Things to do in India
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FEATURED
Highlights of India
14 days (Delhi to Kochi)
by G Adventures
North India or South? Do both! This 2-week tour combines the riot of Rajasthan’s colours with the calming greens of Kerala. You'll have time to immerse yourself…Not LP reviewed
from USD$2,599 - All things to do
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Canton Restaurant
The AC dining room of Hotel Surya’s excellent restaurant has a colonial elegance, and on warm evenings you can eat out in the garden. The menu is probably a bit ambitious – there are Indian, Chinese, continental, Korean and even Mexican dishes – but the food is good, with some unusual offerings, such as fish Portuguese.
reviewed
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United Coffee House
Oozing old-world charm, this classic 1940s restaurant – all chandeliers and flock – is a splendid spot to slow the pace. Popular with travellers and Delhi denizens alike, it has a long menu covering everything from pizza to paneer (cottage cheese). Try the butter chicken. It’s great for an afternoon drink too.
reviewed
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Bade Miya
As Mumbai as traffic jams, this street-stall-on-steroids buzzes nightly with punters from all walks of Mumbai life lining up for spicy, fresh grilled treats. Grab a chicken tikka roll to go, or sample the boti kebab (lamb kebab) or paneer masala (unfermented-cheese and tomato curry) on the footpath.
reviewed
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Sidewalk Café
A cross between an American diner and an Italian cafe is something you’d expect to find in Mumbai rather than the mountains, but it’s a welcome change of scene. The fluorescent interior is oddly out of place in Ooty and the food is a bit overpriced, but if you’re craving something Western this is as good as it gets.
reviewed
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Koshy’s Bar & Restaurant
Don’t step into the AC section; it’s considered a place for wannabes. The seasoned guys gather in its buzzy old wing, where they put away pints of beer and classic British meals (mains Rs50 to Rs250) in between fervent discussions. It’s an institution that has a reputation for serving Bengaluru’s intelligentsia.
reviewed
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Bomra’s Restaurant
- Goa, India
- Restaurants › Other
Fabulously unusual cuisine is on offer at this sleek little place, tucked into a courtyard next door to Candolim’s Butter nightclub (look for the huge golden saxophone), and serving interesting Burmese cuisine with a fusion twist. Try the curries, and a killer cocktail, and you’ll undoubtedly be back for more.
reviewed
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Tangerine
Descend five floors for sublime cuisine, tasty Western snacks or cocktails in the brilliant Japanese-style floor-cushioned bar area. Try the stuffed-tomato curry or sample Sikkimese specialities like sochhya (nettle stew). Stylishly relaxed decor with a waiter/origami-ist who turns napkins into birds.
reviewed
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St Aloysius College Chapel
Catholicism’s roots in Mangalore date back to the arrival of the Portuguese in the early 1500s, and today the city is liberally dotted with churches. One of the most impressive is the Sistine Chapel-like St Aloysius College Chapel, with its walls and ceilings painted with brilliant frescoes.
reviewed
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Hauz Khas Village
This arty little enclave is packed with designer Indian-clothing boutiques, art galleries and furniture shops. It’s a great place to find superb old Bollywood posters. Try Country Collection for antique and new furniture (they’ll post overseas), and Cotton Curios for handprinted kameez, and soft furnishings.
reviewed
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Mother Teresa's Mission & Motherhouse
Many visitors pay respects at Mother Teresa's large, sober tomb within the Sisters of Charity's Motherhouse. There's a small museum displaying Teresa's worn sandals and battered enamel dinner-bowl. Upstairs, 'Mother's room' is preserved in all its simplicity with a crown-of-thorns above her modest camp-bed.
reviewed
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Original Pole-Pole
Opposite the Burmese Vihara on Bodhgaya Rd is the long-running and popular semi-tent restaurant Original Pole-Pole . It's pretty basic and has a varied but standard travellers' menu of breakfast fare, pancakes, pasta and Indian and Chinese, along with sweets such as chocolate-chip cookies or cinnamon rolls.
reviewed
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Insight Meditation Retreats
Three nine-day vipassana meditation and spiritual inquiry retreats are held by Insight Meditation Retreats from 7 January to 6 February at the Thai Monastery. Space is limited so book ahead. From mid-November you can inquire at the Burmese Vihara between 15:00 and 16:00. Donations are requested.
