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🎒 A backpacker's tour of India 🇮🇳
Cheap direct return flights | great for solo travel with lots of affordable accommodation options 🫶 ✈️
£459 total price
Mateys, if you're looking for a big adventure in 2024, we've found great flights to India. We've found some decently priced return flights from London to Delhi, heading out at the beginning of May and returning in mid-June 2024, giving you six weeks to do a round trip around all the best spots of Northern India.
India is not for the faint-hearted, but, having been myself when I was 19, can say the chaos just adds to its charm. It really is one of the most striking places in the world, and it's a bit different from your standard backpacking trip around Thailand or Australia!
Delhi is located in a region called Rajasthan - the desert region - and is a part of the popular tourist circuit that connects the national capital with Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) and Jaipur. Since you no doubt will want to visit the most iconic symbol of India - the Taj Mahal - when you go, this is the best place to start your trip. With 2 months to properly explore, you can go much further afield than just these three cities though.
In May, temperatures will have started to rise, but the rainy season hasn't started yet (this will start at the end of June) and by avoiding October - March, there will be fewer crowds, so this is a great time to visit India.
We've put together some great value flight and hotel options, to get you started with your epic trip.
Highlights
Details
Flight options
First option (Delhi round-trip):
The first option is to fly DIRECT from London Heathrow with Air India from £459 return. This route is the best hands-down at less than 9h30 each way. If you're really on a shoestring, there is a cheaper option, but you only save £25, and it adds four hours to your journey by making a stop in Doha, which is totally not worth it in our opinion!
Example date: 06 May - 15 June, 2024
Second option (fly into Delhi and fly out of Mumbai):
If the idea of having to stay in the Northern region doesn't appeal, you could fly into Delhi (using the same outbound flight as above) and fly out of Mumbai. It'll cost you a little more, but it might just make more sense for your route and saves you taking an internal flight from Mumbai back Delhi or taking the sleeper train!
Example outbound booking: 06 May, 2024
Example inbound booking: 10 June, 2024
Internal flight:
Internal flights from Mumbai to Delhi are well-priced, so if you want to go with option one, you could opt for this instead of the sleeper train (which is about the same price if you go first class, although the sleeper train is an experience in itself).
Example booking: 14 June, 2024
Other Options
Hotel options for the Golden Triangle:
Delhi:
There are some brilliant options for solo travellers on a budget. We've selected a few of the best options below.
Here's a great option for budget travellers who want to have a good night's sleep before entering the world of dorm rooms! It's £12 for a deluxe room with a double bed... that's cheaper than a main meal in London! We found that most decent hostels are a similar price too.
Example dates: 08 May, 2024
Are you more of a flashpacker? You can get a superior room at the 5-star The Metropolitan for £85. It's often over £100!
Example date: 08 May, 2024
Agra:
Here are some options for when you want to visit the world-famous Taj Mahal.
This OYO has options for you to stay in a mixed dorm from a fiver (!!!), or a private room from £19.
Booking example: 20 May, 2024
Trident Agra is a 5-star hotel with excellent reviews and rooms start from £37 for a deluxe room.
Booking example: 20 May, 2024
Jaipur:
Completing the golden triangle circuit, you won't want to miss Jaipur.
Hotel Moon Light Palace has basic double private rooms available from £9!
Booking example: 9 June, 2024
Looking for something a little more fancy without the price tag? Check out the Metropolitan again!
Booking example: 9 June, 2024
Don't feel comfortable going by yourself?
Start your trip with a group tour, so you can get your bearings!
Golden Triangle tour with Seven Wonder Tour and Travels (which has a discount at the mo'):
Discover Northern and Southern India with this 16-night tour with Intrepid Travel, which is also discounted:
Additional Information
We might be Pirates, but we’re an honest bunch. We check all our deals when we review them to make sure everything is available. Here’s the catch: with deals this hot, things change quickly: flight prices fluctuate, hotel rooms sell out, currencies yo-yo. Mainly, demand for the best deals means the lowest prices don’t last long. But, if you’ve missed out this time, don’t worry: we’re working on more great offers.
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