Luxury India Holidays

Indian cuisine has a spectacularly diverse range of regional dishes. With explosive flavours running the gamut from spicy to tangy to sweet to sour.

From the infamous Taj Mahal to Amber Fort, The Red Fort, Golden Temple and Fatehpur Sikri, the list is endless, with so many places to explore. Here are a few of our favourite spots.

India's vast coastline offers miles of white sand beaches backed by mangrove forests.

Experience the new India in a bustling city centre. The way of life, its culture and authenticity are soon personified as you navigate through the streets of old and new.

Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is celebrated in India during October by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. A five-day celebration, coinciding with Hindu New Year, the festival celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Diwali is a time of vivid colours, huge firework displays, twinkling lights and an excess of incredible food. A wonderful time for an Indian holiday.

Holi - The Festival of Colours - is one of India’s most popular festivals, celebrated all over the country with much colourful paint, mischief and dancing. The festival takes place in March, marking the coming of spring and good harvest and commemorating good over evil. Rajasthan, Mumbai and Goa are popular Holi destinations for tourists. Come with paint and expect to end the day dressed in colours!

Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage that happens once every 12 years, where Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river to cleanse their sins and help them achieve moksha (enlightenment). Thought to be the world’s largest gathering, the festival sees around 120 million people coming to bathe in the Sangam in Uttar Pradesh - the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers.

The Pushkar Fair, or Camel Fair, is an annual, multi-day livestock fair and culture fete held in Pushkar in November. Thousands of camels litter the desert-town of Pushkar, beautifully decorated in patterns, jewels and colours. The camels are traded, entered in beauty contests, raced and paraded. A huge carnival is held with musicians, magicians, dancers, acrobats and snake charmers - all-in-all a very fun festival!

Maha Shivratri is held annually in February, a Hindu festival honouring Lord Shiva and marking his marriage day. Temples are decorated, feasts are held, and the streets see processions of dancing, drums and singing. Wherever you are in India, join the revellers for their celebrations and get lost in the excitement.

Jaipur Literature Festival takes place each January in India’s cultural capital, Jaipur. It is the world’s largest free literary festival, celebrating literature, creativity and ideas. Expect lively, dynamic debates and discussions, readings and speeches.

Tandoori chicken is an iconic Indian dish, named after the tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven in which the food is typically prepared. The chicken is roasted with yoghurt and spices and often served with naan flatbread.

Gulab Jamun is an authentic Indian sweet delicacy - sticky-sweet, deep-fried dough balls. Khoya (milk solids) are kneaded into a dough and then shaped into small balls and deep-fried in ghee (butter). The balls are then soaked in a sugary syrup, flavoured with green cardamom and rose water, kewra or saffron.

A traditional Rajasthani recipe, Dal Bathi Churma is a popular three-in-one delicacy in Jaipur. The platter consists of a sweet fried Churma, a spicy Dal curry and a deep-fried Baati. It is typical of the Rajasthani sweet and savoury cuisine combinations.

Rice is a steady staple of south Indian cuisine, and dosas are a popular and delicious variant. Dosas are prepared by soaking rice and lentils in water for a few hours to make the batter and then frying it on a skillet. The result is a papery roll, often filled with potato and onion and served with dahl.

Vada Pav is a vegetarian fast-food dish, consisting of a deep-fried potato dumpling, served in a bread bun with spicy garlic and green chutney. It is one of Mumbai’s most well-known dishes, found in street stalls all over the city.

Originating in Kerala’s south coast, Keralan fish curry is widely popular and a must-try when you’re in the region. Coconut infused and spicy, flavoured with local fish, shallots, tamarind and tomato, this curry is one of the region’s ultimate authentic dishes. Enjoy with a serving of rice.