Day 1: Meeting & Assistance At Delhi Airport
You arrive at Terminal-3 of New Delhi International Airport. Once you are done with customs, immigration, and baggage collection you will notice our representative waiting for you with a placard when you are just about to exit the arrival terminal.
Delhi - is India’s capital and a major gateway to the country. Perhaps there is no other capital city in the world so steeped in history and legend as the Indian capital Delhi. It was the magnet, which drew the Mongols, Turks, Persians, Afghans, Mughals and the British, all of whom contributed to its glorious but turbulent past. The fascination with Delhi was such that even though it was abandoned many times, its rulers returned to it again and again rebuilding it at least seven times. Today, the twin cities of Old and New Delhi still intrigue Indians and tourists alike as the cultural and political capital of the largest democracy in the world.
Our representative will assist you with transfer to the hotel for check-into your rooms. (Standard hotel check in time is 1400 hours).
Spend the rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2: Delhi Shimla By Train
After cold/packed breakfast, you will be driven to New Delhi Railway Station, where you embark on the Shatabdi Express for your journey to Shimla via Kalka.
Shatabdi is an Express train of the Shatabdi category belonging to Indian Railways. It covers the distance of 303 kilometers in 4 hours 05 mins as 12011 Shatabdi Express (76.20 km/hour)
After arriving at Kalka Station, you will experience the real highlight of your tour – a five hour journey along the UNESCO-listed Kalka-Shimla railway aboard the Himalayan Queen Express. Travelling on India’s railways is a truly unforgettable experience, recalling the times of the British Empire and revealing some of the most incredible scenery the region has to offer. This narrow gauge train journey makes its way through the lower Himalayas, passing spectacular natural scenery and travelling across bridges and through tunnels which hark back to the golden era of construction. You will also be handed over a packed lunch which is to be consumed on-board train.
On arrival, you will be met by our representative and drive to Shimla. Shimla is a beautiful Hill station in the lap of Himachal Pradesh and is also its capital. It is located at an altitude of 2213 m. Shimla derives its name from goddess 'Shayamla Devi' , another form of Goddess Kali. Shimla has been blessed with natural beauty and is surrounded by green pastures and snow-capped peaks.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 3: Shimla Local Sightseeing
A leisurely breakfast awaits you today at the hotel. Today take guided tour of Shimla, taking in the Vice regal Lodge; this also happens to be the place where the partition of India into two parts India and Pakistan was planned on the world map. The British architecture here is amazing; the wooden work inside the building is still kept alive as it was during the British rule. The building is now used by Indian scholars and is called Institute for Advanced Studies. After the tour of this impressive building visit a Hindu temple containing shrines to the many and various Hindi gods.
You will also peek inside The Gaiety Theatre (closed on Monday and national holidays), designed by Henry Irwin is typical Gothic Style which represents renaissance in Europe, with its arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. The building also personifies the Victorian aesthetic sensibilities. You’ll also see Scandal Point, which is believed to have acquired its name from a scandal in the 19th century when the daughter of a British Viceroy eloped with the then Maharaja of Patiala. You’ll finally see Christ Church, the second oldest church in Northern India. The rest of the day is at leisure – the perfect opportunity to perhaps stroll along the Mall and explore some of the shops or optional visit to SAF art gallery.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4: Shimla Day Free
Breakfast is at the hotel and day is at leisure to pursue your own activities.
Today you have an option to visit the beautiful place called Fagu in Kufri area of the Himachal state situated 16 kms from Shimla. The snow covered mountains and green fields amidst the cool breeze; this is the magic of Fagu and it offers a panoramic view of the surrounding verdant valleys and snow-capped peaks. Or Option to visit the SAF art gallery.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5: Shimla Delhi By Train
A morning scenic drive in your car takes you to the town of Chandigarh, where you will be boarding your train back to Delhi. On arrival at Chandigarh Railway Station, board train for Delhi and packed lunch will be provided for on-board consumption on the train. On your arrival to the ever bustling city and you will be transferred to Delhi hotel to continue tour with onward destination.
Day 6: Delhi Full Day Sightseeing Tour
Your tour will start with a visit to the Jama Masjid, one of Asia’s largest mosques. It was built in red sandstone and marble by more than 5000 artisans. Later visit Chandni Chowk (closed on Sunday) followed by rickshaw ride, Asia's largest wholesale market, a massive area packed with shops, bazaars, and people (most of the shops remains closed on Sundays). Drive past the Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 17th century. Also visit the Raj Ghat, a simple memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.
Afternoon, set out to explore New Delhi with a private guide, which reflects the legacy the British left behind. The division between New and Old Delhi is the division between the capitals of the British and the Mughals respectively. The division in the walled city and New Delhi also marks the division in the life-styles. The walled city is all tradition where one will be able to glean a past life-style in all its facets, colours and spells. New Delhi in contrast, is a city trying to live up to the best of 21st century standards.
