India - our Grand Tour

with highlights, best hotels and best meals

Our routes around India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 13 visits over 17 years.

Our grand tour around India and south Asia


State / Union Territory Places Visit Date
West Bengal (WB) Kolkata - Fairlawn hotel, ladies' singing club (first visit), Great Eastern hotel, Manthan restaurant murg resmi butter masala, (Jimmy's - kung pao is too hot) 1, 7, 8, 9 2006, 2013, 2014, 2016

Sundarbans 8 Mar 2014
Coromandel coast



Orissa (OR), now Odisha (OD) Puri - Konorak temple, Sea Shore rm 202 Bhubaneswar 1 Nov 2006
[Chhattisgarh (CG)] (created 2000 out of Madhya Pradesh)

[not visited]



Telangana (TS) (created 2014 out of Andhra Pradesh)

Hyderabad - Marriott hotel, Golconda, Charminar


1, 10, 13

Nov 2006, Feb 2017, Feb 2023
Andhra Pradesh (AP) Tirupati - temples
13 Feb 2023
Tamil Nadu (TN) Chennai - Marriott, Amethyst restaurant

Kanchipuram

Mamallapuram - elephant carving, Santana guest house and restaurant prawns

2, 10-13

2

2, 10-13

2008, 2017, 2018, 2023

Jan 2008

2008, 2017, 2018, 2023

Puducherry UT (PY) Pondicherry - Villa Cavi room 203, Lakshmi the temple elephant, Le Club seafood soup, happy hour at Promenade hotel, Les Saveurs prawn and lobster thermidor 2, 10, 11, 13 2008, 2017, 2018, 2023
Tamil Nadu again Gingee fort
Chidambaram, Thanjavur, Trichy
Madurai - bedtime of the gods ceremony
Tirupparakundram
Rameswaram
Tiruchendur - shore temple, pilgrims
Manapul - Holy Cross shrine
Kanyakumari
Thovali - flower market

10
2
2, 11
11
2
11
11
2, 11
11

Feb 2017
Feb 2008
2008, 2018
Nov 2018
Feb 2008
Nov 2018
Nov 2018
2008, 2018
Nov 2018
(Sri Lanka)

Colombo, Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and lots of temples - Aug 1992
Malabar coast



Kerala (KL) Padmanabhapuram - palace of the rajahs
Trivandrum - Puttan Malika palace, Chaithram hotel and bar
Anjuthenga fort
Kollam (Quilon) - British Residency, backwaters rice barge tour
Alleppy
Cochin (Kochi) - Gran Residencia, Koder House, tomato soup at Elite Bakery, samosa chaat at Teapot café;, huge prawns cooked at Kafe D'Kochi
Cranganore, Chennamangalam - elephants
11
11
11
2, 11
11
2, 10, 11

10 

Nov 2018
Nov 2018
Nov 2018
Feb 2008, Nov 2018
Nov 2018
2008, 2017, 2018

Feb 2017

Tamil Nadu again Mettupalayam, Ooty 2 Feb 2008
Karnataka (KA) Mysore - Maharaja's palace

Halebid and Belur, Bangalore

Nandi Hills - Grover vineyard

Bijapur - Gol Gumbaz

Hampi - all the temples

Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole

Bidar - Vybe hotel, fort, gurudwara

2, 10

2

10

1

1, 10

10

13

2008, 2017

Feb 2008

Feb 2017

Nov 2006

2006, 2017

Feb 2017

Feb 2023

Goa (GA) Panaji - Panjim Inn

Anjuna beach - tandoori chicken

1 Dec 2006
Maharashtra (MH) Mumbai - Bentley's Hotel room 15, Taj hotel sea view, lobster at the Gaylord restaurant, Tingting Tea, Café Mondegar spicy baked beans, butter chicken and sparkling wine, Indigo deli

Matheran - Verandah in the forest
Lonavla - Karla caves
Fratelli - vineyard tours
Pandhapur, Solapur

Aurangabad, Ajanta, Ellora - temple no. 16

Nasik - Sula vineyard and Tiger hills restaurants

1-5, 7, 13


13
13
13
13

4

5

2006 - 2013, 2023


Feb 2023
Feb 2023
Feb 2023
Feb 2023

Feb 2010

Mar 2011

Madhya Pradesh (MP) Indore - egg curry at Hotel Sunder

Mandu, Sanchi, Bhopal

4 Feb 2010
Dadra and Nagar Haveli UT (DN) Silvassa 7 Feb 2013
Daman and Diu UT (DD) Daman - Hotel Marina room 10, Daman Delite restaurant

