Visit Rishikesh

The French Quarter of yellow villas and bougainvillea, the Aurobindo ashram and Auroville next door.

The Meenakshi temple with 14 gopuram towers covered in painted gods, the heart of Tamil culture.

Tea gardens, the toy train and Kangchenjunga at sunrise from Tiger Hill.

A Tibetan Buddhist town at 3,500 metres in Ladakh, monasteries on rocks and the road to Pangong lake.

The Tamil north, a Dutch fort, the Nallur Kandaswamy temple and the crab curry.

The base for K2 and the Baltoro expeditions, cold desert dunes and Shangrila lake.

Visit Mumbai, India's financial capital and entertainment hub. Explore the Gateway of India (iconic 26-meter basalt arch built to commemorate King George V's 1911 visit), see the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (UNESCO-listed Victorian Gothic railway station with intricate carvings), wander through Colaba Causeway (bustling street market for antiques and souvenirs), and sample street food like vada pav (spicy potato fritter in a bun) at Chowpatty Beach.

Visit Agra, a historic city in Uttar Pradesh, India. See the Taj Mahal (a white marble mausoleum built in the 17th century by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan), explore Agra Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage site with red sandstone architecture and Mughal palaces), and visit Fatehpur Sikri (a nearby Mughal city with well-preserved monuments like the Buland Darwaza).