Not just the room,
the whole trip

The classic triangle with teeth: Delhi, the Taj and Jaipur, then Ranthambore's tigers, sacred Pushkar and a slow finish on Udaipur's lakes.

• —Rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi
• —The Taj Mahal, a love poem in stone
• —Tiger safari in Ranthambore, home of the legendary Machali
• —Amber Fort's sound-and-light show, Jaipur
• —Pushkar's ghats and the rare Brahma temple
• —Two hours on Lake Pichola as the palaces turn gold

Half culture, half sand: Delhi, the Taj at sunrise and the Pink City, then four unhurried days on Goa's beaches to let it all sink in.

• —Red Fort, Raj Ghat and Old Delhi's markets
• —The Taj Mahal at sunrise
• —Hawa Mahal and the Jantar Mantar observatory, Jaipur
• —Amber Fort by evening light show
• —Four lazy days in Goa, water sports or none at all
• —Old churches, beach shacks and proper seafood

The Kerala most visitors miss: Fort Kochi's colonial lanes, Wayanad's wild hills, Theyyam fire rituals and backwaters without the crowds.

• —Fort Kochi heritage walk and the Chinese fishing nets
• —Jeep safari in Wayanad, elephants and panther country
• —Theyyam: fire, drums and painted gods in Kannur
• —India's only drive-in beach at Muzhappilangad
• —Country-boat cruise through coconut-lined canals
• —Bekal Fort, rising straight from the Arabian Sea

The grand loop for people with time to do it properly: painted Shekhawati havelis, Jaisalmer's desert citadel, mighty Mehrangarh and marble Udaipur.

• —The Taj and Agra Fort before the crowds
• —Mandawa, a village that's an open-air art gallery
• —Jaisalmer's living fort and an evening on the Sam dunes
• —Mehrangarh Fort towering over blue Jodhpur
• —Kumbhalgarh, India's own Great Wall
• —A final slow evening on Lake Pichola, Udaipur