India Travel

Leaving India in Mumbai

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Downtown Mumbai

Aldous Huxley famously described Mumbai as "one of the most appalling cities of either hemisphere", with its "lavatory bricks and Gothic spires". The critic Robert Byron, although a wholehearted fan of New Delhi, was equally unenthusiastic, feeling moved to refer to downtown Mumbai in 1931 as "that architectural Sodom", claiming that "the nineteenth century devised nothing lower than the municipal buildings of British India. Their ugliness is positive, daemonic." Today, however, the massive erections of Empire and Indian free enterprise appear not so much ugly, as intriguing.

Charter flights

Various package specialists (see overleaf) operate winter (Oct-May) charters to Goa and Kerala. Leaving from Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle, these are usually for stays of two weeks (though 1-6 weeks are also possible) and often work out cheaper than a standard scheduled deal to Mumbai. Your fare must include some form of accommodation, which you can occupy on arrival and then ditch when you're ready to move on. Charter tickets are generally sold through high-street travel agents, and are also advertised in the travel pages of newspapers. Limerick and Waterford.

Leaving India in Delhi

Most travellers leave India by plane, while the most likely overland destination from Delhi is Pakistan, and it's not uncommon to head straight for Nepal. Anyone travelling to a country that requires a visa should get the necessary documentation from the embassy concerned. Before going to the embassy, call to check opening hours, how many photos you'll need, and the likely waiting period.

Moving on from Rajkot in Gujarat

Of Rajkot's two train services to Mumbai, by far the better is the Saurashtra Mail #9006, leaving late afternoon and arriving 8.10am the next morning. There are also three expresses and several passenger trains to Jamnagar (2-3hr) and Porbandar (4hr 30min-6hr), two expresses and three fast passenger trains to Dwarka (5hr 30min-7hr) and Okha (6hr 30min-8hr), an overnight fast passenger train to Bhavnagar (8hr 30min}, and four trains a day (one fast) to Junagadh (3hr 15min-4hr) and Veraval (5hr 15min-6hr). For those in a hurry to get to south India, there are weekly trains to each of Secunderabad,

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

Moving on from Mumbai

Most visitors feel like getting out of Mumbai as soon as they can. Fortunately, Mumbai is equipped with "super-fast" services to arrange or confirm onward travel. All the major international and domestic airlines have offices in the city, the railway networks operate special tourist counters in the main reservation halls, and dozens of travel agents and road transport companies are eager to help you on your way by bus.

Moving on from Kota East of Udaipur in Rajasthan

Kota is well connected by bus to destinations in Rajasthan and across the state border to Bhopal and Indore. Services to Bundi leave more or less every half an hour, taking around one hour. Travellers heading northeast towards Agra often pass through Kota to pick up the main broad-gauge line, which is also the most straightforward approach to Sawai Madhopur, jumping-off place for Ranthambore National Park. The recommended service here is the Paschim Express #2955, which leaves at 8.50am and arrives one-and-a-half hours later. There are also six daily trains to Delhi (most of them via Jaipur and Bharatpur). The easiest

Arrival and information of Mumbai

Unless you arrive in Mumbai by train at Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), be prepared for a long slog into the centre. The international and domestic airports are north of the city, way off the map, and ninety minutes or more by road from the main hotel areas, while from Mumbai Central train or bus station, you face a laborious trip across town. Finding a place to stay can be even more of a hassle; phone around before you set off into the traffic.

From the West Coast

From the West Coast, it takes about as long to fly east or west - a minimum of 22 hours' total travel time - and if you're booking through a consolidator there may not be much difference in price. Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Northwest, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines are the main carriers flying over the Pacific to India, via their respective hubs. Air India doesn't do the trans-Pacific route, but can book passengers on Northwest to any of several Asian capitals and then fly them the rest of the way. From Los Angeles or San Francisco, you're looking at a

Information of Mumbai

The best source of information in Mumbai is the excellent Government of India tourist office (Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm. Sat 8.30am-2pm; 022/203 3144) at 123 M Karve Rd, opposite Churchgate station's east exit. The staff here are exceptionally helpful and hand out a wide range of leaflets, maps and brochures both on Mumbai and the rest of the country. There are also 24hr tourist information counters at Sahar International (022/832 5331) and Santa Cruz (022/615 9320) airports. Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (MTDC) main office, on Madam Cama Road (Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm; 022/202 6731), opposite the LIC Building in Nariman Point, sells tickets

