India
India is the only country where vegetarian is the default and everyone else has to ask. Rajasthan in winter — Delhi, Agra, Jaipur — is where we send first-timers: the food is the easiest on earth, and the hotels were once palaces.
- Best months
- Nov – Feb
- Trip length
- 10 – 14 days
- From
- $5,200 pp
- Fly into
- Delhi
A third of India has never eaten meat, so the kitchen never learned to treat vegetables as a side. Dal, chana, paneer-free sabzi, a dozen breads, a thali that changes by the district — this is the main event, not the alternative. Ghee and dairy are the things to watch, and we send your needs to every hotel before you arrive.
We run the Golden Triangle slowly: three nights in Delhi to land and eat, the Taj at dawn from a hotel close enough to walk, then Jaipur — a maharaja’s palace turned hotel, the Hawa Mahal before the crowds, the Amber Fort from inside a jali screen with the pigeons wheeling below. A driver throughout, and never a morning that starts before eight unless you ask for the sunrise.
A route we like
013 nightsDelhi
A garden hotel in Lutyens’ Delhi, the Jama Masjid at opening hour, Chandni Chowk with a guide who knows which chaat stall to trust, and the capital’s best South Indian thali.
022 nightsAgra
Down the expressway by car. The Taj Mahal through the gate at first light, Fatehpur Sikri on the way out, and a hotel with the dome in the window.
034 nightsJaipur
A palace hotel with a marble courtyard, the Hawa Mahal and City Palace on foot, the Amber Fort by morning light, and a Rajasthani thali at the hotel, with your dietary notes sent ahead.
- Dal baati churma
- Gatte ki sabzi
- Chole bhature
- Masala dosa & sambar
- Aloo tikki chaat
- Kachori with imli chutney
Ghee is the hidden dairy
Most breads, dals, and sweets are finished with ghee, and paneer appears in half the vegetable dishes. We send every hotel your notes in Hindi and English, and ask for oil instead of ghee for vegan guests.
Winter is the only season
November to February is cool mornings and warm afternoons. By April Rajasthan is 104°F; in July it is monsoon. We do not send anyone in between.
Distances are drives, not flights
Delhi to Agra is four hours by car, Agra to Jaipur five. We book a driver for the whole trip and break the long day at Fatehpur Sikri, so no day is only the road.
