay and the views of the river.
• The quiet of the first hour is the reward for the early start.
• In December and January fog can hide the building, and your guide will say so plainly.
• Return for breakfast, then set off for Jaipur, a drive of about four and a half to five hours.
• On the way stop at Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone city built by Akbar and left behind within a few years, where the Jama Masjid and the Buland Darwaza are the main sights.
• Lunch is on the road.
• Arrive in Jaipur by late afternoon, check in, and rest.
• Dinner is relaxed.
• Expect a long but comfortable day in the car.

Start early at Amber Fort, a hill fortress of sandstone and marble above a lake.

• Your guide takes you through the courtyards and the Sheesh Mahal, the mirrored hall, before the crowds build.
• Walking up the ramp is pleasant in the cool air.
• On the way back stop at Jal Mahal for a photograph of the palace in the lake.
• Lunch is at a local restaurant.
• In the afternoon visit the City Palace, where part of the royal family still lives, and Jantar Mantar, the open-air observatory with its great stone instruments.
• Hawa Mahal is photographed from the street, since its beauty is in the facade.
• Finish in the pink-walled bazaars for block-printed cloth, bangles and juttis.
• Wear comfortable shoes, carry water and bargain politely.
• The evening is free, and a rooftop dinner can be discussed when we plan.

Today is mostly a road day.

• After a relaxed breakfast, and a last walk or a short visit if you like, you leave Jaipur for Delhi.
• The drive takes roughly five to six hours with a lunch stop, and the highway is wide and well kept.
• Your driver breaks the journey at a reliable restaurant, where you can stretch and eat properly.
• You reach Delhi in the late afternoon and check in at a hotel near the airport or in the city, depending on your flight tomorrow.
• If there is time and energy left, the driver can take you to Lodhi Garden for a quiet walk among the tombs, or to a market for last purchases.
• Pack tonight, because tomorrow involves an airport transfer and a flight to Varanasi.
• Flights are not included, but our team can advise on timing.

Your driver takes you to Delhi airport for your flight to Varanasi, which is not included in the journey.

• On arrival in Varanasi another driver and a local guide meet you and take you through increasingly narrow streets to your hotel.
• Varanasi is dense, loud and ancient, and the first impression can be a shock.
• Rest through the early afternoon.
• In the late afternoon your guide walks you down to the river for the evening Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, where priests swing lamps in time with bells and chanting while boats crowd the water.
• You can watch from the steps or from a boat on the river.
• The crowds are large, so keep your valuables close and follow your guide.
• Dinner is simple and vegetarian by tradition.
• Tomorrow begins before dawn.

Before sunrise you walk to the ghats and board a rowing boat for the early ride along the river.

• The light is soft, the bathers and priests are already at work, and the burning ghats are seen respectfully from a distance.
• Your guide explains the rituals plainly, without drama.
• Back on land, you walk the old lanes toward the Vishwanath area, past shrines, silk shops and tea stalls.
• Return to the hotel for breakfast and a rest.
• In the late morning the car takes you to Sarnath, about forty minutes away, where the Buddha gave his first teaching.
• The ruins, the Dhamekh Stupa and the small museum make for a calm contrast to the city.
• Return in the afternoon, shop for silk if you want, and rest.
• Dress modestly, and expect uneven steps and cows in the lanes.

The final morning is yours.

• If you wish, you can take another early walk along the ghats with your driver, or simply have a slow breakfast.
• Our team can discuss a last stop at a silk weaver or a temple depending on your flight time.
• When it is time, your driver takes you to Varanasi airport for your onward or international flight, with comfortable margin for traffic, which can be slow near the old city.
• Flights are not included in the journey, so please share your timings with us in advance and we will plan the transfer.
• The driver helps with luggage and waits until you are checked in.
• We hope the river and the lanes stay with you.
• If you have enjoyed the journey, keep in touch and tell us what you would like to see next.