Allahabad

Allahabad, a city in Uttar Pradesh (India), has strong historical, political and religious backdrop. Originally called Prayag, the city is located on the confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna.

When to go: The best time to visit Allahabad is from October to March.

How to go:  If you are coming by plane, then prefer Varanasi Airport or Lucknow Airport. Allahabad Airport is a military base. It has one-room passenger terminal and only one flight by Air India run per day. This flight comes from Delhi via Kanpur.

Allahabad is well connected to other cities of India by train. It is situated on the Delhi-Kolkata route and Mumbai-Kolkata route. The city is well connected by road also as it is on NH2 and NH27.

What to see: Sangam is the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. It is an important place for religious travellers. After every 12 years, it hosts Kumbh Mela. Allahabad Fort, constructed in 1583 by Akbar, is an important place to see. Tourists are allowed to see only Ashoka Pillar, Saraswati Kup and Jodhabai Palace. Patalpuri Temple, an underground temple, is located inside the fort. Akshaya Vat, a religious tree of Hindus, can also be seen within the temple. Anand Bhawan, ancestral home of the Nehrus, has now become a museum. Swaraj Bhawan, built by Pt. Moti Lal Nehru, is the place where Indira Gandhi was born. It is situated just next to Anand Bhawan. Allahabad Museum will surely attract history lovers. Here they can see stone sculptures and coins from the 2nd century BC till date. Jawahar Planetarium will be of interest to you if you love astronomy. Its timing is from 11 am-4:30 pm and ticket price is Rs 20. Children below 7 are not allowed and the planetarium is closed on Mondays. Company Bagh is the place where you can get the experience of British era of Indian history. It is the place where Chandrashekhar Azad (freedom fighter) was gunned down.

Food: Allahabad is heaven for food lovers. You can find very good Mughalai cuisine along with other North Indian dishes here and Loknath area can be the best place for this.

Shopping: You must get the water of Ganges. You can find them in brass pots near Sangam. Guavas of Allahabad are very famous so do not forget to eat.

Where to stay: If you want to stay in a budget pace then you can find a lot of dharmshalas at negligible charges. Hotel Kohinoor in 10 Noorulla Road, Hotel Samrat in Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Hotel Yatrik in 33 Sardar Patel Marg and Valentines Hotel in Clive Road are some of the mid range hotel. Hotel Ajay International in Elgin Road, Hotel Grand Continental in SP Marg, Civil Lines, Hotel Kanha Shyam and Hotel Milan in Strachey Road, Hotel Allahabad Regency in Tashkent Marg and Hotal Samrat in Civil Lines are some of the luxury hotels in the city.

Ajanta- Ellora

Ajanta-Ellora, located near Aurangabad in Maharashtra (India), is famous for caves. They are World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO. Though they are two different tourist destinations, they are often mentioned together because of similar type of rock-cut cave monuments. The Ajanta Caves are located 107 km from Aurangabad city while Ellora cave complex is just 30 km from the city.

When to go: The best time to visit Ajanta and Ellora is from October to March.

How to go:  The nearest airport from Ajanta and Ellora is Aurangabad airport. This airport is well connected to Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, and Mumbai. Jalgaon, which is around 60 km from Ajanta, is also developing its airport and very soon will be ready to welcome the tourists.

Jalgaon railway station is the nearest railway station to reach Ajanta by train. For Ellora, Aurangabad railway station is the nearest. This station is well connected to Mumbai, Delhi and several other important cities of India.

Aurangabad is connected to other cities via road. If you want to go to Ajanta by road then you must go via Jalgaon. 

What to see: The Ajanta Cave complex comprises 29 cave monuments. The caves were constructed in two phases. The first group of caves were built in around 200 BC and the second group in 600 AD. These caves are famous for beautiful sculptures and paintings.

Ellora cave complex comprises of 34 caves which were constructed between 5th and 10th century. Out of 34, caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist monasteries, caves 13 to 29 are the Hindu temples and caves 30 to 34 are the Jain temples. 

Ajanta and Ellora caves are open from 9am until sunset. The Ajanta caves are closed on Mondays while Ellora caves are closed on Tuesdays.

Shopping:

You cannot do a lot of shopping in Ajanta and Ellora as you can find mostly government shops near the bus stop. However Aurangabad can be a perfect nearby place for shopping. Himroo shawls and Paithani sarees of Aurangabad are famous.

