India on Tour

With an area of over 3 million km2, 29 states with their own unique charms and delicious regional cuisine, and attractions like the iconic Taj Mahal, there are an abundance of tourist places in India – and seeing all the most important requires either a serious time commitment and haggling skills, or the help of a tour where everything is taken care of.

India tour packages feature the best of the country

Our tour comparison India lists a variety of itineraries, with options starting and ending in New Delhi, Goa, Kochi, Mumbai and Bangalore, while regional tours are also on offer. Family-friendly options are available, and all tours include private transport and pre-reserved train seats – which are particularly useful in India.

The train system in India is somewhat complex and, as with many tourist places in India, can unfortunately be a prime target for scams. With India tour packages your safety is assured thanks to guides’ local knowledge of how to avoid the scams and rip-offs that can mar your enjoyment of the incredible, diverse country.

Accommodation is all pre-arranged, with exclusive stays in jungle lodges and at heritage properties such as old palaces and castles, overnight camel safaris, and community-based homestays. Travellers can also enjoy guided jeep safaris on the lookout for tigers, Asiatic lions, elephants and more, motorised rickshaw tours of cities, and walking tours of Jaipur, Mumbai, Varanasi and Old Delhi.

Optional excursions on India tour packages include Bollywood film screenings, Varanasi sunrise boat rides, camel safaris and cooking classes – so you can relive you experience in India over and over with the right ingredients.

Itching to plan your trip? Take a look at our tour comparison India and find the right itinerary for you.

Want a taste of that insider India tourism knowledge we mentioned before? We have collected the best facts from real life tour guides. Impress them on tour with how much you already know.

• India represents a large section of the Indian Subcontinent, which was part of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana before it collided with Eurasia almost 55 million years ago.
• India is bordered by the largest bay in the world, the Bay of Bengal, to the south-east and the Arabian Sea to the south-west – both of which are part of the Indian Ocean.
• The northern regions of Kashmir and Ladakh – the ‘land of high passes’, offer spectacular scenery thanks to their proximity to the Himalayan mountains.
• India’s largest state is north-western Rajasthan, with its largest city and capital being the ‘Pink City’, Jaipur. Jaipur is so nicknamed because every building within the city’s walls is painted a terracotta pink colour.
• The fast-paced capital New Delhi is located in the union territory of Delhi, with a population of 11 million in the city of Delhi alone.
• 11 km outside Ajmer lies the holy area of Pushkar, home to a sacred lake, the Bahma temple and camel safaris through the area’s sand dunes.

• Camel treks are also popular in the Thar Desert, which is also known as the Great Indian Desert and is the 17th largest of its kind in the world.
• The imposing sandstone fortress at Jaisalmer, nicknamed ‘The Golden City’, was built in the 12th century.
• Famed mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, is one of the most well-known structures in the world. Constructed in the 17th century under Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the final resting place for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the white-marble building is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List and was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007.
• The ‘Blue City’ Jodhpur is home to numerous forts, palaces and temples, and is the second largest metropolis in Rajasthan.
• Lake Pichola in Udaipur is an artificial freshwater lake in Rajasthan, and starred in the 1983 James Bond film ‘Octopussy’.
• India’s most populous city, Mumbai, was formerly known as Bombay, and has an estimated population of more than 18 million – though it is sadly one of the most unequal cities in the country, with a wide gap between the wealthy and the poor.
• The state of Goa is well-known for its beaches and laidback culture, and is also home to some killer beach raves.

• The city of Kolkata/Calcutta loves festivals, with a large number held here annually including Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Holi, Diwali and many, many more.  
• The ornate medieval Tamil Hindu temple of Meenakshi Amman and Thirumalai Nayak Palace are two spectacular architectural highlights to be found in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
• The river Ganges is sacred in the Hindu religion, and begins in the Himalayas, flowing for 2,525 km through India and Bangladesh to reach the Bay of Bengal.
• Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India and is the holiest of the seven sacred cities in both Hinduism and Jainism. Pilgrims travel from all over India to visit the ghats – stairs leading down to the river – and perform their ritual ablutions.
• The beautiful Adaman Islands are a pristine corner of paradise, home to the Sentinelese people, who have limited contact with the outside world and are one of the last civilisations untouched by modern civilisation in the world.
• Palitana is home to an incredible 900 temples, making the mountain upon which they are situated a sacred pilgrimage site for the Jain community.

• The influential ‘Father of the Nation’ Mahatma Gandhi, who championed Indian independence from British-ruled India, was born in the Porbandar.
• Port city Kochi was home to the first European colony in colonial India, before the Portuguese moved their main seat to Goa.
• The goddesses Shiva, Brahma and Lakshmi together form the Tridevi, and manifest the supreme divinity Mahashakti, according to Shaktism.
• The British East India Company was in operation from the beginning of the 17th through to the end of the 19th centuries, and accounted for half of the world’s trade at its peak.
• India has blessed the world with many fascinating entertainment forms and entertainers, including Kathakali theatre, Bollywood cinema and its stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai, Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, musician Lata Mangeshkar, Filmi and Carnatic Music, and dances such as Bharatnatyam, Katahakali and Kucchipudi.
• The ancient Gupta Empire (320-550 AD) led the ‘Golden Age of India’, during which the country prospered in the pursuit of scientific and artistic endeavours, resulting in many important inventions and discovers.
• Ancient India was overseen by the extensive Iron Age power, the Maurya Empire, from 322 to 187 BC.
• Diwali is celebrated all over the world from its roots in India. The Hindu festival of lights takes place in October and is also known as Deepavali.

• Writer Rabindranath Tagore, the protagonist in the celebrated novel and film ‘Life of Pi’, and Mark Tully, author of ‘No Full Stops in India’ are all from India.
• Cricket is one of India’s most popular sports, and the country has produced some legends including Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev.
• Kalarippayattu martial arts, which involves the use of weapons such as swords and spears, originated in Kerala in southern India.
• Other famous Indians include Mother Teresa – who was Albanian-Indian, mathematicians Aryabhatta and Ramanujam, IT guru Narayana Murthy, and businessman Sunil Bharti Mittal.
• You can thank India for the Kama Sutra, which was written by Vātsyāyana.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India following independence in 1947.
• India can lay claim to many important inventions, including fibre optics, the zero and decimal system, buttons, shampoo, chess, and Snakes and Ladders.

Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC