South Asia
Colour, chaos, ancient wonders and food like nowhere else.
India overwhelms and enchants in equal measure — a vast, ancient subcontinent of snow peaks and deserts, palaces and temples, 1.4 billion people and a thousand languages, where every sense is assaulted and every day astonishes. Jaipur, the 'Pink City' of Rajasthan, is one of its most dazzling front doors: a walled old city of rose-coloured bazaars, hilltop forts and lavish maharaja's palaces, gateway to the deserts and the romance of royal India. Intense, colourful and unforgettable.
What things cost: India is wonderfully cheap — a superb thali costs a euro or two, a rickshaw across town little more, and even converted palace-hotels are affordable by Western standards. Haggling is expected in the bazaars, and a modest tip goes a long way. When a zone below says 'low', that means very low indeed.
Agra
Delhi
Jaipur
Mumbai
Sometimes the event picks the city for you.
The 'festival of lights' — and Jaipur celebrates like nowhere else, the whole Pink City and its bazaars ablaze with lights, lamps and decorations, with a famous market-lighting competition, fireworks and crackers. Magical (if noisy and smoky); one of the most beautiful times to see the city glowing.
Jaipur · The bazaars & citywide
The world's largest free literary festival — five days of authors, thinkers and Nobel laureates in conversation, plus music and a heady, buzzing atmosphere, in the grounds of a heritage hotel. A wonderful, intellectual time to visit, drawing a global crowd to the Pink City; free but very popular.
Jaipur · Hotel Clarks Amer & venues
India's grandest national spectacle — a huge military and cultural parade down Kartavya Path (Rajpath) with marching bands, tanks, camel corps, folk dancers and elaborate state floats, watched by huge crowds. Book seats well ahead (security is tight); the surrounding days bring the Beating Retreat ceremony and a festive, patriotic buzz across the capital.
Delhi · Kartavya Path (Rajpath)
Mumbai's biggest cultural celebration — the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, when the historic art-district streets of South Mumbai fill with installations, street art, music, dance, theatre, workshops and food stalls over nine vibrant days. A wonderful, free window into the city's creative scene, drawing huge, arty crowds to the beautiful colonial quarter in the pleasant winter weather. A great time to visit for art, culture and atmosphere; wander the installations and soak it up. A colourful, lively highlight.
Mumbai · Kala Ghoda, South Mumbai
Agra's biggest cultural celebration — the Taj Mahotsav, a ten-day festival held near the Taj Mahal each February, showcasing the arts, crafts, music, dance and cuisine of India, with hundreds of artisans, folk performances, camel and elephant rides, and food stalls in a colourful, carnival atmosphere. A wonderful, vibrant time to visit, combining the Taj with a rich celebration of Indian culture in the pleasant winter weather. Go for the crafts, the performances and the festive buzz. A colourful, cultural highlight of Agra's calendar. Lively and richly Indian.
Agra · Shilpgram, near the Taj Mahal
The exuberant festival of colours welcoming spring, when the whole city erupts into joyful chaos — people smear each other with coloured powder, drench passers-by with water, dance and feast. Wildly fun but full-on; wear clothes you'll throw away, protect your phone and camera, and join an organised party if you'd rather not brave the streets.
Delhi · Across the city