India Travel

Charter flights

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Getting there from Britain and Ireland

British Airways and Air India fly nonstop from Britain to Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay), and fly direct to Chennai (Madras), Calcutta and Ahmedabad; feeder flights from Air India and the extensive domestic airline network can link you to any number of Indian cities. Discounted return fares on these vary from just under £450 in low season {roughly Jan-June, except Easter, & Nov) to upwards of £600 in high season (July, Aug & Dec). A cheaper option is to take an indirect flight which involves a change of plane and inevitably takes a few hours longer, though the airline may also allow

By air in Delhi

Indian Airlines, whose main office is in the Malhotra Building on F-Block, Connaught Place, near Wimpy, operate the largest network of internal flights, though private carriers serve more destinations; tickets can be bought through travel agents or the main offices. All flights leave from the domestic terminal, 15km southwest of town, easily reached by the convenient EATS bus service (Rs50 plus Rs5 for luggage; 30min) that departs from Pahka Bazaar, just opposite Wimpy. Rickshaws and taxis are more expensive, but slightly quicker. Passengers on domestic flights must check in two hours prior to departure. A simple food counter sells tea,

Flights from regional airports and Ireland

No direct flights to India are available from regional British airports. From Manchester your best bet is to fly with Emirates or Gulf Air to Delhi or Mumbai via Dubai for £420-550, depending on season. You can also pick up KLM flights to India by flying first to Amsterdam; either fly KLM from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff or Manchester (for the same price as from London), or KLM UK from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds/Bradford, Norwich, or Newcastle. Similarly, Air France flies to Paris from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow; in general, both KLM and Air France beat BA by

Arrival, information and local transport in Goa

European charter planes and domestic flights arrive at Goa's Dabolim ait-port, 29km south of Panjim on the outskirts ofVasco da Gama, Goa's second city. Prepaid taxis into town (45min; Rs475), booked at the counter in the forecourt, can be shared by up to four people. Long-distance and local buses pull into Panjim at the towns busy Kadamba bus terminal, lkm east of the centre in the district of Pato.Ten minutes'walk from here, across Ourem Creek to Fontainhas, brings you to several budget hotels. If you plan to stay in the more modern west end of town, flag down a motorcycle taxi

Packages and organized tours

A large number of operators run package holidays to India, covering such activities as trekking and safaris as well as sightseeing and sunbathing. Specialist minority-interest tours range from steam locomotives and war history to religion and food. Even if you book a general sightseeing tour, most firms have a good range of options, usually including the "Golden Triangle" of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur; a tour of Rajasthan; or a southern tour taking in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kochi. Some also offer wildlife tours; the Palace on Wheels train journey; take in Nepal or Bhutan; or have various combinations of all

From Calcutta to Bangladesh

Calcutta is the main gateway to Bangladesh from India; you can reach Bangladesh by air, train or road. The Bangladesh Consulate is at 9 Circus Ave; visas must be obtained in advance. There are at least two flights daily from Calcutta to Dhaka and a return ticket costs around $100. Biman flies daily to Calcutta and twice weekly to Chittagong. Indian Airlines have five flights a week to Dhaka and two to Chittagong. Although there is no direct line from Calcutta into Bangladesh, trains from Sealdah take you as far as Bongaon. From here you can take an auto-rickshaw to Haridaspur, 5km

Dabolim airport in Goa

Dabolim. Goa's airport, lies on top of a rocky plateau, 4km southeast of Vasco da Gama. A large new civilian terminal was recently constructed at this naval aerodrome to accommodate Goa's rapidly increasing air traffic, but long delays are still common - so if you're catching a flight from here, aim to check in well in advance. Facilities in the terminal buildings include State Bank of India foreign exchange desks (open for flights), post office counters, and counters for domestic airlines. There's also a handy prepaid taxi counter outside the main exit. Fixed fares to virtually everywhere in the state

Nightlife in Goa

Catering for an uncomfortable mixture of boozy Indian men from out-of-state and young European charter tourists, Colva's nightlife is less than enticing these days, despite the presence at the south end of the beach of Goa's few surviving "discos". Splash boasts a big MTV satellite screen and music to match, with a late bar and dance floor that livens up around 10pm. Less sophisticated than Mambo's and Tito's in Baga, however, it can be unpleasant for women. In theory, single men ("stags") aren't allowed on the dance floor, but this doesn't stop them trying their luck. If you'd prefer to

As well as the agents listed below, check out the travel supplements of national papers, regional listings magazines and the Evening Standard in London and free giveaways like TNT. Aeroflot 9 020/7355 2233, Some of the cheapest fares around but you will have to change at Moscow for flights to Delhi, which are nearly always full, and Calcutta. Air France S 0845/0845 111, Fly to Pans and change for flights to Delhi and Mumbai. Competitively priced efficiency if you shop around. Air India % 020/8560 9996 or 8745 1000, Nonstop flights to Delhi and Vlumbai and a ieeder network to Chennai,Bangalore and

Villages around Bhuj in Northern Gujarat

Bhuj is a useful base for visiting the outlying villages, whether by bus or taxi. If you go by bus, you will have to do some walking to reach some of the most interesting Kutchi settlements, which lie a few kilometres from the nearest roads. There are regular shared taxis for Mandvi, Mundra and Gandhidham, but for most other Kutchi destinations you will have to charter one. In November 2000 access to the villages of northern Kutch became unrestricted on a trial basis; prior to that, due to the sensitive Pakistani border, you needed a $30 permit. Many trips in this

Practicalities in North Bengal

Bagdogra airport, 12km west of Siliguri and served by flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati, is connected not only with Siliguri itself, but also directly to Darjeeling as well as to Gangtok in Sikkim by helicopter.

