 India's amazing diversity offers you everything you could ever want in a holiday. From the moment that you set foot in India to be greeted by a graceful namaste, a gesturethat denotes both welcome and respect, you are on the way to one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
Bounded by the majestic Himalayan ranges in the north and edged by a spectacular coastline surrounded by three seas, India is a vivid kaleidoscope of landscapes,magnificent historical sites and royal cities, golden beaches, misty mountain retreats, colorful people, rich cultures and festivities.
Visa Regulations
Foreign tourists in groups of four or more arriving by Air or Sea, sponsored by recognised Indian Travel Agencies and with a pre-drawn itinerary can be granted collective landing permit for a specified period of time (maximum for 30 days) on the written request of the Travel Agencies to the Immigration Officer giving full personal and passport details of the group members, itinerary and undertaking to conduct the group as per the itinerary, and an assurance that no individual would be allowed to drop out from the group at any place.
Hotels, Apartments, Cruises, Vacations in India
Useful information
Currency:
The units of Indian currency are the rupee and the paisa (100 paise is equal to one rupee). Paper money comes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 rupees. Coins are in denominations of 25, and 50 paise, one rupee, two rupees, and five rupees.
Currency exchange
Importing and exporting the currency is strictly against the rules. International airports have currency-exchange booths that are always open for arriving or departing overseas flights.A good idea would be to change certain amount of money in small denominations.
Always change money from an authorized money-changer and donot forget to take the encashment slip. Some banks now charge a nominal fee for this slip, which is necessary for paying hotel bills or travel expenses in rupees. The encashment slip is also required when reconverting rupees into another currency.
Credit cards are widely accepted in Indian cities and larger towns, particularly American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa. Credit cards can also be used to get cash advances in rupees. The Bank of Baroda is the best place for such transactions.
Business Hours
Delhi observes numerous national and religious holidays, in such cases the commercial places are closed. Most government and private banks are open weekdays 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and on Saturdays 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon, they are closed on government holidays. The international airport and some luxury hotels have 24-hour money-changing facilities. The major offices of American Express that offer check-cashing facilities also have extended hours. Western-style hotels will also change money for their guests. Post offices are open Monday-Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM,Saturdays from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and are closed on government holidays and Sundays. Most museums are closed on Mondays and site museums (near archaeological monuments) are normally closed on Fridays. Museums are also closed on government holidays. Business hours of market places, shops, bazaars vary from place to place.
 Local Culture
With all sects, removing shoes is a must before entering a shrine, though sometimes cloth overshoes are provided for a small charge. Drinking alcoholic beverages on the premises or speaking in a raised voice is not permissible. Some structures are off-limits to visitors who don't practice the faith. One should not try to force or bribe to enter such places. Women should always be properly dressed and should cover their head before entering a Sikh gurudwara or a mosque. When you enter a mosque, you are supposed to step right foot first into the courtyard. In some Hindu and Jain temples all leather products inside a shrine like shoes, belts, handbags, camera cases etc. are prohibited. Many temples also expect visitors to purify themselves by washing their hands and feet under a tap or tank available there before entering. No visitor in a gurudwara should keep his feet pointing towards the Holy Book or step over any one sitting in prayer or meditation. Usually try sitting on the floor of a Hindu or Sikh temple with cross-legged or with feet tucked beneath is best.
Telephone & Fax
Local phone numbers could be anywhere from 5 to 8 digits long. But when the area code is included, all phone numbers in India are 10 digits long. Most cellphone numbers start with "9" are 10 digits in length. You do not have to dial an area code to call a 10 digit cell number. But if you are making a call to a landline from a cellphone, you have to use the area code, even if you are in the same city.
When calling long distance within India, prefix a '0' to the city code. While calling from outside India, omit the leading zero. For example, Mumbai has the city code of 22 . So to call within India , you dial 022 number and to call from outside India, you dial + 91 22 number . To dial outside the country, prefix the country code with 00. E.g a US number would be dialed as 00 1 555 555 5555
As a traveller, you will find many long distance public phones, called STD/ISD Booths (Subscriber Trunk Dialing/International Subscriber Dialing), an Indian jargon for national and international long distance respectively. These are booths with an attendant. You dial yourself but pay to the attendant after the call is over. Metering is done as per pulse and a service charge of Rs 2 is added to the bill.
Calling the USA/Canada/UK over the normal telephone line (referred to as ISD) will cost you about Rs. 7.20 per minute. Other countries are more expensive.
Internet
Internet kiosks are everywhere nowadays.Beware of using your credit cards online as many cases have come forward regarding credit cards thefts using keyloggers . Calling overseas is also very cheap if you use the many booths that advertise 'Net2Phone' service. Basically it is calling over the Internet. The quality ranges from tolerable to excellent, and the price is very good, with calls to the USA ranging from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per minute.
Electricity:
Voltage of city power grid - 220V, frequency 50HZ
,, wall outlets take plugs with two round prongs. Time zone:
UTC+5.5
 Shopping and Tipping
Tipping is virtually unknown in India, except in swanky establishments in the major cities. In tourist restaurants or hotels a 10% service charge is often added to bills. In smaller places, where tipping is optional, you need only tip a few rupees, not a percentage of your bill. Most major hotels include a service charge of 10%. Waiters, room service boys, housekeepers, porters, and doormen all expect to be tipped. Railroad porters should be paid Rs. 5 - Rs. 10 per bag, depending on the weight. Set the rate before you let him take your bags. Taxi drivers don't expect tips unless they go through a great deal of trouble to get to your destination, but if you hire a car with a driver, tip him about Rs.50-Rs. 100 per day, depending on the distance travelled. If you hire a local guide, tip him or her Rs. 40 for four hours, Rs. 80 for a full day.
