1 Month North India Itinerary! 4 Unique India Itineraries For 1 Month!

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One month in India is a pretty good amount of time to spend in India. I spent one month travelling from Mumbai to Delhi via Rajasthan and I felt like I had been in India for ages when I arrived in Delhi one month later! 

Based on my time backpacking India extensively I wanted to write this blog post to give you a few options for a 1 month India Itinerary, which you can adapt if you have 3 weeks in India or 5 weeks in India.

My plan was to write 1 x one month India itinerary but then I realised working out where to visit in India is so hard and there are so many places to visit in India that one India itinerary isn’t enough and it depends what your priorities are.

Do you want to hit up all the popular Cities? Do you want to visit some ‘less visited’ places? Do you want to go to the Desert? Do you want to head into the Mountains?

India has it all and I hope these 4 x 1 month India Itineraries for North India help you decide.

India Itinerary 1 Month

Best time to visit India

Before we get into this India travel blog, it’s worth thinking about the best time to visit India as the country get’s very hot and wet in the middle of the year. November to March are the best times to visit both North & South India.

South India will be warmer than North India in the winter months of December and January, Delhi and further North actually get cold in these months but are still enjoyable to visit with the right clothing.

Outside these months, you can still visit but you’ll find that the heat and humidity will be much higher, especially as you go further South.

1) Mumbai to Delhi Itinerary – Rajasthan, Golden Triangle & Varanasi!

• Mumbai – 4 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Udaipur – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Jodhpur – 2 Nights
• Day Train
• Jaisalmer – 4 Nights
• Day Train
• Pushkar – 3 Nights
• Day Train or Bus
• Jaipur – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Agra – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Varanasi – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Delhi – 3 Nights
• = 31 Nights
  

Good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

This 1 month itinerary for India is going to show you the highlights of Rajasthan mainly with a really great Rajasthan itinerary! Rajasthan is the most popular state to visit in India because it has so much to offer compared to many other states in India where you only visit one, maybe two places in the state.

Visiting Rajasthan in India is also good for first-time travellers to India because from my experience it is very easy to travel. Everywhere is well-connected by trains and buses and once you arrive, all of the popular tourist attractions in Rajasthan are well organised (for India!) and the quality and range of accommodation is good!

It also gets you up to Varanasi which is one of the top must-see places in India. However, by going at the end of your month you’ll be well-prepped in travelling around India and won’t find it as intense as going to Varanasi earlier on in your trip.

Not so good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

This itinerary for Rajasthan and beyond is very quick, you will be moving around quite quickly I admit and I wouldn’t blame you for taking one of the places in Rajasthan out to have more time in others.

Rajasthan is also very City heavy. That is why I have given you more time in Jaisalmer so you have time to do a Desert safari and get some peace. It’s also why I recommend going to Pushkar because Pushkar is a town but small and chilled compared to the big cities like Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi and Delhi.

Going to Varanasi at the end also adds on 2 extra overnight journeys and a lot of ground to cover.

2) Delhi to Delhi Itinerary –  Rajasthan, Golden Triangle & the Mountains!

• Delhi – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Jaipur – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Jodhpur – 2 Nights
• Day Train
• Jaisalmer – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Amritsar – 2 Nights
• Day Bus
• Dharamshala – 4 Nights
• Day Bus
• Manali – 4 Nights
• Day Bus
• Rishikesh – 4 Nights
• Overnight or Day Train
• Agra – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Delhi – 1 Night
• = 30 Nights
  

Good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

The major plus of this India itinerary is that you’re going to see the Mountains in 3 different places (Dharamshala, Manali & Rishikesh)! As well as few cities in Rajasthan, Amritsar in Punjab and of course Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

A lot of first-time travellers to India stick to Rajasthan when travelling around Northern India especially in their first few weeks (I did) and whilst Rajasthan is good, being able to travel to North-West India which is less visited by tourists, see the Mountains and get some fresh air will give you such a different perspective of India!

In my opinion, this 1 month itinerary for India really shows you some of the best places in North India and such a range of places! And it benefits from only 1 overnight train, maybe 2 if you decide to travel from Rishikesh to Agra overnight but this can be done during the day too.

