India: Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Goa, best time to visit and costs 2026

India suits you if you want to see Mughal buildings, forts in Rajasthan and Buddhist sites on one trip. UNESCO lists 45 World Heritage Sites in the country, 37 of them as cultural heritage (as of September 2026).

New on the list since 2026 is Sarnath near Varanasi. In addition, the GST sales tax on hotel rooms up to ₹7,500 per night fell from 12 to 5% on 22 September 2025.

India suits you less in May if you do not cope well with heat: Delhi then reaches a mean of 39.9 °C by day. From June to September, 91% of the annual rain falls in Panjim (Goa) (own calculation from IMD values 1991–2020). And in November 2025, air quality in Delhi was in the “Very Poor” or “Severe” categories on 27 of 30 days (own analysis).

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 1,260,503 passengers whose last known destination was India boarded at the 22 main German airports, rank 17 among 211 foreign destination countries; connecting passengers abroad are not included. The passengers from Germany most often flew to Delhi (389,734), Mumbai (271,755) and Bengaluru (252,989), followed by Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Most started in Frankfurt (717,365) and Munich (380,721), together 87.1% of all passengers to India (Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; totals, ranking and share: own analysis).

Documented routes from the airport into the city exist in the operator sources analysed only for Delhi and Mumbai.

Delhi (DEL): metro from Terminal 3 and Terminal 1

At Indira Gandhi International Airport, Terminal 3 handles the international flights, while Terminals 1 and 2 serve only domestic traffic. The Airport Express Line (Orange Line) stops directly at Terminal 3 and takes you to New Delhi station in around 25 minutes. The first trains leave at 4:45, the last at 23:15 from Dwarka Sector 21 and at 23:30 from New Delhi (as of September 2026).

The Magenta Line stops at Terminal 1: you walk 5 to 7 minutes to its underground station, with travelators helping on the covered route. The line runs from about 5:30 to 23:30 every 5 minutes. Uber, Ola and taxis with a fixed fare or prepayment are available at all terminals (as of September 2026). The airport does not state fares.

Mumbai (BOM): metro line 3 at both terminals

Metro line 3 has a station of its own at both terminals of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. From Terminal 2 to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station you travel 24.5 km without a change for ₹60 (as of 26 September 2026). The whole line from Aarey JVLR to Cuffe Parade, 33.61 km, costs ₹70 as of the same date. The operator's route planner does not give a journey time.

Regions and destinations at a glance

The distances are straight-line from the Safdarjung weather station in New Delhi (own calculation from the coordinates of the weather service IMD). The year of inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List is given in brackets, and the climate values are averages for the years 1991 to 2020.

Delhi and Agra: Mughal buildings

The Red Fort in Delhi was palace and fortress in one, built for Shahjahanabad, which Shah Jahan made the capital. It takes its name from the red sandstone of its walls. The Qutb Minar measures 72.5 m and was built in the early 13th century. With Humayun's Tomb from the 16th century, a mausoleum in the middle of a garden was built for the first time on the subcontinent.

The Taj Mahal in Agra is the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, Shah Jahan's wife; it was built from 1632 to 1648. With the garden on the bank of the Yamuna, the complex covers just under 17 hectares. A 2.5 km long wall of red sandstone runs around Agra Fort. Fatehpur Sikri was built from 1571 under Emperor Akbar as a new capital, and in 1585 the seat of government was moved to Lahore.

The Taj Mahal opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes before sunset, and it stays closed on Fridays. Drones and food brought in are not allowed, and tripods only with permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Between 20:00 and 24:00 night visits are possible for groups of no more than 50 people, but only on five nights around the full moon (as of September 2026).

Jaipur and Rajasthan: planned city and hill forts

Jaipur's rectangular street grid dates from the 18th century, and most of the planned city was built within four years, from 1727 to 1731. Around 20 large masonry instruments stand in the Jantar Mantar observatory, which also dates from the early 18th century. Amber Fort near Jaipur is one of the six hill forts of Rajasthan on the World Heritage List.

Varanasi and Sarnath: World Heritage Site since 2026

Varanasi airport, Lal Bahadur Shastri, is in Babatpur. Buddhist pilgrims visit Sarnath in the Varanasi urban area because, according to tradition, the Buddha first preached here. Since 2026 the Chaukhandi Stupa and the excavations of Sarnath have been a World Heritage Site, 8.05 hectares in total.

