India will overwhelm you at first. Then it will fascinate you. Then, somewhere between a chai stop at a railway platform and the moment the Taj Mahal comes into full view at dawn, it will get under your skin in a way that makes you start planning the return trip before you've even left.

This 10-day itinerary covers the Golden Triangle — Delhi, Agra, Jaipur — plus Varanasi, the spiritual heart of the subcontinent. It's dense, considered, and designed for first-time visitors who want depth over box-ticking.

The 10-Day India Overview

Day	City	Focus
1–2	Delhi	Old Delhi, Mughal monuments
3	Agra	Taj Mahal, Agra Fort
4	Agra → Jaipur	Fatehpur Sikri stopover
5–6	Jaipur	Amber Fort, city palaces, bazaars
7	Jaipur → Varanasi (fly)	Evening Ganga Aarti
8–9	Varanasi	Dawn boat ride, ghats, temples
10	Fly home from Varanasi or Delhi

Visa and Entry

Most nationalities can apply for an India e-Tourist Visa online at indianvisaonline.gov.in. Processing takes 3–5 business days; apply at least a week before travel.

30-day single entry: ~USD $25
1-year multiple entry: ~USD $40

The e-Visa is valid from the date of issue, not the date of entry — apply close to your departure.

Days 1–2: Delhi

Land at Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and brace for the assault on the senses that is Delhi. The city houses 33 million people, five centuries of layered history, and some of the best street food on the planet.

Old Delhi (Day 1)

Start early in Old Delhi, which operates at human volume from 7 AM but becomes overwhelming by noon.

Jama Masjid — India's largest mosque, built in 1656. Non-Muslims welcome outside prayer times; small camera fee.
Chandni Chowk — Delhi's main bazaar street, 1.5 km of silks, spices, electronics, and noise. Best on foot or cycle rickshaw.
Parathe Wali Gali — the alley of stuffed flatbreads. Try the potato-stuffed paratha with yogurt and pickle (₹50–80/plate, ~USD $0.60–1).
Raj Ghat — Gandhi's memorial, a simple black marble slab. Quiet and moving, especially at sunrise.

New Delhi (Day 2)

Humayun's Tomb — the 1570 Mughal mausoleum that inspired the Taj Mahal's design. Far less crowded and arguably more beautiful. Entry: ₹600 (USD $7).
Qutub Minar — 73-metre minaret built in 1193, UNESCO World Heritage Site. ₹600.
India Gate — the ceremonial boulevard ends at this 42-metre war memorial. Best at dusk.
Lodhi Garden — 90 acres of park with Mughal tombs scattered among trees. Free, excellent for morning runs.

Delhi Costs:

Budget guesthouse: ₹1,500–3,000/night (USD $18–36)
Mid-range hotel: ₹5,000–10,000/night (USD $60–120)
Meal at a good local restaurant: ₹300–600/person (USD $3.60–7)
Metro fare (most trips): ₹30–60 (USD $0.35–0.72)

Day 3: Agra — The Taj at Dawn

The Shatabdi Express from New Delhi station to Agra Cantonment takes 1 hour 40 minutes. Take the 6:00 AM train — this gets you to the Taj Mahal just as the gates open at sunrise.

The Taj Mahal

Entry: ₹1,100 for foreigners (USD $13). Includes Agra Fort.

The north gate opens at 6 AM. Arrive 20 minutes before opening to queue; the south gate queues are longer. Morning light from the west gate bench gives the famous reflection pool shot. By 9 AM tour groups arrive; by 11 AM it's packed.

A few things no guidebook mentions: the Taj is made of Makrana marble from Rajasthan that changes colour throughout the day — white at noon, golden at dusk, almost pink at dawn. Plan to visit twice if you can: once at sunrise, once an hour before the 7 PM closing.

The Taj is closed on Fridays.

Agra Fort

Just 2 km from the Taj, Agra Fort was Akbar's imperial seat. Shah Jahan spent his last years imprisoned here, with a distant view of his wife's tomb. The octagonal Musamman Burj tower, where he supposedly sat watching the Taj through his last years, is genuinely affecting.

Lunch: Pinch of Spice restaurant near Agra Fort is a reliable mid-range option (₹400–700/person).

Stay in Agra overnight. The crowds thin after 5 PM and the riverside ghats near the Taj feel completely different from the day's chaos.

