India: Practical information

Accommodation

Hotel reservation websites: Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India
India Tourism

Rules For Eating Out: Rules vary from one establishment to another, but it is generally common to ask for the bill at your table after the meal.

A ‘tip’ is generally given after the meals; varies between 5-10% of the bill amount.

Food Specialties: Each 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 pickles.

Milk-based desserts and gulab jamuns are popular.
Drinks: Tea (often ready-brewed with milk and sugar) 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 and 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 unclean.
Hindus consider the cow as sacred and the Muslims consider the pig as unclean. Hence, pork and beef are not part of popular cuisine.
Table Manners: Wash hands thoroughly before sitting at the table as some Indian foods are primarily eaten by hand.
It is considered unhygienic to use your spoon or fingers to share food from someone else's plate once you have started using your own.

Urban transport services: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Metro Railways Kolkata

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Mumbai - Chhatrapati Shivaji Intl (BOM)	37 km / 23 miles	INR 475	INR 50-60 / 60-90 min	-	Available
Calcutta - Dum Dum (CCU)	17 km / 11 miles	INR 135-200 / 40-120 min	INR 8	INR 2-6	Available
Delhi - Indira Gandhi Intl (DEL)	15 km / 9 miles	INR 220 / 30-60 min	INR 50	-	Available

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Indian Airlines	National	Yes	Yes
Jet Airways	Major	Yes	No
Kingfisher Airlines	Low-Cost	Yes	No
Spice Jet	Low-Cost	Yes	No
Go Air	Low-Cost	Yes	No

National Roads Organizations: National Highways Authority of India
Indian Driving Schools

Time zone

Type of Climate: India has broadly three seasons: warm, wet and cool. Heat begins to rise in the plains of the north in February and becomes very high in April - May. The monsoon appears towards the end of May in the south, then heads to the North, then covers the whole country in the first week of July till the end of October. Temperature falls sharply around December - January. The extreme south remains warm all year long because of coastal climate.

Autumn and Winter are undoubtedly the best times to visit India.

Climate

Domestic Currency: Indian Rupee
ISO Code: INR
To Obtain Domestic Currency: The import of local currency is prohibited, except for residents of India importing up to INR 7,500. 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.
Travelers' cheques are widely accepted and may be changed at banks and larger hotels.

To Find a Cash Machine Where You Need, Use the ATM locator

Official Language: Hindi (spoken by more than 50% of the country’s population) and English.
Other Languages Spoken: 22 languages are recognised by the Constitution of India: Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Nepali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Manipuri , Konkani and Sanskrit are among them. Around 2000 dialects have been identified.
Business Language: English

Police	100
Fire	101
Ambulance	102
Railway Enquiry	131
Telephone assistance in English or Hindi or Regional Language	197

Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From India, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in India, Dial +91
Mobile Telephone Standards: Both CDMA and GSM
National Mobile Phone Operators: AirTel, Reliance Infoecom, Idea cellular, Vodafone (earlier HUTCH), BSNL/MTNL.

Internet Suffix: .in
National Internet Access Providers: BSNL, AirTel, Sify, Tata Internet Services, Reliance, Netcom, Hathway.

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