INDIA: Detailed Itinerary and Expenses

#GOLDENTRIANGLE SIGHTSEEING SOLO TRIP

#India #Jaipur #Agra #Delhi

October 12-15, 2025 (Jaipur, Agra and Delhi, India)

1INR = 0.68 PHP (Indian Rupee INR to Philippine Peso PHP)

Itinerary and Expenses within India (4D3N)

PREBOOKED:

USD0 – Indian E-Visa Fee (free for Filipinos 30day-stay double entry) applied on Sep15. Result Sep17. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

PHP1620 – PH Travel tax

PHP1876 – BigSky Nation Travel Wifi 4G LTE 500 MB/day (8 days multi-country trip) via Lalamove (pickup and delivery own account) used CC promo BPI33 for 33% discount.

PHP613.90 – Klook TravelJoy Insurance

Accommodation via TripDOTcom:

PHP1433.60 – JAIPUR : Chitra Katha – A Story Per Stay (1night) Single Special Room breakfast included

PHP3251.4 – AGRA : FabHotel Taj Heritage (2nights) Deluxe Room (1night but actually booked 2 nights as it can’t be modified to 1 night) breakfast included

PHP1970.30 – DELHI : Hotel City Centre Inn Near Nizamuddin Railway Station (1night) Superior Twin Room breakfast included

TripDOTcom Pre-booked Activities:

PHP1996.69 – Jaipur: Private Full Day Jaipur City Tour with Pick-Up & Drop (Tour with-out Entrance fees)

PHP2442.22 – Tajmahal Skip -the- Line- Sunrise Tour With Private Guide 2468.63 0530H Ticket+Guide+Transport

PHP1853.63 – Old & New Delhi Full or Half Day Sightseeing Tour (Half Day Old Delhi – Car + Guide)

12Go India Trains:

PHP774.00 – Jaipur-Agra Fort Train EUR11.62 booked via 12GO

PHP986.88 – Agra Cantt-Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Train EUR14.82 booked via 12GO

Paid using in Indian Rupees INR:

INR500 – Use Uber Go to get from Jaipur Airport to accommodation actual price INR419.91 but gave INR500 including tip

INR50 – Uber tuktuk from Agra Fort Station to Agra hotel; 50 tuktuk to hotel

INR123 – Uber tuktuk from hotel to Agra Cantonment Train Station

INR64 – Airport Express Line from New Delhi Metro Station to Airport (T-3)

Airline to Jaipur: AirAsia KUL-JAI (Booked via AirAsia Nov092024 Php712.30 base fare) (From Kuala Lumpur) PHP4734.68

Airline to Bangkok: AirAsia DEL-DMK (Booked via AirAsia Apr032025 INR10187 Economy Promo) (From Delhi) PHP6961.56

Airline from Manila: Cebu Pacific MNL-KUL-DMK-MNL (Booked Nov072024 Php2 base fare RT) PHP3773.45

TOTAL EXPENSES (EXCLUDING AIRFARE, FOOD AND PASALUBONG): PHP15,812.45

Highlights per City:

JAIPUR जयपुर “The City of Jai” The Pink City

-Hawa Mahal

-Amber Fort INR500

-Jal Mahal

-Jantar Mantar INR200

-City Palace Gate

-Patrika Gate

-Tour at Jewelry Workshop

-Tour at Textile Printing Workshop

AGRA आगरा “salt-pan” The City of Taj

-Taj Mahal INR1100 Taj Mahal + INR200 Mausoleum

-Agra Fort

-Fatehpur Sikri

-Tour at Marble Inlay and Souvenir Shop

DELHI दिल्ली “threshold” or “gateway” India’s Capital City

Old Delhi

-Jama Masjid INR400

-Red Fort

-Humayun Tomb

-Chandni Chowk

-Spice Market

-Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib

New Delhi

-India Gate

-Connaught Place CP or Rajiv Chowk

-Rashtrapati Bhavan

-National War Memorial

DAY 1: JAIPUR JAI ARRIVAL

2120H ETA in JAIPUR (IST GMT+5:30). Show copy of e-Visa and e-Arrival Card (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/) at immigration officer. Use Uber Go to get to accommodation actual price INR419.91 but gave INR500 including tip. Thanks to Uber Driver who let me withdraw INR cash at ATM on the way to Jaipur accommodation, since the money exchange at airport was closed. Found no ATMs at Jaipur Airport Terminal 1. Late check-in at Chitra Katha – A Story Per Stay, wash-up an rest.

