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.
Travel guideLast updated August 16, 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.
Essentials
India Travel Essentials
- Currency
- 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.
- Languages
- 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.
- Plug Type
- Type C / D / M, 230V. Bring a universal adapter.
- Emergency Number
- 112
- Best Time to Visit
- 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.
- Tipping
- 10% in restaurants if service is not included; small notes for drivers, porters and the person who just made your day easier.
- Timezone
- IST (UTC+5:30) nationwide.
- Tap Water
- Do not drink it. Bottled or filtered only. Be thoughtful about ice and raw salads until your stomach votes.
- Getting Around
- 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 & Coverage
- 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.
Traveler tips
Tips from fellow travelers
Real advice from people who have been to India, curated by our team with links to the original sources.
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
India travel questions, answered
eSIM plans
Stay connected in 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.
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