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India: Practical information

Accommodation

Hotels: Modern Western-style hotels available in all large cities and at popular tourist centers. Heritage Hotels, and 5 to 1-star hotels.
Hotels in India
Tourist Bungalows: At almost every tourist center in the country, under the control of the respective State government’s Tourist Development Corporation.
Youth Hostels: Capacity for about 40 beds. A convenient and cheap base for organized tours, trekking, hiking or mountaineering.
Youth Hostels Association
Camp sites /Caravanning: Throughout India.
Campsites India
Hotel Rules: Prices are given per room, based on whether the room is occupied by one or two persons (single or double occupancy).
For Further Information: Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India
India Tourism

Price Indications

Economy Room	USD 30 - 100
Medium Price Room	USD 100 - 175
Good Quality Room	USD 175 - 400

Source: Lonely Planet

Eating Out

Categories of Restaurant
Most restaurants are specialized according to the type of food they offer: Continental, Multi Cuisine, Fast Food, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Mediterranean; South Indian, Mughlai, Punjabi.
Bars & restaurants: Bars which can also serve food.
Road-side restaurants: ‘Dhabas’ serve real authentic local food at very low prices. Favorite eating places for low-budget foreign tourists.
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.

Price Indications

Economy Meal	USD 5 - 8 per person
Medium Price Meal	USD 10 -20 per person
Good Quality Meal	USD 25 -75 per person

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.

Getting Around

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
Urban Transport Agencies: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Metro Railways Kolkata

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

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

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation: Air routes connect over 70 cities and provide a faster way to travel around India.
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 centres. 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.
Rail Companies: Indian Railways

Airlines

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

You Can Consult The EU Air Safety List. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Travelling 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. It is recommended to have a licensed and experienced local driver who knows the region and driving conditions.
Driver's License: One must have either a valid Indian drivers’ license or a valid international drivers’ license. India recognizes international driving permits.
Conditions For Renting a Vehicle: 18. An international driving license is required.
Rental Agencies: Taxi Rental India
Tolls or Taxes: The concept of toll roads is catching up in India. Recently built motorways are subject to tolls and the rates are quite reasonable.
Road Maps: Maps of India
Find an Itinerary: Make my trip
Maps of India
Parking Facilities: Parking is a paid service and facilities are available at all public places like airports, railway stations, shopping centers, etc.

Rules of the Road

Minimum Driving Age: 18
Side of the Road For Driving: Left
Speed Limits: Motorcycles 50 km/h, trucks and buses 65 km/h. Cars 80 km/h in Maharashtra, 50-60 km/h in New Delhi, and none at all in Uttar Pradesh.
Safety Belts: Obligatory in all major cities.
Permitted Amount of Alcohol in the Blood: 30 mg/deciliter
National Roads Organizations: National Highways Authority of India
Department of Road Transport and Highways
Indian Driving Schools

Time and Time Difference

Current Local Time: It is %T:%M %A In New Delhi
Summer Time: None

Map of the Time Zone

Time zone

Climate

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.

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Electrical Standards and Measurement Systems

System of Measurement Used: Metric system
Unit of Measurement of Temperature: Degree Celsius (°C)

Use our service Measurement Converter.

Electricity
Voltage: 230 Volts AC
Frequency: 50 Hz
Type of Electric Socket: Type C and Type D.
Type of Telephone Socket: British (old) phone plug; US RJ-11 phone plug.
DVD Zoning: Zone 5

Paying

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

Speaking

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
Getting Some Knowledge
Free Translation Tools: Shabdkosh : Hindi-English-Hindi free dictionary (46,000 terms)

Emergency Numbers

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

Communications

Quality of Communications: The use of mobile phones and internet is widely developed. Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Public telephones are accessible everywhere.
Telephone Codes: To Make a Call From India, Dial 00
To Make a Call to in India, Dial +91
Number of Digits of National Telephone Numbers: 10
+ 0 + 2-4 digits corresponding to regional codes + local city/town numbers.
Mobile Telephone Standards: Both CDMA and GSM
National Mobile Phone Operators: AirTel, Reliance Infoecom, Idea cellular, Vodafone (earlier HUTCH), BSNL/MTNL.

Availability of Internet

Internet Suffix: .in
National Internet Access Providers: BSNL, AirTel, Sify, Tata Internet Services, Reliance, Netcom, Hathway.
Access in Public Places: Internet cafes with Wi-Fi connection facilities spread across the country.
Access in Hotels: Easily accessible from most of the large and medium sized hotels operating across the country.

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