India

Too much country for one trip — pick Rajasthan or Kerala and go slowly. On the metro, the first carriage is reserved for women, which tells you something useful straight away.

Where to stay

Samode Haveli

Jaipur · old city · Heritage Hotels of India

A family haveli in the old city, with a courtyard pool and painted rooms.

See if your Jaipur dates are free

  • A historic haveli in Jaipur's old city and a member of Heritage Hotels of India, with an outdoor pool set among garden terraces and a spa doing Ayurvedic treatments. The restaurant serves regional Rajasthani cooking and breakfast is included. Staff arrange old city walks and trips out to the Jhalana Leopard Reserve, which is a genuinely good way to see the city with someone who knows it.

    • Historic haveli in Jaipur's old city

    • Member of Heritage Hotels of India

    • Outdoor pool and garden terraces

    • Spa with Ayurvedic treatments, breakfast included

    • Old city walks and Jhalana Leopard Reserve trips arranged

Taj Lake Palace

Udaipur · on Lake Pichola · reached by boat

A white marble palace on an island, reached only by boat.

See if your Udaipur dates are free

  • Eighty-three individually furnished rooms in a white marble palace built in Mughal and Rajasthani styles, sitting on its own island in Lake Pichola. You arrive by private boat from the City Palace jetty, and that is the bit people remember for the rest of their lives. Frescoes, mirror work and stained glass throughout, an outdoor pool with hot and cold jacuzzis, a spa, three restaurants and yoga. It's priced exactly as you'd expect.

    • 83 rooms in a white marble island palace

    • Arrival by private boat from the City Palace jetty

    • Frescoes, mirror work and stained glass throughout

    • Outdoor pool with hot and cold jacuzzis

    • Spa, three restaurants and yoga classes

The Malabar House

Kerala · Fort Kochi · Relais & Châteaux

A Relais & Châteaux boutique in Fort Kochi, for far less than that usually means.

See if your Kerala dates are free

  • Fort Kochi's heritage boutique hotel, a member of both Relais & Châteaux and Heritage Hotels of India. There's an outdoor pool with lifeguards, a courtyard with a reflecting pool, Ayurvedic spa treatments and the Malabar Junction restaurant. Fort Kochi itself is walkable, quiet and layered with Portuguese, Dutch and Jewish history — a very different India from Rajasthan, and a gentle place to begin if it's your first trip.

    • Fort Kochi heritage boutique hotel

    • Relais & Châteaux and Heritage Hotels of India

    • Outdoor pool and courtyard with a reflecting pool

    • Ayurvedic spa treatments

    • Malabar Junction restaurant, bar and garden terrace

8 Bucket List things to do in India

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    • India has 45 UNESCO World Heritage sites — 37 cultural, seven natural and one mixed.

      There are 22 official scheduled languages, and hundreds more spoken.

      India is the most populous country in the world.

      The first coach of every Delhi Metro train is reserved for women on almost every line, and many long-distance trains have ladies' compartments too.

      Distances are enormous. A domestic flight often costs less than a long train and saves you a day.

  • Best time — October to March across most of the country. Rajasthan is at its best from November to February, and Kerala runs a similar season. Avoid the north from April to June, when temperatures regularly pass 45°C, and the monsoon from roughly June to September.

    Getting around — Domestic flights are cheap and frequent. Trains are wonderful but book out weeks ahead — use IRCTC or a reputable agent. In cities, use Uber or Ola rather than flagging down an auto, so the fare is fixed and the route is tracked.

  • India rewards solo travellers enormously and asks more of them than most countries. The things that make a real difference: use the women's carriage on metros and the ladies' compartment on trains; book app-based cabs so the route is tracked and shareable; dress modestly outside the big cities, with shoulders and knees covered and a scarf for temples; and arrange your arrival transfer in advance, so your first hour in an unfamiliar city is already handled. Staying in one region rather than criss-crossing the country makes every one of these easier.

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