Indian visa

Voyager2002

Leanne1812 wrote: »

Not booked yet but at the moment the plan is to fly to Delhi overnight. 2 nights there, Agra for 1 night ( heard it's pretty horrid besides the Taj) then Jaipur for 1or 2 nights. Back to Delhi, fly down to Goa, 8 days there, fly up to Mumbai for 2 nights then home.

Any tweaks or advice on this?

The only alternative was to visit the Ganges while we are up north but this will probably shorten the beach break which we both desperately want to keep.

Why Mumbai?

Traffic and pollution are brutal in big cities in India.

Leanne1812

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Why Mumbai?

Traffic and pollution are brutal in big cities in India.

I don't imagine I'll return to India and it was either fly home from there or Delhi which I'll have seen at the start of the trip. So, Mumbai it is. Not booked yet though so I'm open to suggestions.

vegasvisitor

PompeyPete wrote: »

Lesley, British passport holders currently don't need a visa for stays of 15 days or less. But you should have proof of your outward travel from the country, your flight itinerary that you've printed off will do.

The day you arrive in Vietnam and the day you depart Vietnam both count as Visa days.

We went for 4 weeks, so I arranged for a Visa Authority Letter online with https://www.vietnamvisapro.com. Very simple.

Thanks. That's a relief. I'm guessing you know the area fairly well. I was on the verge of booking flights with Emirates into Ho Chi Minh and back home from Bangkok. The plan was an Air Asia or similar flight from Ho Chi Minh to Bangkok. I'd book this in advance obviously.

Another idea has sprung to mind. Bear in mind I'm talking short notice here (maybe 17th of this month) so this might be a bit wild. I have noticed that you can travel by bus across the border into Cambodia, to Phnom Penh. Would this be a problem for the visa, and would we be crazy to add this in? Original plan was HCMC, Bangkok and Hua Hin (latter two we have been to). Now I'm thinking HCMC, Phnom Penh, Bangkok. This removes the relaxing beach bit too though, so I'd have to find hotels with decent pools to relax. Bangkok will likely be Chatrium or similar anyway. HCMC might be New World Saigon. Had chosen Pullman but the pool looks tiny and not much relaxing space.

vegasvisitor

Leanne1812 wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice. I've looked on tripadvisor and it appears pretty straightforward so I'll go with the e-visa as opposed to applying direct through the embassy.

It nearly was a deal breaker as effectively it felt like a £90 extra fee to visit the Taj ( our main reason for choosing India)

Not booked yet but at the moment the plan is to fly to Delhi overnight. 2 nights there, Agra for 1 night ( heard it's pretty horrid besides the Taj) then Jaipur for 1or 2 nights. Back to Delhi, fly down to Goa, 8 days there, fly up to Mumbai for 2 nights then home.

Any tweaks or advice on this?

The only alternative was to visit the Ganges while we are up north but this will probably shorten the beach break which we both desperately want to keep.

Accommodation in Goa is turning into a bit of a minefield. Last there almost 20 years ago and stayed in the north. Very basic accommodation that I wouldn't appreciate now. Any suggestions? On or very close to the beach, must be clean and have a pool. A friend is there just now and suggested Patnem? Mostly beach huts though that look very basic, not really my thing.

Cheers people.

Your timing sounds about right for the triangle. We did 2 nights Delhi, 1 night Agra, 2 nights Jaipur, 1 night Delhi then home via Dubai.

You are right in saying that Agra is not up to much, other than the Taj Mahal. We did Agra Fort and Taj Mahal in one day. That was the day we arrived.

In Delhi, we arrived at 9am, a bit tired. Got checked in to our hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) which was joined to Saket Mall. We napped and then went up to the pool for a while, then took a taxi to Qutub Minar as it was quite near us. We then had the mall joined to the hotel which was great. I liked hotels joined to malls as it gave us some independence in the evenings. Next day our tour guy took us out for the day in his own car. It was his father's company and it was one of their drivers who picked us up at the airport, then another driver who did our triangle. Was very reasonable and it meant we had our driver Prem with us all the way. We did all the sights the second day in Delhi, then back to the mall at night for a while.

Next day was early start to head to Agra. Hotel was Radisson and was very good.

