Airlines
India is extensively linked by air by numerous private airlines like Sahara India, Jet Airways and so forth. The official domestic carrier is Indian Airlines, which flies extensively throughout the country and to some neighboring countries.
Reservations
Indian Airlines has computerized booking offices in all major cities that look right after reservations and flight data. Even so, flights in popular sectors may be heavily booked so book upfront. The personal operators are quite effective and often give heavy discounts on their tickets. For many airlines tickets might be booked with foreign currency (dollar or pound), TCs or by bank card. Refund expenses are Rs 100 on each ticket and can be created at any booking office. And tough luck if your ticket will get lost, Indian Airlines won't accept any duty though they may possibly issue a replacement.
Indian Airlines office Addresses
Distances through the workplace towards the airport are given inside the brackets.
Agartala (12km) Khosh Mahal Bldg, Central Street
Agra (7km) Hotel Clarks Shiraz 54 Taj Rd
Ahmedabad (10km) Airlines Home, Lal Darwaja
Allahabad (12km) Tourist Bungalow, MG Rd
Amritsar (11km) 48 the Mall
Aurangabad (10km) Dr Rajendra Prasad Marg
Bagdogra (14km) Hotel Sinclairs, Mallaguri, Siliguri
Bangalore (13km) Housing Board Bldg, Kempegowda Rd
Bhavnagar (8km) Diwanpura Rd
Bhopal (11km) Bhadbhada Rd, TT Nagar
Bhubaneswar (4km) Unit 1, Raj Path, Bapuji Nagar
Bhuj (6km) Outdoors Waniawad Gate, Station Rd
Calcutta (16km) Airlines House, 39 Chittaranjan Avenue
Chandigarh (11km) SCO-186-187-188 Sector 17 C
Chennai (18km) 19 Marshalls Rd, Egmore
Coimbatore (12km) Civil Aerodrome, Peelamedy
Darjeeling Bellevue Hotel, Chowrasta
Delhi (20km) Malhotra Bldg, Connaught Location
PTI Constructing, Sansad Marg
Domestic Terminal (24 hrs)
Dibrugarh (16km) CIWTC Bungalow, Assam Health-related College Rd
Dimapur (3km) Dimapur-Imphal Rd
Gangtok Tibet Rd
Goa (30km) Dempo Constructing, D Bandodkar Marg, Panaji
Guwahati (23km) Paltan Bazar
Gwalior (12km) Tansen Marg, Barar
Hyderabad (16km) Secretariat Rd
Imphal (8km) Mahatma Gandhi Rd
Indore (9km) Dr R S Bhandari Marg
Jaipur (13km) Tonk Rd
Jammu (6km) Tourist Reception Centre, Veer Marg
Jamnagar (10km) Indra Mahal, Bhind Bhanjan Rd
Jodhpur (5km) Airport Rd
Jorhat (7km) Tarajan Rd, Garhali
Khajuraho (5km) Khajuraho Hotel
Kochi (6km) Durbar Hall Rd, Ernakulam
Kozikode (Calicut) Eroth Centre, Financial institution Rd
Leh (8km) Ibex Guest House
Lucknow (14km) Clarks Awadh, 5 Mahatma Gandhi Marg
Madurai (12km) Pandyan House, 7A West Veli St
Mangalore (20km) Hathill Rd, Lalbagh
Mumbai (26km) Army & Navy Bldg, MG Rd
Mysore Hotel Mayura Hoysala, 2 Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Rd
Nagpur (11km) 242 A Manohar Niwas, Rabindranath Tagore Rd, Civil Lines
Patna (8km) South Gandhi Maidan
Port Blair (3km) Tagore Marg
Pune (10km) 39 Dr Ambedkar Rd
Raipur (16km) LIC Bldg
Rajkot (4km) Angel Chamber, Station Rd
Ranchi (13km) Welfare Centre, Primary Rd
Silchar (26km) Red Cross Rd
Srinagar (14km) Air Cargo Complex Bldg, Shervani Marg
Tezpur (16km) Jankin Rd
Thiruvananthapuram (6km) Mascot Hill Bldg, Museum Rd
Tiruchirappalli (8km) Southern Railway Employees Co-op Credit score Society Bldg Dindigul Rd
Tirupathi (15km) Hotel Vishnupriya, Ranigunta Rd
Udaipur (24km) LIC Bldg, outdoors Delhi gate
Vadodara (Baroda) (6km) University Rd, Fatehganj
Varanasi (22km) Mint House Motel, Vadunath Marg, Cantonment
Visakhapatnam (16km) Jeevan Prakash, LIC Bldg Complex
Air Passes
Indian Airlines has a Discover India pass for 15 and 21 days, which allows unlimited travel within the domestic circuit. It might be really reasonable if you are taking lots of change of flight. Another pass India Wonder Fare gives you a week's unlimited travel between cities within a particular region: north, east, south and west. There are also some special discounts. You can avail of a 30% discount around the US dollar fare on selected zones in South India. Also a 25% discount on US $ fare of some sectors are available for those under 30.
