Self-Launched North India with Varanasi: Delhi to Varanasi Overland

Land at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (about ₹150, ~35 min) or a prepaid taxi (~₹500-700). Check into a Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, then do the classic southern Delhi loop on the metro (Yellow/Violet lines, ₹30-60 per ride): Humayun's Tomb (₹600 foreigner ticket), the Lotus Temple (free, closed Mondays) and Qutub Minar (₹600). You'll drive/walk past India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan on the way. If you want narration, book a licensed guide at each ticket gate for ₹800-1,200 per site, or pre-book a small-group half-day city tour on Klook/GetYourGuide from ~£22. Cabs are cheapest via Ola/Uber apps.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2; metro and Ola rides ~£3 total

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh (private room, ~£16)

• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Lotus Temple (exterior)
• →Qutub Minar
• →India Gate & Rashtrapati Bhavan drive-past

Take a morning train from Delhi to Jhunjhunu or Nawalgarh (e.g. the Delhi-Jhunjhunu express, 3AC ~₹700-900, 4-5 hrs), then a shared jeep or auto the last 30-60 min to Mandawa (~₹150). Alternatively take a Rajasthan state/Rajdhani bus from Kashmere Gate ISBT (~5-6 hrs, ₹400-600). Check into a converted haveli guesthouse, then wander Mandawa's painted merchant mansions on foot — the town is compact and the main havelis can be visited independently for a few hundred rupees in tips/fees. Castle Mandawa is worth a look for sunset tea.

🚌Train Delhi-Jhunjhunu ~£8 + shared jeep ~£2

🛏Heritage haveli guesthouse, Mandawa (~£18)

• →Shekhawati frescoed havelis walk
• →Castle Mandawa
• →Old bazaar wander

An early shared jeep back to Jhunjhunu or a direct bus toward Jaipur/Ajmer, then connect onward to Ajmer by train (3AC ~₹700) and take a local bus or shared auto the final 30 min to Pushkar (₹50). It's a long day of logistics — book trains via the IRCTC app at least a week ahead. Once in Pushkar, drop bags at a lakeside guesthouse, walk the ghats of Pushkar Lake and visit the Brahma Temple — the only major Brahma temple in India. Climb Savitri Temple for sunset (cable car ~₹100, or 30 min of steps); the smaller Mahadev, Varah, Rangji and Apteshwar temples are all within walking distance of the bazaar. Note alcohol and meat are banned in Pushkar.

🚌Bus/shared jeep/train combo ~£12

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Pushkar (~£15)

• →Pushkar Lake ghats
• →Brahma Temple
• →Savitri Temple sunset climb
• →Rangji & Varah temples

Bus or shared jeep back to Ajmer (30 min, ₹50), then any Ajmer-Jaipur train or a frequent Rajasthan bus (2.5 hrs, ₹250-350). Arrive Jaipur, check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal, and spend the afternoon on foot: Hawa Mahal from the street, the bazaars of Johari and Bapu, and sunset with a masala chai on a rooftop. Evening option: Raj Mandir cinema or a ₹200 thali dinner. Book your Amber Fort guide and tickets for tomorrow via Klook (Amber Fort composite ticket ~₹200-500) to skip queues.

🚌Local bus/train Ajmer-Jaipur ~£4

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£16)

• →Hawa Mahal (exterior)
• →Johari & Bapu bazaars
• →Rooftop sunset

Take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort early (₹30 bus, ~30 min) and beat the coach crowds. The elephant rides have welfare concerns — take the jeep shuttle up (~₹500) or walk. Inside, hire a government guide at the gate (~₹1,000 for 1-2 hrs). Continue on foot to Jaigarh Fort (₹100) and Nahargarh for the city panorama. In the afternoon, do the City Palace (₹700) and Jantar Mantar (₹200) yourself — both are in the old city and well-signposted. Optional: a GetYourGuide combined Amber + City Palace tour runs ~£25-35 if you want narration throughout.

🚌Local bus and autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse, Jaipur (~£16)

• →Amber Fort
• →Jaigarh & Nahargarh forts
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar

Take a Jaipur-Agra train (e.g. the 12036 Shatabdi or a 3AC express, ~₹700-1,000, 4-5 hrs) or a Rajasthan bus (~₹500). To include Fatehpur Sikri, catch an early Jaipur-Bharatpur local train or bus and get off at Fatehpur Sikri station, then a shared auto to the monument (₹20). Explore the Mughal ghost city — Buland Darwaza, the Tomb of Salim Chisti, Diwani-e-Khas and Panch Mahal — on foot for ₹600. Continue to Agra by bus/train (~1.5 hrs). Check into a Taj Ganj guesthouse with a rooftop Taj view, and pre-buy your Taj Mahal ticket online (₹1,300) for tomorrow's sunrise.

