Essential Tips for Visiting India: Everything You Need to Know
I was born in India, and I still think it’s one of the easiest places in the world to fall in love with… as long as you don’t wing the logistics. India isn’t “hard”, it’s just different: distances look harmless on a map, admin has opinions, and your senses get hit with full volume from the minute you land. Most first-time stress comes from underestimating travel time, not sorting the basics early, and trying to do too much too fast.
This guide is here to make your first trip feel simple. We’ll cover what to prep before you fly, how to stay healthy without turning into a paranoid hand-sanitiser goblin, how to handle money and transport with confidence, what scams look like in real life, and the little etiquette things that locals quietly appreciate. Do the boring bits right, and India becomes the fun kind of chaotic. 🇮🇳
India Tips: Quick Facts at a Glance
✅ Visa and entry prep is non-negotiable (check your exact requirements early)
✅ You’ll need an online e-arrival card before immigration (do it before you land)
✅ India is huge, plan by regions, not “I’ll just pop over”
✅ For a first trip, pick one main route, then add one extra stop (not five)
✅ Cash is still king in plenty of everyday moments, even if cards exist
✅ Trains are iconic, but you’ll enjoy them more with pre-booking and padding
✅ Food and water rules matter if you want a happy stomach
✅ Scams are usually annoying, not dangerous, and you can dodge them politely
✅ Best time to go depends on region, and monsoon timing changes the vibe
✅ This guide is for first-timers who want India to feel exciting, not exhausting
👉 Good to know: If you only remember one thing, make it this: plan fewer places, add breathing room, and you’ll have a better trip than the “17 cities in 10 days” crowd.
🔥 My Recommended Tour to get you started in India: From Delhi: 5 Day Triangle Tour
Quick India Q&As
Is India safe for first-time travellers?
Yes, for most travellers it’s fine with normal city-smart habits: plan night transport carefully, keep valuables low-key, and trust your gut in crowded spots.
What do I need to do before arriving in India?
Sort your visa, check passport validity, complete the e-arrival card, and handle health prep (vaccines, mosquito protection, basic meds).
What should I avoid eating and drinking in India?
Avoid tap water, ice from unknown places, and food that’s been sitting out. Start gently with spice, then build up.
How do I get around India easily?
For first-timers: trains for longer routes, flights for big jumps, and taxi apps in cities to avoid haggling fatigue.
How much cash do I need in India?
Carry enough for daily small spends (food, tips, short rides). Use ATMs for top-ups and keep a backup card.
What’s the best time to visit India for a first trip?
For many regions, cooler months are easiest, but “best” depends on where you’re going. North and South behave differently.
What’s the biggest mistake people make on their first India trip?
Trying to do too much, too fast… and arriving without the admin sorted.
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Your first 24 hours should be boring on purpose: water, rest, one easy meal, one gentle outing. Save the big stuff for day two. 🚆
Visiting India for the first time: the quick answer (what to prep so the trip feels easy)
Here’s the real cheat code: India becomes easier when you treat it like three separate prep buckets, not one giant “trip plan”. I grew up here, and even I still do this when I’m coming back after time away. If these three buckets are sorted, you’ll spend your energy on temples, markets, trains, and sunsets… not on panic-Googling at baggage reclaim.
Bucket 1: Entry admin
- Passport validity + visa type
- e-arrival card completed
- Copies of key docs (offline too)
Bucket 2: Health prep
- Vaccines to consider, based on itinerary
- Mosquito bite avoidance plan
- Stomach basics (rehydration salts, simple meds)
Bucket 3: Logistics
- First-night stay booked
- Airport-to-hotel plan
- A realistic route with travel days built in
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: If you only plan one thing properly, plan your arrival day. It sets the tone for the whole trip.
🗺️ Travel Essentials: Travel Essentials Checklist: Don’t Leave Home Without These!
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Visa, entry rules, and arrival forms (do this before you fly)
India is not the place to guess your visa. The rules vary by nationality, purpose of visit, and sometimes entry points, so treat it like admin you do once, then forget about. Get the right visa, apply with plenty of time, and don’t assume “tourist visa” means the same thing for everyone.
You’ll also need an online e-arrival card before you reach immigration. It’s basically your digital landing card. Do it in advance so you’re not trying to type an address with airport Wi-Fi and 3% battery.
Entry prep checklist (save this)
| Task | When to do it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Check passport validity + blank pages | 6–8 weeks out | You can be refused if you don’t meet entry rules |
| Apply for the correct visa | ASAP | Wrong visa can mean refusal or future bans |
| Complete the e-arrival card | Within 72 hours pre-arrival | Speeds up immigration and avoids last-minute stress |
| Print or save docs offline | Before travel day | Helps if your phone dies at the worst moment |
| Check medical entry rules | Before you fly | Some travellers need proof of specific vaccines |
👉 Good to know: Paper arrival forms are still accepted during the transition period, but do the online version and you’ll thank yourself later.
