India
Bespoke luxury holidays to India, tailor-made by our specialist travel advisors.
The Best Luxury Resorts in India
A glimpse at some of the exceptional properties we recommend in India, hand-picked by our specialists.
Luxury Holidays to India
India rewards planning more than almost anywhere. In two weeks you can see the Taj Mahal at sunrise, stay in a walled garden estate in Rajasthan, track tigers in Ranthambore and finish with a week of yoga and Ayurveda in the Himalayan foothills. It suits first-time visitors who want the great sights done well, and returning travellers looking for the quieter India beyond them.
Berkeley Travel builds every India itinerary around a short list of exceptional places to stay: Amanbagh in the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, and Ananda in the Himalayas and Six Senses Vana in the foothills above Rishikesh and Dehradun. Your Travel Designer arranges the private guides, drivers and internal flights, and books each hotel with our partner benefits where they apply.
Why Visit India?
Scale and variety. India holds the Mughal monuments of Delhi and Agra, the desert forts and palaces of Rajasthan, the tea hills and backwaters of the south and the Himalaya in the north, and each feels like a different country. Few places match its food, its textiles or the warmth of its hospitality, and its best hotels are among the finest anywhere.
It is also where modern wellness began. Yoga and Ayurveda come from here, and a stay at one of the Himalayan retreats is the real thing rather than a spa menu: a consultation with a doctor on arrival, a programme built around you, and the Ganges valley below.
Where to Go in India
Most first visits combine the Golden Triangle with Rajasthan. Add the Himalayan foothills for rest, or the south for coast and backwaters.
Delhi, Agra and the Golden Triangle
The classic introduction. Two nights in Delhi for the lanes of Old Delhi, Humayun’s Tomb and the Lodhi Gardens, then the Taj Mahal at Agra, best seen at sunrise and closed on Fridays. The express train from Delhi takes under two hours and saves a long drive. From Agra the road runs west to Jaipur, the pink city, for the Amber Fort and the City Palace. Allow six or seven nights for the triangle at an unhurried pace, with a private guide at each stop.
Rajasthan
Beyond Jaipur, Rajasthan is forts, palaces and desert: Udaipur on its lakes, Jodhpur below Mehrangarh Fort, Jaisalmer in the Thar. Ninety minutes from Jaipur, Amanbagh sits in a walled garden in the Aravalli hills near Ajabgarh, a quiet base for village walks, the ruined city of Bhangarh and drives in Sariska. Ranthambore, around three hours south of Jaipur, is one of the best places in India to see a tiger in the wild.
The Himalayan Foothills
North of Delhi, Rishikesh and Dehradun sit where the Ganges leaves the mountains. This is the home of yoga, and of two of Asia’s leading wellness retreats: Ananda in the Himalayas, on a maharaja’s palace estate above Rishikesh, and Six Senses Vana, in sal forest outside Dehradun. Dehradun is a short flight from Delhi and around an hour from both retreats, and most guests stay a week or more on a set programme.
Where Should You Stay in India?
We keep our India list short and know each hotel well. In Rajasthan, Amanbagh is the one we return to: haveli suites and pool pavilions set around Mughal-style gardens, with the Aravalli hills beyond. Book through Berkeley Travel and your stay comes with our Aman benefits.
For wellness, Ananda in the Himalayas is the long-established choice, with Ayurveda, yoga and Vedanta in the grounds of the Maharaja of Tehri-Garhwal’s palace. Six Senses Vana is quieter and more contemporary, with programmes that combine Ayurveda, Tibetan healing, yoga and nutrition.
Elsewhere, our Travel Designers book the leading palace hotels of Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur and the best lodges at Ranthambore, and will tell you which rooms have the view.
Getting There
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air India fly direct from London Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai in around nine hours, and British Airways also flies direct to Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. From Delhi, Jaipur is a short flight or four to five hours by road.
Entry and Visas
British passport holders need a visa. Most use India’s e-Tourist Visa, applied for online at indianvisaonline.gov.in at least four days before arrival, in 30-day, one-year and five-year versions
Getting Around
Distances are long, so the shape of the trip matters. We use private cars with experienced drivers for shorter legs, domestic flights for longer ones and trains where they are quicker, such as Delhi to Agra. A private guide at each stop is the difference between seeing a monument and understanding it
When Is the Best Time to Visit India?
October to March is the best time for most of India: dry, sunny and warm by day, with cool evenings in Rajasthan and the foothills. December and January are the busiest months, and the best hotels fill early for Christmas and New Year.
