I am leaving for Dehli soon, and I am hoping someone has been there recently. Want to know about your hotel recs and driver recs. We will probably be a group of 6.
I've spent ALOt of time tin Delhi. I can answer any question for you. Taxis: for somewhat longer distances take radio taxis or take the metro which is very cheap and reliable and covers the whole city. For short distances you should be able to find autos (3-wheelers) rather easily. Or...more expensive but easier you can rent a taxi for the whole day. They charge extra at night and per hour if you go over the time. With 6 people this may be a better choice as you will have to get 2 autos almost everywhere. But if you guys want to take the metro its VERY convenient.
Isn't it like that with most tourist destinations though? I think it's the same in Bangkok, Bali, etc.
they over charge foreigners like crazy...I'm indian and when i was visiting the Taj Mahal one of the people saw a dollar bill in my wallet and so they decided to add a **** load of fees to entire the place, took a lot of arguing to get out of it...
I want to visit there some day. How much (converted to dollars) would it cost a local and how much for a foreigner? Will they still overcharge if you look like the broke backpacker type?
At some very tourist areas, such as the Taj Mahal, the amount to get in is different for locals and for tourists. This is not a con job..this is governed by the Govt. For locals the ticket is around 10Rs. = 25 cents, for tourists it is around 500RS=$10. You have to understand that the locals that come through are mainly either rural families or hoards of children on a school trip. Most well to do rich families in India only visit Taj Mahal once to take a picture and that's all. For tourists the price of $10 is fair..that's how much you pay to go to a movie, or to a museum here the US. India counts on the money made from foreign tourists to support the maintenance of a beauty like Taj Mahal. They make barely and money from the locals...that fee is just nominal.
I'm not one for organized tours when I travel, but this street food tour in Delhi was awesome. I definitely recommend it.
What Arjun said is probably right, i dont remember the exact prices but i guess all foreigners have to pay that no matter what...so maybe it wasnt a scam but there are other scams all over India. Story time: My uncle was going to work in new delhi at a new job and he got off a bus at a bus station and goes to a auto-rickshaw and asks to take him to his work place building...he drives around for like 30 minutes and reaches his destination. Goes to work, comes out and decides to take the bus back home and realizes that the bus station he got off at was right next door. The rickshaw guy drove him around and around for no reason. Just be on the lookout i guess...:grin: but believe me everything will be more expensive for you if you are not indian but i guess all tourist places are like that so not too big of a deal.
yes this is true, people will try to cheat you for extra money...but at most we are talking like an extra 50 or 100Rs which is like 1 or 2 dollars. For them that is a lot of money. The BEST thing to do is to ask locals walking around (not taxi drivers) how much the rate should be and how long it will take...then you will have some basis in negotiating with the taxi drivers. For this reason I really want to re-iterate how good and cheap the metro is. Try to take that whenever you can and for short distances stick with auto rickshaws which at most will be 100Rs. ($2) for about a 20 minute drive.
I'd be careful about what you eat (and the water you drink). I spent two months in India many years ago and lost ten pounds from frequently having Delhi Belly. Maybe things have improved now, and certainly you should be able to get terrific food in New Delhi, but I'd be cautious about the street food.
the metro was great. I spent a day in Delhi (on a layover before heading to Ladakh), and we took the metro to get around everywhere we wanted to go -- Akshardham, Connaught Place, etc.... Only wish they had more express trains that didnt stop at every station.
That is a huge negative, it was poorly planned for the longterm..I think they def needed to have extra lines on the side for express trains! How did you like Ladakh? Did you fly or drive? I went there in 2008...drove from Kashmir..took 2 days to get there..camped overnight in the mountains and drove through some VERY rough terrains, not to mention traveling over the highest motorable road in the world. dangerous but an AMAZING exp. Ladakh itself was awesome too, people were very nice. So different culturally from the rest of India. Really had a great time in Ladakh, the view and Buddhist temples left me speechless. Hope you had a similar experience.
This goes for any 3rd world country though. I had to learn the hard way and went straight to street vendors when I was walking around. I was hospitalized for a few days quickly following that lulz. But then again, I have a pretty weak stomach. Hell I even got sick from something I ate in Singapore and they're a very developed country.