Day 4: Agra → Fatehpur Sikri → Jaipur (5 hrs total)

Fatehpur Sikri is 40 km from Agra on the Jaipur highway — the abandoned Mughal capital built in 1571, occupied for 15 years, then deserted (theories range from water shortage to political shifts). The red sandstone complex is one of India's most hauntingly well-preserved ruins. Budget 2 hours.

Continue to Jaipur (another 230 km, 3.5 hrs). Arrive in time for dinner in the old city.

Transport options, Agra to Jaipur:

Option	Time	Cost
Hired car (with driver)	5 hrs with stops	₹3,500–5,000 (USD $42–60)
Train (Intercity Express)	4 hrs	₹300–600 (USD $3.60–7)
Bus (Volvo AC)	5–6 hrs	₹400 (USD $5)

A hired car with a knowledgeable driver is the best value — it enables the Fatehpur Sikri stop and costs about the same as a train + taxi when split between two people.

Days 5–6: Jaipur — The Pink City

Jaipur was painted terracotta-pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. The colour stuck. It's the most liveable city on this itinerary — organised enough to navigate easily, chaotic enough to be interesting.

Day 5: The Forts

Amber Fort (15 km from city) — the most impressive fort complex in Rajasthan. Giant painted rooms, mirrored Sheesh Mahal hall, and views over the Aravalli hills. Arrive before 9 AM. Entry: ₹550 (USD $6.60). Skip the elephant ride (ethical concerns).
Jal Mahal — the Water Palace in the middle of Man Sagar Lake. Not open to visitors inside, but the exterior view from the road is striking.
Jaigarh Fort (2 km above Amber) — houses the world's largest cannon on wheels, cast in 1720.

Day 6: The City

City Palace — the Maharaja's residence, partly open to public. Extraordinary courtyards and a museum of royal artefacts. ₹700 (USD $8.40).
Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) — the five-story pink screen facade where royal women observed street festivals. The interior is a warren of small chambers. Best photographed from the tea shop across the road. ₹50 (USD $0.60).
Johari Bazaar — the jewellery market. Jaipur is famous for precious stones — emeralds, rubies, and the region's own blue pottery. Budget time and willpower.

Rajasthani food to try in Jaipur:

Dal Baati Churma — slow-cooked lentils with baked wheat balls and crushed sweet bread. Essential.
Laal Maas — fiery red lamb curry cooked with mathania chillis.
Ghewar — disc-shaped sweet soaked in syrup, best in monsoon season.

Restaurant pick: Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar (LMB) on Johari Bazaar — legendary since 1954, excellent thalis for ₹400–600.

Faroway can generate a personalised Jaipur day plan with opening times and entry prices updated for 2025–26 — useful when planning multiple monument visits in a single day.

Day 7: Jaipur → Varanasi (Fly)

Fly from Jaipur (JAI) to Varanasi (VNS) — IndiGo and Air India operate this route, typically with a Delhi connection. Flight time: ~3–4 hrs total. Fares: ₹4,000–9,000 (USD $48–108) booked 2–4 weeks ahead.

Arrive in Varanasi by afternoon. Check in and walk to the ghats before sunset.

Dasaswamedh Ghat at 7 PM: The Ganga Aarti ceremony — priests in saffron robes perform fire rituals with brass lamps, incense, and conch shells as hundreds of devotees watch. It happens every night regardless of weather. One of the most powerful rituals you'll witness anywhere on Earth.

Watch from the ghat steps or hire a rowing boat (₹300–500 for 30 minutes) for a view from the river.

Days 8–9: Varanasi

Varanasi is the oldest continuously inhabited city on Earth — people have been living, dying, and cremating along this stretch of river for over 3,000 years. The city doesn't do tourism in the conventional sense; it does life and death, publicly, at full volume.

Day 8: Dawn on the Ganges

Sunrise boat ride — hire a wooden rowing boat from Dasaswamedh Ghat (₹400–600 for 1 hour). The river at 5:30 AM is extraordinary: dawn puja rituals, devotees bathing, smoke rising from cremation fires. This is not for everyone but it is unforgettable.
Walk the ghats from north to south — 84 named ghats stretch 6 km along the river. Manikarnika and Harishchandra are the cremation ghats; walk respectfully and do not photograph.
Vishwanath Lane — the back alleys behind the ghats smell of incense and cow dung, packed with sadhus, pilgrims, flower sellers, and silk merchants.

