Our wonderful holiday to India started when we first contacted Vijay at Times India Travels. Our friends had inspired us to think about venturing to India and had suggested the possibility of hiring a car and driver to get about. We found Times India Travels on Trip Advisor through Google and were immediately impressed with the amount of quality customer reviews, which were clearly real experiences by travellers like ourselves. This gave us the confidence to use Vijay’s service and from the moment we first contacted him last April, the service has been professional and reliable. Everything worked out exactly as planned and we would not have a moment’s hesitation in recommending Times India Travels to others. In fact, we loved our journey through Delhi and Rajasthan so much, we are already talking to Vijay about a potential trip to Kerala next year.
Early on, after booking our flights, we decided to simply book a car and driver with Times India Travels for the duration of our holiday – from collection at Delhi airport to the end of our holiday. We elected to take care of selecting our own hotels through Booking.com. During our holiday we were given helpful suggestions about when a local guide would be invaluable/necessary and the rest of the time we were happy to look after ourselves. It has to be said that in addition to the excellent arrangements by Vijay, our holiday was made special by our driver, Mahendra. Although his command of English was a little limited (but adequate), his driving skills were exceptional. He took very good care of us throughout our 16-day adventure and we always felt in safe hands. He was attentive, caring and above all, made us feel special. The car was very clean and comfortable and water and sweets were provided every day
For the benefit of others who may be interested in doing a similar trip, here is our complete travel itinerary. Inevitably, there were things we could have done differently or places we might have visited, but we felt we captured the essence of Delhi and Rajasthan.
Day 1 – Delhi
Red Fort
Jama Masjit
Chandni Chowk
Day 2 – Delhi
Raj Ghat
Raj Path
Rashtrapati Bhavan
India Gate
Isa Khan’s Tomb
Bara Gumbad
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sheik Temple
Humayun’s Tomb
Chandi Chowk by Tuk Tuk
Day 3 – Delhi
Qutab Minar
Dilli Haat
Local temple
Lodi Gardens
Day 4 – Journey from Delhi to Agra
Mehtab Bagh in the evening
Day 5 – Agra
Taj Mahal
Agra Fort
Baby Taj
Day 6 – Journey from Agra to Jaipur
Abhaneri (Stepwell) & Fatehpur Sikri Temple
Day 7 – Jaipur
Panna Meena Ka Kund (Stepwell)
Amber Palace
City Palace
Jantar Mantar
Hawar Mahal Palace of the Winds (Outside)
Day 8 – Jaipur
Nahargarh Fort
Jaigar Fort
Galta Ji Temple
Birla Mandir Temple
Day 9 – Journey from Jaipur to Jodpur
Day 10 – Jodpur
Mehrangarh Fort
Jaswant Thada
Umaid Bawan
Sirdar Market
Clocktower
Toorji Ka Jhlra (Stepwell)
Day 11 – Jodpur
Mandore Gardens
Visit to Bishnoi village house
Day 12 – Journey from Jodpur to Udaipur
Ranakpur Jain Temple
Day 13 – Udaipur
Jagdish Hindu Temple
City Palace
Sheliyan Ki Bari Gardens
Day 14 – Monsoon Palace
Day15 – Journey from Udaipur to Pushkar
Sas Bahu Temple Girwa
Day 15 – Journey from Pushkar to Mandawa
Day 16 – Journey from Mandawa to Delhi Airport
What a wonderful holiday we had and our grateful thanks go to Vijay and Mahendra for making everything so special.