Accommodation
- Hotels
- Modern Western-style hotels available in all large cities and at popular tourist centers. Heritage Hotels, and 5 to 1-star hotels.
Hotels in India
India Hotels - Tourist Bungalows
- At almost every tourist center in the country, under the control of the respective State government’s Tourist Development Corporation.
- Youth Hostels
- Capacity for about 40 beds. A convenient and cheap base for organized tours, trekking, hiking or mountaineering.
Youth Hostels Association - Camp sites /Caravanning
- Throughout India.
India Tourism - Hotel Rules
- Prices are given per room, based on whether the room is occupied by one or two persons (single or double occupancy).
- For Further Information
- Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India
India Tourism
Price Indications
| Economy Room | USD 30 – 100 |
| Medium Price Room | USD 100 – 175 |
| Good Quality Room | USD 175 – 400 |
Eating Out
- Categories of Restaurant
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- Most restaurants are specialized according to the type of food they offer
- Continental, Multi Cuisine, Fast Food, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Mediterranean; South Indian, Mughlai, Punjabi.
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- Bars & restaurants
- Bars which can also serve food.
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- Road-side restaurants
- ‘Dhabas’ serve real authentic local food at very low prices. Favorite eating places for low-budget foreign tourists.
- Rules For Eating Out
- Rules vary from one establishment to another, but it is generally common to ask for the bill at your table after the meal.A ‘tip’ is generally given after the meals; varies between 5-10% of the bill amount.
Price Indications
| Economy Meal | USD 5 – 8 per person |
| Medium Price Meal | USD 10 -20 per person |
| Good Quality Meal | USD 25 -75 per person |
- Food Specialties
- Each region in the country has its own cuisine and style of preparation.
- Food is broadly categorized into six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent. Side dishes and condiments are chutneys, curries, daals and Indian pickles.
Milk-based desserts and gulab jamuns are popular.
- Drinks
- Tea (often ready-brewed with milk and sugar) and coffee are most widely drunk. Butter-milk (called ‘lasi’ in Hindi ) is a popular drink in the northern parts of the country.All forms of alcoholic drinks including wine are easily available in the country. Large quantity of beer is produced and consumed within the country.
- Dietary Restrictions
- The left hand is considered unclean and to use the left hand when eating or receiving food is considered unclean.Hindus consider the cow as sacred and the Muslims consider the pig as unclean. Hence, pork and beef are not part of popular cuisine.
- Table Manners
- Wash hands thoroughly before sitting at the table as some Indian foods are primarily eaten by hand.
It is considered unhygienic to use your spoon or fingers to share food from someone else’s plate once you have started using your own.
Getting Around
Means of Transport Recommended in Town
- Recommendation
- Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available in large cities and fares are charged by the kilometer.Most of the drivers can understand English, though not all can speak English.
A metro system is operational in Kolkata.
A metro system was opened in Delhi in 2004. It is spreading its network to reach sub-urban districts like NOIDA, Gurgoan and Faridabad.
- Maps of Urban Networks
- Map of Kolkata Metro available on the site of Metro Railways Kolkata
Map of Delhi Metro available on the site of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation - Urban Transport Agencies
- Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Metro Railways Kolkata
Transportation From Airport to City Centre:
 Airport |
 Distance |
 Taxi |
 Bus |
 Train |
 Car Rental |
| Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Intl (BOM) | 37 km / 23 miles | INR 475 | INR 50-60 / 60-90 min | – | Available |
| Calcutta – Dum Dum (CCU) | 17 km / 11 miles | INR 135-200 / 40-120 min | INR 8 | INR 2-6 | Available |
| Delhi – Indira Gandhi Intl (DEL) | 15 km / 9 miles | INR 220 / 30-60 min | INR 50 | – | Available |
Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country
- Recommendation
- Air routes connect over 70 cities and provide a faster way to travel around India.The Indian internal railway system covers much of the country and is relatively inexpensive. An extensive network of bus services connects all parts of the country. A large number of chauffeur-driven tourist cars are available in the main tourist centres. There are also ships from Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras) to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands (Shipping Corporation of India) and from Kochi and Calicut to the Lakshadweep Islands.
