Planning a travel itinerary for a city as vast as Delhi (not area vise) can be overwhelming. Being a resident of Delhi, I know it’s not easy to cover everything in merely a few days because the city has a lot to see and do. Therefore, I’ve shortlisted some of the best-guided tours you can take in Delhi so that you don’t miss out on any of the best spots in the city.
Lucknow is the land of Nawabs, Adab and most importantly Kebabs, which attracts thousands of foodies just like me and you to relish the flavours of Awadhi cuisine. If you reside in the northern belt of India, you can go for a short weekend getaway to Lucknow to unleash the foodie within you.
In early 2018, I tried Awadhi cuisine for the first time, and it was love at first bite. My friends had ordered kebabs from a restaurant named Tunday Kebabi. I tried their famous Tunday and Galouti kebabs which instantly melted in my mouth. Its divine taste ignited a fire within me, and I decided to visit the city of its origin, Lucknow.
It was back in 2008 when I first came across the Lonely Planet magazine. The beautiful imagery, poetic writing and minimal style instantly caught my attention. Since then it has always been my go to place before any trip. Whether it’s planning or deciding a place, Lonely Planet has always been my guide.
My parents were avid travellers. My sister and I grew up listening to their travel stories. Gwalior was one such place, whose stories were part of our childhood. Our fascination grew year by year by listening to their tales. Therefore, we decided to visit Gwalior in March 2018 and explore the city ourselves!
It was that time of the year when Rajasthan had reached its boiling point. One could make an omelette on the road at noon. That is when the little wanderer inside our heart pushed us to visit Jaipur.
It was in the year 2016 when I first came to know about this tiny hill station located in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand known as Lansdowne. This hill town is close to Delhi and can serve as an ideal weekend destination. The town is named after Lord Lansdowne, one of the viceroys of British India. It now serves as the residence of the Garhwal regiment. In recent times, this place has gained popularity amongst the tourist because of its scenic beauty and peaceful environment. People come here to relax and detox their mind and soul with its calmness.
A sudden plan made on a Friday evening over a cup of tea with friends. Here we were staring at the seventh wonder of the world the next day! This wasn’t my first visit to Taj Mahal, yet the place seems new every time.
Here’s what we did with just 12 hours to spend in Agra.
We started our journey from Dwarka (Delhi) early in the morning. We stopped for a quick breakfast right after crossing the expressway toll. After a 2-hour long drive through NH-24, we entered the bustling city of Uttar Pradesh, Agra. The streets were empty and quiet, which was an unusual sight for a heavily populated city like Agra.
We parked our car at the Western Gate parking and bought the tickets from the nearest counter. As we approached the gate complex, we caught our first glance of the Taj Mahal. The only words that came out were “Wah Taj!”
We crossed the first gate to enter the main complex of Taj Mahal. It was a sunny day and the white marble was shining like a pearl. It was worth 100 clicks!
Before entering the monument complex, we were given cloth pouch to cover our shoes. It’s a good initiative taken by the authorities to keep the white marble protected from dirt. We visited the grave inside the main tomb first. There was a bit rush and it took us a while to get a good inside view of the Taj. After which we took a 360-degree tour of the complex from the main gallery and sat there staring at the river for a while. The view was serene, with tiny boats floating and the flock of birds flying over the river.
After all that walking, we were now struck by hunger and most of the breakfast places were shut. However, we were able to find a decent eatery on the Zomato app, Sheroes café. It is an unusual café where you can pay as you like, run by the acid attack victims. It was a nice and cosy place surrounded by beautiful paintings and a plethora of books. We had a good time here and this is where I introduced my friends to our favourite dish, Honey Chilly Potato. We then headed to our next stop, Agra Fort.
Agra Fort is a Red stoned fort built by Emperor Akbar during his reign. This fort resembles greatly to Delhi’s Red Fort. The complex is huge, has many iconic structures like Diwan-e-aam, Diwan-e-Khas, sheesh mahal, etc., and is surrounded by lush green gardens. We explored the complex brick by brick and took us nearly 2.5 hours to see the entire place.
On our way back to the parking, we decided to stop by the local shops. Few things that we brought back with us were handmade marble souvenirs, banana silk saree (a must-buy for a saree lover), Petha, the famous desert of Agra and loads of memories.
If you have more time to spare then do visit Tomb of Akbar in Sikandra and UNESCO world heritage Fatehpur Sikri. They are worth a visit 😉
Along the banks of Gomti river resides the largest city of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. The capital city is known for its amazing Chikankari (traditional embroidery style), Poetry, Gardens and Kebabs.
The land of the royals is a brilliant amalgamation of the old and the modern times. The modern Jaipur offers beautiful sky rise towers and cafes. On the other hand, the old city wins our heart with its old charms. The city painted in shades of pink is hard to miss. The only way to experience the true essence of the city is to walk down the lanes and explore the place brick by brick.