Getting to India

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India: Ancient Traditions, New Technology

India is one of the world’s most ancient and diverse countries. With its colonial background and location between Asia and the Middle East, India has long served as a cultural crossroad: a place where East meets West and ancient tradition meets modern innovation. All aspects of the country are complex: religion, race, and even the landscape. It can be both alluring and daunting, even for seasoned travelers. We point you to Web sites that help you explore the India that suits you.

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India Travel Basics

Between the frozen peaks of the Himalayas in the north and the beaches of India’s southern ... read more »

Travel Requirements for India

Beyond the normal rigmarole associated with any trip abroad—such as passports and ... read more »

Getting to India

A combination of factors makes overland travel to India difficult, if not impossible. The subcontinent is hemmed in by the world’s highest mountain range to the northwest and water to the southeast and the west. In addition, many of India’s borders are either blocked or persistently trouble-prone, making safe and consistent overland travel essentially impossible. Flying is really your only option, and depending on when you go, it can get pretty expensive. This section has all the resources you need for finding the most affordable ticket available.

Dulcinea's Insight

Flights from North America, New Zealand, and Australia will always have at least one change of plane, so plan ahead. You can get a direct flight from the United Kingdom to New Delhi or Mumbai, but the flight takes more than eight hours.

Airfares worldwide always depend on the season, with the most popular (high season) being roughly November to March, when the weather in India is best. Fares drop during the shoulder seasons (April to May and August to early October) and you’ll get the best prices during the low season, June and July. The most expensive fares of all are those coinciding with Diwali in November, when demand peaks as Indian emigrants travel home for holidays with their families. If you’re planning to make it for Diwali, you should consider going a few weeks early.

See the findingDulcinea Travel Guide for terrific information on how to find the most affordable plane tickets for your trip to India or anywhere else.

Dulcinea's Picks

For a travel search engine …

Kayak consolidates flight information and fares from hundreds of individual airlines and online travel agents (like CheapTickets and Orbitz). Enter your departure and destination locations and dates of travel, and the site lists the results. To learn exactly which airlines and agents this site covers, visit the “About” section.

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SideStep ’s prices show the importance of including low-cost airlines like Southwest and JetBlue in the search results. Although the layout isn’t as clean and intuitive as the design on Kayak, SideStep has great deals and should be one of your top airfare-finding resources.

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Mobissimo directly searches through more than 100 Web sites, including those of travel agents and hotel chains, to find the lowest hotel prices in the cities of your choice. Results present hotel names, ratings, prices, and providers in an extremely user-friendly format.

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For commercial airlines in India …

The National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) now owns both Air India and Indian Airlines. This site offers schedules, flight status, and online flight booking for both airlines.

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Jet Airways is another India-based international airline that offers online booking. The airline provides more than 340 daily flights and serves 44 destinations within India.

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