- Rail Companies
- Indian Railways
Airlines
| Name | Type | Domestic Flights | International Flights |
| Indian Airlines | National | Yes | Yes |
| Jet Airways | Major | Yes | No |
| Kingfisher Airlines | Low-Cost | Yes | No |
| Spice Jet | Low-Cost | Yes | No |
| Go Air | Low-Cost | Yes | No |
You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Travelling By Yourself
- Recommendation
- One must be very cautious when driving because of the bad condition of the roads and chaotic character of the traffic.Driving around India is not recommended. It is recommended to have a licensed and experienced local driver who knows the region and driving conditions.
- Driver’s License
- One must have either a valid Indian drivers’ license or a valid international drivers’ license. India recognizes international driving permits.
- Conditions For Renting a Vehicle
- 18. An international driving license is required.
- Rental Agencies
- Taxi Rental India
- Tolls or Taxes
- The concept of toll roads is catching up in India. Recently built motorways are subject to tolls and the rates are quite reasonable.
- Road Maps
- Maps of India
India Maps - Find an Itinerary
- Make my trip
Maps of India - Parking Facilities
- Parking is a paid service and facilities are available at all public places like airports, railway stations, shopping centers, etc.
- Minimum Driving Age
- 18
- Side of the Road For Driving
- Left
- Speed Limits
- Motorcycles 50 km/h, trucks and buses 65 km/h. Cars 80 km/h in Maharashtra, 50-60 km/h in New Delhi, and none at all in Uttar Pradesh.
- Safety Belts
- Obligatory in all major cities.
- Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood
- 30 mg/deciliter
- National Roads Organizations
- National Highways Authority of India
Department of Road Transport and Highways
Indian Driving Schools -
Climate
- Type of Climate
- India has broadly three seasons: warm, wet and cool. Heat begins to rise in the plains of the north in February and becomes very high in April – May. The monsoon appears towards the end of May in the south, then heads to the North, then covers the whole country in the first week of July till the end of October. Temperature falls sharply around December – January. The extreme south remains warm all year long because of coastal climate.Autumn and Winter are undoubtedly the best times to visit India.
Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems
- System of Measurement Used
- Metric system
The website Worldwide metric has a measurement converter. - Unit of Measurement of Temperature
- Degree Celsius (°C)
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- Electricity
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- Voltage
- 230 Volts AC
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- Frequency
- 50 Hz
- Type of Electric Socket
- Type C and Type D.
- Type of Telephone Socket
- British (old) phone plug; US RJ-11 phone plug.
- DVD Zoning
- Zone 5
Rules of the Roa
Paying
- Domestic Currency
- Indian Rupee
- ISO Code
- INR
- To Obtain Domestic Currency
- The import of local currency is prohibited, except for residents of India importing up to INR 7,500. Currency can be changed at banks, airports or authorized money changers.
ATMs are easily accessible and are open 24×7. - Possible Means of Payment
- Payment is usually in cash. All major credit cards like American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are also widely accepted.
Travelers’ cheques are widely accepted and may be changed at banks and larger hotels.
To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator
Speaking
- Official Language
- Hindi (spoken by more than 50% of the country’s population) and English.
- Other Languages Spoken
- 22 languages are recognised by the Constitution of India: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Nepali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Manipuri , Konkani and Sanskrit are among them. Around 2000 dialects have been identified.
- Business Language
- English
- Getting Some Knowledge
- Free Translation Tools
- Shabdkosh : Hindi-English-Hindi free dictionary (46,000 terms)
Emergency Numbers
Police 100 Fire 101 Ambulance 102 Railway Enquiry 131 Telephone assistance in English or Hindi or Regional Language 197 Communications
- Quality of Communications
- The use of mobile phones and internet is widely developed. Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Public telephones are accessible everywhere.
- Telephone Codes
- To Make a Call From India, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in India, Dial +91 - Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers
- 10
+ 0 + 2-4 digits corresponding to regional codes + local city/town numbers. - Mobile Telephone Standards
- Both CDMA and GSM
- National Mobile Phone Operators
- AirTel, Reliance Infoecom, Idea cellular, Vodafone (earlier HUTCH), BSNL/MTNL.
Availability of Internet
- Internet Suffix
- .in
- National Internet Access Providers
- BSNL, AirTel, Sify, Tata Internet Services, Reliance, Netcom, Hathway.
- Access in Public Places
- Internet cafes with Wi-Fi connection facilities spread across the country.
- Access in Hotels
- Easily accessible from most of the large and medium sized hotels operating across the country.