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Experience
Alleppey (Backwaters), Kerala
Rice grown a metre or two below sea level behind earth bunds, one of very few places in the world where that is done. You see it from the boat: the fields sit lower than the water you are on.
Market
Hyderabad (Charminar & Golconda), Telangana
The historic old city bazaar alley flanking the Charminar, world-famed for authentic hand-crafted stone lacquer bangles and local pearls.
Attraction
Wilson Hills, Gujarat
At Dharampur, the taluka at the base of the hill, with a large collection of international toys, industrial models, rare tribal musical instruments and local royal artefacts.
Viewpoint
Udaipur, Rajasthan
Artificial, dammed in 1362 and named after the village of Picholi — one of a chain of lakes built around Udaipur to hold drinking and irrigation water, not for the view they are now famous for. Four islands sit in it, among them Jag Niwas, which carries the Lake Palace, and Jag Mandir. Boats leave from inside the City Palace and the sunset run is the one people book. In bad drought years this lake has emptied completely, so check the water level before you plan a trip around it.
Mussoorie, Uttarakhand
The highest point in Mussoorie, up in Landour, five kilometres from the Mall. A telescope on a platform, and on a clear morning a line of peaks. Afternoon haze usually closes it down.
Bengaluru (Bangalore), Karnataka
A historic 240-acre garden with a glasshouse and rare trees.
Statue of Unity, Gujarat
An evening projection show on the statue narrating Patel's life.
Vadodara, Gujarat
Commissioned in 1878 by Sayajirao Gaekwad III and finished in 1890 to designs by the British architects Charles Mant and Robert Chisholm, named for Sayajirao's first wife Lakshmibai. The grounds run to more than five hundred acres, which makes it the largest private residence in the world, and it is still the home of the Gaekwad family. The style is Indo-Saracenic: Indo-Islamic massing with Renaissance detail. It cost six million rupees, and had indoor lifts and its own telephone exchange when it opened. Part of it is open to visitors; the rest is a house.
Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
Reached by a straight paved path from Ram Raja, and the reason to walk it is the wall paintings inside — Bundela murals in good condition, including scenes of the 1857 fighting and the Jhansi campaign. Usually empty. Ask the caretaker to open the upper chambers.
Kovalam Beach, Kerala
The main crescent beach crowned by a red-and-white lighthouse.
Munnar, Kerala
A historic operational tea estate where visitors can view traditional processing methods and buy premium orthodox leaves.
Matheran, Maharashtra
Looks straight across at Prabal fort, with a seasonal waterfall on the far wall through the monsoon. A red laterite walk out from the market, and like everything in Matheran it has to be reached on foot or on horseback.
Gangtok, Sikkim
The immaculate, vehicle-free public square walkway lined with international multi-cuisine restaurants, local handicraft emporiums, and cafes.
Taj Mahal (Agra), Uttar Pradesh
The high-ceilinged marble chamber housing the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, enclosed by a finely carved lattice screen.
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
No vehicles allowed, which is why Shimla still works as a walking town. The Gaiety Theatre from 1887 is still in use, and Scandal Point at the far end is where the Mall meets the Ridge.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
A jewellery bazaar by day and a famous street-food hub by night.
A historic marble dome structure built on the edge of a deep cliff, serving as the prime location for watching sunrises and panoramic valley horizons.
Marina Beach (Chennai), Tamil Nadu
The long seafront walk lined with statues and food stalls.
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Three and a half kilometres of seafront reclaimed in the 1920s, with a row of Art Deco flats behind it that is UNESCO-listed. Walk it after six, when the rest of the city is doing the same. The concrete blocks on the sea side are tetrapods, and people sit on them despite the risk.
Kochi (Fort Kochi), Kerala
A historic palace built by the Portuguese and renovated by the Dutch, housing rare multi-century old murals detailing the Ramayana.
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Founded around 1459 by Rao Jodha of the Rathore clan, though most of what stands is seventeenth-century work by his successors — a hundred and twenty metres above the city, spread across twelve hundred acres. Seven gates lead in: Jai Pol was built by Man Singh to mark victories over Jaipur and Bikaner in 1806, Fattehpol commemorates Ajit Singh's victory over the Mughals. Inside are palace courtyards, the Chamunda Mataji temple and a museum of the Jodhpur royal collection. Kipling called it a palace built by titans; what it actually gives you is the clearest view there is of the blue houses below.
Agra, Uttar Pradesh
A Mughal garden across the river from the Taj, laid out as the fourth side of its plan and buried in silt for centuries before being dug out. Worth an hour on its own, not just as a viewpoint.
The far bank of the Yamuna, directly on the Taj's axis, and where the sunset photograph is taken from. The river between is often a trickle rather than the mirror in the pictures. Separate small ticket.
Mehsana, Gujarat
An eleventh-century temple to Surya on the bank of the Pushpavati, built under Bhima I and Karna I of the Chaulukya dynasty. It has not been used for worship for a very long time and is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, which is why you can walk through all of it. Three parts: the shrine hall, the assembly hall in front of it, and the kunda — a stepped tank with small shrines set into every tier, running down to the water. The carving on the exteriors and pillars is the reason to come, and the tank is the reason to come early.
