Visit India

Categories of Restaurant

• 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.

• Bars & restaurants

Bars which can also serve food.

• 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

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.

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

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)

Electricity

• Voltage

230 Volts AC

• 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.