🚌Train/bus Jaipur-Fatehpur Sikri-Agra ~£10

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop view (~£16)

• →Fatehpur Sikri complex
• →Tomb of Salim Chisti
• →Buland Darwaza
• →Panch Mahal

Enter the Taj Mahal at sunrise with a pre-booked online ticket (₹1,300, opens at sunrise, closed Fridays) — go solo or grab a licensed guide at the East Gate (~₹1,000). Afterwards, cross to Mehtab Bagh for the riverside view from across the Yamuna (₹300). In the afternoon, visit Agra Fort (₹650) — Moti Masjid, Jahangir Palace, Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas — then walk or take a short auto to Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb (₹310) and Jama Masjid. Evening: petha sweets and a rooftop dinner facing the Taj.

🚌Autos ~£3

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop view (~£16)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Mehtab Bagh
• →Agra Fort
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb
• →Jama Masjid

Take the morning train from Agra to Jhansi (3AC ~₹500, 3 hrs), leave luggage at the station cloakroom (₹50), and hire an auto to Jhansi Fort (~₹250 return). Fort entry ₹25 for the grounds (₹300 foreigner), and the Government Museum and Rani Mahal (₹200-300) are a short auto away. Back at the station, catch the Jhansi-Khajuraho train (~₹250, 2.5 hrs) or a shared/bus from Jhansi (~₹400, 4 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in Khajuraho village within walking distance of the western temple group.

🚌Agra-Jhansi train ~£6 + Jhansi-Khajuraho train ~£3

🛏Khajuraho village guesthouse (~£15)

• →Jhansi Fort
• →Government Museum Jhansi
• →Rani Mahal

The western temple group is a 10-min walk or ₹50 auto from the village: Kandariya Mahadev, Lakshmana, Vishvanatha, Chitragupta, Nandi and the atmospheric Chausath Yogini (the oldest surviving Chandela temple, 9th century). A single ticket (₹600) covers all of them; photography is best at 06:30-08:30 before the heat. Hire a state-approved ASI guide at the gate (~₹1,000) or use an audio/PDF guide. In the afternoon, cycle or take a short auto to the eastern group and the Archaeological Museum, then catch the evening Hindi sound-and-light show at the temples (~₹250-350). Raneh Falls and Panna Tiger Reserve are possible add-ons if you pre-book a jeep safari.

🚌Bicycle/auto hire ~£2

🛏Khajuraho village guesthouse (~£15)

• →Western temple group (Kandariya Mahadev, Lakshmana, Vishvanatha)
• →Chausath Yogini Temple
• →Archaeological Museum
• →Temple sound-and-light show

The quickest route is the daily Khajuraho-Varanasi flight (one-way from ~₹4,000-6,000 if booked early, ~£40-60) or, cheaper, the night train via Satna (Khajuraho-Satna bus 1 hr + Satna-Varanasi train, 3AC ~₹800, arriving early morning — book well ahead). Either way, drop bags in Varanasi and take an auto 10 km north to Sarnath (~₹300). The Dhamek Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa and the Archaeological Museum (with the Lion Capital) are all walkable; entry ₹300 and museum ₹300. Spend the evening on the ghats near Assi or Dashashwamedh.

🚌Flight ~£50 or night bus+train combo ~£15

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse, Varanasi (~£16)

• →Dhamek Stupa
• →Sarnath Archaeological Museum
• →Chaukhandi Stupa

Start at sunrise with a rowboat on the Ganges from Assi Ghat or Dashashwamedh (~₹500-800 per boat, shared — agree the price first). Walk the ghats on foot afterwards and visit Tulsi Manas Temple, the Durga Temple (Durga Kund) and Sankat Mochan Temple by auto (~₹300 for a loop). The Kashi Vishwanath corridor is free but mobiles and bags are banned inside. At dusk, take a shared boat or ghat seat for the Ganga Aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat — free, though a boat view costs ~₹300-500. Solo-traveller tip: a local female guide via a hostel recommendation is worth it for the old-city lanes.

🚌Autos and shared boats ~£5

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse, Varanasi (~£16)

• →Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges
• →Tulsi Manas, Durga & Sankat Mochan temples
• →Kashi Vishwanath corridor
• →Ganga Aarti ceremony

Spend the morning gently — a walk along the ghats, a lassi at Blue Lassi, and last-minute silk shopping in Vishwanath Gali. Take an afternoon IndiGo/Akasa flight Varanasi-Delhi (~₹4,000-6,000, ~£40-55, 1h40) or the overnight Vande Bharat/express train (2AC ~₹2,000, 8-10 hrs). Check back into a Delhi guesthouse and use the evening for a final Karim's kebab or Chandni Chowk street-food walk with a local food guide (₹1,500 or ~£15 via GetYourGuide).

🚌Flight ~£48 (or train ~£18)

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj (~£16)

• →Ghats morning walk
• →Chandni Chowk street-food walk

Breakfast, last souvenir run to Dilli Haat or Janpath, then Airport Express Metro to IGI (~₹150) for your onward flight. If your flight is late, add a final Humayun's Tomb or Nizamuddin walk. Not included: international flights and travel insurance.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2

🛏—

• →Dilli Haat / Janpath shopping