India Golden Triangle Itineraries

Been There, Done That: India’s Golden Triangle

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 10:02:53 -0400

Head off the beaten track to find the most memorable experiences in North India’s Golden Triangle.

The Golden Triangle travel route, whose vertices are Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, is one of the subcontinent’s most beloved tourist trails—and with good reason. Agra’s elegant Taj Mahal, Delhi’s splendid forts, and the “Pink City” of Jaipur with its extraordinary regal architecture, are among the must-sees of North India. However, while you won’t want to miss these highlights, leave time for the Golden Triangle’s lesser-known experiences too, as they’ll turn your holiday into an unforgettable adventure.

Discover off-the-radar sights

Agra has a wealth of astounding sights that get overlooked as the Taj Mahal pulls focus. Few tourists make it to the exquisite 17th century Jama Masjid, one of India’s largest and most beautiful mosques—a harmonious vision of bubble domes and inlaid red sandstone.

The shady Lodhi Gardens of New Delhi are great for people watching in the late afternoon when joggers, couples, and families take advantage of the cooler air. In Jaipur, head out to the mesmerizing zigzags of the historical stepwell Panna Meena ka Kund (northwest of Amer), or take a rickshaw six miles east to the pilgrimage site of Galta Ji, set into a rocky gorge, and popularly known as the “monkey temple.”

Take a trip out of town

It’s well worth exploring beyond the city limits, whether you make it to a chic suburb or the surrounding countryside. From Agra, guided tours offer the chance to explore local villages and experience laid-back rural life—a profound contrast to the fast pace of the city itself. From Delhi, take the metro out to the arty suburb of Hauz Khas, which not only has ancient tombs and monuments surrounding a greenery-fringed lake, but also offers clothing boutiques, art galleries, hipster bars, and some of the city’s best independent restaurants.

It’s worth taking a trip out of Jaipur, too. Hire a taxi for the day to see the incredible Abhaneri stepwell, the finest structure of its kind in India, an extraordinary architectural feat that’s all the more imposing for its remote setting.

Join a themed tour

See Delhi from a different perspective on a walking or cycling tour, with trips on offer around Old Delhi to taste its famous street food and discover the soul of the atmospheric old city. You can also explore Agra and Jaipur in a variety of ways, including early-morning bike tours. Other routes take you around Agra’s lesser-known sights, or to Jaipur’s dusty-pink bazaars where you can visit artist and artisan workshops, passing bookbinders, blacksmiths, potters, and sculptors along the way.

Explore the bazaars

To experience the richness of local life and artisanal craft to the fullest, browse India’s city bazaars. In Agra, Delhi, and Jaipur, these traditional markets are all still loosely divided into categories. Paper goods, fireworks, car parts, pots and pans—all have their own distinct area, and exploring these diverse sections (grazing on street food along the way) will take you to the beating heart of every city. You’ll see local women shopping for bridal decorations, rows of musical instrument shops, and rainbow-bright shimmering sari fabric lining entire streets.

Jaipur’s Johari Bazaar is a center for gemstones, while Bapu Bazaar is the place to go for block-printed clothes and bedspreads. Old Delhi’s Kinari Bazaar is a kaleidoscope of sequins, ribbons, and zari borders, and Khari Baoli is the ancient spice market. In Agra, head for Sadar Bazaar, where you can shop for handicrafts, leather goods, and garments galore.

Go off-piste for the best experiences

Look beneath the surface and you’ll experience some of the most magical sights of the Golden Triangle. In Delhi, visit the Sufi shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin on a Thursday evening for an atmospheric swirl of mysticism, with traditional singers performing qawwali (style of devotional music) to enamored crowds.

In Agra, take in a sunset from a rooftop café amid the historical tangle of Taj Ganj—the old city close to the Taj Mahal. You’ll be able to watch clouds of pigeons take flight as the city’s pigeon fanciers let their birds fly, a centuries-old tradition that dates to the Mughal era. In Jaipur, wander the backstreets to see areas such as Panigaron ka Rasta, where Muslim artisans beat silver into superfine foil used to decorate coveted Indian confectionary.

The information provided herein is sponsored by Diners Club International®. It is intended for informational purposes and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Content on this website may contain information from third parties and/or links to third-party websites. Diners Club International bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of this information.

Jaipur: India’s Craft Capital

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:49:24 -0400

From blue pottery to leather slippers, pick up the finest Rajasthani crafts with our guide to shopping in the “Pink City.”

