Top destinations to visit in India.

The City of Lakes wears its romance lightly — Pichola glowing at dusk, marble palaces reflected in still water, and narrow lanes that open onto miniature-painting studios and rooftop cafés. Base yourself at a heritage haveli, take an early boat before the crowds, and don't miss the folk performances at Bagore-ki-Haveli.

A network of lagoons, canals and lakes fringed by coconut palms — best experienced from the top deck of a converted rice barge. Cast off from Alleppey or the quieter Kumarakom, wake to mist over the water, and let the day pass to the rhythm of village life gliding by.

Moonscape valleys, monasteries perched on ridgelines, and the impossible blues of Pangong Tso. Ladakh rewards travellers who slow down: acclimatise in Leh for two nights, then loop out to Nubra and Pangong. The road itself is the experience — Khardung La, Chang La, and the sudden hush of the high desert.

The Golden City rises out of the Thar like something dreamt. The living fort still shelters families, shops and Jain temples, and the surrounding havelis — Patwon-ki, Salim Singh's — are miniature marvels of yellow sandstone. Then, on the last night, camp under the desert sky at Sam or Khuri.

Tea estates rolling to the horizon, cool mornings, and the scent of eucalyptus on the breeze. Munnar is where South India exhales. Walk the plantations at sunrise, drive up to Top Station for the view over Tamil Nadu, and end the day with Kerala thali at a hill-station bungalow.

India's oldest living city moves to the Ganga's rhythm. Take a rowboat at first light as the ghats wake up, sit through the fire-and-bells intensity of the evening Ganga Aarti, and lose an afternoon in the old lanes near Vishwanath. Varanasi is not comfortable — it is unforgettable.

Skip the crowded north and head below the Zuari. Palolem, Agonda and Patnem are long, curving beaches with palm shade, small boutique stays, and the kind of pace that lets a week slip past unnoticed. Add a Portuguese-heritage lunch in Chandor and a spice-plantation day inland.

The Ganga runs cold and clear here, framed by forested foothills. Rishikesh is India's yoga capital, but also its adventure hub — white-water rafting, riverside meditation, and cliffside cafés strung along the Laxman Jhula. An easy long-weekend from Delhi that still feels like a proper reset.

The ruined capital of Vijayanagara, scattered across a surreal landscape of boulders and banana groves. Rent a bicycle, watch the sunset from Matanga Hill, and cross the river to the palm-shaded hippie-era guesthouses of Anegundi. Few places in India feel this cinematic.

White-sand beaches, coral reefs still alive, and jungle-clad interiors. Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) for the beaches and diving, Neil (Shaheed Dweep) for the slower pace, and Ross & Smith for a barefoot day trip. India's tropical secret, and a proper alternative to Southeast Asia.

The Taj deserves its place on every India list — but only at sunrise, before the crowds. Pair it with Itmad-ud-Daulah (the 'Baby Taj') and a sunset from Mehtab Bagh across the river. Add the abandoned Mughal capital of Fatehpur Sikri on the way out, and you have a two-day slice of the greatest architecture on the subcontinent.

The Pink City is the easiest introduction to Rajasthan and still one of its richest. Amber Fort at first light, the block-printed textiles of Bagru, the astronomical madness of Jantar Mantar, and a rooftop thali overlooking Hawa Mahal. Base three nights here on any Golden Triangle trip.

Mysore Palace lit up on a Sunday night is one of India's most theatrical sights — a hundred thousand bulbs on Indo-Saracenic stone. Pair the city with two nights in Coorg's coffee estates, an hour and a half up into the hills, for sandalwood forests, plantation walks, and pork curry that will stay with you.

The classic hill-station experience: tea gardens rolling down to the Teesta, the toy train chugging up to Ghum, and if you're lucky, Kanchenjunga clear on the horizon at dawn from Tiger Hill. Push north into Sikkim for Buddhist monasteries at Rumtek and Pelling, and you've built a proper east-Himalaya week.

The White Desert only appears in winter — a salt flat the size of a small country, blindingly bright by day and unearthly by moonlight. Time your visit around the Rann Utsav for the tented city, artisan villages, and camel rides across the salt. Add Bhuj for the embroidery museums and the earthquake-rebuilt old town.