DAY 2: JAIPUR DAY TOUR

0500H Wake-up call. Hostel free breakfast. Check out and leave with backpack.

0800H Jaipur: Private Full Day Jaipur City Tour with Pick-Up & Drop (Tour with-out Entrance fees). Driver came and went to the following sites with tour guide. My Jaipur guide explains the significance of each site before taking pictures)

-Hawa Mahal (photoshoot)

-Amber Fort (brief stop before ascent and gave INR500 as he bought my ticket onsite.)

-Jal Mahal (photoshoot at a distance)

-Tour at Jewelry Workshop (opted a visit for free instead of entering City Palace. Seeing how gemstones are polished)

-Tour at Textile Printing Workshop (demo on textile printing and option to buy fabrics)

-Jantar Mantar (INR200 bought ticket at gate)

-City Palace Gate (picture at gate only)

-Patrika Gate (ornate gate photoshoot)

1500H Asked driver to drop-off me at Jaipur Station. Wait for train number and platform

1650H Jaipur-Agra Fort Train. You can eat inside. Took late lunch of snacks at train.

2140H ETA Agra Fort. Use Uber App to book tuktuk to hotel. Check-in at FabHotel Taj Heritage. washup and rest.

DAY 3: AGRA SUNRISE TOUR

0500H Wake-up call. Bring only valuables.

0530H Tajmahal Skip -the- Line- Sunrise Tour With Private Guide 2468.63 0530H Ticket+Guide+Transport. Driver came with tour guide. My Agra guide let me fall in line for Taj Mahal entrance. He scanned my entrance ticket and underwent security check). He explained the parts of Taj Mahal complex, had pictures and gave me time to explore as the sun rises.

After Taj Mahal, we went to Marble Inlay and Souvenir Shop. The owner explained the craft and optional to buy a souvenir. My guide gave me a masala chai drink and went to souvenir shop to buy souvenirs like ref magnet.

As my tour guide left me, on my way back to hotel, the driver was very pushy to tip him INR1000 but I gave only INR300. I felt he was disappointed and keep saying not good not nice and so on. I was about to jump out of the car if he won’t let me but good thing he dropped me few meters away from my hotel. Not a nice experience.

You can opt to hire a tuktuk or just book an Uber ride to Agra Fort but I opted to take my free breakfast and have some sleep before checking out at noon.

I stayed at lobby before going to train station.

1600H Uber tuktuk to train station

1735H Agra Cantt-Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi Train EUR14.82 booked via 12GO. Includes Train Meal. Free dinner.

1930H ETA Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi. Walked towards hotel. Check-in at Hotel City Centre Inn Near Nizamuddin Railway Station, washup then rest.

DAY 4: DELHI DAY TOUR

0700H Wake-up call. Check-out as tour starts before free breakfast.

Old & New Delhi Full or Half Day Sightseeing Tour (Half Day Old Delhi – Car + Guide)

Old Delhi – we rode at rickshaw here as the roads are very narrow. My Delhi guide explained well about Old Delhi’s situation and significance.

-Chandni Chowk (busiest street with lots of activity like shops and open market)

-Spice Market (sniffing our way with sacks of spices brought but it transforms to Flower Market at early morning)

-Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib (famous Sikh temple to see activities inside but no photography allowed)

-Jama Masjid (INR400 entrance. Tip optional for shoes caretaker)

-Red Fort (passing by and optional to buy refmagnet nearby)

New Delhi (passing by with driver as we briefly stop for taking pictures)

-India Gate

-Connaught Place CP or Rajiv Chowk

-Rashtrapati Bhavan

-National War Memorial

1300H Travel to DEL airport from New Delhi Railway Station. INR64 pay cash for ticket. Airport Express Line from New Delhi Metro Station to Airport (T-3)

1500H Indira Gandhi International Airport – Terminal 3. 330INR India Gate refmagnet at duty free. Actually, refmagnets are cheaper in duty free. Or maybe refmagnets near tourist spots are insanely prized…hehe.