India’s “Pink City,” Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan, and one of the best places to discover and buy Indian crafts. Rajasthan, meaning land of the kings, was once a collection of princely states whose kings were keen artistic patrons, and the region has a long history of flamboyant, virtuoso creativity. Today, artisanal production centers on the state capital, where crafts ranging from block printing and ceramics to gem cutting and papermaking have been passed down through generations.

Iconic local crafts: gemstones

Jaipur is famous for its gemstones and jewelry industry, with an entire neighborhood devoted to buying and selling precious stones—the traditionally Islamic Paharganj quarter. Here, artisans cut and polish gems in hole-in-the-wall workshops, and jewelers sit on cushions weighing out their wares. Semi-precious stones glow with brilliant color: Tibetan turquoise, African garnets, tourmaline, and citrine quartz. There are tribal designs, elaborate Kundan and Meenakari jewelry associated with weddings and royalty, and glittering piles of gemstones to buy by the gram.

Block printing and paper

Just south of Jaipur, Sanganer village is a craft center, where fine cotton is printed by hand using wooden block prints in pale, fresh, and vibrant colors. There are also factories here devoted to artisanal papermaking, with paper made of cotton remnants, decorated with rose petals, and turned into thick-leaved notebooks and writing paper.

Blue pottery

Jaipur is famous for its blue pottery, a distinctive Indian ceramic that dates to the Islamic Mughal Empire, which imported the Persian blue-glaze and decorative techniques to beautify its imperial palaces and mosques. The pottery’s luminescent hues come from the materials used, powdered quartz and glass, and from firing at a low temperature. The palette is limited to colors derived from cobalt oxide, mostly blue and turquoise, and designs are based on stylized flowers, birds, and animals.

By the 1950s, the craft had largely disappeared from Jaipur, but was revived through the efforts of artist Kripal Singh Shekhawat, who took his inspiration from the blue-and-white tilework of Amber Fort, the magnificent fortress near Jaipur. Today, blue pottery stalls add another tint to the “Pink City,” and you can find workshops in Sanganer.

Puppets and shrines

In Jaipur’s central markets, such as Chandpole Bazaar, you can buy beautifully decorative Rajasthani puppets, as well as small, intricately painted Hindu shrines made from light-as-air mango-tree wood. Both were traditionally used to tell stories of kings, myths, and Hindu epics in a way that bypassed the need for literacy, and they make for gorgeous and distinctive souvenirs.

Top markets and shopping areas

Jaipur has preserved its historic colonnaded bazaars which remain loosely devoted to specialties, as they have been for generations. Follow the local crowds to Johari Bazaar for a concentration of jewelry boutiques and gemstone sellers, Tripolia Bazaar for bangles, Chandpole Bazaar for handicrafts, Kishanpole Bazaar for textiles, and Nehru Bazaar for traditional leather juttis (slippers).

As well as traditional bazaars, Jaipur has some chic boutiques that sell a range of crafts, often with a contemporary slant, including homeware and clothing. Look out for Anokhi on MI Road, which also has a museum of hand printing (at Anokhi Haveli Kheri Gate, close to Amber Fort), where you can see block-printing artisans at work as well as its textile collection. There are also huge emporiums on the road out to Amber Fort, in addition to the workshops selling handmade paper, blue pottery, and block-printed fabrics in Sanganer.

Practical tips: haggling and savvy shopping

To get an idea of the range of products and their prices, browse around some fixed-price boutiques before trying to haggle in the bazaars. Boutiques have standard prices, but in tourist shops or markets, you’re welcome to strike a deal. Often, you’ll need to start out at around half the initially quoted price, gradually offering incremental increases until you reach a sum you’re happy to pay.

There have been instances of shoppers being conned in gemstone scams. If you’re buying gems, check that you’re receiving the goods you’ve paid for, and don’t get sucked into any schemes, no matter how convincing they may seem.

Getting around Jaipur

The easiest way to navigate the historic center and its bazaars is to either walk or take a rickshaw. Hiring a rickshaw for a day of shopping is a convenient way to reach lots of shops with minimal effort, but make it clear that you want to set the agenda for the trip rather than being persuaded to visit places where the driver earns a commission. To head out to Sanganer, the block-printing village, hire a taxi for a half or whole day.

Delhi’s Delicious Melting Pot

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 16:35:55 -0400

Dining in Delhi is a whirlwind tour of the flavors of India, from lavish fine dining to the subcontinent’s most inventive street food.

Thanks to centuries as the royal seat of sultans and emperors, Delhi brings the best of India’s cuisines together in one fabulous fusion. The Indian capital is famously fast-paced and frenetic, but its diverse culinary influences have found the time to blend into a lavish symphony of flavors that are best sampled in fine-dining restaurants and the street food served in Old Delhi’s maze-like bazaars. A visit to Delhi is a voyage of gastronomic discovery, where even eating at a roadside stall can be a five-star experience.