Diu - Sanmaan Palace room 101, fish market, Hotel Alishan restaurant

7, 8

3

2013, 2014

Jan 2009

Gujerat (GJ)

Palitana - 3,000 steps to temple, Veraval, Junagadh, Jamnagar

Baroda/Vadodara, Champaner, Jambughoda

3

5

Jan 2009

Mar 2011

Rajasthan (RJ) Udaipur - everything!, Kankarwa Haveli, meals at Ambrai and Udai Kothi
Kumbalgarh, Ranakpur, Dungapur
Jodhpur - Singhvi's Haveli, City hotel dosa
Jaisalmer - Pol Haveli, Trio restaurant
Osiyan, Bikaner - Temple of the rats
Chittorgarh, Bundi
Pushkar - Seventh Heaven hotel
Jaipur, Amber
4,5,10,11
5
3, 5
3, 5
3
4
4
4

2010,2011,2017,2018
Mar 2011
2009, 2011
2009, 2011
Jan 2009
Feb 2010
Feb 2010
Feb 2010
Delhi UT (DL) Delhi - Crossroads restaurant shredded lamb in hot garlic sauce, Sechuan chicken and sweetcorn 4 - 7 2010 - 2013
Haryana (HR) Chandigarh 3, 6 2009, 2011
Chandigarh UT (CH) Chandigarh 3, 6 2009, 2011
Punjab (PB) Amritsar - Golden temple 3 Feb 2009
(Pakistan) Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad

3 Feb 2009
Jammu and Kashmir UT (JK) Jammu

Srinagar - the lake

6 Sept 2011
Ladakh UT

Leh (revisit)

6
Sept 2011
Himachal Pradesh (HP) Manali - soup at Bee's Knees restaurant

Chamba, McLeod Ganj

Shimla - Clarke's hotel

6 Sept 2011
Uttarakhand (UK) (created 2000 out of Uttar Pradesh)

Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Haridwar



6


Sept 2011
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Vrindavan

Fatehpur Sikri, Agra - Taj Mahal

8

4

Mar 2014

Feb 2010

Madhya Pradesh again

Gwalior - fort

Orchha - palaces and pilgrims

Khajuraho - temples
8 Mar 2014
Uttar Pradesh again Lucknow

Chitrakoot, Allahabad

Varanasi - bathing ghats

Sarnath

7

8

Feb 2013

Mar 2014
(Nepal) Kathmandu - lots!

Pokhara - lots!

Jomsom, Lo Manthang

Lumbini, Pokhara, Kathmandu

-

-

-

7

Oct 1996

Oct 2012

Oct 2012

Feb 2013

Bihar (BR) Patna

Bodhgaya - Mahabodhi temple

7 Feb 2013
Jharkhand (JH) (created 2000 out of Bihar)

Dhanbad Junction



7


Feb 2013
West Bengal again Darjeeling - Planter's Club, log fires, rice pudding, Glenary's breakfast

Kalimpong

1, 9

1

2006, 2016

Nov 2006

Sikkim (SK) Gangtok

Pelling

1

9

Nov 2006

Mar 2016

(Bhutan)

Paro, Thimpu 1 Nov 2006
Assam (AS) Jorhat, Majuli Is, Dibrugarh - Cub House Ledo, Guwahati - temple 9, 12 Feb 2016, Oct 2019
Meghalaya (ML) Shillong - Pinewood hotel, living bridge, cleanest village 9 Mar 2016
Arunachal Pradesh (AR) Dirang - stone town, Tawang - gompa
12
Oct 2019
Nagaland (NL) Dimapur, Kohima - heritage village 9 Feb 2016
Manipur (MN) Imphal - Classic hotel, women's market, Loktak lake 9, 12 Feb 2016, Oct 2019
Mizoram (MZ) Aizawl 9 Feb 2016
Tripura (TR) Agartala, Udaipur 9 Feb 2016
(Bangladesh) Rangpur, Dhaka

Dhaka - Anchor hotel, nearby bar, Rocket Paddle Steamer
Bagerhat

-

9

Oct 1996

Feb 2016

Andaman and Nicobar UT (AN) Port Blair, Havelock Island, Ross Island 7 Mar 2013
Lakshadweep UT (LD) Agatti Island,
Bangaram Island - palm-fringed beaches
11
Nov 2018



If you would like to see more of our travels just click the map.