Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Ministry of External Affairs

Diplomatic representations

Indian Missions Abroad

For more information

Embassy of India in Greece
3, Kleanthous
106 74 Athens
Phone: 2107216481, 2107216227
Fax: 2107211252
indembassy@ath.forthnet.gr

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available in large cities and fares are charged by the kilometer.

Most of the drivers can understand English, though not all can speak English.

A metro system is operational in Kolkata.

A metro system was opened in Delhi in 2004. It is spreading its network to reach sub-urban districts like NOIDA, Gurgoan and Faridabad.

Maps of urban networks

Map of Kolkata Metro available on the site of Metro Railways Kolkata
Map of Delhi Metro available on the site of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

Air routes connects over 70 cities.
There are also ships from Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras) to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands( Shipping Corporation of India). and from Kochi and Calicut to the Lakshadweep Islands.

There is a catamaran service from Mumbai (Bombay) to Goa.

The Indian internal railway system covers much of the country and is relatively inexpensive.
An extensive network of bus services connects all parts of the country.

A large number of chauffeur-driven tourist cars are available in the main tourist centers.

Rail companies

Indian Railways

Flight from Greece

Several aircraft companies operate regular flights from Athens to Dehli. The main companies offering air connections between Greece and India are Emirates, Swiss Air, Alitalia, Turkish Airlines, Gulf Air, KLM and Qatar Airways. To find out air connections from Greece to India click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

One must be very cautious when driving because of the bad condition of the roads and chaotic character of the traffic.
Driving around India is not recommended. Moreover self-drive cars are not generally available in the country. It is recommended to have a licensed and experienced local driver who has a "feel" for local roads and driving conditions.
The third party insurance liability is compulsory.

Road maps

Maps of India
India Maps

Find an itinerary

Make my trip
Maps of India

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

Delhi: testimony of the Muslim time.
Agra: testimony of the Moghols times: the Taj Mahal and the fort of Agra. The Taj Mahal, became the tourist symbol of India.
Goa: Former Portuguese enclave on the Western coast, gained its tourist reputation in the 60s, at the height of the hippy period.

Cultural

Rich cultural heritage and an element of mysticism. Various fairs and festivals: Pushkar fair, Taj Mahotsav, and Suraj Kund mela. Rajasthan, Udaipur (the most romantic city). Is famous to be the centre of theater, dance, painting and art craft activities. Some Indian sites are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, consult the website Unesco

Nature

Rich forest cover with some beautiful and exotic species of wildlife: Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, and Corbett National Park.

For ecotourism in India, tourists can go to places such as Kaziranga National Park, Gir National Park, and Kanha National Park.

Religious

Vaishno Devi, Golden temple, Char Dham, and Mathura Vrindavan.

Varanasi (formerly Bénarès): the holiest of the holy cities. The Indian pilgrims come to bath in the waters of the Ganges, supposed to wash all the sins. The most sacred is the Manikarnika Ghat; you will be able to attend cremations, but leave your cameras in your hotel. Go sit down in Dasawamedh Ghat to observe ablutions.

Beach

Variety of beaches : Goa, Kovalam, Puri, Mahabalipuram, and Andaman & Nicobar.

Winter sports

Winter sports in India bring out the best of adventure in Indian outdoors: Skiing, Heli-Skiing, Mountaineering, Ice Climbing etc.

Outdoor activities

Camel safaris, Rock climbing, Trekking, River Rafting, Para Gliding, Camping, Biking & Cycling, Golf.

For trekking: Ladakh, Sikkim, and Himalaya. For skiing: Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir Tourists flock to Uttranchal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh for whitewater rafting . Visit: India Adventure.

Shopping

From the semi precious stone to a trendy leather shoe, Indian market is the ultimate destination for the shoppers around the world.

Tourism organizations

Ministry of Tourism
Dehli Tourism
Tour India
India.Org

Eating

Food specialties

IEach region in the country has its own cuisine and style of preparation.

Food is broadly categorized into six tastes - sweet, sour, salty, spicy, bitter and astringent. Side dishes and condiments are chutneys, curries, daals and Indian picklesl.

Milk-based desserts and gulab jamuns are popular.

Drinks

Tea (often ready-brewed with milk and sugar unless ‘tray tea" is specified) and coffee are most widely drunk. Butter-milk (called ‘lasi’ in Hindi ) is a popular drink in the Northern parts of the country.

All forms of alcoholic drinks including wine are easily available in the country. Large quantity of beer is produced & consumed within the country.

Dietary restrictions

The left hand is considered unclean and to use the left hand when eating or receiving food is considered vulgar and unclean.

Hindus consider the cow as sacred and never eat beef. Muslims consider the pig unclean and never eat pork. If they are not on the menu then one would not ask for them for risk of offending the restaurateur.

Paying

Domestic currency

Indian Rupee

ISO Code

INR

To obtain domestic currency

The import of local currency is prohibited. Currency can be changed at banks, airports or authorized money changers.
ATMs are easily accessible and are open 24x7.

Possible means of payment

Payment is usually in cash. All major credit cards like American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are also widely accepted.
Traveller cheques are widely accepted and may be changed at banks and larger hotels.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in India, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

Hindi (spoken by more than 50% of the country’s population) and English.

Other languages spoken

17 regional languages are recognized by the Constitution of India, which include Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Telegu, Kannada, Malayalam and Marathi. Muslims largely speaks Urdu.

Business language

English

Getting some knowledge

 

Free translation tools

Shabdkosh - Hindi-English-Hindi free dictionary (46,000 terms)

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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Last updates: May 2012