So, you’ve decided to visit India as a backpacker and you don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve been in the same place and after visiting it we decided to write this all-in-one travel guide, to take a better look at this topic and plan your Indian adventure!
A premise
India is a vast country. No matter how long you’re staying or how packed your itinerary is: you will not manage to see it all! What’s important, however, is to create an itinerary that meets your goals and can be squeezed in your vacation timeframe. To do so, you need to understand how to efficiently get around, how to visit the different tourist attractions and be fully prepared so you don’t waste time.
Local transportation. Backpacking and use the local transportation network is probably the best way to explore India. You may also consider hiring a private driver or travelling with a group tour, but roaming around this huge country using public transports like the locals do might just be the best, truest – and rawest – type of experience. At the same time, there is a good chance public transport might be cancelled or delayed, with the ones running often beeing overcrowded.
Expect the unexpected. India can be exhausting even for the more seasoned travellers. Deep poverty, nerve-racking burocracy and overcrowding topped by the constant beeping of the thousands of cars and rickshaws make everything more difficult in India, and will possibly exasperate you. Also, get ready to witness anything. Everything is possible in India.
No matter how much you read or watch before travelling to India, you’ll steel be surprised when you get there. However, it’s very important to be prepared. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know before packing your bags and heading to Bharat!
Do you need a Visa?
Yes. You need a visa to visit India. Here are the options available:
– Visa-on-arrival:
Visa-on-Arrival is only available to the citizens of Japan, South Korea & UAE (only for such UAE nationals who had earlier obtained e-Visa or regular/paper visa for India).
– E-visa:
E-visa is the preferrable type of visa for most nationalities. There are 3 types of e-visa: one month, one year and five years.
- One month e-Tourist Visa – Duration: 30 Days. Entries: Double Entry, non-extendable and non-convertible.
- One year e-Tourist Visa – Duration: 365 Days from the date of grant of ETA. Entries: Multiple.
- Five years e-Tourist Visa – Duration: Five years from the date of grant of ETA. Entries: Multiple.
“Continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days for countries except USA and Japan. For USA and Japan continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days.“
As reported on the official website of the Indian Government, the further conditions also apply: “Applicant’s passport should have at least six months validity at the time of making application for grant of e-Visa. International Travellers should have return ticket or onward journey ticket, with sufficient money to spend during his/her stay in India.“
Foreigners of Pakistani origins or having Pakistani Passport are not eligible for e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) was born in, or was permanently resident in Pakistan, are also not eligible for e-Visa. They may apply for regular Visa at Indian Mission.
➼ WHEN TO APPLY FOR E-VISA?
Tourists can apply for the one-month e-tourist visa up to 30 days prior their trip. The application must also be made at least 4 days before the date of arrival.
For the one-year and the five-year visas, visitors can send their applications up to 120 days and at least 4 days before their travel time.
Check out our dedicated guide on how to get an Indian e-Visa!
Local currency
The official currency of India is the Indian rupee. It is often shortened as ₹, INR or RS, and it’s currently valued at $0.012 USD. This means $1 US dollar will be exchanged for ₹82.80 Indian rupee.
The banknotes available are ₹10, ₹20, ₹50, ₹100, ₹200, ₹500 and ₹2000. Coins are also used, and you will find ₹1, ₹2, ₹5, ₹10 and ₹20. This means you have both coins and banknotes for ₹10 and ₹20 INR.
Sometimes, you will see the word lakh when talking about prices of very expensive things. A “lakh” is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand. Therefore, 1 Lakh = ₹100.000 INR = $1.210 USD.
Get an Indian Sim Card
If you plan on staying in India for a while, you may be interested in getting a local sim card. Getting one is easy, and you’ll get to use one of the most convenient phone plans in the entire world.
The 3 biggest network providers in India are Vodafone, Airtel and Jio. Sim cards can be bought at Delhi and Mumbai airport, from a store in the city you visit or even at your accommodation. Many hostels and hotels, in fact, offer this service and it is quite convenient.