Train
Indian Railways is the world's fourth largest railway network, with a route length of over 60,000km. Every day more than 7000 passenger trains run connecting 7100 stations. Indian Railways has over 160 high-speed trains, including the Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and so forth. The best way to be acquainted with the system is to catch hold of the timetable Trains at a glance, which is available at all key railway stations and on some newsstands in the bigger cities. The Indian Bradshaw, published monthly, also carries handy information and facts around the train services throughout the nation. You can commonly find it around the bookstalls of all main city railway stations. The fares of the trains are based on distance. Meals and drinks are available on most trains.
Classes
Indian railway trains come in two classes, first and second. There are two types of first class, AC and non-AC. The fare for first class AC is generally twice that of the normal first class. Slightly cheaper is the AC two-tier sleeper class, which costs about 25% more than first class non-AC. Squashed between the first and second class, are the AC three tier and the AC chair car. The former has three levels of berth and the latter consists of carriages with aircraft type seating arrangement. These options are available only around the key routes.
Sleepers
There are first and second class sleepers in Indian express trains. First class sleepers are personal compartments with two to four berths in them. First class AC sleepers are more expansive, both in luxury and cost. Second class sleepers, still popularly identified as three-tier, and are arranged in doorless sections each of six berths.
Reservations
Computerized reservation centers are available all through the country. Within the metro cities, there are special reservation counters for foreign tourists at the major booking offices and there are special quotas for tourists on many trains. When tickets are not available over the general counters, if you're lucky you may well get one on the tourist quota. Payments must always be foreign exchange or in Rupees if you have the forex exchange certificate. Reservation cost is really nominal and could be created up to 60 days upfront. If the train is fully booked, it's possible to get an RAC (Reservation against Cancellation) ticket which allows you to board the train and get seating accommodation. In fact, more frequently than not, the TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner) will find you berth in under an hour. On the other hand don't go confusing this with a wait-listed ticket, which does not allow you to actually board the train. The golden rule, as usual, is to plan ahead.
Special Trains
The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) operates the a special tourist train the Palace on Wheels, which is a real experience for those who can afford it. It runs weekly from Delhi each and every Wednesday from September to April. The itinerary has some of the erstwhile royal cities of Rajasthan like Jaipur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Ranthambore National Park, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra. The cost includes tours, entry fees, accommodation on the train and all meals. Rates per person per day are pretty steep and get steeper with each and every passing year.
Bus
Although slow and sometimes uncomfortable, buses in India are an effective and inexpensive means of transport. India has an extensive and well-developed network of roads and bus services.
Classes
Take your pick through the ordinary, express, semi-luxury, deluxe, deluxe AC and deluxe sleeper buses. These choices are nevertheless typically available only on key tourist sectors. Each state has its own bus transport company, sometimes backed up by privately operated buses. These are ordinarily rather effective and much more reliable than any other bus service operators.
Reservations
The biggest plus with buses is their frequency and virtually no reservation upfront is required. The advance reservation angle becomes important only in case of the deluxe, semi-luxury and express services. Private buses should always be booked ahead of time.
Car
Hiring cars for personal use is not incredibly well-known in India, but is available for those who have a taste for it. Budget and Hertz have their offices in all main cities. It is better to hire a chauffeur-driven car, since Indian driving conditions could be pretty an eye-opener for those used to radical stuff like traffic laws and such. You can also hire local taxis for long distance trips from taxi stands or ask your hotel to book one for you.
Motorcycle
(Also see Cycling & Motorcycling in Adventure Sports) Travelling by motorcycle is fast catching up with tourists. Motorcycles may be rented from companies in numerous places especially in places like Delhi and Goa for a negotiable amount which includes insurance. Hari Singh Nalwa Street in Karol Bagh, Delhi, is full places where you can rent, buy or sell motorcycles.
Places to Eat
The most well-known eating joint with all backpackers is the roadside dhaba where the cooking is done suitable in front of you and the food is hot and fresh. Most hotels run their own restaurants. Indian-Chinese food finds top billing on most menus in mid-range restaurants. A lot of hotels offer all-you-can-eat buffet meals which can be real bargain, like the one at the Lake Palace in Udaipur. Within the north, in places like Darjeeling Gangtok, Kalimpong, Dharamsala, Manali and even Delhi, Tibetan restaurants are incredibly well-liked. Inside the metros, luxury hotels and various other specialty restaurants will serve you any cuisine under the sun - French, Chinese, Thai, and Japanese, Italian, Tex-Mex, Greek, Spanish, Lebanese and so forth. If all else fails, head for the nearest McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Domino's Pizza joint.
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