Dear Mr Ampersand: For a first trip to India, should I visit the North or the South?

Dear Mr Ampersand,

For a first trip to India, should I visit the North or the South?

Yours,
In a Muddle from Middlesex

Dear In a Muddle,

Ah, the great Indian dilemma - North or South?

A question as old as the Raj, debated with theatrical fervour by everyone from seasoned travellers to those who once went to a Diwali party in Notting Hill and now consider themselves cultural experts.

The truth? There is no wrong answer - only a wrong approach.

Let’s consider the contenders.

North India: The Grand Spectacle

The North is India at its most dramatic, a place of Mughal opulence, holy Hindu temples, sweeping desert landscapes and palatial splendour. It is the India of golden domes, camel caravans and cities painted in improbable shades of pink, blue and white.

What awaits you?

✔ Delhi – A magnificent, maddening capital where dynasties have risen and fallen but the traffic remains eternal. You will eat the best kebabs of your life before being nearly flattened by a rogue cow or auto rickshaw.

✔ Agra – The Taj Mahal. And yes, it is every bit as magnificent as people say - especially if you visit at dawn, before the selfie sticks arrive.

✔ Rajasthan – This is where things get truly extravagant. Stay in a former Maharaja’s palace, sip negronis at sunset on a rooftop in Jodhpur and glide across Udaipur’s Lake Pichola as if in a Merchant Ivory film.

✔ Varanasi – If you wish to see something utterly unlike anything else on Earth, then go here. It is ancient, surreal, spiritual, chaotic and deeply unforgettable.

The North of India is for those who want:

- Grand palaces, sensational shopping and an assault on the senses.

- The classics - Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Udaipur - in all their resplendent glory.

- To arrive home with at least three pashminas, a minor addiction to masala chai and marigolds and stories that will last a lifetime.

South India: The Slow, Seductive Charmer

If the North is a spectacle, the South is an embrace. Lush, languid and utterly intoxicating, this is the India of coconut groves, temple towns and emerald-green backwaters.

What awaits you?

✔ Kerala – A place so beautiful it should be illegal. Glide down the backwaters on a private houseboat, eat the best seafood of your life and submit to daily massages so relaxing you forget what year it is.

✔ Tamil Nadu – Temples that make the Sistine Chapel look understated. If you like colour, history and silk saris so bright they can be seen from space, this is for you.

✔ Pondicherry – A French-tinged dream by the sea. Think colonial villas, cafés with fresh croissants and sunsets best enjoyed with a perfectly chilled Kingfisher beer.

✔ Munnar & Coorg – Tea estates, rolling hills and landscapes so lush you expect a Bengal tiger to casually saunter past at any moment.

The South of India is for those who want:

- Beauty without the chaos.

- A trip that is soothing, sensory and endlessly photogenic.

- To return home in a state of deep tranquillity, possibly carrying artisanal spices and a newfound obsession with Ayurveda.

So, North or South?

Ask yourself one simple question:

Do I want to be dazzled or lulled?

- If you want grandeur, history and cinematic drama → Go North.

- If you want tropical serenity, temples and a slower pace → Go South.

- If you want to be indecisive and delay this decision until next year → Go to both.

Either way, you will fall in love, will eat something unforgettable and will spend the rest of your life plotting your return.

Yours,

Mr Ampersand

Whether you’re drawn to the palaces of Rajasthan or the backwaters of Kerala, India will have its way with you. The only question is how you wish to begin.

Start here: Our India Itineraries

Carefully curated. Beautifully bewildering. Utterly unforgettable.