Diu
Built in 1535, with additions made in 1541, this massive, well-preserved Portuguese fort with its double moat (one tidal) was one of the most important…
Must-see attractions in India
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
Built by Ahmed Shah in 1423, the massive Jama Masjid ranks as one of India’s most beautiful mosques. Demolished Hindu and Jain temples provided the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This imperial-style palace, built by Tomar ruler Man Singh between 1486 and 1516, is definitely one of India's more quirkily decorated monuments: its…
Varanasi
The furthest south of the main ghats and one of the biggest, Assi Ghat is particularly important as the River Assi meets the Ganges near here and pilgrims…
Nashik
This sacred River Godavari bathing ghat in the heart of Nashik’s old quarter, a Kumbh Mela venue, sees hundreds of Hindu pilgrims arriving daily to bathe,…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
This museum contains one of the world’s finest collections of antique and modern Indian textiles, all handmade and up to 500 years old. There are some…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Built in 1835 by a raja from the prosperous Mallick family, this resplendent mansion is as grand as it is curious. Its marble-draped halls are overstuffed…
Puri
This mighty temple is home to Jagannath (Lord of the Universe), an incarnation of Vishnu. Built in its present form in 1198, the temple – closed to non…
International Roerich Memorial Trust
Himachal Pradesh
This fascinating complex, set in lovely hillside gardens 1km above the castle, is centred on the former home of Russian painter, writer and Inner Asian…
Tamil Nadu
The temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram ('City of the Chola who Conquered the Ganges'), 35km north of Kumbakonam, is dedicated to Shiva. It was built by…
Gujarat & Diu
This scenic hilltop may have been fortified as early as the 8th century. Today, throngs of pilgrims ascend Pavagadh to worship at the important Kalikamata…
Gujarat & Diu
The stunning mausoleum of Nawab Mahabat Khan II of Junagadh (1851–82) seems to bubble up into the sky. One of Gujarat’s most glorious examples of Euro…
Kashmir & Ladakh
Set in a sharp mountain gully 11km northeast of Kargil, the tumbledown ghost village of Hundarman is a remarkable sight. Rocky crags tower above, a…
Mysuru (Mysore)
The second-most-visited sight in India (after the Taj Mahal), this palace is among the very grandest of India’s royal buildings and was the seat of the…
Gujarat & Diu
Built in 1027 by Bhimdev I, this is one of the greatest monuments of the Solanki dynasty, whose rulers were believed to be descended from the sun. Like…
Delhi
This magnificent 14th-century ruined fort, half reclaimed by jungle and gradually being encroached on by villages, was Delhi's third incarnation, built by…
Darjeeling
Singalila National Park covers the Indian side of the scenic Singalila Ridge, the Darjeeling region's finest trekking area, along the India–Nepal border…
Punjab (India)
Of all the ruined forts in Punjab, Bathinda’s Govindgarh is the mightiest and most impressive. It’s also the oldest, dating way back to the 7th century,…
Sikkim
This wobbly old temple is a peaceful, half-forgotten delight with appealingly naive paintings and an incredible 360-degree mountain panorama. There's no…
Udaipur
Limpid and large, Lake Pichola reflects the grey-blue mountains on its mirror-like surface. It was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II, following his…
Chennai (Madras)
Mylapore is one of Chennai's most characterful and traditional neighbourhoods; it predated colonial Madras by several centuries. Its Kapaleeshwarar Temple…
Nashik
Sula Vineyards, located 15km west of Nashik, commands around 65% of the Indian wine market. It offers a slick, professional tour (around 45 minutes) of…
Tamil Nadu
With a forest’s worth of intricately carved rosewood ceilings and polished-teak beams, this labyrinthine palace, 35km northwest of Kanyakumari, near the…
Karnataka
The remnants of this magnificent 15th-century fort, the largest in South India – and once the administrative capital of much of the region – constitute…
Agra
Nicknamed the Baby Taj, the exquisite tomb of Mizra Ghiyas Beg should not be missed. This Persian nobleman was Mumtaz Mahal’s grandfather and Emperor…
Maharashtra
One of the best places to see tigers in India, the seldom-visited Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 150km south of Nagpur, is now much more accessible thanks…
Delhi
The Qutab Minar that gives the complex its name is an unmissable, soaring Afghan-style victory tower and minaret, erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to…
Jai Vilas Palace & Scindia Museum
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The museum occupies some 35 rooms of the Scindias’ opulent Jai Vilas Palace, built by Maharaja Jayajirao in 1874 using prisoners from the fort. The…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
In peaceful, shady grounds on the Sabarmati River’s west bank, this ashram was Gandhi’s headquarters from 1917 to 1930 during the long struggle for Indian…
Hyderabad
The subject of one of India's most ambitious heritage projects, these magnificent domed granite tombs form part of a huge archaeological park that is…
Karnataka
Set in tranquil gardens, the magnificent Golgumbaz houses the tombs of emperor Mohammed Adil Shah (r 1627–56), his two wives, his mistress (Rambha), one…
Gujarat & Diu
The only real sign of Patan’s former glory is this astoundingly beautiful step-well. Built in 1063 by Rani Udayamati to commemorate her husband, Bhimdev I…
Mumbai (Bombay)
No sense is left unaffected at Mumbai's incredibly atmospheric fishing docks, dating to 1875, the oldest and largest wholesale fish market in Mumbai. A…
Himachal Pradesh
Unspoilt Chehni village is one of the most magical villages imaginable. Surveying a wide sweep of valley and ridgetops from 2110m, its antique core…
Arunachal Pradesh
Thought to be about 400 years old, the charming wooden Samten Yongcha Gompa stands on a breezy hilltop 6km (as the crow flies) west of Mechuka, fronted by…
Arunachal Pradesh
The magical Tawang Gompa, founded in 1681 in what was then a Monpa royal palace, overlooks the town from its ridgetop site. Reputedly the world’s second…
Amritsar
At the southeast end of the Golden Temple Complex is the Guru-Ka-Langar, an enormous dining room where an estimated 100,000 pilgrims come to eat every day…
Gujarat & Diu
Run by the award-winning Salvi family, this museum is an excellent place to see Patola silk weaving in action. The family has specialised in double-ikat…
Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum
Maharashtra
‘Bizarre’ takes on a whole new meaning at this ‘new’ palace, an Indo-Saracenic behemoth designed by British architect ‘Mad’ Charles Mant for the Kolhapur…
Hampi
Hampi's most exquisite structure, the 16th-century Vittala Temple stands amid boulders 2.5km from Hampi Bazaar. Work possibly started on the temple during…
