India itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

India rewards one region at a time. The mistake is Delhi plus Kerala plus Goa in ten days: you spend the trip in airports and remember the traffic. Choose north or south, then add stops inside that region.

Seven days is the Golden Triangle and nothing else. Ten days buys one extra city. Two weeks lets you loop Rajasthan properly. Three weeks lets you add a second region, usually Kerala in the south or Ladakh in summer.

Delhi first, three nights. Old Delhi's lanes and food, Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar, and a half day for the museums. Then the train to Agra: the Gatimaan or Vande Bharat express covers it in about 1.5–2 hours. One night in Agra is enough if you take the Taj Mahal at sunrise and see Agra Fort the same morning.

Agra to Jaipur is about 5 hours by car via Fatehpur Sikri, which is the reason to go by road rather than rail. Two nights in Jaipur covers Amber Fort, the City Palace and the bazaars. Finish with one night near Delhi airport so a delayed train cannot cost you the flight home.

This is a fast trip. If you dislike early starts, cut Jaipur to one night and add a day in Delhi instead.

At ten days, add Varanasi: fly from Jaipur, take three nights for the ghats, a dawn boat and the evening aarti, then fly to Delhi. Udaipur is the quieter swap if you would rather stay in Rajasthan.

At two weeks, run the Rajasthan loop: Delhi 2, Agra 1, Jaipur 3, then Jodhpur for Mehrangarh fort, then Udaipur for the lakes, and fly back to Delhi. Trains link Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur; the Jodhpur–Udaipur stretch is also a reasonable drive. Book the return flight from Udaipur rather than doubling back by rail.

Three weeks is where India opens up. The classic pairing is Rajasthan plus Kerala: nine or ten days in the north, then fly to Kochi for Fort Kochi, the backwaters and the tea hills around Munnar, and fly home from Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram. November to February suits both halves.

In summer, when the plains are too hot, swap the south for Ladakh: fly Delhi to Leh, take six or seven nights for monasteries and high desert, and allow the first day or two to acclimatise. Leh runs June to September.

Do not try to add Goa to a three-week north-plus-south trip. It works on paper and fails in practice.

October to March is the window for Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi and Rajasthan. Kerala is best November to February. Ladakh is June to September only, when the passes are open.

Two things break itineraries. Winter fog in the north delays flights and trains in December and January, which is why the buffer day matters. And the monsoon, roughly June to September, makes hill roads unreliable and turns the plains humid; it is not a reason to cancel, but it is a reason to slow down.

Fly any leg over a day's travel. Indian trains are excellent on the busy corridors and slow elsewhere; a 1,500 km overnight train saves a hotel night but costs you a day of energy. Book trains as soon as your dates are fixed, especially sleeper and chair classes on the Golden Triangle route.

Carry rupees in small notes for autos, chai and tips. Agree the fare or insist on the meter before you get in. Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; agents charge more for the same form.

Add one buffer day per week. Fog, a delayed flight or a bad stomach will use it, and if nothing goes wrong you have a free day in a city you already like.