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India
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Must-include attractions sorted by popularity
Most popular attractions in India
1. Taj Mahal
Agra
Quick facts: Morning light and evening glow make the white marble shift colors, with a pinkish tint at dawn and a warm honey tone at sunset. Local records say about 20,000 artisans and laborers worked for roughly 22 years, bringing in marble and stones from distant regions like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
Highlights: Look closely at the walls and you'll find over 28 types of semi-precious stones, lapis lazuli giving vivid blues and carnelian adding deep reds, inlaid so finely the motifs seem painted. Four freestanding minarets are intentionally set to lean slightly outward, a clever safety measure so they would fall away from the central tomb instead of onto it during an earthquake.
2. Qutub Minar
New Delhi
Quick facts: A soaring red-and-cream sandstone minaret reaches about 73 meters, tapering through five ornamented stories topped by fluted balconies. Local visitors often point to an adjacent 7.2-meter iron pillar that has resisted rust, its unusually high phosphorus content baffling metallurgists.
Highlights: Scale the tight spiral of 379 steps to feel warm, worn stone under your palm and step onto a balcony where the city unfolds beneath a wash of sun. Nearby, a nearly mirror-smooth 7.2-meter iron pillar invites touch, and legend links its inscription to Emperor Chandragupta II while scientists credit a special alloy for over 1,600 years of corrosion resistance.
3. Red Fort
New Delhi
Quick facts: Massive red sandstone walls stretch for about two kilometers, punctuated by towering bastions and dramatic gateways that frame a theatrical entrance. Every August 15th the nation's leader hoists the flag from the main gate and delivers a speech to thousands gathered below, turning the complex into a living stage of modern ceremonies.
Highlights: A glittering interior hall displays intricate pietra dura floral inlays and once held the famed Peacock Throne, which vanished after Nadir Shah's 1739 raid. At night the sound and light show bathes carved marble and red walls in color, while recitations and recorded court music make the stones feel like they still whisper Mughal courtly secrets.
Book a FREE walking tour in India
The best way to experience a city with a local tour guide.
Tip: We strongly recommend a free walking tour on your first day to get to know the city with a local guide. They usually cover all main attractions and you can ask for personal recommendations based on your interests for the next days. Book early as spaces fill up fast!
4. Gateway of India
Mumbai
Quick facts: Salt-stained basalt walls rise about 26 meters above the waterfront, forming a dramatic silhouette that drew visiting royalty and filmmakers. Crowds of strollers and vendors spill onto the promenade, steaming cups of chai and the smell of roasted corn mixing with the calls of boatmen.
Highlights: Run your fingers along the lower stones and you'll find salt-encrusted brass bolts and tiny shell impressions, the sea's fingerprints left from daily spray. Roughly a dozen fishing boats bob near the shore with lanterns that paint moving gold bands on the worn steps, making the whole scene glow like a ripple of candlelight.
5. Mysore Palace
Mysore
Quick facts: A lavish royal residence stretches across three levels and hides over 100 richly decorated rooms, from glittering durbar halls to intimate private chambers. Night brings a dramatic light show, with around 97,000 bulbs tracing spires and arches until the entire facade seems dipped in molten gold.
Highlights: A lesser-known ritual places a gilded howdah atop the lead elephant for the autumn procession, the ornate seat and marching drummers creating a metallic thunder that you feel in your chest. Step inside the durbar hall and a Belgian stained-glass skylight scatters jewel-like colors across carved teak ceilings and a gallery of Raja Ravi Varma paintings, the air thick with polish and sandalwood smoke.
6. Meenakshi Amman Temple
Madurai
Quick facts: Towering, color-splashed gateway towers are studded with thousands of painted sculptures, each figure carved into a miniature drama of gods, animals and folk heroes. Courtyards buzz with daily rituals, the air thick with incense and jasmine while pilgrims, vendors and temple musicians move through lacework of columns and corridors.
Highlights: Step into the Hall of a Thousand Pillars, where nearly 1,000 individually carved columns form a maze of shadow and relief, every pillar telling a different story in crisp, weather-polished stone. A famed ceremonial wedding features priests carrying a gold-plated palanquin while the nadaswaram and drums roll through three concentric courtyards, turning the complex into a dazzling, percussion-driven spectacle.
7. Virupaksha Temple
Hampi
Quick facts: A towering stone gateway draws the eye, its surface covered in tiny, time-smoothed carvings that whisper stories of gods and long-ago kings. Daily rituals still fill the courtyards, where metal bells and conch blasts cut through the heat and vendors sell fragrant garlands at the steps.
Highlights: Inside, a nightly ceremony ends with exactly 108 oil lamps arranged in concentric circles, the small flames casting honeyed light across carved pillars and sandalwood smoke curling between columns. A local tale adds a grin: a tiny frog was tucked into a hidden corner by a playful sculptor, crouch low and you can spot the little stone figure peeking out among the carvings.
8. Ajanta Caves
Ajanta
Quick facts: Carved into a horseshoe-shaped cliff, you can stroll past more than 30 rock-cut halls where life-size painted murals and delicate Buddhist sculptures reward close inspection. Sunlight slipping in through narrow openings still makes pigments glow, and archaeologists count over 500 painted scenes across the complex.
Highlights: Inside one cave a single mural stretches nearly 17 meters across, packed with more than 300 tiny figures that read like a layered story when you step back. Listening closely reveals a faint smoky sheen preserved on some frescoes, locals say from cedar torches artists used at night, which gives certain panels a warm, amber glow in the morning light.
9. Dashashwamedh Ghat
Varanasi
Quick facts: Every evening a choreographed fire ceremony fills the air with ringing bells and saffron-scented smoke, while priests move in rhythmic steps holding giant oil lamps. Crowds can swell into the thousands on festival nights, with more than 80 small wooden boats clustered along the river carrying families and marigold-lit floats.
Highlights: On clear evenings a line of more than 100 flickering diyas is set afloat, their golden reflections tearing across the water while bells and conch shells create a layered soundtrack. Local priests chant in call-and-response, a low percussion rhythm you feel in your chest as clouded incense and hot ghee scent mingle, making the whole scene feel like a living painting.
Things to Do in India
Popular activities and local experiences recommended by travelers
Additional popular things to do in India
Curated tours, tickets, and activities recommended by travelers
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Day trips
Agra
Home of the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, iconic Mughal sights.
Google MapsJaipur
Capital of Rajasthan, forts, palaces, and vibrant bazaars.
Google MapsMathura and Vrindavan
Important Hindu pilgrimage towns, temples and festivals.
Google MapsComments (9)
Catching the Taj at sunrise is surreal, totally worth the early alarm, but even then the crowds are intense.
Expected peaceful vibes, but constant noise and pushy vendors wear you down fast. If you want calm, plan remote stays.
Book long journeys early on IRCTC or through a trusted agent, sleeper berths sell out. Use waitlist alerts and consider tatkal if you must travel last minute.
Food here ruined me for other places, street chaat is addictive. Crowds can be wild, but the colors and energy make a week fly by.
History is incredible, but tourist traps are real. Shop around and vet guides, two weeks gives a decent taste without burning out.
Getting there
Airports
Train stations
Pan-India long-distance routes, Rajdhani and Shatabdi services
Western and long-distance connections, regional services
Eastern and long-distance connections across India
Use official prepaid taxi counters or app taxis, allow extra time for traffic and security.
Click to get eSim for India
The easiest and most affordable way to get mobile internet wherever you travel.
Visa & entry
Nepal, Bhutan
Most other countries, including US, EU, UK, Canada, Australia
Apply for an e-Visa online in advance; ensure passport has 6 months validity and blank pages.