India has more than 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These destinations let you see the best of them.
India’s capital packs Mughal tombs, Old Delhi bazaars, leafy Lutyens avenues and the country’s best food scene into one sprawling, energetic city.
Oct-Mar 2-3 days
Home of the Taj Mahal, and the red sandstone Agra Fort and the abandoned Mughal capital of Fatehpur Sikri nearby.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days
Rajasthan’s Pink City: hilltop Amber Fort, the honeycomb Hawa Mahal, royal palaces and India’s best bazaars for textiles, block prints and gems.
Oct-Mar 2-3 days
The City of Lakes: white palaces reflected in Lake Pichola, rooftop dinners and the most romantic sunsets in Rajasthan.
Sep-Mar 2-3 days
The Blue City, ruled by Mehrangarh (one of India’s most impressive forts) towering over a maze of indigo houses.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days
A golden sandstone fort rising from the Thar Desert, with carved havelis, camel rides and nights under the stars.
Oct-Mar 2 days
One of the world’s oldest living cities: dawn boat rides on the Ganges, evening aarti, and life and death on the ghats.
Oct-Mar 2-3 days
The Golden Temple shimmering in its sacred pool, plus the world’s largest free kitchen and the Wagah border ceremony.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days
The old British summer capital: colonial Mall Road, pine forests and the UNESCO-listed toy train from Kalka.
Sep-Dec, Mar-Jun 2-3 days
Exquisitely carved 1,000-year-old Hindu and Jain temples: a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Madhya Pradesh.
Oct-Mar 1-2 days
India’s cultural capital: colonial grandeur, Durga Puja, Bengali sweets and the iconic Howrah Bridge.
Oct-Mar 2-3 days
Tea estates, the UNESCO toy train and sunrise over Kanchenjunga, the world’s third-highest mountain.
Oct-Nov, Mar-May 2-3 days
India’s beach state, with Portuguese churches, spice farms and seafood shacks. Party in the north, slow down in the south.
Nov-Mar 4-7 days
Two UNESCO cave complexes: Ajanta’s ancient Buddhist paintings and Ellora’s monolithic Kailasa temple, carved from a single rock.
Oct-Mar 2 days
A royal city of silk, sandalwood and the illuminated Mysore Palace: the heart of the Dasara festival.
Oct-Feb 1-2 days
The ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire scattered across a surreal landscape of giant boulders: a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Oct-Feb 2-3 days
Kerala’s historic port: Chinese fishing nets, colonial Fort Kochi, spice warehouses, art cafés and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Oct-Mar 2 days
The Nilgiris’ classic hill station: tea gardens, botanical gardens and the UNESCO Nilgiri Mountain Railway.
Oct-Nov, Mar-Jun 2 days
A former French enclave with mustard-yellow villas, bougainvillea, cafés and the Auroville community nearby.
Dec-Mar 2 days
Seventh-century Pallava rock-cut temples and a shore temple on the Bay of Bengal: a UNESCO site an hour from Chennai.
Nov-Feb 1 day
Not sure where to start? Try the trip finder: tell us when you’re going and what you love, and we’ll match destinations.
See also: best time to visit India · where to go each month.
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