Transport
Airports
The international airports in the metrocities extend services ensuring that the traveller on business can continue working even during his wait for boarding an international connection, or when transferring between international flights. These facilities include restaurants, business centres, rest rooms and telephone booths. Business centres are furnished with state-of-the-art equipment including wordprocessors and telefax. Airports also offer tourist dutyfree & handicrafts shopping, snack bars, nursery and baby care rooms, and an art gallery too for art lovers. Dutyfree prices in the airport shops are very competitive, giving one bargains on international merchandise.
Trains
Trains come in many varieties, but the broad hierarchy from best to worst is as follows:
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Rajdhani - fast overnight services, the best that Indian Railways has to offer,runs from all the state capitals to the National Capital (New Delhi)and vice versa
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Shatabdi - fast daytime intercity services (no sleepers), also at the top of the heap
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Express - long-distance service, sleepers available, skips some stations
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Mail - similar to but usually a bit slower than Express
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Ordinary , Passenger or Local - very slow, no sleeper service, stops at every station
In a class of its own is the Palace on Wheels akin to a five-star hotel, that does an eight-day loop from New Delhi with stops and tours in Jaipur , Jaisalmer , Jodhpur , Sawai Madhopur , Chittaurgarh , Udaipur , Bharatpur , and Agra . Prices are also five-star, with twin sharing from US$295/person/night in low season and trains still booked out months ahead. The Deccan Odyssey , modeled after the same idea, runs out of Mumbai but hasn't achieved the same level of popularity. 
Health
Foreign tourists should carry their Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate conforming to International Health Regulation, if they originate or are transiting through Yellow Fever endemic countries. Health risks
Cholera, dengue fever, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, meningitis (trekking areas only) and typhoid.Travellers with respiratory ailments may wish to take precautionary measures.
Health Certificate
Citizens and travellers coming from the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom, do not require any vaccination certificate or innoculations. Though normally an International Health Certificate is not asked for by immigration officials, its better to carry one.It contains valuable information incase one needs medical attention.
Vaccinations
As a precautionary measure vaccination against Hepatitis B is recommended, if staying for a longer duration.To avoid Malaria, Dengue, carrying mosquito repellents, nets, clothes covering the body and using sprays against insects in rooms is sufficient. A first aid kit carrying adhesive bandages, thermometer, water-purification tablets, antibiotics, antiseptic creams and mosquito repellents is advisable. Drinking only mineral or boiled water curbs down the chances of stomach ailments, thus whenever going out carrying a bottle always comes handy.This will also keep dehydration at bay. If in doubt, one can take a salt-sugar solution 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 tbsp. in one litre of water to rehydrate.
At Eating Joints
Though sticking to a vegetarian diet is recommended, eating only thoroughly cooked meat is advisable.
Avoid
Pork Products
Fried food from vendors
Dishes using excessive oil
Safety
As a rule India is quite safe for foreigners. However, check with your embassy and ask for local advice before heading to Kashmir or northeast India ( Assam , Nagaland , Tripura , Meghalaya and Manipur ), as both areas have long-running insurgencies. Also take extra caution when travelling at night in Uttar Pradesh , Bihar , Jharkhand and Uttaranhal and certain areas of the large metros.
Unfortunately thefts are quite common in places visited by tourists, but violent thefts hardly ever occur. More likely a thief will pick your pocket (see pickpockets ) or break into your room. There is little culture of muggings in India.
When travelling by autorickshaw, never ever get into the vehicle if there is another person accompanying the driver. This always spells trouble for unwary travellers.
Westerners, particularly women, attract the attention of beggars , frauds and touts. Beggars will often go as far as touching you, and following you tugging on your sleeve. It does little good to get angry or to say "No" loudly. The best response is to look unconcerned and ignore the behavior. The more attention you pay to a beggar or a tout -- positive or negative -- the longer they will follow you hoping for a payback. As always in India, patience is required.
Westerners should not trust strangers offering assistance or services. Be particularly wary of frauds at tourist attractions such as the temples of Kanchipuram, where they prey on those unfamiliar with local and religious customs.
Westerners should be cautious when visiting villages and rural areas in the night. Bandits often abduct and rob Westerners visiting India, as it is assumed they possess large amounts of wealth. Also, think twice about taking night buses or driving at night in these areas. Bandits are said to stop night buses with fake checkpoints and rob everyone inside. The frequency of this occurring is extremely low and the state governments are working hard to arrest these bandit groups, but take extra care nontheless.
 Exit Formalities
Every foreigner who is about to depart finally from India must surrender his Certificate of Registration either to the Registration Officer of the place where he is registered or of the place from where he plans to depart or to the Immigration Officer at the Port/Checkpost of exit from India.
Foreign Travel Tax
Passengers embarking on trips to any place outside India from a Customs airport/seaport will have to pay a Foreign Travel Tax (FTT) of Rs. 500 and Rs. 150 on trips to Afganistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Srilanka and Maldives. No tax is payable on trips performed by ship from Rameshwaram to Talaimanar and in case of transit passengers, provided they do not leave the customs barrier. Transit passengers travelling by air who have to leave the airport on accout of mechanical trouble but continue their jouney by the same aircraft and the same flight number by which they arrive are also exempt from FTT. Transit sea passengers leaving the ship for sightseeing, shopping etc. during the ships' call at any of the Indian ports will not be required to pay FTT.
Customs
Visitors are generally required to make an oral baggage declaration in respect of baggage and foreign currency in their possession. They are also required to obtain the Currency Declaration Form from the Customs. They should fill in the Disembarkation Card handed over to them by the airline during the course of the flight.
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