7 days in India: itinerary

Seven days is enough for one region only. The Golden Triangle — Delhi, Agra, Jaipur — fits with four stays and no wasted transit days, and it is the right first trip. Anything wider means more hotel changes and most of the week on trains or in cars. If you want Kerala, Mumbai or Varanasi too, take 10 days instead.

Best months for this route are October to March. Book the Delhi–Agra train as soon as your dates are fixed; the fast services on this corridor sell out weeks ahead in peak season. Add one buffer day per week for fog, delays or stomach trouble.

The Golden Triangle is a loop, not a line: Delhi in the middle, Agra about 200 km south, Jaipur about 240 km southwest of Delhi. Run it clockwise (Delhi → Agra → Jaipur → Delhi) and the longest leg comes last, when you have already adjusted to India.

Everything on the loop is reachable by train or hired car. Fly any leg that would take more than a day's travel, and book trains as soon as your dates are fixed.

Day 1 — Delhi. Land, get a SIM and cash, keep the evening light. If you arrive before noon, walk the Lodhi Garden area or Connaught Place; if you land at night, sleep.

Day 2 — Delhi. Old Delhi in the morning: Jama Masjid, the lanes around Chandni Chowk, a rickshaw ride. Afternoon in New Delhi: Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar if you have the energy. The metro connects all of it and avoids the worst traffic.

Day 3 — Delhi. Pick one: the Red Fort and Raj Ghat, or a half-day run to a monument outside the centre. Book tomorrow's train today if you have not already.

Day 4 — Agra. Early train, drop bags, Taj Mahal in the afternoon or at sunrise on day 5 if you prefer. Agra Fort fits the same day. One night is enough here.

Day 5 — Jaipur. Leave Agra early and stop at Fatehpur Sikri on the way; you reach Jaipur by mid-afternoon. Evening at the bazaars or a rooftop dinner.

Day 6 — Jaipur. Amber Fort first thing, then the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal in the old city. This is the busiest day of the trip; start at 8am.

Day 7 — Delhi. Train or drive back, leave bags at the airport hotel, and use the remaining hours for anything you missed. Fly out the next morning rather than risking a same-day connection.

Trains are the default on the Delhi–Agra leg: the Gatimaan and Vande Bharat services cover it in about 1 h 40 m (check) and leave from city stations rather than the airport side. Book on the official Indian Railways portal or an authorised agent; touts at stations sell nothing real.

Agra to Jaipur has no fast train, so most travellers hire a car and break the drive at Fatehpur Sikri — budget about 5 hours including the stop (check). For Jaipur back to Delhi, the train takes roughly 4 h 30 m and the drive about 5 hours (check); take the train if your flight is the next day.

Inside cities, use the metro where it exists (Delhi, Jaipur partly) and app-based cabs elsewhere. Agree the fare or use the meter before you get in; airport prepaid counters are the safe option on arrival.

Delhi: base in Connaught Place or Karol Bagh for metro access and food, or near Aerocity/IGI for the first and last nights. Three nights in one Delhi hotel beats splitting the stay.

Agra: stay within walking distance of the Taj's east or south gate so you can be at the monument at sunrise without a car.

Jaipur: the old city (Hawa Mahal, Bani Park, Civil Lines) puts you near the sights; the newer suburbs are quieter but need a cab for everything.

Keep the hotel count at four: three city stays plus the final airport night. Every extra move costs you half a day of sightseeing on a 7-day trip.

A mid-range week on this route runs about ₹45,000–120,000 per person (roughly US$550–1,400), excluding international flights (2026 estimate, check). That covers 3-star to good 4-star hotels, train and car transfers, monument tickets and two meals a day. Backpacker style with hostels and trains comes in nearer ₹25,000–40,000 (check); heritage hotels in Jaipur push the top end higher.

Monument entry is the variable most people underestimate: foreigners pay a higher rate than Indian nationals at the Taj Mahal and most ASI sites, and it is cash or card at the gate (check). Keep a buffer for tips, autorickshaws and the odd forced upgrade.

Swap Jaipur for Varanasi if you want the Ganges over forts: Delhi 3 → Agra 1 → Varanasi 2, flying back to Delhi (check). It is tighter and the flight is the weak link, but it works if you accept one long travel day.

Swap the whole loop for Kerala if you want a slower week: Kochi 2 → backwaters 2 → Kovalam or Thiruvananthapuram 2 (check). You fly in and out of Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram and barely use trains.

With more time, 10 days adds Varanasi or Udaipur to the same loop, and 14 days turns it into a full Rajasthan run through Jodhpur and Udaipur. Both are better value than squeezing a fourth city into seven days.