India's Golden Triangle to the Ganges — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station (~₹60/£0.60) or a pre-booked prepaid taxi from the official counter (~₹600–800/£6–8) — ignore anyone inside the terminal offering a ride. Check into a budget guesthouse or mid-range hotel in Paharganj or Karol Bagh, then take an orientation wander: India Gate, the lawns of Rajpath and Connaught Place for your first chai and thali. Evening free to adjust to the time zone.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£0.60 or prepaid taxi ~£7

🛏Budget guesthouse or 3-star hotel, Paharganj/Karol Bagh (£18–25)

• →Airport transfer into central Delhi
• →Self-guided orientation walk: India Gate and Connaught Place
• →Evening chai and street food in Paharganj

Morning at your own pace: Humayun's Tomb or the Red Fort, then a half-day street-food walk through Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk) if you want it — bookable on Klook or GetYourGuide for around £18–25, cheaper if you just eat your way down Paranthe Wali Gali yourself. In the afternoon take a fast train to Jaipur — the double-decker or Shatabdi/Vande Bharat services run in 4.5–5.5 hours, AC chair car roughly ₹700–1,100 (£7–11); book on IRCTC well in advance. Arrive Jaipur, check in, and do an orientation walk through the Pink City bazaars (Bapu Bazaar, Johari Bazaar). Optional: a Bollywood film at the Raj Mandir cinema (~£2–4).

🚌Delhi–Jaipur AC chair car train ~£8–11; metro/auto around Delhi ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Jaipur old city (£15–22)

• →Self-guided Old Delhi or Humayun's Tomb visit
• →Optional Old Delhi food walk (~£20, Klook/GetYourGuide)
• →Train to Jaipur
• →Pink City bazaar orientation walk
• →Optional Raj Mandir cinema showing (~£3)

Get to Amber Fort early (opens 8am) by local bus from Hawa Mahal (~₹30) or auto-rickshaw (~₹250–350 return, negotiate). Entry is about ₹500–600 for foreigners (~£5–6); an audio guide or a local guide picked up at the gate runs £5–10 — you don't need to pre-book. Walk back down past Jal Mahal, stop at Hawa Mahal for photos (₹200 entry if you want to go inside), then optionally the City Palace (₹1,000) and Jantar Mantar (₹200). Afternoon option: a backstreets cycle tour of Jaipur (~£25–30 via GetYourGuide or local operators like Le Tour de India), which starts with a lassi. Evening rooftop dinner in the old city.

🚌Local bus ~£0.30 or auto-rickshaw ~£3 return to Amber Fort

🛏Guesthouse in Jaipur old city (£15–22)

• →Amber Fort entry and self-guided visit (~£6)
• →Hawa Mahal and old-city walk
• →Optional City Palace (~£10) and Jantar Mantar (~£2)
• →Optional Jaipur cycle tour (~£28)

Take a morning train or a comfortable AC bus to Agra — trains run about 4–5 hours (AC chair car ~£6–8), buses 5–6 hours (~£5–7). Check into a guesthouse with a rooftop Taj view in Taj Ganj, then head to the Taj Mahal for the late-afternoon slot (it's quietest roughly 3–4pm onwards). Foreigner entry is ₹1,300 (~£12); the ticket is valid for one entry, so buy on the official ASI site or at the east gate counter — book online in advance to skip the queue. Note: the Taj is closed Fridays. Sunset from Mehtab Bagh across the river (~£3) is a lovely free-ish alternative view.

🚌Jaipur–Agra train AC chair car ~£7

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, Agra (£15–22)

• →Taj Mahal entry and sunset visit (~£12)
• →Optional Mehtab Bagh river view (~£3)
• →Taj Ganj rooftop dinner

Morning train from Agra to Jhansi (roughly 4–5 hours, AC chair car ~£6–8), then a shared auto or rickshaw the last 16km into Orchha (~₹100–150, ~£1–1.50). Orchha is a small, chilled town on the Betwa River — check into a riverside guesthouse or homestay. Afternoon: visit the Orchha palace complex (₹250 foreigners, ~£2.50) and the chhatris along the river. Try to fit in Tarragram, the handmade paper workshop supporting local tribal women — open daytime and easy to visit independently. Evening: the Ram Raja Temple aarti (~7pm) is free and worth timing your day around.

🚌Agra–Jhansi train ~£7; shared auto Jhansi–Orchha ~£1.50

🛏Riverside guesthouse or homestay, Orchha (£10–16)

• →Orchha palace complex (~£2.50)
• →Tarragram handmade paper workshop
• →Betwa River chhatris walk
• →Ram Raja Temple evening aarti (free)

A gentle day: hire a bicycle (~₹100) and cycle the lanes and riverbank, or take a short cooking class with a local family (arrange via your guesthouse, ~£10–15, lunch included). Alternatively laze by the Betwa. Late afternoon, head back to Jhansi for the overnight train to Varanasi — sleeper class is about £8–10 and 3AC around £14–18, roughly 11–12 hours. Book on IRCTC well ahead; the Vande Bharat window and sleeper allocations sell out early. Bring a padlock, a light blanket and earplugs.

🚌Orchha–Jhansi rickshaw ~£1.50; Jhansi–Varanasi overnight train ~£9–17

🛏Overnight sleeper train (3AC or SL)

• →Cycling around Orchha (~£1)
• →Optional local cooking class (~£12)
• →Overnight Indian Railways sleeper train

Arrive into Varanasi (likely Varanasi Junction or Cantt), take a pre-paid auto to your guesthouse near Assi Ghat or the old city (~£2). Sleep off the train, then do an orientation walk along the ghats from Assi to Dashashwamedh: watch the evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat (free, arrive by 6pm for a spot on the steps). Explore the galis of the old city — the Vishwanath temple area, silk shops, kachori and lassi stalls. Dress modestly; shoulders and knees covered.

🚌Auto from station ~£2; everything else on foot

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat or old city (£12–20)

• →Ghats orientation walk
• →Evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat (free)
• →Old city gali wander and street food

Book a sunrise rowboat directly on the ghats the night before — around ₹500–1,000 per person (~£5–10) for a one-hour shared boat, or £15–25 private; you'll see bathers, washermen and the burning ghats at dawn. Mid-morning, take a tuk-tuk to Sarnath (~₹300, £3), where the Buddha gave his first sermon — entry to the archaeological site is ~₹300 (~£3) and the museum is worth an hour; a local guide at the gate costs £5–8, or pre-book a guided Sarnath tour (~£20). Back in Varanasi, spend the afternoon on the ghats, then take an evening boat for the candle-and-flower offering (diyas ~₹50).

🚌Tuk-tuk to Sarnath ~£3; boats arranged locally

🛏Guesthouse near Assi Ghat or old city (£12–20)

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride (~£8)
• →Sarnath tuk-tuk trip and site entry (~£6)
• →Optional guided Sarnath tour (~£20)
• →Evening Ganges boat and diya ceremony (~£10)

Final morning chai on the ghats before heading to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (about 25km, prepaid taxi ~£8) or Varanasi Junction for onward trains. If you have time, a last walk through the silk-weaving lanes of Madanpura is a nice send-off.

🚌Prepaid taxi to airport ~£8

🛏None (departure day)

• →Morning ghat walk
• →Optional Madanpura silk-weaving lanes