Twenty-one days is long enough to see two very different sides of India, and short enough that you don't need to fly domestically more than twice. The route below, Delhi and Rajasthan in the first half, Goa, Hampi and Kerala in the second, is what our own 21-day trip runs, and it's the answer most people are looking for when they ask about three weeks in India. Three more focused alternatives follow it, for anyone who'd rather stay in the north, stay in the south, or spend the whole trip in the high Himalaya. For the full range of lengths, see the India itinerary guide.
The recommended route: north and south
| Days | Place | What | Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Delhi | Jama Masjid, a cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk, Humayun's Tomb | Parathas, the Bangla Sahib langar |
| 3 | Agra | The Gatimaan Express in, Agra Fort, a sunset view of the Taj from Mehtab Bagh | Petha |
| 4 to 5 | Jaipur | The Taj Mahal at sunrise, then on to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri; Amber Fort, the City Palace | Laal maas |
| 6 | Pushkar | The lake's ghats, a sunset from Savitri Temple | Malpua |
| 7 to 9 | Udaipur | The City Palace, a sunset boat on Lake Pichola, a cooking class, then a short flight to Mumbai | Dal baati churma |
| 10 | Mumbai | The old Fort district, dabbawalas at work, Marine Drive at sunset | Pav bhaji |
| 11 to 13 | Goa | The Konkan coast train in, Old Goa's churches, Fontainhas, a free beach day | Goan fish curry |
| 14 to 16 | Hampi | The Western Ghats by train, the Vittala Temple, a coracle ride, then the overnight train south | A Karnataka thali |
| 17 to 18 | Kochi | Fort Kochi's Chinese fishing nets, Mattancherry, a Kathakali show | Appam and stew |
| 19 to 20 | Alleppey | A backwater houseboat, then canoes through the narrower canals | An on-board Kerala thali |
| 21 | Departure | Fly out from Kochi | - |
Two flights do the heavy lifting here: Udaipur to Mumbai keeps you off a long cross-country train, and Bengaluru to Kochi turns what would otherwise be a two-day slog into a short hop after the overnight Hampi Express. See the Rajasthan route guide and the Kerala route guide for either half in more detail.
Other ways to spend 3 weeks
All north: Golden Triangle, full Rajasthan and Varanasi
Skips the flights south for a deeper, slower loop through Rajasthan's desert towns and Varanasi.
Best for Forts, the desert, the Ganges
All south: Goa, Gokarna, Hampi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
A west-to-east sweep of the south, ending in Chennai rather than doubling back.
Best for Beaches, temples, backwaters
The Himalaya loop: Himachal and Spiti
Fit, acclimatised travellers only, and only in summer, when the high passes are open.
Best for Mountains, monasteries, high-altitude lakes
All north: Golden Triangle, full Rajasthan and Varanasi
Drop the flights south and stay in the north instead, going deeper into Rajasthan's desert towns and adding the Ganges at the end.
| Days | Place | What | Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Delhi | Old and New Delhi | Parathas, chaat |
| 3 | Agra | The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort | Petha |
| 4 to 5 | Jaipur | Amber Fort, the City Palace | Laal maas |
| 6 | Pushkar | The lake's ghats | Malpua |
| 7 to 8 | Jodhpur | Mehrangarh Fort, the Blue City's lanes | Makhaniya lassi |
| 9 to 10 | Jaisalmer | The living fort, a desert camel camp | Ker sangri |
| 11 to 13 | Udaipur | The City Palace, Bagore ki Haveli, a sunset boat | Dal baati churma |
| 14 to 15 | Fly to Varanasi | The Ganga aarti, a sunrise boat on the Ganges | Kachori sabzi |
| 16 | Varanasi | Sarnath | Malaiyo, in winter |
| 17 to 21 | Back to Delhi, with an Amritsar or Rishikesh add-on | The Golden Temple's community kitchen, or a day of white-water rafting | Amritsari kulcha, or a Rishikesh thali |
See the Golden Triangle route guide, the Rajasthan route guide and the Amritsar guide for each stretch in full.