April to June is hot on the plains, often above 40°C, and the monsoon arrives in June and lasts into September. The rains suit Ayurveda, which traditionally favours the monsoon, and the wellness retreats stay open all year. Ladakh in the far north is the exception, with its season from June to September. For tigers, go from March to May, when the forest thins and animals come to water; Ranthambore’s core zones close for the monsoon.
Combining India with Bhutan, the Maldives or Sri Lanka
India pairs naturally with its neighbours. Bhutan is a direct flight from Delhi to Paro and adds four or five nights in the mountains. The Maldives is around four hours from Delhi, or under three from Mumbai, for a week on the beach to finish. Sri Lanka is a short hop from Chennai for tea country and the south coast. Your Travel Designer times the connections so no day is lost to them.
India Travel FAQs
The questions our clients ask most often when planning a luxury holiday to India.
Ten to fourteen days suits a first visit: three or four nights between Delhi and Agra, a week in Rajasthan, and time at the end to rest. A wellness stay at Ananda or Six Senses Vana adds five to seven nights. Shorter trips work well if they focus on one region rather than trying to see it all.
October to March, when the weather is dry and warm across the north. December and January are the busiest months. The monsoon runs from June to September; it is the season for Ayurveda and for Ladakh, but not for Rajasthan or the tiger reserves.
Yes. British passport holders can apply online for India’s e-Tourist Visa at least four days before travel, in 30-day, one-year or five-year versions, all allowing multiple entries. Apply only on the official Indian government site, indianvisaonline.gov.in.
Yes, at the right pace. Children love the forts, the markets and a tiger safari, and the palace hotels are generous with space. We plan shorter drives, fewer monuments a day and a pool at every stop, and build in a beach or hill stay at the end.
Ranthambore in Rajasthan is the easiest reserve to combine with the Golden Triangle, around three hours from Jaipur. March to May gives the best sightings, as the forest thins and tigers come to water. The core zones close for the monsoon, from July to September, and we book lodges and safari permits well ahead.
A dedicated Travel Designer who plans the route, the guides and every transfer, 24-hour support while you travel, and our partner benefits at hotels such as Amanbagh, which can include breakfast, a hotel credit and an upgrade where available.
Speak to a Travel Designer
Tell us when you would like to travel and what you want from India, and a Travel Designer will come back to you the same day with a first route. The best palace rooms and safari permits for December to March sell out months ahead, so it pays to start early.
YOUR DEDICATED TRAVEL PARTNER
24
/
7
/
365
TAILORED SERVICES
TAILORED SERVICES
Our in-house concierge service will use their extensive contact list
to help you source anything you desire.
TAILORED SERVICES
Our in-house concierge service will use their extensive contact list
to help you source anything you desire.
BESPOKE itinerary
BESPOKE itinerary
We work hand in hand with clients to create your dream
itinerary ensuring every detail is looked after from start to finish.
BESPOKE itinerary
We work hand in hand with clients to create your dream
itinerary ensuring every detail is looked after from start to finish.
BESPOKE AIR
BESPOKE AIR
We have access to every major airline and an extensive knowledge of their pricing schedules helping our clients achieve highly competitive airfares in all cabins.
BESPOKE AIR
We have access to every major airline and an extensive knowledge of their pricing schedules helping our clients achieve highly competitive airfares in all cabins.
PRIVATE SKY
PRIVATE SKY
Working directly hand in hand with our brokers and
aircraft owners we can source the best deals and most convenient slots for Private Jet hire.
PRIVATE SKY
Working directly hand in hand with our brokers and
aircraft owners we can source the best deals and most convenient slots for Private Jet hire.
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
We have arranged with a number of our luxury partners some exclusive additional benefits. These can include complimentary daily breakfast, a hotel credit towards food or spa treatments,an upgrade on arrival where available, and early check in / late check out.
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS
We have arranged with a number of our luxury partners some exclusive additional benefits. These can include complimentary daily breakfast, a hotel credit towards food or spa treatments,an upgrade on arrival where available, and early check in / late check out.
COST MANAGEMENT
COST MANAGEMENT
We provide access for our clients to the most cost effective and convenient travel means. Our long standing partnerships and in depth industry knowledge ensure that we source the best rates available on the market.
COST MANAGEMENT
We provide access for our clients to the most cost effective and convenient travel means. Our long standing partnerships and in depth industry knowledge ensure that we source the best rates available on the market.
London office suite