North of Cuttack in Orissa

As you head north from Cuttack and the Mahanandi, the profile of the Eastern Ghats recedes temporarily into the haze on the horizon leaving a flat expanse of paddy fields, palm trees and mud-walled villages. This area was particularly affected by the cyclone, leaving houses and livelihoods destroyed. The main railway line and NH5 twisting alongside it follow the path of the famous pilgrim trail, the Jagannath Sadak that once led from Calcutta to Puri. Until the end of the nineteenth century this now hectic route was no more than a mud track. Then, following the 1865 famine that wiped

Eating in Mumbai

In keeping with its cosmopolitan credentials, Mumbai (and Colaba above all) is crammed with interesting eating places, whether you fancy splashing out on a buffet lunch-with-a-view from a flashy five-star revolving restaurant, or simply tucking into piping-hot roti kebab by gaslight in the street.

Lonavala in Southern Maharashtra

Just thirty years ago, the town of LONAVALA, 100km southeast of Mumbai and 62km northwest of Pune, was a quiet retreat in the Sahyadri hills. Since then, the place has mushroomed to cope with hordes of holiday-makers and second-home owners from the state capital, and is now only of interest as a base for the magnificent Buddhist caves of Karle. Bhaja and Bedsa, some of which date from the Satavahana period (second century BC). Frequent buses arrive at Lonavala's central bus stand, just off the Mumbai-Pune Road (NH-4), but the tram is infinitely preferable. Lonavala is on the main railway

North America From Canada

The only direct flight from Canada to India is Vancouver-Delhi on Air Canada (via London, and taking under 20hr). All other routeings involve a plane change and more layover time. Air Canada flies during shoulder and high season from all major Canadian cities to London, where passengers can join the Vancouver-Delhi flight; the rest of the year they fly through Zurich. Other airlines offering services to India, via their capitals, include British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, KLM and Aeroflot. This list doesn't convey the full range of possibilities, however. A discount agent will probably break the journey into two using

Travel within India in Mumbai

Mumbai is the nexus of several major internal flight routes, train networks and highways, and is the main transport hub for traffic heading towards south India. The most travelled trails lead north up the Gujarati coast to Rajasthan and Delhi; northwest into the Deccan via Aurangabad and the caves at Ellora and Ajanta; and south, through Pune and the hills of the Western Ghats towards Goa and the Malabar coast. Public transport is cheap and frequent, but book in advance and be prepared for delays. By plane Indian Airlines and other domestic carriers fly out of Santa Cruz :o destinations all over

Traveling from Goa To Mumbai

If you're heading north to Mumbai, the quickest and easiest way is by plane. Between three and six planes leave Goa's Daboiim airport daily. One-way fares for the forty-minute flight range from $53 with Indian Airlines, or $83 with Sahara, to $93 ($72 for under 30s) with swisher Jet. In addition, Air India operate an Airbus service to Mumbai on Mondays and Thursdays. Few people seem to know about this flight, so you can nearly always get a seat on it; the one drawback is that you have to check in three hours before departure as Air India is an

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

From eastern and central USA

Flying east, you'll stop over somewhere in Europe (most often London), the Gulf, or both. Figure on at least eighteen hours' total travel time from the East Coast. Air India and PIA discount their tickets heavily through a few specialist, understaffed New York consolidators. Marked-down tickets on European carriers - notably British Airways, Air France, KLM/Northwest and Lufthansa - are frequently sold by other discount agents. Other airlines flying between the eastern US and India include KLM/Northwest, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Aeroflot, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and Egypt Air. Or you can simply hop on any of the dozens of

The City in Mumbai

Between the airports to the north and the southern tip of Mumbai lies a thirty-kilometre, seething mass of streets, suburbs and relentless traffic. Even during the relatively cool winter months, exploring it can be hard work, requiring plenty of pit stops at cold-drink stalls along the way. The best place to start is down at the far south end of the peninsula in Colaba, home to most of the hotels, restaurants and best-known sights, including the Gateway of India. Fifteen minutes' walk north takes you past the Prince of Wales Museum to the Fort area, home of all the banks

Elephanta in Mumbai

An hour's boat ride from Colaba, the tranquil, forested island of ELEPHANTA is one of the most atmospheric places in Mumbai. Populated only by a small fishing community, it makes a wonderful contrast to the seething claustrophobia of the city, even when crowded with day-trippers at weekends. Originally known as Gharapuri, the "city of Ghara priests", the island was renamed in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese in honour of the carved elephant they found at the port. Its chief attraction is its unique cave temple, whose massive Trimurti (three-faced) Shiva sculpture is as fine an example of Hindu architecture