North India
The Himalaya, the Golden Triangle and the Sikh and Himalayan heartlands. Most first trips from the USA and UK start here.
Chandigarh ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹLe Corbusier's UNESCO Capitol Complex, the Rock Garden and India's cleanest streetsCovered on the state pageDelhi दिल्लीQutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Red Fort, all three inscribed by UNESCO1 city guide: New DelhiHaryana हरियाणाKurukshetra's Mahabharata sites, dairy farming, wrestling akharas and Surajkund crafts2 city guides: Gurugram, KurukshetraHimachal Pradesh हिमाचल प्रदेशShimla, Manali, Dharamshala's Tibetan community, Spiti's monasteries and high-altitude trekking4 city guides: Dharamshala, Manali, Shimla…Jammu & Kashmir جموں و کشمیرDal Lake houseboats, Mughal gardens, Pashmina and carpet weaving, Gulmarg skiing3 city guides: Gulmarg, Pahalgam, SrinagarLadakh ལ་དྭགས་Buddhist monasteries, Pangong and Tso Moriri lakes, high passes and snow leopards2 city guides: Leh, Nubra ValleyPunjab ਪੰਜਾਬThe Golden Temple, the world's largest free kitchen, Partition history and Wagah border2 city guides: Amritsar, PatialaUttarakhand उत्तराखंडRishikesh yoga, the Char Dham shrines, Corbett's tigers and the Valley of Flowers4 city guides: Haridwar, Jim Corbett National Park, Nainital…
West India
Deserts, Maratha forts, Portuguese churches and the beaches. Mumbai and Goa are the easiest arrival points from Europe.
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu દાદરા અને નગર હવેલી તથા દમણ અને દીવPortuguese forts, quiet beaches, Warli art, and legal alcohol beside dry Gujarat1 city guide: DiuGoa गोंयPortuguese heritage, Old Goa churches, beaches, Carnival, seafood, Feni3 city guides: North Goa, Panaji, South GoaGujarat ગુજરાતA dry state with no bars, the white Rann, Asiatic lions, textiles and four UNESCO sites5 city guides: Ahmedabad, Bhuj and Kutch, Dwarka…Maharashtra महाराष्ट्रGaneshotsav, Ajanta and Ellora, Maratha hill forts, Alphonso mangoes, Nashik wine7 city guides: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, Lonavala…Rajasthan राजस्थानHill forts, palace hotels, the Thar Desert, camel fairs, block printing and tigers8 city guides: Bikaner, Jaipur, Jaisalmer…
Central India
The Taj Mahal, Varanasi, the temples of Khajuraho and India's best tiger reserves.
Chhattisgarh छत्तीसगढ़Bastar tribal culture, Chitrakote Falls, Bastar Dussehra and dhokra metal craft2 city guides: Bastar and Jagdalpur, RaipurMadhya Pradesh मध्य प्रदेशTiger reserves, Khajuraho, Sanchi, Bhimbetka and the Narmada river6 city guides: Bandhavgarh, Bhopal and Sanchi, Gwalior…Uttar Pradesh उत्तर प्रदेशThe Taj Mahal, the Ganges pilgrimage cities and Awadhi slow cooking6 city guides: Agra, Ayodhya, Lucknow…
South India
Temple towns, backwaters, Ayurveda, coffee hills and the Deccan sultanate cities. Gentler weather and slower travel.
Andhra Pradesh ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్Tirumala Venkateswara temple, Araku coffee, Guntur chilli, Amaravati Buddhist sculpture, Kalamkari cloth4 city guides: Amaravati and Vijayawada, Araku Valley, Tirupati…Karnataka ಕರ್ನಾಟಕHampi, Mysuru Dasara, Hoysala temples, Coorg and Chikmagalur coffee, Udupi and Mangalurean food7 city guides: Badami and Pattadakal, Bengaluru, Chikmagalur…Kerala കേരളംGreen Leaf Ayurveda, kettuvallam backwaters, Kathakali, spice hills7 city guides: Alleppey, Kochi, Kovalam…Puducherry புதுச்சேரிFrench quarter, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Auroville, cheap alcohol as a UT1 city guide: AurovilleTamil Nadu தமிழ்நாடுChola bronzes and temples, Bharatanatyam, filter coffee, Nilgiri railway7 city guides: Chennai, Kanyakumari, Madurai…Telangana తెలంగాణHyderabadi biryani, Ramzan haleem, Golconda diamonds, Kakatiya stone carving, Pochampally ikat2 city guides: Hyderabad, Warangal
East India
Durga Puja, the Buddhist circuit, Himalayan tea gardens and the mangroves of the Sundarbans.
Bihar बिहारThe Buddhist circuit, Nalanda, Mauryan history and Chhath Puja. Note that Bihar has been a dry state since April 204 city guides: Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Patna…Jharkhand झारखंडWaterfalls, Netarhat's sunrises, Deoghar's Jyotirlinga and Shravani Mela, Betla National Park, tribal culture, basi2 city guides: Netarhat, RanchiOdisha ଓଡ଼ିଶାKonark Sun Temple, Jagannath of Puri, pattachitra painting, Chilika Lake, Odissi dance, applique of Pipili4 city guides: Bhubaneswar, Chilika Lake, Konark…Sikkim སུ་ཁྱིམ་UNESCO Kangchenjunga National Park, Buddhist monasteries, India's first fully organic state, and strict permits: fo3 city guides: Gangtok, Lachung and Yumthang, PellingWest Bengal পশ্চিমবঙ্গDurga Puja, Darjeeling tea, the Sundarbans, Tagore, fish and sweets5 city guides: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kolkata…
Northeast India
Seven states of tribal culture, living root bridges, monasteries and rhino country. Permits apply in several of them.
Arunachal Pradesh अरुणाचल प्रदेशTawang Monastery, the Sela Pass, Apatani Ziro and Siang rafting. Foreign nationals require a Protected Area or Rest2 city guides: Tawang, Ziro ValleyAssam অসমOne-horned rhinos, Assam tea, the Kamakhya Temple and river island satras. Foreign nationals do not normally need a4 city guides: Guwahati, Jorhat and the Tea Country, Kaziranga…Manipur মণিপুরLoktak Lake, Manipuri Ras Lila, the birthplace of modern polo and the 1944 Imphal battlefields. Foreign nationals n1 city guide: ImphalMeghalaya মেঘালয়Living root bridges, Sohra and Mawsynram rainfall records, caves, a matrilineal Khasi society and Shillong's rock s3 city guides: Cherrapunji (Sohra), Dawki and Mawlynnong, ShillongMizoram मिज़ोरमChapchar Kut and the cheraw bamboo dance, Phawngpui the Blue Mountain and a strongly observed Christian Sunday. For1 city guide: AizawlNagaland नागालैंडThe Hornbill Festival, the Kohima War Cemetery and Konyak villages in Mon. Foreign nationals need a Protected Area 2 city guides: Kohima, Mon and the Konyak VillagesTripura ত্রিপুরাUjjayanta Palace, the Neermahal water palace, the Unakoti rock carvings and Tripura Sundari temple. Foreign nationa1 city guide: Agartala
Islands India
Coral reefs, diving and quiet beaches. Both groups need permits and planning well ahead.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीपसमूहThese 500-odd islands sit closer to Myanmar and Indonesia than to mainland India, and they hold the country's best 3 city guides: Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep), Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep), Port BlairLakshadweep ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്Entry permits, coral atolls, lagoon diving, dry islands except BangaramCovered on the state page