🗺️ Use our entry requirement checker: The Travel Tinker Entry Requirement Checker
India is massive: distances, travel time, and why your itinerary needs breathing room
India looks like one country, but it travels like several. A “quick hop” can mean a full day once you add traffic, station chaos, delays, and the fact that you’re human and need food. When friends visit me for the first time, the best trips are always the ones with fewer bases and longer stays.
A simple rule of thumb:
- If it’s a short hop, plan half a day
- If it’s a medium hop, plan most of the day
- If it’s a long hop, plan a full travel day, then don’t schedule anything ambitious after
Itinerary sanity moves
- Choose 2–4 bases for a 10–14 day trip
- Avoid back-to-back one-night stays
- Add “buffer mornings” for late trains and slow starts
- Keep big cities paired with one calmer stop
💡 Fact: The trip you remember most isn’t the one with the most pins on a map. It’s the one where you weren’t exhausted the entire time.
🗺️ Nobody likes the stress of the airport: How to Get Through the Airport Quickly: Expert Tips for Savvy Travellers
Health prep: vaccines, malaria, and how to not spend your trip hugging a toilet
Let’s keep this calm and useful. Most people get sick in India from the boring stuff: dehydration, heat, and casual food and water mistakes. You don’t need to live on crackers and fear. You just need a sensible plan.
Before you go
- Check travel health advice for your route and season
- Consider vaccines commonly recommended for travellers (it depends on itinerary and your own health)
- If you’re heading to areas with malaria risk, talk to a clinician about prevention
Food and water basics that actually work
- Drink sealed bottled water or properly filtered water
- Skip tap water for teeth brushing if you’re cautious
- Start with cooked food, build up street food slowly
- Carry rehydration salts for “just in case” days
- Wash hands before eating, every time
🤚 Must-do: Pack a tiny pharmacy: rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoea meds, pain relief, plasters, and insect repellent. It’s boring until it saves your day.
🛂 Official Visa & Immigration Details
🚕 Airport Transfer just in case: Welcome Pickups Delhi
🗺️ Recommended Read about Car Rental: DiscoverCars: Your Ultimate Guide to Hassle-Free Car Rentals 🚗
Recommended Tours from GetYourGuide
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Money in India: cash, cards, ATMs, and the awkward moments to plan for
India’s payment world is modern and old-school at the same time. Big hotels and nicer restaurants love cards. Small cafés, local taxis, and tiny shops often prefer cash. Some places accept mobile payments, but travellers can’t always use local systems easily, so don’t rely on it.
| Payment method | Works best for | Common problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | Street food, tips, short rides, small shops | No change, fake “no cash” excuse | Carry small notes, stay polite, keep moving |
| Card | Hotels, mid-range restaurants, malls | Card machine “not working” | Have a backup card + some cash |
| Mobile | Some chains and bigger places | Not set up for visitors | Use as a bonus, not a plan |
Simple daily budget (rough guide):
- Budget: ₹3,000–₹5,500 (about £25–£46 / €28–€52 / $33–$61)
- Mid-range: ₹6,000–₹12,000 (about £50–£100 / €57–€113 / $66–$133)
- Comfy: ₹13,000+ (about £108+ / €123+ / $144+)
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Withdraw cash in daylight, in busy areas, and stash it in two spots. One “spend” wallet, one “backup” wallet.
Getting around: trains, domestic flights, rickshaws, and taxi apps
Getting around India can feel like a sport at first, but it’s very learnable. For first-timers, the easiest approach is: trains for scenic mid-range distances, flights for huge jumps, and taxi apps in cities for low-stress rides. Auto-rickshaws are brilliant for short hops, but agree the price first or use the meter if it’s actually used.
Transport options (first-timer friendly)
| Transport | Best for | What to watch for | Booking tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trains | Classic India travel, city-to-city routes | Availability, station confusion | Book ahead, arrive early |
| Domestic flights | Long distances | Airport transfers, delays | Build buffer time |
| Taxi apps | City rides | Peak pricing | Screenshot pickup details |
| Auto-rickshaws | Short hops | Inflated prices | Agree fare before you get in |
| Metro (some cities) | Beating traffic | Crowds at rush hour | Great for daytime sightseeing |
👉 Good to know: Trains have different classes for comfort. Paying a bit more for a calmer carriage can make a huge difference on longer routes.
🗺️ Best Apps for Navigation: Best Travel Navigation App: Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze?