Where to stay:

Quality accommodations at Ellora are available while at Ajanta, it is not. The Maharastra Tourism Development Corporation's Holiday Resort in Fardapur can be a good option for you if you are planning to stay in Ajanta. Hotel Kailas, located right opposite the Ellora caves, is a very good option for staying in Ellora.

Ajmer

When to go: The climate of Ajmer is desert type. During summer the temperature rises very high so the best time to come to this place is between October to March.

How to go: The city is well connected to Delhi, Ahmadabad, Jaipur, Udaipur and other cities via train. You can also come here by bus or car. It will take around 2-3 hours to come from Jaipur and 4-5 hours from Jodhpur. There are government and private bus services operating from Ahmadabad, Delhi and several other cities of India. Jaipur Airport is the nearest airport to Ajmer and it is 135 kilometres from here.

What to see: Dargah Sharif-Tomb of the Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti is a major pilgrimage centre. Entry is free. Men and women must cover their heads. Women also need to cover their shoulder. Pick pocketing happens here so be careful. Nareli, a Jain place located near Kishangarh bypass, is a beautiful place to visit. It has a very big temple and also serves Jain food. Check the meal hours in advance as food will be served in those hours only. Ana Sagar is the manmade lake and near one of its sides, there is Daulat Bag, a garden. Shah Jahan's Mosque and Emperor Akbar's royal residence which now serves as a museum are the other places in the city which are worth visiting.

Travel within city: You can see the place by hiring cycle rickshaws or auto rickshaws. It is a walkable city and so you can also walk and see the place.

Food: Tandoor Restaurant will be the right choice for non-veg food. Mahadev ka Dhaba, located opposite to Daulat Bagh, serves delicious dhaba style food. If you are a vegetarian then Hotel Bhola can be a good choice for you.

Shopping: Mahila Mandi is the women’s market in Ajmer. It is closed on Tuesdays.

Where to stay: Hotel Pandit and Khadim tourist bungalow have rooms in economy range. Hotel Mansingh Palace is a 3 star hotel and is a good place to stay.

Agartala

Agartala, capital of Tripura (India), lies on the Haora River. It is just two km from Bangladesh.

When to go:

Agartala has moderate weather throughout the year. The climate is neither very hot nor very cold but still the best time to come Agartala is between October to March.

 How to go:  

Agartala Airport or Singerbhil Airport, located 12 km from the city of Agartala, is ready to welcome you if you are coming to Agartala by plane. The city is well connected to other major cities of India like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Several other cities are connected via Kolkata or Guwahati.

There are direct trains for Agartala from Silchar and Badarpur in Assam. There are also direct buses from Guwahati, Shillong and Silchar.

What to see:

Ujjayanta Palace: It is a two storied mansion built by Maharaja Radha Kishore Manikya and it has pools and Mughal style gardens.

If you are interested in history and historical things then Tripura Government Museum will surely be worth visiting. Sukanta Academy, a science museum will surely attract the lovers of science. A small planetarium in Sukanta Academy complex will attract students, research scholars and scientist.

Jagannath Temple and Lakshmi Narayan Temple are famous from the pilgrims’ point of view.

Venuban Vihar is a Budhha Temple. It is an attractive Buddhist destination of Tripura.

Nehru Park and Rabindra Kanan are two famous parks in the city which will attract people of every age.

Akhaura Check post, near the border of India and Bangladesh, handles the largest number of visitors to and from Bangladesh.

Travel within city:

You can travel in the city by taking Paddle Rickshaws as they are the main mode of travel within the city. In some specified routes, you can also find auto rickshaws. The government city buses also run but their frequency is low.

Food:

All varieties of food are available in any good hotel. You can find Indian, Chinese and Continental foods.

Shopping:

You can buy cane and bamboo artworks here. The traditional handicrafts made of wood, clay and palm leaves are famous. You can check out for tablemats, room dividers, lampshades, wall panels, floor mats etc.

Where to stay:

Though splurge hotels are not available in the city but you can find some very good hotels. Hotel City Centre and Welcome Palace Hotel in Hari Ganga Basak Road, Rajdhani Hotel in B.K. Road, Radha International Hotel in Central Road and Rjarshi Badsha Hotel near Circuit House are some of the good hotels in the city.