Golden Triangle & Kashmir Horizons — Self-Launched

Land at IGI Airport (T3) and take the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station (~₹60, ~£0.60) or a pre-booked prepaid taxi (~₹600–800). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse. Spend the late afternoon easing in: walk Main Bazaar, grab a thali, and register your e-Arrival Card online before landing (mandatory for all foreign nationals). Buy a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~₹300–500 with passport photo) and set up UPI or withdraw cash — ATMs are everywhere in Delhi but scarce in Ladakh.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£0.60 or prepaid taxi ~£8

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj (private room, ~£16)

• →Airport Express metro to New Delhi
• →Main Bazaar walk, Paharganj
• →Local SIM card setup

Do the city on foot and by metro. Morning: Jama Masjid (₹300 for foreigners, ~£3) and a rickshaw loop through Chandni Chowk's spice market. Afternoon: Red Fort (₹500, ~£5), then metro to Humayun's Tomb (₹550, ~£5.50) and Qutub Minar (₹550). Book a walking tour via GetYourGuide/Klook if you want a guide (community-run alternative-education walking tours in Delhi start around £12–15) — or simply use a licensed guide at each monument for ₹300–600. Evening: buy your Agra train ticket online at IRCTC (or via 12Go/ixigo) for the morning Gatimaan Express.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£1 + autos ~£3

🛏Paharganj guesthouse (~£16)

• →Jama Masjid & Chandni Chowk rickshaw loop
• →Red Fort
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →Evening: book Agra train ticket

Catch the Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~1h50, ~₹800–1,200 AC Chair, ~£8–12) — book online in advance. Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse and walk to the East Gate. Note: the Taj Mahal is officially closed Fridays, so plan around it. Afternoon: I'timad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj, ₹310) and Agra Fort (₹650, ~£6.50). Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance (₹1,300, ~£13, includes shoe covers and water).

🚌Train ~£10 + autos ~£4

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse, Agra (~£15)

• →Gatimaan Express Delhi–Agra
• →Agra Fort
• →I'timad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj)
• →Pre-book Taj Mahal e-ticket

Enter the Taj at sunrise (East Gate opens ~30 min before sunrise; go early for the near-empty marble). Back for breakfast, then hire a shared taxi or book a car via a local driver/12Go for the day: Fatehpur Sikri (₹610, ~£6) and the Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri (₹300). Lunch in Sikri village. Continue to Dhula village near Dausa and stay at a small community/heritage camp — bookable direct through local guesthouses or via Airbnb/Hostelworld; expect a simple tented setup with dinner by the fire. This is the itinerary's rural-Rajasthan night.

🚌Private car with driver for the day ~£35–45 split (solo ~£40)

🛏Tented camp / village guesthouse, Dhula (~£20 incl. dinner)

• →Sunrise Taj Mahal entry
• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Chand Baori stepwell, Abhaneri
• →Village camp dinner

Morning block-printing session with a local artisan collective in the Dausa/Bagru area (₹500–800, ~£5–8; hotels can arrange or book a Jaipur block-print workshop on Klook ~£12). Then take a bus or shared jeep to Jaipur (~3h, ₹200–300, or ~£3) — or the same driver onwards. Check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal (Hostelworld has good Pink City hostels from £8–12 dorm, £18–22 private). Evening: stroll Johari Bazaar and try a lassi at Lassiwala.

🚌Bus/jeep ~£3 + autos ~£2

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£20 private)

• →Block-printing workshop
• →Local bus/shared jeep to Jaipur
• →Johari Bazaar evening walk

Start early for Amber Fort (₹550, ~£5.50; skip the elephant rides). Visit Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell on the way. Afternoon: City Palace (₹700, ~£7) and a photo stop at Hawa Mahal (₹200 to enter, or free from the café opposite). Optionally add Jantar Mantar (₹200). Optional upgrades: Pink City cycle tour with a local operator (~£28) or a Jaipur hot air balloon at sunrise (~£220–280 direct with Sky Waltz) — the original sells this at US$325, so book direct to save.

🚌Autos and local bus ~£6

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£20)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Optional: cycle tour or hot air balloon

Morning train or AC bus back to Delhi (Jaipur–Delhi AC Chair ~₹800, ~£8; buses ~₹600, ~4–5h). Drop bags, then use the afternoon for anything missed: Lodhi Garden, Nizamuddin Dargah (Thursday qawwali), or a Gurudwara Bangla Sahib langar visit. Sort out laundry and repack lighter for the mountains — Kashmir and Ladakh are chilly even in summer. Buy your Srinagar flight tonight if you haven't (SpiceJet/IndiGo, ₹4,000–6,000, ~£40–60).

🚌Train ~£8 + metro ~£1.50

🛏Paharganj guesthouse (~£16)

• →Jaipur–Delhi train
• →Lodhi Garden or Nizamuddin Dargah
• →Book Srinagar flight

Morning flight Delhi–Srinagar (~1h20, book 3–6 weeks ahead for the £40–60 fares; airport transfers ~₹500). Check into a houseboat or guesthouse near Dal Lake (Dal Lake houseboats via Booking.com from £20–30; or a Nigeen Lake guesthouse). Afternoon nap, then an evening orientation walk through Lal Bazar market — spice shops, dry-fruit stalls and the old-town lanes. Currency note: withdraw cash at the airport; ATMs thin out westward from here.

