India’s Golden Triangle 10-day Itinerary

Start the day exploring New Delhi’s key landmarks such as Connaught Place, India Gate and the Parliament building before heading on to Hauz Khas.

Pause for a bite at The Tea Room From Blossom Kochhar (cafe-style menu) before wandering over to the medieval water tank and its clutch of monuments.

Time and stamina permitting, continue south to the striking Qutb Minar complex (whose fluted minaret you might have spotted while landing at Delhi). Cocktails and dinner – ‘modern Indian’ – at swanky Rooh.

Humayun’s Tomb and the nearby Lodi Gardens make for an easy-going start to a full day before continuing to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum.

Adjourn for lunch (South Indian specialities) at the Ashoka Hotel’s Sagar Ratna before plunging into earthy Old Delhi. A rickshaw ride might take you to the Red Fort and Friday Mosque via Chandni Chowk and the Khari Baoli spice bazaar.

For traditional unfussy Mughlai cuisine, have dinner at the venerable Karim’s Restaurant.

Cross the Yamuna River to the enormous Akshardham Temple complex before heading to the National Museum of India. Pause for lunch at Lazeez Affaire in Chanakyapuri.

For relaxed and varied shopping, several state government emporia around Baba Kharak Singh Marg along with Janpath’s Cottage Industries Emporium offer fixed-price handicrafts.

Enjoy dinner – Northwest Frontier cuisine – at Bukhara Restaurant (in the ITC Maurya Hotel).

If it’s a Thursday, consider an evening of spiritual music with the qawwals, or bards, at Nizamuddin’s tomb-shrine.

An early departure (4-hour drive) should get you to Agra in time for an in-hotel lunch with the afternoon free to visit the Taj Mahal. Time permitting, consider a rowing-boat ride on the nearby Yamuna River for more memorable views.

Head on to Kinari Bazaar by early evening before dinner at Esphahan in the opulent Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel.

Start the day at Agra Fort and possibly a first or second visit to Kinari Bazaar.

Adjourn for lunch at Chaat Gali, a well-known foodie street packed with eateries and stalls serving an array of mainly savoury snacks.

Continue to Fatehpur Sikri where ideally you’ll have the best part of an afternoon exploring the abandoned Mughal capital.

Dinner back in Agra at Deepee, a modest South Indian speciality restaurant.

An early departure should see you in Jaipur by early afternoon (4.5 hours’ drive). Pause midway at Abhaneri village to visit its extraordinary step well.

Grab an alfresco bite from the varied eateries at Masala Chowk before spending the rest of the afternoon visiting Amber Fort just outside the city. The evening Son et Lumière (sound and light) show dramatises the fort’s history.

Dinner at Samode Haveli’s original elegant dining hall – a fine place to sample Rajasthani specialities.

Jaipur’s Palace of Winds and especially the City Palace are two key sights that will comfortably fill a morning. Refuel after with lunch at the nearby Govindam Retreat.

Spend the afternoon shopping for Jaipur’s famed handicrafts at the Johari Bazaar plus surrounding areas – especially for fabric to jewellery.

After an early dinner at Handi, consider an evening of Bollywood-style entertainment at the landmark Raj Mandir cinema just down the road.

With the three frenetic cities, and their top sites, all ticked off, it’s now time to escape to the wilderness for a tiger safari.

It’s a 3.5-hour drive to the Ranthambore National Park – aim to arrive after lunch to settle in and to join a mid-afternoon game drive, before dinner at your lodge.

Full days in Ranthambore typically involve morning (crack of dawn wake-ups) and afternoon game drives with free time either side of lunch to snooze or swim back in the lodge or hotel.

Although all tourist vehicles must exit the park between those drives, it’s sometimes possible for bolder visitors to remain inside – and almost the only reason for this would be to explore the atmospheric hilltop fort.

If heading back to Delhi, the superfast Shatabdi Express train is probably the best, and certainly the fastest, option (5 hours), or it’s an 8-hour drive.

Note – you could arrange your Ranthambore stay between the stops at Agra and Jaipur. This breaks up the cities better, and avoids the long trip back to Delhi. However, you’ll miss the Abhaneri step well stop between Jaipur and Agra.