India Destinations & City Guides

India's sweeping monumental capital unfolds in two mesmerizing halves: 17th-century Mughal Old Delhi bursting with spice-scented bazaars beside Jama Masjid courtyard domes, and tranquil tree-lined New Delhi boulevards anchored by red-sandstone Humayun's Tomb, Qutub Minar, and timeless Lutyens garden palaces like The Imperial & Taj Mahal Hotel.

Home to the world's greatest monument to eternal love, Agra draws travellers from across the globe to see Emperor Shah Jahan's shimmering ivory-marble Taj Mahal shift from soft blush pink at dawn to radiant ivory in crisp morning sun. Beyond the Taj sit riverside Mughal terraces at Agra Fort and deserted pink-sandstone ghost capital Fatehpur Sikri en route toward Jaipur.

Painted warm terracotta pink in 1876 to welcome Queen Victoria's royal visit, captivating Jaipur blends fairytale hilltop Amber Fort ramparts with lively block-printed textile markets, astronomical marvels at Jantar Mantar, and India's most extraordinary palace hospitality at Taj Rambagh Palace and Samode Haveli.

Lush, calm, and deeply restorative, southern India's Kerala feels wonderfully worlds apart from bustling northern bazaars. Drift gently beneath coconut palms across Alleppey's emerald backwater canals aboard a private teak kettuvallam houseboat staffed by your own Keralan chef, smell cardamom & mist atop Munnar's rolling green tea valleys, and finish barefoot along serene Arabian Sea beaches at Marari.