Day 9: Sarnath and the Old City

Sarnath — 10 km from Varanasi, this is where the Buddha gave his first sermon. The Dhamek Stupa (3rd century BCE) still stands. The Archaeological Museum has the famous Lion Capital of Ashoka — the emblem on India's national flag. Entry: ₹35 (USD $0.42). Worth the half-day.
BHU (Banaras Hindu University) — one of Asia's largest universities, with a beautiful campus. The Vishwanath Temple inside the campus is cleaner and more accessible than the original.
Assi Ghat in the evening — less crowded than Dasaswamedh, with a smaller but more intimate evening aarti.

Varanasi food:

Kachori sabzi — deep-fried pastry with spiced vegetables, a Varanasi breakfast staple. ₹30–50 at street stalls.
Banarasi paan — betel leaf stuffed with sweet fillings, available everywhere. Try a sweet variety before the tobacco-heavy ones.
Malaiyo — frothy milk dessert served only in winter mornings, made overnight in the cold air.

Day 10: Departure

Fly out of Varanasi (VNS) directly, or return to Delhi (DEL) for international connections. Most international flights route through Delhi, Mumbai (BOM), or Bangalore (BLR).

VNS has good morning departures to Delhi (1.5 hrs, IndiGo/Air India, ₹3,000–6,000).

Train Travel in India — What You Need to Know

Indian Railways is the world's largest employer and fourth-largest rail network. Booking through the IRCTC website (irctc.co.in) is official but requires registration.

Class	Description	Approx fare Delhi–Agra
1A (First AC)	Private 2-berth cabins	₹2,000–2,500
2A (Second AC)	4-berth cabins with curtains	₹1,000–1,500
3A (Third AC)	6-berth open bays	₹600–900
CC (Chair Car)	Reserved airline-style seats, day trains only	₹400–700
SL (Sleeper)	Non-AC open berths	₹200–300

Book 60–120 days ahead for popular routes in peak season (Oct–Mar). The Tatkal quota opens 1 day before departure with a surcharge.

Recommended booking tools: Cleartrip or MakeMyTrip are easier than IRCTC for foreign visitors and accept international cards.

10-Day India Budget Guide

Category	Budget INR	Budget USD	Comfortable USD
Accommodation	₹15,000	$180	$500
Intercity transport	₹8,000	$96	$200
Entry fees	₹6,000	$72	$72
Food	₹8,000	$96	$180
Local transport	₹3,000	$36	$80
Total	₹40,000	~$480	~$1,030

Excludes international flights and visa.

Cultural Etiquette Essentials

At religious sites:

Remove shoes before entering temples, mosques, and shrines. Pack slip-on shoes.
Dress conservatively — shoulders and knees covered. Carry a light scarf.
Never enter the inner sanctum at active temples without being invited.

In daily life:

The head wobble (tilt side to side) means yes, agreement, or "understood."
Bargaining is expected at markets and with auto-rickshaws; not in restaurants.
Always use your right hand for eating and passing items.

Photography:

Always ask before photographing people.
Never photograph cremation ghats or military installations.

Planning India with Faroway

Ten days in India involves a lot of coordination — trains, flights, driver bookings, monument opening times, and routes that change based on what gets booked first. Faroway is an AI trip planner that builds personalised India itineraries accounting for all these logistics: it suggests booking order, estimates travel times honestly, and flags when certain attractions might conflict in timing.

The Golden Triangle has hundreds of possible itinerary permutations. Let the AI do the optimisation work so you can focus on being present in one of the world's most extraordinary countries.

Key Bookings to Make Before You Go

India e-Tourist Visa — apply at least 7–10 days before departure
Delhi–Agra Shatabdi train — books out fast in Oct–Feb; book 30+ days ahead
Jaipur hotel — prices spike during Diwali (Oct/Nov) and Holi (Mar)
Varanasi accommodation near the ghats — limited quality options; book early
Jaipur to Varanasi flight — book 2–4 weeks ahead for reasonable fares

India moves fast. The itinerary above is a framework — expect delays, spontaneous detours, and conversations with strangers that become the best part of the trip.

10 Days in India Itinerary: The Golden Triangle and Rajasthan