A taste of tradition

Tastes from across the subcontinent spill out into the streets in Delhi, from South Indian dosas (savory crêpes made from fermented rice and lentils) to Bengali fish curries, but it’s the flavors of North India that linger on the palate. As the principal city on the Grand Trunk Road that links Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Delhi has long embraced the sensational cuisine of India’s northwestern Punjab state: kulcha (leavened flatbread) and paratha (layered, unleavened flatbread), chole bhature (spiced chickpeas with fried bread), and moist, flavorsome meats fresh from the tandoor (clay oven).

You’ll also find lavish dishes conceived in the kitchens of Mughal emperors, blending influences from Central Asia, Persia, Ottoman Turkey, and pre-Mughal Hindu traditions. Mughlai cuisine is a complex melting pot, best experienced in informal but fiercely flavorsome kebab restaurants near the Jama Masjid Mosque, such as the legendary Karim’s (16 Gali Kababian), famed for its richly spiced lamb burra kebabs marinated with curd and ginger.

For street food, look no further than the knotted bazaars that sprawl around Chandni Chowk, the bustling marketplace running west from the Red Fort. Here you’ll find hole-in-the-wall eateries and streetside stalls serving everything from stuffed parathas to the sweet fried-dough whorls known as jalebis.

For comfortable, sit-down dining, head to the long-established restaurants of Connaught Place, or the burgeoning residential “colonies” sprawling beyond Delhi’s historic core. Start the journey at Sagar Ratna (18 Main Market, Defence Colony), hailed for its elaborately spiced vegetarian cuisine, or Rajinder Da Dhaba (Dda Market, Safdarjung Enclave), which brings Punjabi roadhouse cuisine into the heart of Delhi.

Five must-try dishes

To taste the best of Delhi, hit the backstreets, where blink-and-you’ll-miss-them workers’ canteens and food stalls serve the city’s most authentic eats, such as the following dishes.

Tandoori chicken – Not so much a dish as a national obsession: moist, tandoor-roasted chicken, marinated with yogurt, spices, garlic, and ginger (enjoy it with a squeeze of lime juice).

Chole bhature – Flavorsome stewed chickpeas with complex spices, served with a fried puri flatbread for dipping. An authentic taste of the Punjab, beloved by truck drivers on the Grand Trunk Road.

Lamb burra – A favorite of Delhi’s Muslim community since Mughal times. An artful blend of spices, rubbed into lamb cuts that are then barbecued over charcoal.

Stuffed parathas – Fried, buttery, layered flatbreads. Deliciously rich, often stuffed (with chilies, almonds, and other fillings), and available in the alleyway known as Gali Paranthe Wali near Chandni Chowk.

Butter chicken – A never-let-you-down classic of tandoori chicken pieces, served in a sauce rich with spices, tomatoes, and butter. Invented by chefs at Delhi’s Moti Mahal restaurant in the 1950s.

A taste of the world

Coming to Delhi without sampling the fabulous, fiery flavors of North Indian cooking would be unthinkable, but the Indian capital has more up its sleeve than chili, cardamom, and coriander. Many mid-range restaurants celebrate a triptych of cuisines—Indian, Chinese, and Continental. But to enjoy the latter two categories at their best, seek out eateries that make an artform of a single cuisine or region.

At Olive Bar & Kitchen (One Style Mile, 6-8 Kalka Das Marg, Mehrauli), close to the Qutb Minar ruins, chef Dhruv Oberoi interprets the Mediterranean theme in a brilliant variety of ways, from Turkish-inspired meze platters to Roman-style pizzas and homemade artisanal sorbets. For flawless dim sum, Chengdu-style chili fried lamb, and other Chinese dishes, join the crowds at celebrated Shang Palace (Shangri-La Eros New Delhi, 19 Ashoka Road, Connaught Place), famed for its authentic take on Cantonese, Sichuan, and Yunnanese classics.

Japanese food is also popular, particularly in five-star hotel settings and upscale colony markets. In the ever-popular Khan Market, Town Hall (Middle Lane) showcases the pioneering sushi and sashimi creations of acclaimed chef Augusto Cabrera.

Fusion food is gaining traction all over Delhi, too, with Southeast Asian and European flavors sneaking onto menus. At Bo-Tai (Kalka Das Marg, Seth Sarai, Mehrauli), a chic cocktail-bar-style experience is given extra pep by a sharing-friendly menu spanning prawns with caramelized mango, pork-belly bao, and seared sole with Gruyere fondue.