The easiest option however is to get your sim card straight at the airport if possible. Here you won’t need to provide extra paperwork or documents as the staff does all the copies for you.
How to travel around India?
To plan your trip, you need to find reliable ways to go from point A to point B. Getting around big, new countries often feel intimidating, and India may top this list.
The most preferrable way to move inside a country highly depends on his history and his culture, and it may differ a lot to what you’re used to. This is what this guide is for. Find out the best ways to backpacking India!
🚂 Travel by train in India
The train is the most used mean of transport in India to move between different cities. Buses are also used, especially to reach places not served by the Indian railway network, but if there is a railway then it’s always worth checking the trains!
Indian trains are efficient, cheap and also easier to understand. However, train tickets should be booked in advance. In fact, there is a high chance of tickets being sold out. Here is an overview of trains in India:
- BOOKING: Train tickets can be booked on the Indian Railway’s official website called IRCTC. Please note that registration is necessary to book tickets, and you need to pay a small fee to register.
- CLASSES: There are many, many train classes in India. 1AC is the best class, followed by 2AC, 3AC. Sleeper (SL) is a more basic and budget class, with Second Seating (2S) are the cheapest option available. More intermediate classes are available, but less common.
- SLEEPING TRAINS: 1AC, 2AC, 3AC and Sleeper are all sleeping trains. This means you will get a bunk bed as a standard option. Comfort and overcrowding depends on the class and on the ride.
An awesome Indian app to monitor your train reservations is IXIGO. This app is surprisingly accurate, it will show you everything from delays to your couch, your booking details and much more.
Check out our dedicated guide on how to travel by train in India!
🚌 Buses in India
Buses are a great alternative to trains. They are cheap, you rarely need reservation and sometimes they are just the only option available. Finding the exact bus stop won’t always be the easiest task, but your host or any tuktuk driver will help you out if you have doubts.
Understanding the “class” or the comfort of your bus ride, however, is not as easy. You need to rely on tips from locals or reviews when available.
- BOOKING: The most commonly used app to search and book buses in India is RedBus. Here you can also find reviews, and the app works very well. However, international cards are often not accepted. In such scenario, you can ask your host to make a reservation for you and just pay him the same amount cash.
🚗 Hire a car with driver in India
Although it’s not the cheapest option, hiring a car with a driver in India appeared to be extremely easy. You often don’t need to book it in advance, even for longer distances. One or two days before departure is enough time to find a good deal.
To compare prices, we recommend downloading Uber and Makemytrip. Both apps show the available options for your ride, with a fair price. Use that to compare the offer from your local host/agency, or book directly on the app.
Prices are higher compared to public transport, but not crazy expensive. For a 4.5h transfer we ended up paying about 4.000 INR ($48 USD), which we split amongst the passengers. The biggest advantage of hiring a driver is that you can stop wherever you want on the way. I.e., we included a visit to the astonishing Ranakpur Temple going from Jodhpur to Udaipur which is kind of a nightmare to do with public transport, and it was highly worth it.
Also, if you happen to get a good driver who also speaks some english the ride will be much more interesting, as he will be able to tell you more about the places you see along the way.
✈️ Internal flights in India
Taking an internal flight might be a great idea. Most international flights only land in major airports like Delhi, Mumbai, and India is huge. In other countries you may think of planning your itinerary as a loop trip, but in India it makes much more sense to only go one-way. One or two internal flights might help you see way more while feeling less exhausted.
Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet are the major airlines that operate local flights over the skies of India. These flights aren’t particularly expensive, usually costing less than $100 USD and often priced at around $50 USD. Use skyscanner to compare flights and find the cheapest deals.
Where to go? Plan your itinerary
Planning an itinerary in India isn’t an easy task, as it’s very subjective and it all depends on how many days you have and on what your interests are. India is the world’s 7th largest country, and its geography is incredibly diverse, with different climates and seasons.
From the impressive peaks of the Himalayas to the sand dunes of the Thar Desert, from the lush forests of the east to the laid-back beaches of Goa, India’s geography is surprisingly rich. The climate changes accordingly, so it’s important to keep that in mind when planning your itinerary and packing your bags.
