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.
Did you want to visit South India instead? Here’s my 1 Month South India itinerary recommendations, and my 2 week Goa and Kerala itinerary!
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.
SIM CARD FOR INDIA
I really recommend having a sim card in India as it makes travel in India so much easier! You may have heard that it’s hard to get a sim card in India but you can get a sim card in Delhi Airport, read this post to see how to buy a sim card in Delhi Airport or if you fly in elsewhere 3 ways to buy a sim card in India and you’ll be connected in just a few hours!
WHAT TO WEAR IN INDIA
If you are a woman, here’s what I recommend you pack and wear in India. Technically you can wear what you like in India in most places but to get fewer stares and feel more comfortable, read my post!
DON’T GET SCAMMED IN DELHI
Most people arrive for the first time into Delhi and get scammed within a few hours! Read my Delhi Travel Tips to help you enjoy Delhi, and the best places to stay in Delhi which is so important!
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.
BOOKING TRAINS IN INDIA
India is best travelled by train because its the quickest, cheapest and best way of getting to know the country. For an EASY option of booking trains in India use 12GO to search and book trains really easily. If you’ll be in India for awhile, you can use the local booking system, it’s a bit tricker but possible, here’s my post on how to book trains in India as a tourist.
BEST ACCOMMODATION IN INDIA
I always use Booking.com to book my hotels in India and Hostelworld to book my hostels. India has a great range of accommodation with brilliant hostel chains like Moustache, Zostel and Backpacker Panda as well as homestays to luxury hotels.
GUIDED TOURS IN INDIA
Many cities in India are best seen with a guide, even if it’s just a half day tour on your first day. Cities in India are chaotic and complex and what better way to taste the food and get to know the city than with a local. I recommend Get Your Guide & Viator for the best tours in India!
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!
Related Post: HOW MUCH IT REALLY COSTS TO BACKPACK NORTHERN INDIA!
3) Mumbai to Calcutta Itinerary – Rajasthan, Golden Triangle & North West!
- Mumbai – 4 Nights
- Overnight Train
- Udaipur – 3 Nights
- Day Train
- Jodhpur – 2 Nights
- Day Train
- Jaisalmer – 3 Nights
- Day Train
- Jaipur – 3 Nights
- Day Train
- Delhi – 3 Nights
- Day Train
- Agra – 3 Nights
- Overnight Train
- Varanasi – Nights
- Overnight Train
- Calcutta – 4 Nights
- = 31 Nights