A Sense Of Place: India’s Golden Triangle

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 16:39:35 -0400

These palatial pads in Agra, Jaipur, and Delhi offer a sense of local history and gilded suites worthy of a Maharaja.

The vertices of India’s Golden Triangle travel route mark three of the country’s crowning jewel—the cities of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. Once the seats of great empires, these lively metropolises are overflowing not just with people, but with a vibrant blend of culture and tradition, juxtaposing history with modern life at every turn.

Agra’s marble monuments cast you back to the era of Mughal imperialism, while the traditional Mughlai cuisine found on the narrow streets of Old Delhi draws countless flavor seekers. Seemingly taken from the pages of a fairy-tale, the pink-tinted buildings of Jaipur’s old city (painted to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876) enchant travellers to this day. It seems fitting then, that the palatial hotels peppering this route are defined by the opulence of another era.

An empire’s opulent legacy at the ITC Mughal Agra

In its golden age, the Mughal Empire held India in its thrall. A dynasty doused in opulence, the monuments left in its wake speak of imperial ambition. Today, this resplendent legacy lives on amid the 35 acres of landscaped gardens and fountains that encircle the ITC Mughal Agra, a hotel where “the royal treatment” is not an overstatement.

A 10-minute drive from the Taj Mahal, the hotel’s grand suites and gilded banquet halls capture the empire’s ostentatiousness down to their fretwork detailing. The halls may be fit for Mughal royals, but its contemporary guests are just as regal, with the Prince of Wales and Princess Diana among those who have graced the hotel.

Insider tip: To enjoy being pampered like a royal, book the signature 120-minute exotic pomegranate treatment offered by the hotel’s award-winning Kaya Kalp Spa.

Taj Ganj, Agra; itchotels.com/in/en/itcmughal-agra

The jewel of Jaipur at Rambagh Palace

The “Pink City,” as Jaipur is known, is awash with architectural wonders—making the enduring majesty of Rambagh Palace (which overlooks the Rajasthani capital’s largest park) all the more impressive. Dubbed the “Jewel of Jaipur,” this spectacle of marble latticework and domed pavilions (chhatris) was once the residence of the Maharajah, and remains a gilded homage to Rajasthan’s regal heritage.

Many a touring royal and head of state has stayed in the hotel’s finest rooms, from the silk-draped Grand Presidential Suite to the restored Royal Suites, once the Maharaja’s personal chambers.

Insider tip: Dine beneath crystal chandeliers at Suvarna Mahal, the hotel’s lavishly appointed restaurant that serves up an Indian fine-dining experience fit for royalty.

Rambagh, Jaipur; tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/rambagh-palace-jaipur

Inner-city sanctuary at The Roseate New Delhi

In a country where palatial grandeur normally sets the standard for five-star luxury, The Roseate New Delhi opts instead for a distinctly contemporary style. Envisioned by architect Khun Lek Bunnang as a sanctuary amid the cacophony of the Indian capital, the property retains an air of mystery, hidden behind towering walls.

Dappled sunlight filters through the trees into the hotel’s garden-facing rooms, where views over water features and manicured lawns belie the highway and Indira Gandhi International Airport that lie beyond. While the design is modern, the region’s Mughal roots are woven throughout, with lofty domed ceilings, marble flooring, and aristocratic Isfahan pillars nodding to imperial extravagance.

Insider tip: When summer temperatures soar in the city, cool off in the hotel’s 355ft swimming pool—the longest in Delhi.

Samalka, New Delhi; roseatehotels.com/newdelhi/theroseate

Modern-day majesty at The Leela Palace New Delhi

Reminiscent of a Maharajah’s palace and nodding to the colonial architecture of Lutyens’ Delhi—The Leela Palace New Delhi embodies the city’s rich heritage. Here, you'll get a strong sense of marble-edged Mughal majesty without sacrificing modern facilities, such as temperature-controlled private plunge pools.

A dip in the rooftop infinity pool affords views over the leafy streets of the Diplomatic Enclave, the affluent neighborhood home of the city’s ambassadors and embassies. With such an exclusive locale, the hotel’s dignitary-filled guestlist is as gilded as the gold-leaf ceilings of its Presidential Suite.

Insider tip: The hotel is home to innumerable works of art, from sandstone sculptures to limited-edition lithographs. Join the exclusive Art Walk to discover the hotel’s rare collection and end with a champagne high tea in the Lobby Lounge.

Chanakyapuri, New Delhi; theleela.com/the-leela-palace-new-delhi

Stay cool in India’s Golden Triangle

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 16:44:13 -0400

When the heat intensifies in North India, escape to these hotel pools and shade-blessed holy sites.

