How Much Does a Trip to India Cost?

India is travelled by backpackers on sleeper trains and by guests in palace hotels, and both are honest answers to the question of what a trip costs. An average of the two would describe nobody's trip, which is why this page gives no daily figure. Instead it sets out what makes up the cost of a trip to India and what moves each part up or down, so you can see where your own money would go. For a priced answer to your own dates and route, an itemised quote is the only reliable figure.

• International flights. Usually the largest single cost for a short trip. Fares depend on where you fly from, how far ahead you book and the season you travel in.
• Visa. The e-Visa fee is set by the Government of India, differs by nationality and type of visa, and has a bank transaction charge added at payment. Our India e-Visa guide explains the types.
• Hotels. The standard you choose, the city and the dates move this more than anything else on the ground. A heritage hotel in Rajasthan in December and a simple hotel in the same town in July are different worlds.
• Getting around. A private car and driver costs more than trains and buses but saves time and carries luggage door to door; long distances are often quicker by domestic flight. Our guide to getting around India compares them.
• Guides. A private, licensed guide at the major sites is a cost, and in our view one of the better-value ones; see our local guides service.
• Entry tickets. Monuments, museums and national parks charge separately, and foreign visitors pay more than Indian citizens at many of them.
• Food, tips and small spending. Meals vary from street stalls to hotel restaurants; tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff are voluntary but customary. Our guide to tipping in India explains who is usually tipped.
• Insurance and connectivity. Travel insurance and a SIM or eSIM are small next to the rest but easy to forget.
• Money costs. Your bank's charges for card payments and cash withdrawals abroad, and the exchange rate you get, add a little to everything; see ATMs and cards in India.

• Season. In our experience, hotels, flights and cars cost most in each region's peak season, and above all around Christmas, New Year and the big festivals; outside it, many hotels lower their rates. The peak differs by region, so check our guide to the best time to visit India for the places on your route.
• Length and pace. Every extra night adds a hotel night and a day of transport and guiding; every change of hotel adds a transfer.
• Number of regions. Covering the north, Kerala and the Himalaya in one trip means internal flights and repositioning days; staying in one region saves both.
• Group size. A car, driver and guide cost much the same for two people as for four, so the share per person falls as the group grows.
• Hotel standard. Moving up or down one standard changes the total more than almost any other choice.

Some costs are fixed, and the official figure is the one to use:

• The e-Visa fee, which the official portal, indianvisaonline.gov.in, says is country or territory specific; bank transaction charges are added on top. Apply only through that portal: the Government warns that it is the only official website for the e-Visa. You will also need an e-Arrival Card before you land.
• Monument tickets. At the Taj Mahal and the other monuments of Agra, run by the Archaeological Survey of India, the official Taj Mahal website lists separate prices for Indian visitors, for foreign visitors and NRIs, and for visitors from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries, with the foreign price many times the Indian one. Entering the Taj Mahal's main mausoleum needs an additional ticket, children under 15 enter free, tickets are sold online only, and the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays. Our Agra travel guide covers the visit.
• Customs allowances, if you are carrying goods or gold: see customs rules for gold and jewellery.

Tell us your dates, the places you want to see, the standard of hotel you like and how many of you are travelling, and we will send an itemised quote that shows what is included and what is not. Every trip we arrange can be cancelled with a full refund up to 24 hours before it starts. If you want to keep the total down, read our advice on travelling India on a budget.