Notes:

1. Because of CebPac’s 2-peso base fare last Nov2024, I was able to travel to Malaysia and Thailans (multi-city) before my visas expire. Then I booked separate AirAsia flights to Jaipur and from Delhi since they’re on promo at the time I booked them. Unfortunately, my Oct10 KUL-JAI flight was moved to Oct12 so my planned 6 days in India became 4 only. I accepted the adjustment and instead stayed at Melaka, Malaysia for 2 days. No regrets on exploring Malaysia a bit. Good decision that I had layover in this country.

2. I prebooked all my India tours and reserved accommodations in TRIPdotCOM (My regret is that I should have paid my hotels there online rather than paying cash). For train rides, I opted to 12GO (despite having minimal charge) since it’s convenient to book at their site. I initially thought of booking a bus but travel times were longer so I chose trains. For me, Klook’s Travel Joy offers the cheapest travel insurance.

3. The weather was nice as it didn’t rain on my entire stay in India. October is the best time to explore Northern India as per my research. At morning it was cool about 20 degree Celsius but it gets warm at noon so I wore only light shirts and pants. My Golden Triangle itinerary is a bit relaxed and depended on my tour guide’s itinerary because my targets are world heritage sites. Must-visits are Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and India Gate. I only got a glimpse of the forts because I was tired that day due to early wake up call and time constraints as I need to be early at trains station prior to travel to next city. Google Maps is your best friend and Uber is very helpful for booking tuktuk rides within cities. Tipping is optional.

4. About the smell, honestly I didn’t find anyone with that overpowering something even in the streets of Old Delhi nor in the railway stations. Maybe because I was eating Indian food on my trip with curries, chutneys and spices, I smell like them…hehe It was cool then so I couldn’t find anything with bad odor despite cows on the street, dogs and monkeys freely roaming. The latest one I smelled something in India was when I fell in line at check-in counter, the person infront of me exudes that.

6. Before going to India, I had perception before of the tourist scams abound, the street food (you know) and the #4. Well at my Jaipur arrival, my Uber driver I booked was very helpful in letting me withdraw cash on the way to my hotel because money exchange was closed at the airport and I need INRs. I gave him extra rupees on top of the Uber fare as my token of appreciation. Again, tipping is optional. You can give something extra when you have some small change and know your limits. Learn to say “no, thank you” if you need to refuse, and they will walk away. Sometimes, Indians are very pushy like when you need to tip or they’ll insist that you hire them for a ride, but I always say I have booked Uber (using the app). From my tour guides, I somehow understand their behavior as most of the people in their country are still in poverty. Just be vigilant and take care of your belongings. Thanks to my wonderful tour guides for giving me insights about their culture and the place we visited. I learned a lot.

7. Indian food I had were all free breakfasts and train meal that made me full the whole day. I bring a packet of snacks like biscuits and minicakes especially when on a train ride between cities. For water, I just refill at my hotel and bring the complimentary mineral water with me.

8. For souvenirs, I found the refmagnets pricey at INR500-INR800 per piece so I only bought one for myself. At airport duty free, I bought a refmagnet of India Gate for only INR300. Better ask your guide on cheaper souvenirs per city. When touring on workshops, it’s optional to buy something. They won’t force you. As a good gesture, at least accept the masala chai they offer as a drink.

Hope this will guide you. India is vast and I was able to scratch a surface within Northern India (Golden Triangle). I saw Europeans and some Asians (Japanese and Chinese) visiting Taj Mahal at sunrise and the crowd was already huge. How much more if I visited before noon. I saw no Filipino when I stayed there…hehe. I know that India (despite free visa now for us Filipinos) is still unpopular as tourist destination for us Pinoys but I hope that we can break down barriers and not judge them based on stereotypes and what we see only on social media. It’s very different when you’re there already. If I’ll go back soon to India, I plan to visit the southern part and maybe my port of entry will be Mumbai. Enjoy your India trip soon!

#sharingiscaring #incredibleindia #worldheritage #bengoeswhere #solotrip #dreamvacation #wondersoftheworld

For more posts about India, kindly click below:

INDIAN E-VISA: REQUIREMENTS & ONLINE APPLICATION

INDIA: Arrival at Pink City of Jaipur

INDIA: Sunrise at Agra’s Taj Mahal

INDIA: Navigating the Chaotic Streets of Delhi