India’s Golden Triangle, the ever-popular travel circuit linking Delhi with Agra and Jaipur, offers a panoply of Hindu temples, vibrant markets, ancient monuments, and intriguing culture. The area tops most visitors’ North Indian itineraries, taking you in the footsteps of everyone from traditional sadhu ascetics to the ancient Mughal Empire, whose Islamic rulers made capitals in Agra, Delhi, and Fatehpur Sikri. The temperature generally sits between about 60º F and 100º F here, so if high temperatures bring your sightseeing to a halt, take a break at the area’s coolest hotel pools and sun-sheltered temples.

Duck the Delhi heat

From the moment you touch down and head into Delhi on roads filled with weaving auto-rickshaws, the North Indian metropolis is a sensory carnival. Whether you’re wandering the markets and Mughal forts of Old Delhi, or snacking on spicy chaat street food, you’ll find this burgeoning megacity to be fast-paced, multicolored, and vivid. All of which can be overwhelming at the height of summer, when temperatures over 100º F are another factor to acclimatize to.

However, respite is available at temples and religious sites, which offer cool spaces for peaceful contemplation, such as New Delhi’s pond-ringed Lotus Temple. Like a mystical subcontinental Sydney Opera House, this Baháʼí temple welcomes all comers to its vast hall beneath 27 marble-clad “petals,” comprising one of the world’s most-visited buildings. More than 10,000 daily visitors pass through the expressionist structure dating to 1986. One of only seven major Baháʼí houses of worship worldwide, the water-cooled atmosphere of silent meditation is the perfect antidote to Delhi’s heat and clamor.

Inspired by the five elements, chic boutique hotel The Park New Delhi is an oasis of calm in this city of 30 million people. During the scorching Indian summers, the best element to embrace is water, and there's plenty of that in the sparkling pool surrounded by crisp white loungers and cabanas. Grab a frosty drink at Aqua outdoor bar or swap the sun's rays for the dark blues and sand-colored marble floors of Mediterranean restaurant Mist.

Cool off in Agra

Agra is famous for the marble mausoleum of the Taj Mahal, but locals associate the Uttar Pradesh city more readily with the smoggy heat that dominates life on the Yamuna riverbanks. It’s a popular stop between Delhi and Varanasi or Central India, with majestic Mughal monuments, Kinari Bazaar’s cornucopia of market stalls, and several spots to escape the heat.

Near the bazaar, Mughal princess Jahanara Begum commissioned the 17th century Jama Masjid mosque, identifiable from its three bulbous domes patterned with sandstone-and-marble zigzags. Once connected to the 16th century Agra Fort, it’s one of India’s largest mosques, with plenty of shady spaces beneath its interior arches and the cloisters bordering its expansive courtyard. If you take a day trip to the fortified Mughal city of Fatehpur Sikri, there’s another, equally impressive Jama Masjid (the name means “Friday mosque” in Arabic) with an Indo-Islamic design and the tomb of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti.

In the pressing heat of summer, finding a base to cool off is a must, and the Radisson Hotel Agra has modern, air-conditioned rooms with plenty of space to relax. Book a room with a Taj view to make the most of your visit. The hotel also has a stunning rooftop pool, perfect for lounging under an umbrella and enjoying views down the Yamuna River.

Stay chilled in Jaipur

The saffron-colored gateway to Rajasthan, Jaipur is known as the “Pink City” for its ochre facades, such as Hawa Mahal palace’s honeycomb of latticework windows. It’s an appropriately colorful introduction to the northwestern state, home of blue pottery, yellow saris, the Amber Fort, and the orange dunes and fiery sunsets of the Thar Desert.

While ethereal scenes undoubtedly await, Jaipur is as busy and buzzing as every other Indian state capital, so a trip out of town to the Hindu pilgrimage site of Galtaji offers welcome relief. Dramatically located in a rocky crevice of the Aravalli Hills, the 15th century complex of domed pavilions is famous for its seven spring-fed holy ponds, in which pilgrims bathe. Look out for original frescoes in temples devoted to Hindu deities Krishna, Ram, and monkey-headed Hanuman (the latter attracting hundreds of macaques and langurs) and climb the ridge to find the Surya Mandir temple dedicated to the sun god Surya.

Indian architects have had centuries to perfect the art of beating the heat, and the Trident Jaipur’s designers took notes with the pool courtyard's latticework “windows.” The intricate Rajasthani architectural staples let in the breeze, but keep out the sun. Similarly, the hotel’s arcaded towers and veranda allow constant cool airflow, mirroring the state’s forts and palaces, such as the seemingly floating Jal Mahal in neighboring Man Sagar Lake.