Book trains early and travel a class up
Sleeper class is an experience. 3A or 2A is how you still like trains at the end of the week. Tatkal quotas open the day before; everything else should be booked as soon as your dates exist.
Guia de viagemÚltima atualização August 19, 2026
India Travel Guide: Essentials, Local Tips & Mobile Data
Delhi to Kerala and the palaces in between: money, trains, when to go, traveler tips, and the easiest mobile data via eSIM.
India does not ease you in. Delhi's air, a railway platform at dawn, a thali that arrives like a festival, and a street that is a market, a temple and a traffic jam at once — that is the opening scene. Then it gets you. The color, the kindness, the food, the sheer life of it.
It is not one country in practice. Rajasthan is palaces and desert light. Kerala is backwaters and coconut. Himachal is hills and apples. Goa is a beach with a Portuguese accent. Pick a region, not a greatest-hits tour of a subcontinent.
Trains are the romance and the logistics. Book on IRCTC or a trusted agency, travel in a class you will actually sleep in, and fly the brutal hops. Eat everywhere: street chaat in the right stall, a railway breakfast, a Kerala fish curry, a Tibetan momo in a hill town.
India rewards travelers who stay curious and keep their sense of humor. It will not be smooth. It will be better than smooth.
Essenciais
Essenciais de viagem em India
- Moeda
- Indian Rupee (INR). UPI (Google Pay / PhonePe) is everywhere if it works with your setup; cards at hotels; cash for the rest. ATMs are common in cities.
- Línguas
- Hindi, English and a couple of dozen others. English works in tourism, rail and most cities. A few words of the local language are a gift.
- Tipo de ficha
- Type C / D / M, 230V. Bring a universal adapter.
- Número de emergência
- 112
- Melhor época para visitar
- October to March for most of the country. Hill stations in summer; monsoon is a mood, not a write-off, in the south and the northeast.
- Gorjetas
- 10% in restaurants if service is not included; small notes for drivers, porters and the person who just made your day easier.
- Fuso horário
- IST (UTC+5:30) nationwide.
- Água da torneira
- Do not drink it. Bottled or filtered only. Be thoughtful about ice and raw salads until your stomach votes.
- Como circular
- IRCTC for trains, IndiGo and others for flights, Uber and Ola in cities. Auto-rickshaws are a way of life — meter or a firm agreed price.
- Internet e cobertura
- Excellent cheap 4G in cities and towns; weaker in the high Himalaya and some rural stretches. A data eSIM avoids the e-KYC dance of a local SIM.
Dicas de viajantes
Dicas de outros viajantes
Conselhos reais de pessoas que estiveram em India, selecionados pela nossa equipa com ligações às fontes originais.
Street food is mandatory — choose the busy stall
High turnover, food cooked in front of you, a crowd of locals. That stall is safer and better than the empty one with a laminated menu. Carry oral rehydration salts anyway. India and first-time stomachs are an old story.
The Golden Triangle is a starter, not the meal
Delhi–Agra–Jaipur is easy and crowded for a reason. If you have two weeks, add a quieter Rajasthan town, Varanasi, or fly south. The India people fall in love with is usually the third place, not the first monument.
Dress for temples and for heat
Cover shoulders and knees at religious sites, take the shoes off, and carry a scarf. In the street, light cotton beats clever fashion. You will be stared at a little either way. Confidence and kindness are the dress code that matters.
Say no to the extra tour at the monument gate
Official tickets, official guides if you want one. The person who found you in the parking lot has a cousin with a shop. You already knew that. Walk to the ticket window.
FAQ
Perguntas de viagem sobre India, respondidas
Why is a local Indian SIM annoying for tourists?
Prepaid SIMs need in-person identity verification (e-KYC) with your passport, and activation is not always instant. A travel eSIM is bought and installed before you fly, with no shop visit and no afternoon in a plastic chair.
Does my phone support eSIM in India?
Unlocked iPhone XS and newer, Pixel 3 and newer, and Galaxy S20 and newer all support eSIM. India's 4G is fast in cities and works well with modern phones.
How much data do I need for two weeks in India?
Maps, Uber, translation and a lot of photos: 2 GB a day is a comfortable budget, so 20–30 GB for two weeks. Unlimited is cheap enough to stop thinking about it.
Is there mobile coverage on trains and in the hills?
Cities and the main rail corridors are good. Long train stretches and the high Himalaya drop in and out. Download offline maps and tickets before a mountain or overnight leg.
Do Uber and Ola work with a foreign number?
Yes — verify with your home number, then the apps run on data. That is exactly why a data eSIM covers the first airport ride and every auto after it.
Planos eSIM
Mantenha-se ligado em India
Indian prepaid SIMs require in-person e-KYC with your passport and can take hours. An eSIM skips the shop, the forms and the 'come back in the afternoon.' You land in Delhi or Mumbai and Uber is already a tap.
Translation, IRCTC messages and Google Maps in a city that does not believe in street numbers: this is a data country. Get more than you think. It is still cheap.