reviewed
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Palace Buildings
The first of the palace buildings is the largest, the Palace of Jodh Bai, and the one-time home of Akbar’s Hindu wife, said to be his favourite. Set around an enormous courtyard, it blends traditional Indian columns, Islamic cupolas and turquoise-blue Persian roof tiles.
reviewed
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Oogo’s Cafe Italiano
This cute hole-in-the-wall place serves up mainly Italian fare, but with a few surprises – waffles, baked potatoes, intriguing pasta dishes like ‘chicken vodka’ and even grilled lamb chops. The atmosphere is warm and busy and there are tempting desserts, as well as a bookshelf full of reading material.
reviewed
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New Kulfi Centre
Serves the best kulfi (firm-textured ice cream flavoured, often with pistachio) you’ll have anywhere, which means it’s the best-tasting thing in the entire world. When you order, the kulfi is placed on a betel-nut leaf and then weighed on an ancient scale – which makes it even better.
reviewed
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GMVN Tourist Office
Contact the GMVN tourist office which offers Rajaji safaris even when the park is officially closed. These are five-hour trips (Rs1750 per person) that include being taken on a short safari, watching a parade of wild elephants, and visiting a tribal village of Gujjar buffalo herders.
reviewed
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Five Rathas
Carved from single pieces of rock, the Five Rathas are low-laying monoliths that huddle in more ancient subtlety than grandeur. Each temple is dedicated to a Hindu god and named for one of the Pandavas, the five hero-brothers of the epic Mahabharata, plus their common wife, Draupadi.
reviewed
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Bhopal-On-Wheels
Bhopal-On-Wheels is a guided tour on a toy-train lookalike open bus, departing from Palash Residency and winding through the hills and the old city. Stops include Lakshmi Narayan Temple, MP Tourism Boat Club and Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya. Minimum five passengers.
reviewed
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Dylan’s Toasted & Roasted
Manali’s mellowest hang-out, this hole-in-the-wall cabin-style coffeeshop in Old Manali serves the best espresso coffee in town, cinnamon tea, hearty breakfasts, garlic cheese toast and wicked desserts like chocolate-chip cookies and ‘Hello to the Queen’. DVD movies are shown in an adjoining room.
reviewed
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China King & Ginger ‘N’ Garlic
Two restaurants in one, this bright, spotless fast-food place specialises in all things Chinese, from dim sum and chicken wings to chow mein. Upstairs, Ginger ’n’ Garlic has a more Indian flavour with North Indian veg and nonveg standards. Down below is a branch of New Zealand Natural Ice-cream.
reviewed
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Moonrakers
Like it or not, you’ll likely end up here at some stage; it’s the sort of place that magnetises travellers. Probably because it’s a three-storey resto-bar complex that dominates the backpacker-ghetto streetscape. Food is OK, ambience is better and beer is enjoyable from the top-floor verandah.
reviewed
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Kala Academy
On the west side of the city at Campal is Goa’s premier cultural centre, which features a program of dance, theatre, music and art exhibitions throughout the year. Many shows are in Konkani, but there are occasional English-language productions; call to find out what’s on when you’re in town.
reviewed
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Van Vihar National Park
The best time to visit the 445-hectare safari park is at 16:30, when animals including two white tigers, an albino sloth bear and a lion pace the edges of their cages waiting to be fed. You may want to hire a rickshaw - it's 5km from the entrance to the basic interpretation centre at the end.
reviewed
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Indigo Delicatessen
Indigo’s less expensive sister is just as elegant as the original, with good jazz on, warm but sleek decor and massive wooden tables. It has breakfast any time (Rs145 to Rs265), casual meals and desserts, teas, wines (Rs360 to Rs710 per glass) and a selection of breads and imported cheeses.
reviewed
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Mani Mahesh Travels
Near the Lakshmi Narayan complex, Mani Mahesh Travels can arrange treks with guides and porters in the foothills of the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar (Rs1200 to Rs1800 per person, per day, depending on altitude), as well as informative tours of Chamba’s temples (from Rs550).
reviewed