🚌Flight ~£50 + airport taxi ~£7

🛏Houseboat/guesthouse on Dal Lake (~£25)

• →Domestic flight to Srinagar
• →Lal Bazar market walk

Self-guided day: Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh and Chashm-e-Shahi gardens (each ₹50–100, or a combined ticket ~£3), plus Hazratbal shrine and the Jama Masjid old-town woodwork lanes. Hire a shikara for an afternoon potter on the lake (₹500–800/hr, ~£5–8 — negotiate direct with a boatman, not the touts). Optional: a half-day cooking class in a Kashmiri home (~£25) — Wazwan food is the highlight here.

🚌Autos and shared taxi ~£6

🛏Dal Lake houseboat (~£25)

• →Nishat & Shalimar Mughal gardens
• →Hazratbal shrine
• →Shikara ride on Dal Lake
• →Optional: Kashmiri cooking class

Rise at 5am for the floating vegetable market with a shikara man (₹600–900, ~£6–9) — the most photogenic hour in Kashmir. Then climb/auto to Shankaracharya Temple on the hill above the lake (free, modest dress, no phones inside). Free afternoon: optional Dachigam National Park safari (permit and jeep arranged locally, ~£25–35) to look for the Hangul deer. Tonight move into a proper Dal Lake houseboat for a full evening afloat with a home-cooked dinner.

🚌Shikara ~£8 + autos ~£4

🛏Traditional Dal Lake houseboat (~£28 incl. dinner)

• →Sunrise floating vegetable market by shikara
• →Shankaracharya Temple
• →Optional: Dachigam National Park safari
• →Houseboat dinner on Dal Lake

Take a shared sumo/taxi from Srinagar to Pahalgam (~2.5h, ₹400–600 per seat, or ~₹2,500 private, ~£24) stopping at the Avantipura ruins and the 8th-century Martand Sun Temple near Anantnag. In Pahalgam, check into a Lidder riverside guesthouse (~£18–25). Afternoon orientation walk through the bazaar and down to the river. Note travel advisories and keep a copy of your passport with you; this area is generally fine but check FCDO/local advice before travelling.

🚌Shared sumo ~£7

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Pahalgam (~£22)

• →Shared taxi Srinagar–Pahalgam
• →Avantipura Temple ruins
• →Martand Sun Temple
• →Pahalgam bazaar walk

Morning self-guided Lidder Valley walk (a guide isn't required for the lower valley; hire a licensed local guide for ₹1,000–1,500 if you want the upper route toward Aru/Baisaran — pony hire ~₹1,500). Midday, take a shared jeep onward east to Sonamarg (~3–3.5h, ₹500–700, or private ~£35). The road via Kangan is spectacular. Check into a Sonamarg guesthouse (hostel/guesthouse from £15–20) and eat early — altitude and cold nights.

🚌Shared jeep ~£8

🛏Guesthouse, Sonamarg (~£18)

• →Lidder Valley walk
• →Shared jeep to Sonamarg
• →Sindh Valley views

Hire a local jeep up to Zero Point/Thajiwas glacier area (₹1,500–2,000, ~£15–20; pony rides extra) for the glacial views and Sonamarg bazaar. Then begin the big crossing: shared or reserved vehicle over Zoji La into Ladakh, with stops at Drass War Memorial (free/small entry), Mulbekh Maitreya carving and Kargil town. Continue to Lamayuru (very long day, ~9–11h total road time) — book a jeep seat via your Sonamarg/Kargil guesthouse or a Kargil travel agent. Alternatively break the night in Kargil (~£15) and continue next morning. Overnight at a simple monastery guesthouse in Lamayuru (~£12–18, dorm/private).

🚌Shared/reserved jeep Sonamarg–Lamayuru ~£30

🛏Monastery guesthouse, Lamayuru (~£15)

• →Zero Point jeep ride
• →Zoji La pass crossing
• →Drass War Memorial
• →Mulbekh Maitreya
• →Kargil
• →Lamayuru arrival

Early walk around Lamayuru's lunar badlands and the hilltop gompa (₹50–100 donation). Then take a shared bus or jeep down the Srinagar–Leh highway to Leh (~4–5h via Fotu La and Nimmu, shared jeep ~₹800–1,200, ~£8–12; public bus ~₹400 half-day). Arrive Leh, check into a Changspa or Old Town guesthouse (~£15–22; many family homestays include breakfast). Acclimatise gently — Leh is 3,500m, so no rush, lots of water, rest. Evening: Leh Market stroll and dinner at a rooftop café.

🚌Shared jeep/bus ~£10

🛏Ladakhi family homestay, Leh (~£20 incl. breakfast)

• →Lamayuru gompa and moonland walk
• →Shared jeep/bus to Leh
• →Leh Market evening walk

Morning: Leh Palace (₹300) and Shanti Stupa for the panorama, then a half-day taxi to Shey, Thiksey and Hemis monasteries (taxi ₹1,800–2,500 shared, ~£20). Shop for pashmina and apricot jam in the main bazaar. Fly out of Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport (Leh–Delhi ~£55–80 if booked early; note prices climb in peak season and flights can cancel on weather — keep a buffer day if you can). Alternatively take the overnight HRTC bus Leh–Manali (~£20) to keep overland.

🚌Local taxi ~£20 + onward flight ~£65

🛏None (departure day) or extra night ~£20

• →Leh Palace
• →Shanti Stupa
• →Thiksey & Hemis monasteries by taxi
• →Leh bazaar shopping
• →Departure flight or overnight bus