India

A mausoleum an emperor built for his wife, laid out in near-perfect symmetry. The light is best and the crowds thinnest around sunrise, and it closes to general visitors on Fridays for prayers. Two hours from Delhi by train, so many people come and go in a day.

Stone steps run along the Ganges, where bathing and cremation happen on the same bank. A dawn boat out on the river as the city lights up is the thing people come for. Photography at the cremation ghats is prohibited — that is a rule, not a courtesy.

A hilltop fort above a lake, with a hall of mirrors inside. Jaipur’s old city is painted a uniform pink, so the city itself is part of the visit. It completes the triangle with Delhi and Agra.

A night aboard a converted boat drifting past villages and paddy fields. The pace is the opposite of a northern city trip, which makes it a good place to slow down after one. Monsoon can restrict sailings.

A gilded shrine in the middle of a tank, reflected in the water when lit at night. It is open to everyone, and the free kitchen feeds tens of thousands of people a day, seated together. Cover your head and remove your shoes to enter.

Ladakh is high plateau that looks closer to Tibet, and the road in only opens in summer. Rishikesh, upstream on the Ganges, is known for yoga and rafting. At altitude, allow a day or more to acclimatise.

Cave temples carved straight into cliffs — Buddhist murals at Ajanta, and Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples together at Ellora. Ellora’s Kailasa temple was cut downward out of a single mass of rock. Base in Aurangabad and give it two days.

Every outer surface is worked in fine relief, which makes these closer to sculpture than architecture. Centuries lost in forest left them unusually well preserved. Access is awkward, so flying in is easier.

Temples and market streets of a vanished kingdom scattered between enormous round boulders. It suits several days on a bicycle or scooter, and travellers are known for staying longer than planned. Midday heat is serious.

Humayun’s Tomb predates the Taj Mahal and shows where the Taj came from. The Qutub Minar is a tall brick tower beside it. Both are inside Delhi, so half a day covers them.

Narrow-gauge trains grinding slowly up steep hills, laid in the colonial period. The slowness is the point, with tea gardens passing the window. Seats are few, so book ahead.

The largest mangrove forest in the world and tiger habitat. You go in by boat, and although actually seeing a tiger is unlikely, the channels and forest are the experience. Tours of a night or more run from Kolkata.

The most common first-visit combination, joined by train and road. A week covers it without rushing and the density of monuments is high. Delhi’s winter air quality can be poor on some days.

Beyond Jaipur come blue Jodhpur, lakeside Udaipur and desert Jaisalmer. Each city has its own colour and character, which rewards a week or more. Summers are brutal; November to February is the window.

Quiet and green where the north is intense. Backwaters, the old port of Kochi and the Munnar tea estates make the usual loop. June to September brings heavy monsoon rain.

Portuguese for over four centuries, which left churches and architecture unlike the rest of the country. The northern beaches are lively and the southern ones quiet. November to February is the season; monsoon shuts most beach operations.

Colonial architecture mixed with towers, and a seafront promenade as the city’s emblem. It is among the most expensive places in the country and the traffic is heavy. It is also the gateway to Ajanta and Ellora.

Darjeeling’s tea estates and the mountain landscapes of Sikkim. Some states require a separate permit for foreign visitors, so check first. Very few tourists, and quiet.

Cool and dry in the north, which is the best time for monuments. Delhi gets thick early-morning fog that delays flights and trains, and the south stays warm. It is also the festival season.

The northern plains run above forty degrees for weeks, which can make sightseeing genuinely unsafe. The answer is to go up — Ladakh or the Himalayan foothills. The south is hot and humid too.

Concentrated rain delays roads and flights and closes beach operations. In exchange the landscape is at its greenest, prices fall, and Kerala’s traditional treatments are considered in season. Ladakh sits largely outside the monsoon.

Diwali, the festival of lights, falls in autumn and Holi, with its coloured powder, in spring; both move each year. Transport and accommodation are heavily booked and shops close for several days. Check the dates if you want to match them.

Tourist e-visas are applied for online in advance; you cannot apply on arrival. Photo and passport-scan requirements are strict and applications do get rejected, so leave time. Certain entry airports may be specified.

Do not drink the tap water; buy sealed bottles. Choose street food that is cooked to order and served hot, and be careful with raw vegetables and peeled fruit. Ease into the spice level over the first few days.

For long distances the train is the realistic option, and an air-conditioned sleeper class is comfortable enough. Popular routes sell out weeks ahead, so book as soon as your dates are set. Stations are large and busy — arrive early.

Shoes come off at religious sites and shoulders and knees stay covered. Some temples ban leather items, and a few restrict entry to Hindus. A light scarf solves several of these at once.

Police, ambulance and fire are consolidated on 112. Private hospitals in the large cities are well equipped but expensive, so arrange travel insurance. A separate tourist helpline also operates.

Around airports and stations, expect people claiming your destination is closed or your hotel is full in order to take you elsewhere. Ride-hailing apps or the fixed-price prepaid taxi counters remove most of the argument. Agree the fare before you get in.