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COST OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA - Travelaroundindia.com
by Manish Satija Welcome to Travel Around IndiaCOST OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA
India as a
travel destination has many merits: from the exciting history and its trailing
architectural wonders to the rich culture and delicious food. But one of the
most important virtues of travelling in India is that it offers
experiences at prices for any type of traveler, backpackers and luxurious
vacationists alike. By reading this, it’ll help figuring out the cost of
travelling in India and help plan the budget for your trip to India.
Wondering the
cost of travelling in India? India is inexpensive because of its value for
money accommodation options, transportation, service and food, as well as its
weak monetary value. But one doesn’t necessarily have to stay at hostels,
simple BnB’s, and eat cheap street food non-stop. India provides you a
huge variety of options in every category. From 5-star hotels to mid-range
boutique hotels and resorts, luxurious train travel, private cars, gourmet and
international restaurants – everything is available!
Keep in mind however, that these are all approximate
prices and can be slightly different to the real-time prices. Since the rupee
changes quickly and sometimes even drastically, expect some slight changes.
Regardless of the changes, we give a comprehensive list at every location with
no transparent costs, so you won’t be surprised when something comes at you.
Your overall
cost of travelling in India includes accommodation, transport, entry fees for
commonly visited sights and meals. It does NOT include personal expenses such
as the Pashmina scarf or the leather sandals you bought at a shop.
Budget
Traveller: INR 2,000-3,000 (30-50 USD / 25-45 EUR per day, per person)
The cost of
travelling in India for a backpacker is perfect which makes it the best way for
young adventurous backpackers ready to experience India to the fullest. This
would include stays in dormitories at backpackers’ hostels or private
rooms at cheap budget hotels. You’d travel on local buses and trains and take
only one domestic flight for the longest distance. You’d also eat both street
food and in restaurants and visit the most popular sights.
Mid-range
Traveller: INR 3,000 – 6,000 (50-90 USD / 45-80 EUR per day, per person)
If you’re the
kind of traveller who likes to keep the cost of travelling in India on the
economic side, but without excluding comfort from your vacation, this category
is for you. If you can increase your budget by adding 40 USD or 30 EUR to a
backpacking trip, you will be able to add significant value to your trip. You
can stay at charming boutique hotels and friendly homestays, travel faster
by including a few internal flights.
You can also
choose from the best train classes available and a few chauffeur-driven car
rides. From time to time, you can treat yourself with a meal at a fancier
restaurant and add one activity per city like cooking classes, a desert safari
or a nice trek.
High-end
Traveller: INR 6,000 -12,000 (90-175 USD / 80-150 EUR per day, per
person)
If the cost of
travelling in India didn’t matter and if you’re used to luxury travel, you’ll
be delighted with the variety of options that India has in store for you,
especially in terms of hotels and resorts. You can fly your way to most places
and travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned car. All the big cities and some
of the smaller cities as well offer great gourmet dining options that shouldn’t
be missed.
India has some
of the most delightful palace-turned hotels and gorgeous boutique luxury
hotels.
Look at some of
our different travel plans here
COST
OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA (ACCOMMODATIONS)
cost of
travelling in IndiaThe hotel tariffs are generally higher in big cities,
tourist havens and during the peak winter months of December, January and February. They’re lowest in the off-season and
the monsoon season which is
from mid-June to September.
Budget Traveller (Backpacker)
As a budget
traveller you can easily find hotels/hostels in India between INR 700-1,500
(9-20 USD, 8-18 EUR) a night that offer a clean simple room or a nice dorm bed.
Breakfast is sometimes included but not always.
Over the last
decade, India went from having its first to over a couple of hundred
hostels. They are safe, clean, fun (they plan great activities) and a
wonderful place to meet other travellers. We tend to include them a lot while planning
trips for backpackers.
One can also
find cheaper places to stay in India. As low as INR 300-500 (4-7 USD, 3-6 EUR)
a night, but cleanliness and safety is questionable. These are best if booked
after being personally inspected. Our calculation is based on budget hotels
between INR 800-1,500 (11-18 USD, 9-18 EUR) a night.
Mid-Budget Traveller
A little more
comfort! You’re a mid-budget traveller if you’re looking at a private room and
a private bathroom at all times. Ranging between simple and spotless rooms on
average, to a few heritage or boutique stays you would spend an average of INR
2,500 (34 USD, 29 EUR) for a room a night.
You would
have breakfast included for most nights, a private bathroom every night,
and some hotels may have a pool, a garden or a very nice view.
To give you an
idea on hotels that you would be staying at: Mewar
Haveli or Kankarwa Haveli in
Udaipur or lovely home-stays across India.
Comfort Traveller
You like a
comfortable bed, affordable boutique or heritage hotels, rooms with a
nice view (when possible) and a nice pool every now and then. Then you
would spend an average of INR 4,500 for a room a night.
Comfortable
beds with nice views, affordable boutique and heritage hotels, and a nice pool
for majority of the time; INR 4,500 (65 USD, 70 EUR) is the average a night. A
rich and nice breakfast would always be included.
You’d be
staying in many heritage hotels or boutique stays. For instance, Shahpura House in Jaipur or Ratan Vilas in Jodhpur are such heritage
hotels focused on comfort.
COST
OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA (TRANSPORTATION)
Budget Traveller (Backpacker)
You would
predominantly be using trains to get between places. We have accounted for
fares using A/C class train travel. Remember trains are a great and
inexpensive way to travel around India, but on some routes trains are not
possible or train tickets get sold out by the time you decide to book, so
you would have to take buses then. Sometimes local buses are only available at
the destination and cannot be booked by us.
