India Travel

Bikaner Arrival and information in Rajasthan

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Bikaner The City in Rajasthan

Its worth spending a day or two just wandering around Bikaner, watching dyers at work, visiting the ancient Jain temples, and exploring Junagarh Fort. Bikaner is also famous for its skilled lacquer work and handicrafts, sold in the bazaar for a fraction of Jaisalmer's inflated "tourist prices", and for its hand-woven woollen shawls and blankets. The best place to buy the latter is the Abhivyakti shop just inside the main gate of the fort.

Arrival and focal transport of Shekhawati in Rajasthan

Shekhawati is crossed by a mainline railway, linking the major towns with Delhi, Jaipur and Bikaner, but services are all hopelessly slow, unreliable and run at inconvenient times of the night; basically, you're better off" travelling into the region by bus. From Jaipur, the first town in Shekhawati you come to is Sikar, an unprepossessing market town two hours away by road (110km) that's only worth stopping in to pick up transport northwest to Nawalgarh, where you'll find better hotels and a more relaxed, rural atmosphere. Buses also run from Jaipur to Fatehpur (48km north of Sikar) - approaching from

Abhivyakti in Rajasthan

The rulers of Bikaner have always objected to commercial exploitation of their heritage, and have therefore forbidden traders to set up shop in the fort. However, the royal principles have been relaxed for a good cause in the case of a handicrafts shop. Abhivyakti inside the main fort gate. Abhivyakti was established/with the aid of funding from the local Urmul Trust and from Oxfam in England. The high-quality rugs, bags, clothes, cushion-covers, shawls and stools sold here are made in 150 villages around Bikaner. In the past, all proceeds from sales of these unique handicrafts went directly to the villagers

Around Bikaner in Rajasthan

Several places of interest close to Bikaner can be visited in a day. The most unusual are the camel-breeding farm and Kami Mata temple, a scurrying mass of sacred rats. What is probably Asia's largest camel-breeding farm (Mon-Fri 3-5pm) lies out in the desert 10km south of Bikaner, an easy round trip by rickshaw that should cost around Rs60 (including waiting time of 30min). Although Bikaner has long been renowned for its famously sturdy beasts, and the camel corps was a much-feared component of the imperial battle formation, the farm itself was only founded in 1975. Its propagation programme has been

Arrival and information of Jaipur in Rajasthan

Jaipur's Sanganer airport, 15km south of the centre, is served by domestic Indian Airlines and Jet Airways flights from Delhi and Mumbai. An airport bus into town costs Rs30; taxis charge more like Rs250. The railway station is lkm west of the Pink City, very close to the main concentration of hotels, while state buses from all over Rajasthan and further afield pull in at the more central Inter-state Bus Terminal on Station Road. Arriving from Delhi, you skirt the south side of the city, stopping briefly at an intersection called Narayan Circle, where rickshaw-wallahs frequently board the bus saying it's

Keoladeo National Park Practicalities East of Jaipur in Rajasthan

Cycle rickshaws are the main form of transport within the city, but fares for he long haul in and out of town soon mount up, and it makes sense to rent a bicycle, either from your hotel (around Rs35/day) or the shop on NH-11 outside the Spoonbill Restaurant. If you need to change money, head for the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur. Binarayan Gate (Mon-Fn 10am-2pm, Sat 10am—noon). Bharatpur's bus stand is in the west of town near Anah Gate, just off NH-11. If you're arriving from Fatehpur Sikri, get off well before, when the bus stops at the crossroads

Fatehpur Practicalities in Rajasthan

Fatehpur has two bus stands, both close together in the centre of town on the main Sikar-Churu (north-south) road. Buses from the government Roadways stand, the one furthest south, serve Jaipur (25 daily; 3hr 30min), Ramgarh (hourly) and Bikaner (14 daily; 3hr 30rmn-4hr), as well as Delhi (5 daily; 6hr). Private buses, most of them handsome old snub-nosed Tata Mercedes vehicles, run from the stand further north along the bazaar to Mandawa (every 2hr; 30min), Jhunjhunu (every 30min; 1hr), Mahansar (4 daily: 45min) and Ramgarh (hourly; 30mm). The railway station, east of town, has four daily trains to Churu, one