West coast: Mumbai, Goa and Kerala

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station in Mumbai was built from 1878 over a decade of construction. Victorian Gothic Revival meets forms of Indian palaces there, for example in the stone dome and the turrets. On the Oval Maidan, Gothic Revival buildings of the 1880s face Art Deco houses. Cave 1 on Elephanta Island is 39 m deep; at its entrance stands the Sadashiva figure, 7 m high.

The tomb of St Francis Xavier is in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa, around 10 km east of Panjim. It belongs to seven churches and convents of the former capital of Portuguese India that are World Heritage Sites. The Western Ghats extend for around 1,600 km through Kerala and five other states; they lie 30 to 50 km from the west coast.

Best time to visit

The figures are official averages of the Indian weather service IMD for 1991 to 2020: New Delhi (Safdarjung station, 211.4 m) and Panjim in Goa (59.6 m). Under °C is the mean daily high and low, under mm the precipitation in the month.

According to the IMD's normal data, the southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala around 1 June and has covered the whole of India a good five weeks later, around 8 July. It has withdrawn everywhere only around 15 October. In Panjim, June to September bring 91% of the annual rain (own calculation), and in Kochi 343.2 mm still falls in October. In Delhi it rains at most 21.5 mm a month from October to March, but in January the temperature at night falls to a mean of 7.5 °C.

Getting around the country

Rail and bus

The Ministry of Tourism names three main ways of travelling around the country: plane, rail and road. Rail tickets are available via irctc.co.in, among others. Current timetables, rail fares and long-distance buses are missing from the sources analysed. An older example: in 2016, with up to 160 km/h, the Gatimaan Express was India's first semi-high-speed train. When it was introduced, it took 100 minutes from Hazrat Nizamuddin (Delhi) to Agra, and the journey cost ₹750 in an air-conditioned chair car (as of April 2016).

Car and roads

According to the Ministry of Tourism, anyone who brings an International Driving Permit may drive a car themselves in India, and hire cars are available. The accident figures are high: in 2023 the police counted 172,890 road deaths, and in 68.1% of cases speeding was the cause (Ministry of Road Transport, year 2023).

Money and costs

You pay in the Indian rupee (INR, ₹). According to the Ministry of Tourism, you can get rupees at selected banks and at currency exchange offices approved by the central bank RBI, and likewise at airports and in hotels. According to the ministry, many places accept credit and debit cards from abroad. Digital payment is also widespread: by UPI, with a mobile wallet or a contactless card. The ASI charges admission at 143 monuments, and Taj Mahal tickets are available online and at the counter (as of September 2026).

Practical information

India uses Indian Standard Time, Coordinated Universal Time plus 5:30 hours. In the German winter you are therefore 4:30 hours ahead, during summer time 3:30 hours (own calculation). The constitution establishes Hindi as the official language of the Union; English is also officially permitted and, according to the Ministry of Tourism, widespread across the country. At some places of worship you enter without shoes, as is the custom there.

The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply to India; according to the EU, high costs threaten above all with mobile internet. The Ministry of Tourism names local SIM cards or mobile Wi-Fi routers as an alternative (as of September 2026).

National holidays are 26 January, 15 August and 2 October. In 2027, according to the central government's list, Holi falls on 23 March and Diwali on 29 October. Muslim holidays can shift at short notice depending on the sighting of the moon (list of 16 July 2026).

What rules apply on entry, safety and health is set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who India is not for

• Anyone who can only travel in May and avoids heat: Delhi then averages 39.9 °C by day, Jaipur 41.1 °C (IMD, 1991–2020).
• Anyone who wants to go to the west coast in summer: Panjim (Goa) gets on average 955.2 mm of rain on 26.7 days in July (IMD, 1991–2020).
• Anyone sensitive to poor air: In November 2025 the air in Delhi was “Very Poor” or “Severe” on 27 of 30 days (own analysis).
• Anyone who wants to drive themselves: In 2023 India counted 172,890 road deaths.
• Anyone who expects prices for locals: At the Taj Mahal, foreigners pay ₹1,100, Indians ₹50 (as of September 2026).
• Anyone who wants to see many regions in a short time: From Delhi to Kochi it is 2,051 km as the crow flies (own calculation).