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Scams and tourist traps (what happens, how to dodge it politely)
Most scams in India are not dramatic. They’re annoying little money-grabs dressed up as “help”. The classic pattern: someone approaches you at a station or tourist area, tells you your plan is impossible, then offers to “fix” it by taking you somewhere else.
Common scenarios
- “That office is closed, come with me”
- “Your hotel is shut, I know a better one”
- “Fixed price taxi” that’s magically double
- “Helpful guide” who won’t leave
A calm script you can use:
- “No thanks, I’m sorted.”
- “I’ll check.”
- “I’m meeting someone.”
- Repeat once, then stop engaging.
If you look confident and slightly boring, scammers usually move on fast.
💡Fact: The strongest defence is not being rude. It’s being uninteresting. Keep walking, keep it simple, don’t debate.
Safety in India: practical rules that work anywhere
Safety in India is mostly the same as safety in any busy country: be aware, don’t flash valuables, and plan your transport like you plan your dinner. I tell visiting friends to focus on three things: timing, transport, and boundaries.
Practical rules that help
- Avoid arriving in a new city late at night if you can
- Use reputable transport options and confirm details before getting in
- Keep phones and passports secure in crowded areas
- Share live location with a friend when doing long rides
- If something feels off, leave and reset in a public place
Also: trust the power of “I’m on a call” and “I’m meeting someone”. They’re tiny social shields.
Solo travel and women’s safety: confidence moves, not fear
Women travel India solo all the time, including Indian women. The goal isn’t to be scared, it’s to be prepared. The biggest difference-maker is how you move: purposeful, not hesitant, especially in stations and busy markets.
Confidence moves that work
- Dress in a way that feels comfortable and culturally low-key
- Use women-only areas on metros where available
- Choose well-reviewed accommodation and transport options
- Sit near families on trains if you want a calmer vibe
- Keep boundaries firm: no explanations needed
If someone’s bothering you, your best tool is switching context: step into a shop, talk to a staff member, move toward a group. You don’t owe politeness to people pushing your limits.
What to wear: culture, temples, heat, and the reality of dust and sweat
Packing for India is less about fashion and more about comfort plus respect. India is hot in many places, dusty in many places, and temples often have modesty rules. I grew up seeing visitors melt in synthetic clothes, so please learn from their pain.
Starter packing list (works in most regions)
- Loose breathable tops (cotton, linen)
- Light scarf or shawl (temples, sun, AC blasts)
- Long trousers or longer skirts for temples
- Comfortable walking shoes that can get dirty
- A light layer for trains and air-con
- A rain jacket if you’re travelling in monsoon months
👉 Good to know: Modesty doesn’t need to mean “covered head to toe”. It just means don’t go full beach outfit in sacred places.
🗺️ More guides: Cultural Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts for Respectful Travel
Food, spice, and stomach strategy (yes, you can still enjoy everything)
Indian food is one of the best parts of the trip, and you don’t need to avoid it. The trick is to build up gently. On day one, your body is adjusting to heat, time zones, and new bacteria. Start with cooked food, choose busy places, and slowly level up to street snacks.
Street food tips without being snobby
- Pick stalls with high turnover (fresh food, fewer regrets)
- Watch it being cooked
- Start with fried or hot items
- Go easy on raw chutneys and salads at first
- Carry hand sanitiser for before you eat
If spice hits hard, don’t panic. Yogurt drinks, plain rice, and simple carbs calm things down. Also, not everything is spicy. India has huge variety.
💡Fact: The fastest way to ruin your trip is skipping meals, getting dehydrated, then trying to “power through” on spicy street food.
Connectivity and apps: SIMs, data, navigation, translations
Your phone is your secret weapon in India. Use it for maps, bookings, translation, and keeping plans clear with drivers and hotels. Data makes everything smoother, especially on travel days when you’re hopping between stations, rides, and check-ins.
Apps that genuinely help
- Maps for navigation and saved pins
- A ride-hailing app for city travel
- A translation app for quick phrases and menus
- A payments plan that isn’t “hope my card works”
If you want to land with data already sorted, an eSIM from Airalo can be the easiest option. Not every phone supports it, so check before you go.
🤚 Must-do: Screenshot your hotel name and address, plus your booking details. It helps when signals drop or you’re tired and typing feels impossible.
🗺️ Think again!: Travel Safety Essential: Why a Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector is a Must-Have ✈️
Where to stay in India for first-timers (by vibe and comfort level)
Where you stay affects how you feel about a city. A “cheap but chaotic” area can turn a beautiful place into a daily headache. For first-timers, I recommend choosing neighbourhoods that are well-connected and feel straightforward, even if they cost a bit more.
Comfort-first choices
- Stay near major metro lines in big cities
- Choose places with strong recent reviews
- Look for air-con in hot seasons and good showers year-round
- Families: prioritise quieter streets over “central at all costs”
For easy browsing across price ranges, I usually start with Booking.com and filter hard: review score, location, and amenities you actually care about.