Eating to the Bikaner in Rajasthan

Most visitors eat at their hotels or guesthouses while in Bikaner. If you fancy eating out, try Harasar Haveti, which is a popular meeting place for Western travellers and has the best rooftop views. Amber Station Road, A cleaner than average (although somewhat dingy) thali house that's popular with Westerners. Full veg menu and refreshing masala chai. Harasar Haveli, near Kami Singh Stadium. Open-air rooftop terrace restaurant with panoramic views, top landoori and non-veg Mughlai food and cold beers. Joshi, Station Road. The most salubrious of the eating places near the station. Filling, cheap rice-plate meals and arguably the town's best-value thalis,

Arrival, city transport and information to Ujjain in Western Madhy Pradesh

Trains arriving in Ujjain on both broad-gauge branches of the Western Railway pull-in at the station in the centre of town; Ujjain is on a link line between Indore and Bhopal, with regular intercity trains shunting between the three. Two minutes' walk northeast of the station is the Dewas Gate bus stand, where buses for Gwalior, Agra, Rajasthan and Bhopal depart. The inconvenient P.D.V. Bus Stand, next to the MPTDC Yatri Niwas, serves Indore, Bhopal and Mandu. The city is fairly spread out, so you'll need to get around by auto-rickshaw or by renting a bicycle from the shop opposite

Arrival and information in Himachal Pradesh

State-ran buses from Manali, Mandi, Pathankot, Kangra and Delhi pull into the bus stand in the very south of the lower town, though some continue after a short stop all the way up to McLeod Ganj - the usual arrival point for private and deluxe buses from Delhi and Manali. The nearest point of arrival for trains from Delhi, Punjab and Jammu Tawi is Pathankot - the narrow-gauge train linking Pathankot to Jogindernagar also stops at Kangra and at Nagrota. Dharamsala's airport, 11km to the south at Gaggal, has three Indian Airlines' flights a week to Delhi. The tourist office (Mon-Sat

Travel details in the Rajasthan

Trains Jaipur to: Agra (2 daily; 7hr); Ahmedabad (2 daily; 14hr); Ajmer (5 daily; 2-3hr); Alwar (7 daily; 2hr 35min-4hr); Bikaner (3 daily; 6hr 30min-1 Ohr); Calcutta (2 daily: 29hr); Chittaurgarh (2 daily; 7hr 40min-8hr 15min); Chum (3 daily: 5hr 20min); Delhi (8 daily; 4hr 20min-6hr 30]; Jhunjhunu (3 daily; 4hr 40min-6hr); Jodhpur (4-5 daily; 5hr-6hr iOmin); Kota (3 daily; 3hr 45min); Mount Abu (3 daily; 8-9hr); Mumbai (2 daily; 16hr 30min-22hr); Sawai Madhopur (2-3 daily; 2hr-3hr 20min); Sikar (5 daily; 3hr); Udaipur (2 daily; 10-12hr). Jodhpur to: Abu Road (3 daily: 5hr); Agra (2 daily; 13hr); Ahmedabad (3 daily; 10hr);

Arrival and information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh

Agra has no less than six railway stations. The busiest is Agra Cantonment (Cantt), in the southwest, which serves Delhi, Gwalior. Jhansi and points south, has a tourist information counter, and is near most hotels. Trains from Rajasthan pull in close to the Jami Masjid at Agra Fort Station, further from the main hub of hotels. Don't be persuaded to get off at Agra City Station, an expensive rickshaw ride away from town. To get to a hotel, use the prepaid auto-rickshaw/taxi booth at Agra Cantonment Station (Rs40/90) or flag down one of the cycle rickshaws (Rs25) that wait in the