Next day transfer to Jaipur and saw some sights. Evening again we had a mall across from hotel. Our driver would have taken us out included in the price but we chose to do our own thing and give him a night off. Next day more of Jaipur. There's lots to see.

Next day transfer back to Delhi. We tended to set out at 8am, much to my husband's horror haha but we didn't have late nights. Arrived back in Delhi around lunch time or shortly after, and checked in to Metropolitan hotel, this time much more central near Connaught place, and walkable to there. Walked over to Connaught where we passed government shops on the way (fixed price and nice things). Then dinner buffet and drinks in hotel. Left next day. We got a taxi to the train station nearby, and then got the train to the airport. You could have been anywhere in the world on that train. It was the only train we used in India!

I don't know anything about Goa or Mumbai so can't help with that.

konark

Agra's no better or worse than most Indian cities, besides the Taj and the fort there's also the mausaleum of Akbar and the weird remains of Fatehpur Sikri are a reasonable drive away.

Be careful though, Delhi. Agra and Jaipur are the scam capitals of India, it's amazing how many young men with better English than they should have you'll 'bump into' outside the main tourist sites.

Patnem beach is mainly beach huts for backpackers, there is some 5 star hotel on the neighbouring Rajbag beach, which is crusty and unattractive. The sea is quite clear down there so no real need for a swimming pool.

vegasvisitor

konark wrote: »

Agra's no better or worse than most Indian cities, besides the Taj and the fort there's also the mausaleum of Akbar and the weird remains of Fatehpur Sikri are a reasonable drive away.

Be careful though, Delhi. Agra and Jaipur are the scam capitals of India, it's amazing how many young men with better English than they should have you'll 'bump into' outside the main tourist sites.

Patnem beach is mainly beach huts for backpackers, there is some 5 star hotel on the neighbouring Rajbag beach, which is crusty and unattractive. The sea is quite clear down there so no real need for a swimming pool.

Fatehpur Sikri is good, you will catch this on way out of Agra to Jaipur. We also stopped at the Monkey Temple on our way into Jaipur and it was good, although notoriously dodgy but we didn't know that at the time. We took a guide, paid him about £2 or so, and that kept everyone else away from us. He had us feeding the monkeys, it was good. I got a bit scared when we went further up though and decided it was enough.

joerugby

I have been told that India visas are expensive for UK residents because of the high charges made by the UK government for UK visas for Indian residents. If you are Irish an India tourist visa costs EUR 52 (i.e. approx £37)

Mumbai is an amazing experience. We saw life in the city, rich and poor, palaces and slums, historical and modern.

We stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel which was superb. The bill was just over £1,000 for three nights and included all meals and drinks, lounge access, use of the large outdoor pool, a half day city tour including private car, guide and driver, late (9pm) checkout and private car transfer to the airport. It wasn't cheap but we thought it was excellent value.

Our visit was part of a longer tour of the far east but it is true to say that Mumbai provided our most vivid memories.

Leanne1812

joerugby wrote: »

I have been told that India visas are expensive for UK residents because of the high charges made by the UK government for UK visas for Indian residents. If you are Irish an India tourist visa costs EUR 52 (i.e. approx £37)

Mumbai is an amazing experience. We saw life in the city, rich and poor, palaces and slums, historical and modern.

We stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel which was superb. The bill was just over £1,000 for three nights and included all meals and drinks, lounge access, use of the large outdoor pool, a half day city tour including private car, guide and driver, late (9pm) checkout and private car transfer to the airport. It wasn't cheap but we thought it was excellent value.

Our visit was part of a longer tour of the far east but it is true to say that Mumbai provided our most vivid memories.

I heard the same thing about the cost. My brother in law works in India occasionally ( lives in Malaysia). Recently because of the type of visa he requires he had to travel to his country of birth (uk) to have it issued. Now that was an expensive visa!

I'm sure Mumbai is a fascinating city and I look forward to seeing it. Immense wealth and one of the worlds largest slums living side by side. Makes you wonder what the world is all about.

I have to say that the Taj is way over budget for us. Probably £100 or thereabouts max. I'll do my research though and choose a hotel with good reviews and a central location. I've stayed in club rooms before and while it is a lovely treat, for me, with such a short stay in Mumbai I don't want to feel restricted to using the hotel so much.

Cheers for the advice.