The tour to Imperial Delhi will start by visit to the Humayun’s Tomb, built by the widow of the second Mughal Emperor, Humayun’s, it is an outstanding monument in the Indo-Persian style, a precursor of the Taj Mahal.
Visit to Sunder Nursery, formerly called Azim Bagh or Bagh-e-Azeem, is a 16th-century heritage park complex adjacent to the Humayun's Tomb site in Delhi. Originally known as Azim Bagh and built by the Mughals in the 16th century, it is spread over 90 acres
The tour also includes a drive past the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the President’s residence.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 7: Delhi Jaipur
Post breakfast at the hotel. You will be driven from Delhi to Jaipur.
Arrive and check in at hotel.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 8: Jaipur Full Day Sightseeing Tour
Set off this morning to explore the yellow-hued Amer Fort that served as the medieval capital of the Kacchwaha Rajputs until the 18th century. One of Rajasthan’s finest hill-top forts, Amer is particularly noted for the stunning Sheesh Mahal pavilion (Palace of Mirrors).
On the way, enjoy a photo-stop at “Palace of Winds” otherwise known as Hawa Mahal. Five stories in height and built of red and pink sandstone highlighted with white quicklime, it is thought that the women of the royal harem used the many casements to observe everyday life in the street below without being seen.
Among the highlights to be seen while touring Jaipur in the afternoon include the City Palace, built in 18th century, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its structures have been designed, combining the architectural elements of the Mughal, Europe, Rajput and the Shilpa Shastra of India. It is an overwhelming complex of exquisite palaces, gardens and courtyards, decorative art and carved doorways. Built within the fortified area of the original city, it has one of the finest monumental entrances in India. The Palace is now principally a museum housing a collection of great treasures, including miniature paintings, carpets, royal garments and other interesting objects from Jaipur's intriguing past. The former royal family retains a part of the palace for their personal use.
Walk to the adjacent Jantar Mantar or Astronomical Observatory made by the Maharaja of Jaipur in 18th century and is one of the five such astronomical wonders built by Sawai Jai Singh which makes accurate predictions even to this day. The Maharajah, a scientist as well as an astronomer, had the principles of Euclid translated into Sanskrit. One of the most remarkable sites in Jaipur, the Jantar Mantar has fourteen major geometric devices for measuring time, predicting eclipses and tracking stars and planets.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 9: Jaipur To Agra
Post breakfast at the hotel. You will be driven from Jaipur to Agra. En route stop at Fatehpur Sikri, ancient and magnificent Mughal capital of Akbar the Great. A real ghost town whose ruins are still in the state. It is not hard to imagine life in the fort in its prime. Fatehpur Sikri is a remarkable place from an artistic and architectural point of view. The imperial city, now deserted, and this probably for lack of water, offers the visitor an overview of its past grandeur with its palaces, colonnaded buildings, kiosks, pavilions, courtyards and basins, mosques, caravanserais.
After sightseeing continue to Agra. AGRA, once the imperial capital of the mighty Mughal Empire, Agra is home to some of the finest examples of architecture that flourished under the Mughals. One can still see the descendants of the workers brought by Shah Jahan to work on the Taj Mahal creating stunning pieces of marble inlay artefacts using the same techniques as their forefathers. History says Agra was a plundered village before Sultan Sikandar Lodi established his capital here, which was then won by the first Mughal Emperor Babur.
Upon arrival in Agra visit to Agra Fort.
Visit of the Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is where the history of the Mughal Empire was written in stone. Built on an eminence overlooking the Yamuna river, this impressive looking fort contains many palaces with refined decorations but also a maze of buildings that make it a city within a city. The current structure owes its origins to Emperor Akbar who erected his walls and gates in 1565 but also the first buildings in the east on the banks of the Yamuna River. Shah Jehan added the Moti Masjid (pearl mosque, considered by some to be the most beautiful on the subcontinent) and .Aurangzeb outside the ramparts, among others.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10: Agra Delhi
Early at morning visit to Taj Mahal at sunrise (Closed on Friday). Built as a monument to eternal love and described by poet Rabindranath Tagore as "a teardrop on the cheek of time", this magnificent 17th century mausoleum made of milk-white makrana marble was created by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tribute to the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz.
Return to Hotel for breakfast and check out. Drive to Delhi. Upon arrival check in at hotel and evening at leisure. Overnight stay at Hotel.
Day 11: Delhi Departure
Breakfast at Hotel and check out by 1200 hors. Today, you will be transferred to Delhi airport for your flight for your onward destination.