Not so good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

The major con of this itinerary is that it’s fairly weather dependent and hard to plan as there is never a best time to visit India as the weather changes everywhere. For example, I went to Dharamshala and Rishikesh in November, it’s getting into Winter then and whilst the sun was out during the day it was chilly in the evenings, especially in Dharamshala and in Manali it was snowing so I couldn’t go there! Spring & Autumn is nice in Dharamshala, Manali & Rishikesh, so is summer temperature-wise but they do get a monsoon season too so you will need to plan your trip according to the right weather.

This itinerary covers a lot of ground with just a few days in each place however a lot of the travel times are a few hours throughout the day and you can see these places well in just a few days!

3) Mumbai to Calcutta Itinerary – Rajasthan, Golden Triangle & North West!

Good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

This India itinerary 1 month is going to take you on an amazing itinerary for North East India! An area that not many travellers start with or even visit on their first trip to India!

Calcutta is such an interesting City and this 1 month India itinerary not only gives you the chance to see the City of Calcutta but in 4 nights you could also see the Sundarban National Park before leaving which is mainly in Bangladesh but does come into West Bengal too, it’s really unique and different.

In addition to this, Calcutta is a major airport so you should be able to find good flights leaving Calcutta.

The itinerary also visits 4 major places in Rajasthan as well as Agra and Varanasi, all must-visit places in North India!

Not so good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

The start of the itinerary is pretty good and chilled with just a few hours of travel time during the day between each place. The end gets a bit busier with some overnight journeys at long distances but by now you will be used to travelling in India and a push at the end to reach the East is worth it, I think!

4) Delhi to Mumbai Itinerary – Rajasthan, Golden Triangle and Rishikesh & Varanasi!

• Delhi – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Rishikesh – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Varanasi – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Agra – 3 Nights
• Day Train or Bus
• Jaipur – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Jaisalmer – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Jodhpur – 3 Nights
• Day Train
• Udaipur – 3 Nights
• Overnight Train
• Mumbai – 3 Nights
• = 31 Nights
  

Good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

This is great if you want to see Rajasthan but you also want to get to Rishikesh, Varanasi & Agra as these are must-see destinations in North India!

My friends actually did this 1 month India itinerary whilst in Northern India and afterwards, they definitely felt like they had seen and experienced a lot.

Starting in Delhi is good and a good way to get over any jet lag and having Rishikesh as your second destination will give you an insight into the country that most people don’t get on their first trip to India – the Mountains!

This Delhi to Mumbai in 1 month itinerary is also good if you plan to go to South India after Mumbai as you can easily get an overnight train or bus to Goa.

Not so good things about this India itinerary for 1 month:

Although Rishikesh is a good and chilled start to your one month in India, going to Delhi, Varanasi, Agra and then Jaipur in one go is a lot and if you have not been to India before because they are big and busy cities.

My friend messaged me whilst in Jaipur saying ‘it’s so busy in India, we just feel tired!’ but I had to remind her that she started with 4 of the biggest and busiest cities in North India and she had done more overnight journeys than I had and I’d been in India for 6 weeks!

After Jaisalmer, they felt it calmed down a bit but there’s no doubt about it, this itinerary is busy and takes in a lot of cities, luckily they were heading to South India afterwards for a chilled month.

What I would suggest is to take somewhere out, maybe Jaisalmer or Udaipur or instead of going to Jodhpur City, stay in a homestay outside of Jodhpur like I did which is really relaxing. My friends did this after I went as I insisted they did too and they loved it!

My Related India Blog Posts

Here are my blog posts from the places I have mentioned above in India to help you plan backpacking India trip and know what to do in each place in India:

• How to Book a Train in India as a Foreigner.
• What to Pack and Wear in India as a Female.
• The Cost of Backpacking India in North India.
• Agra –  My Top Tips for Visiting the Taj Mahal!
• Amritsar – Tips for Visiting Amritsar’s Golden Temple and the Wagah Border Ceremony!
• Dharamshala – Dharamshala & McLeod Ganj Travel Guide for Travellers!
• Jaipur – The Best Way To See Jaipur aka The Pink City of India!
• Jodhpur – Incredible Homestay Experience in Rajasthan at Chhotaram Prajapat’s Homestay!
• Mumbai – Things To Do in Colaba and How To See Mumbai From Colaba! 
• Rishikesh – A Travel Guide to Rishikesh.
• Pushkar – 12 Things Perfect For Backpacker To Do in Pushkar! 
• Udaipur – Tips for Visiting Udaipur’s City Palace & Doing a Boat Trip Around Lake Pichola!
• Varanasi – 2 Day Itinerary for Varanasi – Will you love it or hate it?