Arrival, information and city transport of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Daily flights connect Dabok Airport, 25km east of Udaipur, with Mumbai, Delhi, Aurangabad and Jaipur. Taxis run to the city itself for around Rs200. Trains from Delhi and Ahmedabad pull in at Udaipur City Station a little to the south of the town centre (don't get off at Udaipur Station, much further north).The bus stand is a few hundred metres north of here, directly opposite Udai Pole, the easternmost gate of the old city. The easiest way to get into town from either is to jump in a rickshaw or conga. The town's grand but largely ineffectual tourist office (Mon—Sat )

Arrival and information in Delhi

Delhi is India's main point of arrival for overseas visitors, and has two airports, one domestic and one international. State buses from all over the country pull into the Inter-state Bus Terminal in Old Delhi, while private buses stop in the more central location close to New Delhi railway station. Trains arrive at the railheads in Old or New Delhi, both well connected to Connaught Place, the commercial centre of the city, by rickshaw and taxi. For a summary of the kinds of accommodation available in different areas of the city, which may well determine where you head first, see p.

Pokaran in Rajasthan

POKARAN with its red-sandstone fort and superb Itavelis, is a quiet, sel-dom-visited desert town 110km east of Jaisalmer, situated at the road and rail junctions between Jodhpur. Bikaner and the west. Once included in the territory of Jodhpur, it passed into the huge state_ of Jaisalmer after Independence. Pokaran became the unlikely object of world attention in May 1998, when five nuclear bombs were detonated at the army test range 20km northwest of town. Previously, a few tourists used to stop here en route to or from Jaisalmer, but despite the Indian government's insistence that there has been no ground-water

Practicalities East of Jaipur in Rajasthan

The bus stand in the west of Alwar sees services to and from Deeg and Bharatpur (every 15min), and Sariska (every 30min or so). Frequent buses also run north to Delhi and south to Jaipur (both 2-3hr). Several food stalls at the bus stand sell drinks and fiery curries, and there's a bike rental shop near the exit. The railway station, receiving trains from Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad, Deeg and Ajmer, is a few kilometres away on the east side of town, and has retiring rooms.You can change currency and travellers' cheques, albeit at a thumb-chewingly slow speed, at the

Bikaner and around in Rajasthan

The commercial city of BIKANER may not quite possess the aesthetic attraction of its more venerable neighbour, Jaisalmer, over 300km southwest, but it does boast a spectacular fort and an old city dotted with havelis and surrounded by 7km of high walls. In addition, simply because Rajasthan's fourth largest city receives fewer visitors than other major settlements, it has a certain unspoilt feel. Most foreign tourists only spend one night here en route to or from Jaisalmer, but extend your stay and you can visit the famous rat temple at nearby Deshnok, and the government camel-breeding farm, 10km south. The city was

Arrival and information in Gujarat

Arriving in Junagadh by bus or train, you're within easy walking distance of nearly all the hotels. From the long distance bus stand, turn right, then left at the main road and straight on across the railway tracks into the town centre; from the railway station, take a right down Station Road and a left at the end, by the petrol station. Local transport is provided by auto-rickshaws, though bicycles are great for getting around; with a bit of leg-work you can even cycle to the foot of Mount Girnar. Run-of-the-mill bikes can be had from 3 shop just west

Information of the Agra in the Uttar Pradesh

Agra has two tourist offices, one run by the Government of India, at 191 The Mall (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-1pm), and one run by UF Tourism, close to the darks Shimz, at 64 Taj Rd (same hours); there is also an information booth at Cantonment station. The Government of India office is better organized and provides information about other destinations, though both supply information on hotels and local sights, and details of tours that start and end at Agra Cantonment railway station.

Arrival, information and city transport to Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

Amritsar's airport, serving Indian Airlines flights from Delhi and Chandigarh, lies 12km northwest of the city. Taxis (around Rs200) and auto-rickshaws (RslOO) run to the town centre, while buses pull into the huge, frenetic bus stand off GT Road on the eastern edge of the city centre. The railway station lies on the northern edge of the centre, 2km west of the interstate bus stand. PTDC's tourist office, Youth Hostel, Mall Mandi. GT Road (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm: ©0183/231452) is friendly, helpful and has useful information on bus and other travel connections. Amritsar is too large and labyrinthine to negotiate on foot. If