1

Mostly low stress vacations with significant amount of food looks like a good plan and I am sure you have earned it.

After a week perhaps in less busy south Goa I would take a train to Kochi/Eranakulam.

Hampi after Goa is also a good possibility but I will skip Hampi as train/travel connections to Hampi are not very good and it will be difficult to make travel arrangements at this busy tourism time.

I would spend a few days in Kochi and then head to the lush tea gardens of Munnar and then head straight to Alleppey or Alleppey via Kochi.

Kerala is well developed in terms of comfortable homestays and I would stay in Alleppey for a few days and of course enjoy the backwaters in a slow relaxing punting boat rather then a large motorized houseboat.

After alleppey I would travel to Varkala beach area and have some more relaxing beach time and enjoy good food in one of the many beachshack restaurants located on the scenic Varkala hilltop resort area.

I would then go to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala that I have not yet seen but I have heard good reports about it and sounds like Periyar would be a relaxing break away from busy crowded towns.

I would then head to Madurai and not want to miss the Meenakshi Temple located in one of the oldest towns in south India.

After Madurai I would take a long relaxing train (and for me trains are relaxing if I have a good seat) all the way to north India to Agra for the beautiful Taj Mahal in Agra.

After Agra I would like to head to Udaipur for a few days and then to the very historic Delhi and ending with a trip up the hills to Shimla in Himanchal Pradesh even though it will be quiet cold in Shimla in January but I just love the toy train travel from Kalka to Shimla and I want to enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Himalayan foothills.

Edited by: torontomm

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Do you have to return to Goa for your return trip home?

If so I agree with torontomm up until the last paragraph. You don't have time to do all that and then return to Goa by train. Maybe you could take the train to Delhi, stopping at Agra to see the Taj on the way, then head to Udaipur and return to Goa, but there's simply no way you could see all those other places in such a limited period of time.

Good luck.

3

Agree with heading down to Kerala after Goa.

my suggestion is similar to above, After Fort Kochin go to Allepey (backwaters) for a few days,its not far from Cochin.

From Allepey I reccomend you get a car & driver and head into the hills,Munnar for a few days then onto
Thekady area where Periyar park is located, the road journey from Munnar to here is quite spectacular, you could finish your car hire in Thekady and take a bus to Madurai after a few days in Thekady.

From Madurai you could either train it to Chennai or Bangalore and then fly to Delhi and do the locations mentioned in the post above, especially the Shimla part.

If you are confident in taking the train to the North then go for it, another alternative is train it from Chennai to Kolkata, experience Kolkata for a few days then train to Delhi, BUT as you have mentioned the "Low Stress"
then the plane might be the go.

I have not included Varkala as you would have allready experienced the beach scene in Goa.

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Why no fly?..It really limits you on options.
The advice above is solid and good.
..Limit yourself to the south unless you over come your fear of flying.Wasn't there a book by that name?