All south: Goa, Gokarna, Hampi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
A single sweep down the west coast and across to the east, without the backtracking a Delhi-anchored route would need.
| Days | Place | What | Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Goa | Anjuna's beaches and flea market, Chapora Fort, Old Goa | Goan fish curry, feni |
| 4 to 5 | Gokarna | Om Beach and the coastal trek | Coconut fish curry |
| 6 to 7 | Hampi | The Vittala Temple, a coracle ride on the Tungabhadra | A Karnataka thali |
| 8 | Fly to Kochi | Fort Kochi's fishing nets | Appam and stew |
| 9 to 10 | Munnar | Tea estates, Eravikulam's viewpoints | Filter coffee |
| 11 to 12 | Alleppey | A backwater houseboat | An on-board Kerala thali |
| 13 | Varkala | The cliff and its beaches | Fresh-catch seafood |
| 14 to 15 | Madurai | The Meenakshi Amman Temple | Jigarthanda, idli and dosa |
| 16 to 18 | Pondicherry, with Mahabalipuram on the way | The French Quarter, Auroville, the Shore Temple | Franco-Tamil fusion food |
| 19 to 21 | Chennai | Marina Beach, a last look round before flying home | Chettinad chicken |
Eravikulam National Park closes every February and March for the Nilgiri tahr calving season, so skip that viewpoint if you travel then. See the Kerala route guide and the Tamil Nadu route guide for both halves in full.
The Himalaya loop: Himachal and Spiti
This one is for fit travellers only, and only between June and September, when the high passes are clear. It spends the best part of a week above 3,500 metres, so build the rest days in as shown rather than cutting them to add another stop, and don't tack Ladakh on the end without a serious rethink of the whole trip's pacing.
| Days | Place | What | Eat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Delhi | Old and New Delhi | Parathas, chaat |
| 3 to 4 | McLeod Ganj | The Dalai Lama's temple complex, Bhagsu Falls | Thukpa, momos |
| 5 | Bir Billing | Tandem paragliding, weather permitting | A Himachali thali |
| 6 to 7 | Kasol | The Parvati Valley, a walk to Chalal | Cafe food |
| 8 to 9 | Manali | Old Manali, Solang Valley | Siddu, river trout |
| 10 | Manali to Chandratal | Over Kunzum Pass, open only from about mid-June to early October | - |
| 11 | Chandratal to Kaza | A high-altitude lake, then Spiti's main town | Thukpa, momos |
| 12 | Kaza | Key Monastery, Kibber village | Chhurpi |
| 13 | Langza, Hikkim and Komic | Fossil-hunting, the world's highest post office | - |
| 14 | Kaza to Kalpa or Sangla | Via Nako, into Kinnaur | Apple products |
| 15 to 16 | On to Shimla | Following the Sutlej river along NH5 | Siddu |
| 17 | Shimla | The Ridge, a ride on the toy train | Simple hill-station food |
| 18 to 21 | Back to Delhi | Free days, or an Agra day trip | Mughlai kebabs |
See the Himachal Pradesh route guide and the Spiti Valley route guide for both halves of this loop, including the lower-altitude option of doing Himachal without Spiti.
Choosing between them
| Route | Choose it if |
|---|---|
| North and south | You want one big first trip covering forts, beaches and backwaters, with two short flights |
| All north | You'd rather not fly domestically and want to go deeper into Rajasthan and Varanasi |
| All south | Beaches, temples and backwaters matter more to you than forts and deserts |
| The Himalaya loop | You're fit, comfortable at altitude, and your dates fall between June and September |
What this costs
Outside flights into and out of the country, a careful backpacker spends about ₹2,900 to ₹3,400 a day in the north, a little less on the coast and in Kerala, and more in the high Himalaya, where jeep hire and remote prices push costs up. Domestic flights on the north-and-south route (Udaipur to Mumbai, Bengaluru to Kochi) and trains between the other stops are the main one-off costs to plan for beyond your daily budget. Our India cost guide breaks it all down.
Best time to go
October to March suits the recommended route, the all-north alternative and the all-south alternative alike, when the plains are dry and Goa's beach season has started. Goa and Kerala are at their best from November to February, once the monsoon has cleared. Tamil Nadu is the one exception on this page: its wettest season is October to December, not the June-to-September monsoon that affects the rest of the country, so a late-year trip there needs a rain-day cushion. The Himalaya loop only works June to September, when Kunzum Pass and the road into Spiti are open.
Getting around
Trains and vans link the north's stops (the Gatimaan Express to Agra runs every day except Friday), with one or two short domestic flights bridging the longer gaps to Mumbai and Kochi. The all-south route runs on trains along the coast and a short flight into Kerala. The Himalaya loop is shared taxis, jeeps and long-distance buses throughout, since none of these mountain towns sit on a railway line.
