1

You could consider flying on an open jaw arriving into Delhi and departing from Kochi.
If you want to avoid bus travel ( from Jodhpur to Udaipur), you could go to Jodhpur from Agra on the overnight Howrah Jodhpur Express which leaves Agra at about 8 pm reaching Jodhpur at 6am. Jodhpur Jaisalmer Jaipur Udaipur. There is a desert festival at Jaisalmer in Feb.. As far as Gujarat and the rest is concerned depends on your interests and preferred places/experiences.

2

I totally endorse prem's advice and get an openjaw ticket via one of the Gulf Airlines eg Etihad, Emirates, Qatar so you fly via Gulf to DEL and out thru' KOCH - we have done this several times and recommend it strongly.

You'll get plenty of advice on itinerary - just ignore all the rogue touts that send you dishonest emails - its best if you report the pests.

I would say however that Delhi's Red Fort is not very special (unless you have an interest in the events of 1857) whereas the Agra one is delightful and whilst in Agra, a visit to Fatehpur Sikri is worthwhile and note that the TM is closed on Fidays and is best seen at sunrise before the hordes arrive.

The only problem is getting from Udaipur to Mumbai, best way is bus to Ahmedabad and train to Mumbai - MUMB is a very westernised modern city fine for nitelife but not long on sights.

You'll be able to handle all your trip without any cars altho' it maybe worthwhile taking a taxi to Jaipur from Agra vis Fatehpur S.

Most of us dislike Jaipur as it is bling city and a sort of chaotic, overpriced, overated Indian Disneyland but everyone goes there incl loads of the \indian middle classes who do their shopping there.

You are not going to have a lot of time altho'6 weeks sounds a lot. You may wish to skip Goa and do the seaside bit in Kerala and just visit Hampi and Mysore in Karnataka. You can reckon on probably 14 locations in 6 weeks.max.

Am sure you'll enjoy your trip - stay in PaharGanj area of DEL and get a modern guidebook - it'll save you loadsamoney and time. If there are 2 of you it's not a bad idea to take a second used guidebook of a different variety.

Edited by: Grahamapoole

3

There is a train from Udaipur to Mumbai, I've just booked it:
Udz Bdts Sup (22902) from Udaipur City at 2135hrs, arrives at Bandra Terminus 1340hrs and runs on Wed, Fri & Sun.
It doesn't go via Ahmedabad, but you can get off in Vadodara (arrival time 0732hrs) to see some of Gujarat.

4

A possible rough trajectory for the last part of the trip you outlined could include some (probably not all) of Hampi or Belur / Halebid, Sravanabelagola, Mysore / Somnathpur, Nilgiris (e.g., Coonoor or Kotagiri or Ooty), and then on to Thrissur / Kochi and then potentially onward to another part of Kerala. Of course, other routings exist as well.

You might consider doing the trip in the opposite direction (work your way north from Kochi, fly back from Delhi to Kochi), as north India can be a bit chilly, even foggy, in January - and the south (always warm) is probably a smidge milder in January.

As you will not be going to Ellora, the boat trip out to Elephanta (closed Monday) might be worthwhile when in Mumbai.

Edited by: fdbaz

5

stay over night for sunset/sunrise view of Taj

i think if possible stay overnight to see the taj mahal in the moonlight. its the only time the taj mahal is empty and makes for brilliant viewing. but tickets need to be booked a couple of days in advance, so see if you can ask the hotel you are staying at to get it done for you...

b
blog post: 20 & more things to do on a first visit to south mumbai

6

Miss_eighty - you haven't got much detail on the last part of your trip but I would recommend the following places:

Goa - Palolem beach is a fun, relaxed traveller hangout although next door Patnem is a good alternative - even more relaxed!
Varkala - great chilled beach town, but be careful swimming as the waves and currents are strong.
Alleppey - easy to arrange Kerala backwater trips from here, would recommend being poled around rather than with an engine.

If you want more info on the above (plus Cochin) including how to get around then have a read of my detailed itinerary for Goa and Kerala (2 weeks) which you can access below.

7

Thanks so much everyone! Appreciate the help :)

8

No problem, glad to help!