If you travel to India for the first time there is a high chance you want to visit Rajasthan (with its stunning cities like Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur) and Agra with its Taj Mahal. This is an itinerary that can be squeezed in 2 weeks, even though 3 weeks would be ideal. You can expand this trip by including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bikaner, Pushkar, Orchha and more.
You may also consider visiting the north of India, with its stunning landscapes – much different from the southern ones. Here, expect a breath of fresh air while visiting the Kashmir Valley, Srinagar, Leh, Ladakh, Turtuk and more. The city of Rishikesh is regarded as one of the holiest places for Hindus, and it attracts many yoga enthusiasts from all over the world.
Furthermore, Southern India boosts stunning places like Goa, Kerala, Bangalore, Hampi, Ooty, Munnar, Kochi, Alleppey, and Varkala.
Where to stay: choosing the right accomodation
First, what are the most used booking websites for hotels and hostels in India? Let’s break that down. Here is a list of the most used website to look for accommodations in India:
- BOOKING.COM: Booking.com works well in India, and it’s probably the best website to look for accommodations if you’re planning the trip in advance from your home country.
- HOSTELWORLD: The backpackers app par excellence, hostelworld struggles a little in India. The hostel scene isn’t the best we’ve seen, and some of the existing structures are not even listed on the website. Prices don’t always match with booking, so we wouldn’t recommend it straight away.
- MAKEMYTRIP: This website has great deals for accommodations and transportation, however it doesn’t work in many countries outside of India. Consider using it if you don’t like to plan in advance, as it’s often cheaper than Booking.com.
- AIRBNB: Airbnb is used in India and it has some very cool and unique accommodations here and there. It’s always worth checking if you’re looking for something special.
💰 On a budget:
Homestays are widely popular in India, and this is good news if you travel on a budget. You can often find privates for just a few $ and they’re often fairly good. If you’re lucky, you can even find deals for as low as $1 USD per night.
Hostels are present in India but they are not always budget-friendly: bunk beds are priced at around $6-10 USD per night with privates often ranging between $15-30 USD per night, which is quite a lot in India.
🏨 Hotel rooms:
Hotels in India vary a lot, both in prices, quality, comforts etc. And we mean it! However, something we noticed only after visiting India is that to a higher price isn’t always associated higher quality and better comfort. In fact, maintainance plays a key role here and some fancier hotels/hostels aren’t always as nice as they look in pictures. Keep that in mind when choosing.
The hotel scene as a whole is also very interesting: in cities like Delhi or Jaipur you can find a double room in a 3-star hotel for as low as $10 USD on booking. Many fancier 4-stars resorts offer rooms still below $20 USD, which is insane value for money. At the same time, the most exclusive 5-star resorts can easily reach $500 or even $1000 USD a night, which gives an idea of how crazy the hotel market in the country is.
⛺ Unique experiences:
India offers many incredible and unique places to stay at! Places like Hauz Khas in Delhi are filled with incredible and extravagant accommodations, and this is just an example of the huge amount of beautiful places and experiences you can find.
Cost of living
Life in India is cheap, and you probably already know that. But how cheap?
When travelling the main expenses are accommodations, transportation, food and activities. In India, all of these are quite cheap apart from the latter. Activities, in fact, always have a double pricing for locals and for foreigners. But let’s break it down into details:
ACCOMMODATIONS: As discussed in the previous chapter, accommodations are generally affordable in India. It all depends on the type of structure you want to stay at, but you can easily get deals for $20 USD, $10 USD or even $5 USD a night per a double room.
TRANSPORTATION: Getting around India can also be very cheap. If you choose the Sleeper class on trains you will end up paying just a couple of dollars for a 5-hour train ride. Daily rickshaws are also very affordable, usually costing 1 or 2 USD per ride. Intercity buses usually cost around 400-1200 INR ($5-15 USD) depending on comfort and distances.
On the ther hand, expect to pay more (roughly 5000-6000 INR or $60-72 USD) if you choose to hire a private driver, for a 4-5h ride.
