Calcutta To Agra To New Delhi And Finally Back To Calcutta

[btalivny]

I am planning on the route listed in the title. How long do you think is reasonable to stay in India to complete a decent exploration of the three great cities? Also what percentage of the total time should I invest in the different cities? Some of my friends have said a week should be enough but I am not sure.

Best Regards,
Btalivny

 

[nomad]

Have you been on a long trip away from home before? Even when it's an exciting journey it takes a bit of getting used to. If you haven't been away for long periods before I would recommend maybe one week in each location, so three weeks roughly in total. Just because that is almost a month and it isn't too much of a commitment. I found the first long trip I took away from home quite daunting personally! I had a great time but it was a bit of a crash course.

If you're really interested in exploring in depth then a least two weeks in each would be ideal. That way you allow for some locations to be closed for a few days (as can happen sometimes) without needing to rearrange your schedule too much.

Are you thinking of travelling to some areas outside of the cities, or staying within them?

 

[btalivny]

Yes! I have been on many long trips. In fact I have been to India around six times. They were strictly for business purposes however and I have not been able to do any actual sightseeing. The country has really grown on me every time I do end up visiting and I have always wanted to go just as a tourist and not as a business associate. I will take note of your two week time period, it seems very reasonable and doable. I plan on staying in the cities for a majority of the trip, detouring only if I find something interesting around the cities while researching.

 

[nomad]

Fantastic! You'll have an especially great trip then as you'll be familiar with your destination, as well as the whole travel experience. I've had a few overseas trips for work and I'm always hopeful that I'll be able to fit in some sightseeing at the same time. It is really difficult though as you end up exhausted!

That sounds like a good plan. Some of the detours to smaller locales can be quite long journeys so they are not ideal if you have a limited amount of time. If you travel away somewhere by train it is a great way to see some of the country outside of the cities during the trip, but you do lose a lot of exploring time.