You will use
public transport or tuk-tuks (auto rickshaws) to travel within cities. You
should account for an average of INR 800 (11 USD, 9 EUR) per person per day as
transport expense.
North
India by train and bus or a backpacking tour of South
India is inexpensive and fun.
Comfort Traveller
You would have
a car and a driver for most of the route. In addition, train rides would always
be the best available A/C class and only an option if it were the most
convenient solution. You would take flights whenever distances are too
long. Having a car and driver through
your trip in India is a comfortable and flexible way to explore the country.
You would be
spending an average of INR 1,500 (USD 20/ EUR 16) for transportation per day.
COST
OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA (MEALS)
India is
not an expensive destination when it comes to food. However, in bigger
cities and touristic places food can be expensive at times. In general, if you
eat at local restaurants you would get breakfast (omlette/parathas/idli/dosa)
and a cup of tea or coffee for around INR 60-80 (1 USD/ EUR) per person. Lunch
and dinner would cost you a minimum of INR 80-150 (1-2 USD/ EUR) per person/per
meal. And you can expect a warm and fulfilling meal at that price.
Few
challenges with local restaurants
- Hygiene could often be circumspect, but that is a risk
you are always going to have to take when travelling in India. Often food
from good restaurants can get you sick too. To reduce the risk, always
avoid deserted restaurants; eat at places that have a lot of people.
- Finding local restaurants in bigger and mid-sized
cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur) is quite easy. In smaller towns it is
harder as every restaurant is set up for tourists (expensive). Be prepared
to explore and go beyond the touristy parts of small towns.
Meals at nice
restaurants can set you back by approx. INR 250-400 (3-6 USD/ EUR) per meal,
per person. This price would not include alcohol.
If you plan to
go to fine dining restaurants, eat at five-star hotels with a great view then a
meal can cost anywhere between INR 1,000-2,500 (12-35 USD/EUR) per meal, per person.
COST
OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA (ALCOHOL)
There are a
couple of aspects one needs to keep in mind when it comes to alcohol in India.
i.e. availability and the price.
First,
availability:
It’s not very
difficult to find alcohol in India. However, you can’t take it as a given that
all hotels and restaurants will serve alcohol. A lot of restaurants may not
have alcohol on their menu (as they do not have a license to serve) but will
arrange it if asked to.
Hotels that do
not serve alcohol usually let you carry your own alcohol to the hotel. Alcohol
cannot be purchased at supermarkets, but India has what we call ‘wine shops’
that are dedicated just to selling alcohol. ‘Wine Shops’ are not easy to find,
so ask your hotel/driver about the nearest one.
Second,
price:
Alcohol is more
expensive in bigger cities like Mumbai and Delhi where taxes are higher. A beer
at a bar/pub/club could start from INR 150 to 500/600 (2-6 USD/EUR) depending
on the place you’re going to. Stronger drinks (whiskey, gin, vodka etc.) could
cost from INR 200 to 1,000 (2-13 USD/EUR). It’s hard to generalise because it
very much depends on the place you’re in and what you’re ordering in particular.
It could range from extremely cheap to very expensive even for foreign
standards. Alcohol is about 30-35% cheaper in smaller towns. At ‘wine shops’
expect the price to be relatively cheaper in everything.
COST
OF TRAVELLING IN INDIA (MONUMENT ENTRY FEES)
India charges a
differential entrance fees to Indians and to foreigners, (15x more to a
foreigner). This might seem a little unfair but it is mostly to create the
possibility for every citizen of India to visit every kind of monument despite
financial restraints.
However,
children under the age of 15 enter free in most monuments. A valid student ID
gets you a highly discounted entrance fee.
You should
budget INR 6,000 (80 USD/ 70 EUR) per person for monument entrance fees when
visiting India. However,
in some places like Delhi, Agra or Jaipur you will spend more for sightseeing
than in other places just because these places offer more of sightseeing
monuments. In other places like Goa or Kerala, which have fewer monuments you
will most likely spend more on activities.
In addition to
the above discussed expenses we expect you’d spend money on shopping, miscellaneous things,
and the occasional tip.
ACTIVITIES
THAT YOU ARE LIKELY TO SPEND MONEY ON
You would
probably participate in a range of activities when visiting India. The cost of
the same can vary from activity to activity. At times it would sound
unreasonably cheap and sometimes compared to prices of everything else in India
it may feel a little expensive.
- Cooking classes cost between INR 750 to 1,500 per head
(10-20 USD, 9-18 EUR). This is usually a 3 to 4 hour class and you eat an
entire meal that you’ve just prepared. So great value for money.
- Riding an elephant in Amer Fort, Jaipur costs INR 1,000
(10-15 USD/EUR) for two people/riding one elephant. But be aware that the
elephants don’t always enjoy fair treatment!
- A half-day canoe ride in the backwaters of Kerala,
usually including a meal costs INR 1,200/1,500 (16-20 USD, 14-18 EUR)
- Watching a traditional dance show in Kerala costs you
around INR 200 (2 USD/EUR)
- Flying Fox/Zip-lining in Jodhpur costs around INR 1,500
(20 USD, 18 EUR)
Account for INR
6,000/10,000 (110-150 USD/EUR) per head for two weeks for such activities.
Plan ahead what
activities you would like to do so you can budget accordingly.
Plan Your Trip
with Travelaroundindia.com
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About Manish Satija 
Welcome to Travel Around India
10 connections, 0 recommendations, 40 honor points.Joined APSense since, September 26th, 2022, From Maryland, United States.
Created on Dec 11th 2022 23:14. Viewed 84 times.