FOOD: Food in India is everywhere and at any time. Street food can be found in every street corner and it typically cost anywhere from 20 INR to 80 INR, which is less than $1 USD. A meal in a local restaurant costs $5 to $10 USD, while you should expect to spend more ($15-25 USD) in fancier places, remote areas or if you drink alcohol. Beers, in fact, usually cost as much as a dish ($3-4 USD per bottle), while vegetarian dishes are generally half the price of non-vegetarian ones.
Bottled water can be found in many little shops on the streets. The most common price is 20 INR ($0.25 USD) per bottle. Water price can be found imprinted on the bottle after “MRP” (Maximum Retail Price), and it can’t be sold for more than that. Cheaper water is usually treated water, while spring water can cost from 60 INR up to 150 INR ($0.75 USD to $2 USD).
ACTIVITIES: Double pricing is common practice in India. Pretty much anything has an Indian price and a foreigner price when it comes to activities. The difference is quite noticeable, with the price for tourist usually being 2 to 5 times (and sometimes even more) the one applied to Indians. This means most entrances and tickets end up costing a lot to tourists, and there is a fee for pretty much anything you want to visit.
Indian Food
Indian food is spicy, rich in flavour and usually relatively cheap. Food is also a huge part of the Indian culture, and you can eat everything you want at any time of the day.
If you’re vegetarian, India is the perfect place! The country has the lowest meat comsumption in the world, with over 25% of the population being vegetarian! Dairy however plays a big role in Indian cousine, which makes it harder to find options for vegans.
When it comes to meat, you will not find beef on any menus since cows are considered as sacred animals in India. Pork is also not something you can easily find in Indian dishes, as it’s only used in states like Goa, Kerala and Karnataka. Instead, chicken and mutton are the most common meats, widely used in Indian cuisine from north to south.
STREET FOOD: Street food is the most affordable option to eat local delicacies. Most street food is deep fried. Some dishes includes Samosa (a triangular deep-fried potato-filled pastry), Poha (flatten rice) which is a popular Indian breakfast, Pani Puri, Dosa, Jalebi, Gulab Jamun and many more.
Masala Chai is one of the most popular drinks, as well as Lassi, Nimbu Masala Soda and many others. At the same time, avoid anything containing water or ice if possible.
TRADITIONAL MEALS: When visiting restaurants you’ll be amazed by the amounts of dishes you’ll see on the menu. Meals also change a lot across different states, but make sure to try Biryani (rice mixed with vegetables or meat), Masala Dosa (a crispy crepe made of rice and lentil batter), Laal Maas (spicy mutton curry), Butter Chicken (flavoured chicken curry), Saag Paneer (green vegetarian curry with paneer cheese), Rogan Josh (a lamb curry), Tandoori Chicken and the famous Indian breads like Naan, Roti and Paratha.
Best time to visit India
Due to its vast size and different morphology, India’s climate varies a lot depending on the region you’re considering. It’s good advice to check out the climate for your specific region before planning your trip.
Overall, India has a dry season and a rainy season. The rainy usually coincides with the period going from May to October. This is also the hottest time of the year, with temperatures reaching 40 – 45°C (104 – 113°F) in some areas.
The dry season generally goes from November to April, when rain is less likely and temperatures are cooler. This is the best time to visit India, but it’s also considered high season. Mornings are cold and you need to dress up accordingly.
Festivals in India
There are tons of festivals around india, celebrated throughout the year. According to our Indian friend Shreya from @cuttiebeats, these are the events you shouldn’t miss as a first timer in India!
‣ Festival of Navratri in Gujarat. That’s a festival of nine nights, where people dress up and perform traditional dance whole night for nine nights. I have been seeing a lot of people from other countries are traveling to Gujarat to enjoy this festival. Navratri is celebrated each year at the end of September.
‣ Holi – festival of colors. This festival is celebrated all over India but Vrindavan is the place. Holi takes place in March.
