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North India starts from Jammu and Kashmir and includes states like Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
While several tourist destinations in North India will leave you mesmerised, some things could spoil your trip. Every corner of the world includes some good and the bad. Keep this in mind while exploring the tourist spots in North India. Here are some of the good and the bad you may encounter during your trip to North India. Let’s start with:
Good first!
North India allows you to indulge your food cravings with delight by offering a wide selection of mouth-watering cuisines. Right from the Sarson Ka Saag with Makki Di Roti from Punjabi to Rajasthan’s Ghewar and Moong Dal Halwa and the meat delicacies like Nalli Nihari and Rogan Josh of Jammu Kashmir to Biryani and Haleem of Delhi—the food will feed your cravings.
You can also indulge in the variety of Chaats and Chole Bhature that the local vendors of New Delhi offer. Sweets of Mathura like Jalebi and Motichoor Ke Ladoo will pander to your sweet tooth. You can also not miss out on the spice markets of Old Delhi that offer raw, crisp, and fragrant spices from all over India.
North India is rich in cultural diversity and history. This is why the varied apparel easily reflects the diverse cultures melting here. For instance, in Rajasthan, women wear colourful lehenga choli, designed with tiny mirrors and embroidery. You will spot bursts of maroon, red, and different shades of pink and violet in the crowds there.
The women in Uttar Pradesh mostly wear salwar kameez or sari, and men go for embroidered sherwanis. The colours get even more vibrant during festivals and melas (fairs).
The accessories like anklets, rings, chains, and bangles add more festive spirit and colours to these festivals.
In short, your journey to North India will be colourful and eventful!
Architecture is perhaps the best part of North India. You will also find folklores woven around these magnificent pieces of architecture.
For instance, when you visit Agra, you cannot ignore the beauty of the Taj Mahal. Similarly, the Red Fort in Delhi and the kothis and palaces of Jaipur and Udaipur in Rajasthan are impressive.
With history around you in most North Indian places, you can spend some time reconstructing your perception of ancient India and its wonders.
People in North India are simple and down-to-earth. They will smile at you for the simplest things and help you with whatever they have. You can ask anybody for directions on the streets, and they will be more than happy to direct you. Their simplicity and positive attitude towards life will revive your faith in humanity.
Most people speak local languages, but many understand English. Hindi is the standard dialect that links most North Indian cultures to each other. This fact helps Indian travellers from other parts of the nation strike a meaningful conversation with the locals.
However, foreigners could try speaking English with the locals to get some basic information about the places. Moreover, it is advisable that they must learn a few basic words in Hindi to understand the instructions correctly.
Travelling in the northern part of India can be quite an experience. While major North Indian cities and states are well-connected by rail to other prominent states and cities, the local buses prove to be a convenient option to explore nearby locations from hotels. Travelling via flight can also be an option if you want to start your North India tour with cities like New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, etc.
The private taxis, auto-rickshaws, buses, and even trucks look great because of the unique decorations that their owners prefer to adorn them with. Some vehicles look funny, while some look majestic. Even the trucks and auto-rickshaws have funny, witty, and interesting slogans on their rear end. Some sayings ask you to maintain a safe distance, not basic driving instructions politely, whereas others warn you and tell you something interesting about life’s joys, grief, mindsets, etc.
Drivers of these vehicles are equally funny and humorous. They treat you like they know everything about you and give you some unique recommendations or suggestions about the place you can visit. Most of them are honest and don’t charge you more than necessary. Travelling in local buses and trains mostly packed with travellers can be quite an ordeal.
However, locals seem to be accustomed to backpacking people and don’t curse under their breath. In short, travelling in North India is a thrilling experience and can make your trips even more special and memorable!
Now that you are aware of the good, let’s give you the bad!
Though governments have taken up the issue of eco-tourism and hygiene seriously, there seems to be a shortage of awareness in public places. Though the lack of awareness about public sanitation can be seen in most tourist places in India, some North India tourist destinations can dissuade you from exploring the other tourist spots in North India.
In most cities and towns, you can find men peeing on the streets, kids urinating in the open, and women washing clothes and utensils in common water sources that may be used for drinking. Also, the public toilets are usually unclean and filthy. It is wise to wear foldable pants while visiting public urinals as their floors might be wet. Also, women can carry a pee-buddy if they want to avoid using filthy public toilets.
Even public places are not spared and are littered with garbage. People don’t dispose of/dump plastic in designated containers or spaces. You can frequently see cows and buffalo feeding on plastic bags, which is painful. In short, places in North India can be even better if the central and state governments enforce strict laws and rules regarding public hygiene and sanitisation.
For example, while reaching Shimla via the Murthal Highway of Haryana, you will find a lot of garbage and unnecessary litter spread on the road. Therefore, the four-hour journey from Murthal to Shimla can get quite bizarre for tourists.
When you visit the best holiday destinations in North India, fellow tourists will frequently ask you to click group photos. For example, if you visit the Taj Mahal or Red Fort in Agra or Udaipur Palace in Rajasthan, many people will ask you to click group selfies.
Also, they will not leave you alone after clicking a couple of pictures but may continue asking you for more which can be annoying. We recommend you be patient in such scenarios, and if you are not comfortable obliging their request, deny them politely and avoid arguments.
Except for some cities, traffic rules are shamelessly violated in North India. People blow horns needlessly and always seem to be in a hurry. They often don’t care if they run over someone, and the teenage bikers can prove fatal for your health and well-being. Therefore, you should be careful while walking across streets in North India.
Many offbeat hill stations in North India, like Chamba, Jawhar, Tirthan, etc., are great tourist destinations in summer due to their pleasant and cold climate.
You can find more about these hill stations on Cleartrip.
Cleartrip also lets you book hotels and find details about the roads and railways that reach these destinations easily.
If you visit some forts or top hill stations in North India like Shimla, Manali, Kasauli, etc., you will be greeted by macaques and langurs. Mainly monkeys are used to snatching food from visitors and can get aggressive at times. Like the Karni Mata temple in Deshnok, Rajasthan, some temples can irk you with rats. Rats usually don’t cause any harm, but some people can get anxious when sliding under their feet.
The above are some good and bad about the tourist places in North India. Visit Cleartrip to book flight tickets and hotel rooms for your trip to North India. You can find attractive discounts and deals on Cleartrip to help you save money while accessing the best properties and stays you can get.
Lucknow, Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Kanpur are some of the most crowded cities in North India.
Varanasi is considered the holiest city in North India and one of the world’s oldest cities.
Yes, New Delhi is easily one of the best tourist destinations in North India. It offers budget to expensive food, multiple shopping destinations, historical monuments, museums, gardens, theme parks, and religious places—all in one city!
The best time to visit North India would be from October to March. The climate remains perfect and pleasant for sightseeing during this time. The temperature can be high during the early weeks of October. So, plan your trip from late October to Mid-March.
North India has majestic mountains, verdant forests, and picturesque valleys and sceneries. It also has remnants of ancient rulers and empires that make it look even more magnificent and royal. Also, it has nooks for the city-life aspect as well.