🏨 Recommended hotels: Booking.com India
🛌 Recommended Hostels: Hostelworld India
🏩 Accommodation from Agoda.com India
🗺️ Useful Guide: Direct vs Third-Party Travel: Your Ultimate Booking Decision Guide
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Book your first two nights somewhere comfortable. You can go more adventurous once you’ve got your bearings.
Planning experiences: temples, markets, wildlife, and how to book the good stuff
India has endless “wow” moments, but you can burn out fast if you treat each day like a checklist. Pick one main activity, then let the rest be flexible: markets, street snacks, a sunset spot, a slower dinner. That’s how India feels fun instead of frantic.
What tends to be worth booking ahead
- Iconic monuments with timed entry
- Popular wildlife parks (permits and safari slots)
- Day trips with long travel days
For bigger sightseeing days, having Get Your Guide tours as an option can save time and decision fatigue, especially in your first city.
Common etiquette slip-ups (and what locals actually appreciate)
Etiquette in India isn’t about perfection. It’s about being respectful and reading the room. Most locals will be kind even if you mess up, but a few small habits go a long way.
Easy wins
- Take shoes off when you see a pile of shoes
- Ask before photographing people up close
- Keep public affection low-key in more traditional areas
- In temples, cover shoulders and knees
- Bargain politely in markets, not in fixed-price shops
Also, heads-up: “yes” and “no” can be communicated in ways that look unfamiliar. If someone seems vague, ask a simple follow-up question.
Your first 72 hours in India: a simple landing plan
Your first three days are for settling in, not proving something. When I have friends visiting from abroad, I keep the start simple because jet lag plus heat plus chaos is a lot. Aim for comfort, hydration, and a gentle intro to the rhythm of the place.
Landing checklist
- ✅ Get cash from an ATM in a safe spot
- ✅ Sort data (SIM or eSIM)
- ✅ Buy bottled water and keep it with you
- ✅ Do one easy meal (cooked, not too spicy)
- ✅ Walk a little in daylight near your stay
- ✅ Early night, then start properly on day two
If you’re arriving late, pre-arranged transport is worth it, and proper travel insurance is one of those boring choices you only notice when you need it.
FAQs about Visiting India
Do I need a visa for India as a tourist?
Most travellers do, unless they hold an OCI card or have a specific exemption. Apply through official channels and don’t assume the same rules apply to every passport. Start early so you’re not stress-refreshing your inbox the week you fly.
Is India safe for first-time travellers?
For most people, yes, with sensible habits: plan transport, avoid risky late-night arrivals, and keep valuables discreet. Stay aware in crowds and trust your instincts if a situation feels off.
How many days do I need for a first trip to India?
A solid first trip is usually 10–14 days if you want a few places without constant travel days. If you have a week, pick one region and do it properly instead of racing across the map.
What should I avoid eating and drinking in India?
Skip tap water, ice from unknown places, and food that’s been sitting out. Start with cooked meals, ease into spice, and choose busy stalls if you’re trying street food.
What’s the easiest way to get around India?
A mix works best: flights for huge distances, trains for classic routes, and taxi apps in cities for predictable rides. Build buffer time and don’t stack big travel days back-to-back.
Ready for India?
If you take one strategy from this guide, let it be this: sort the admin, protect your health, plan fewer places, and let India be India. The country doesn’t need you to sprint through it. It needs you to show up prepared, curious, and rested enough to enjoy the ride.
If you’re planning a trip and want a sanity check, drop your rough dates, where you’re flying into, how long you’ve got, and the one thing you’re most nervous about. And if you’re building a bigger travel list, have a browse of the first-timer guides on TheTravelTinker.com.👇🗣️
Adventure on,
The Travel Tinker Crew 🌍✨
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Author
Manisha Sharma
I’m Manisha Sharma, a travel writer and explorer from India, and I’m basically powered by curiosity. I’m forever hunting down hidden gems, little cultural stories, and those off-the-beaten-path moments that end up being the best part of a trip.
Growing up in India, surrounded by wildly different landscapes and traditions, I fell in love with travel early and even more so with telling the stories behind it. I could be wandering through an ancient temple, weaving through a chaotic street market, or hiking a quiet Himalayan trail, and I’m always looking for the details that make a place feel alive. I like my travel writing warm, honest, and practical, with the kind of tips you’d actually text a friend.
As a new contributor to The Travel Tinker, I’m here to share real insights and heartfelt travel tales, celebrating the magic of India and the joy of exploring everywhere else too.
When I’m not writing or plotting my next getaway, you’ll probably find me eating street food, doing yoga, or disappearing into a good book. ✈️🇮🇳
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