Getting there from North America

India is on the other side of the planet from North America. If you live on the East Coast it's somewhat shorter to go via Europe, and from the West Coast it's shorter via the Pacific, but either way it's a long haul, involving one or more intermediate stops, and you'll arrive fresher and less jet-lagged if you can manage to fit in a few days' layover somewhere en route. Most North American travellers arrive at either Delhi or Mumbai (Bombay), India's busiest - and, in general, cheapest - air gateways. Either one makes a good starting/ending point for a tour

Getting there from Australia & New Zealand

There are no nonstop flights to India from either Australia or New Zealand; you have to make at least one change of plane in a Southeast Asian hub city (usually Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Bangkok). The choice of routes and airlines is bewildering, and most agents will offer you a combination of two or more carriers to get the best price. Bear in mind when you're shopping around which city you want to fly into; your point of arrival may well affect your eventual itinerary, and there's no point in saving a few dollars on the cost of an air ticket

Baga in Goa

BAGA. 10km west of Mapusa, is basically an extension of Calangute; not eve the locals agree where one ends and the other begins. Lying in the lee of rocky, wooded headland, the only difference between this far northern end the beach and its more congested centre is that the scenery here is marginal more varied and picturesque. A small river flows into the sea at the top of tl village, below a broad spur of soft white sand, from where a dirt track strife across an expanse of paddy fields towards Anjuna. Until the early 1990s, tew buildings stood at this

Ranchi and around

RANCHI, at the heart of the Chotanagpur plateau, is ugly and poor and it's hard to believe that it was once the summer capital of Bihar, full of tea-gardens. The only reason to come here is to visit one of its ashrams such as the extensive Yogoda Math Ashram. Several major trains - connecting with, among other places, Calcutta. Delhi Patna, Daltonganj, Dhanbad.Jasidih and Jamshedpur - either call at Ranchi station, near the southern end of the Main Road, or terminate at Hatia, 7km away. Indian Airlines has daily flights between Ranchi and Delhi, while there are twice-weekly flights (Tues &

Travel within India in Delhi

Whichever direction you're heading in, there'll be a plane, tram or bus to get you there. Buses leave Delhi extremely frequently, and tourists are usually ensured places on trains in a reserved tourist quota. Flights should be booked as far in advance as possible, but since most routes are covered daily, nobody should have to wait too long.

Alappuzha Practicalities in Kerala

The shambolic KSRTC bus stand, on the east of town, is served by half-hourly buses to Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakukm; less frequent buses run to Kottayam, Thrissur and Palakkad. The boat jetty is just one minute's walk west from the bus stand. As the backwaters prevent trains from continuing south beyond Alappuzha, only a few major daily services and a handful of passenger trains depart from the railway station, 3km southwest of the jetty. Among these are the Bokaro/Tata Express #8690 at 6am, the Trivandrum-Mumbai CST Express #6332 at 7.20am and the-Alleppey-Chennai Express #6042 at 3pm; all three stop at

Getting to the Andaman Islands

Port Blair, on South Andaman, is served by Indian Airlines flights from Calcutta (daily except Wed & Fri) and Chennai (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun); Jet I Airways now runs a daily flight from Chennai, which means that availability is a lot easier than it used to be on that sector. Tickets for the two-hour flights remain expensive though, at around 5200 one way, unless you qualify' for a discount. It's also possible to get to Port Blair by ship. Services to and from Chennai have stabilized and can now be reasonably relied upon to leave in each direction every Friday.

South Goa

One the unattractive port city of Vasco da Gama. and its nearby airport, h southern reaches of the state harbour some of the region's finest beaches. the attractive Portuguese-style villages nestled in a hilly interior. Many visibase themselves initially at Benaulim, 6km west of Goa's second city, Mareao. The most traveller-friendly resort in die area. Benaulim stands slap in rne middle of a spectacular 25-kilometre stretch of pure white sand, backed by broad band of coconut plantations. Although increasingly carved up by Uurnbai time-share companies, low-cost accommodation here is plentiful and of a consistently high standard. Nearby Colva,

By air in Delhi

If you don't already have a ticket for a flight out of India, you'll have little trouble finding one, except between December and March when it may be difficult to get a flight at short notice. While you can buy tickets directly from the airlines, who ail have offices around Connaught Place, it saves time and leg-work co book through an agency (see p.151); reputable agents abound in Paharganj, and there are several on janpath. The cheapest deals are to be had from touts on the street; make sure they're genuine by ringing the airline (see p.148) to check you