‣ Diwali – Is Hindu new year. Currently celebrating this festival. One of the main festivals in entire India. I have heard celebrations in varanasi in last few years you don’t wanna miss out on but anywhere in India Diwali can be celebrated. I have seen people are actually hosting guests from other countries, making them part of family so they can learn and participate in all celebrations.
‣ Onam – in Kerala: This is a 10 day celebration, where each day holds much significance. It is a harvest festival, and it’s celebrated in August all over Kerala.
Should you plan India in advance?
Yes and no. Trains, internal flights, safaris and other specific activities or accommodations during events should be booked in advance. For anything else, there is no need to overplan the trip honestly. You can do so if it helps your travels, but you could totally go with the flow and plan your trip last-minute.
Accommodations are widely available, trains can easily be replaced with buses if they are fully booked, and daily activities can be adjusted depending on your schedule.
Safety tips in India
‣ Avoid getting sick
Tap water, ice, water contained in drinks, raw food and anything that could’ve been washed with tap water and not cooked should be avoided. Brush your teeth with bottled or filtered water all the time, and you will probably be fine.
Street food is also border line. We tried everything and we had no problems, but food that has been fried in old oil or food stalls in poor hygienic conditions could possibly cause you some problems.
‣ Don’t be afraid to say no
Most Indians mind their own business, but there’s still plenty of people whose only source of income are tourists. They will try to sell you and offer you anything. Sometimes this can results in some sketchy situations, which is why we recommend to avoid starting any conversations with those people. Say no, keep walking and be clear about your intentions.
‣ Agree to a price before the ride
When taking a rickshaw, bargaining is part of the experience. There won’t be a ride where bargaining isn’t necessary. However, some drivers will tell you not to worry about the price, that you can pay them later, or that you can pay them only if you’re happy with their services. This is another red flag.
Honest drivers will agree to a price and then stick to it. Those who try to trick tourists with these offers most of the times end up asking much more than expected after the ride. Always agree to a price before the ride.
‣ Beware of street monkeys
Monkeys can become quite aggressive when they spot people holding food or when confronted. To avoid any problems, avoid eye contact with them, protect your belongings and hide both food and drinks when monkeys are nearby.
Visiting India as a solo female traveller
Hi backpackers! I’m Ladyz, I’m Colombian and I currently live and work in the Philippines. After experiencing India as a solo female traveller first-hand in 2023, I decided to share with you some of my best tips through Backpackers in the World.
Be prepared to get way too much attention as a foreign woman traveling alone, even more than in other parts of Asia. This can get uncomfortable at times, so, it is important to not feel too self-conscious about it.
It is highly recommended to join a group tour or hire a private guide. In some places, it can be hard to get a service or being paid attention to if you are by yourself as a foreigner woman. This can be more notorious in local places where there are more older men that another demographic group.
Again, don’t be afraid to say no. Local vendors will follow you for blocks to try to sell you anything or tour guides will bring to stores where they “teach” to do different stuff -handicrafts, jewelry- but only to sell you very overprice products. If you are interested in buying something, do a little research first about fare prices so you don’t get scammed.
In general, India can be a safe place for a woman traveling alone, but as everywhere else in the world, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and don’t put yourselves in risky situations. It was very notorious that the local people on the streets are 70% men, and in some places, like small towns, there will be times that you won’t see one single woman outside.
Can you bring a drone to India?
If you like taking photos and you usually carry a drone with you, you may be wondering whether it’s allowed to fly – or even bring – your drone to India or not. We asked the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and here is what they said:
“Refer TM, as per Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) order dated 09th Feb 2022, import of any drones either in completely built up (CBU), completely knocked down(CKD) / semi knocked down (SKD) forms have been banned, with the exception of drones imported for the purposes of defence, security and research and development”. Also, as per The Drone Rules 2021, only Indian Nationals are allowed to operate drones in India.“
Once reading this we decided to not carry a drone on our trip. However, when in India we found out that many people (both Indian nationals and foreigners) have found a way to get around the law.
Apparently, all you need to do is to put your drone in your check-in baggage while you bring the batteries in the carry-on. While we do not recommend doing so, this simple trick actually works.
