So whenever someone visits India, they always want to visit Varanasi, Agra, Delhi, Mumbai... among other major touristic cities. But here is a list of some cities which you might not have heard of, but are still unbelievably beautiful and chill:
North India
Pushkar - In the state of Rajasthan, and not that far from Delhi, this city is a hub for hippie foreigners and photographers. It is basically a hill station but has a huge variety of traditional Indian shops and temples. It is said to have more than 100 temples of Lord Ganesha around the city. But overall the view from the city is amazing, the place is really chill, and you can buy a lot of traditional Indian goods for cheap!
Hotel Recommendation - The Pushkar Bagh ; Pink Floyd Hotel
Food Recommendation - I forget the name, but there is a something Garden View restaurant which you will easily notice while walking on the main market street. It has a really relaxed atmosphere and great food selection ranging from ethnic Indian to Israeli food!!
Another great restaurant is called Chhota Pushkar (meaning little pushkar), it is pretty small but the food is spicy, cheap and delicious ;)
South India
Pondicherry - I am sure a lot of people have heard about Goa. Goa is a beautiful city full of beaches. But even more beautiful, and probably unknown to a lot of foreigners is Pondicherry (or simply Pondi as the locals would call it), The French Riviera Of The East. This place has a mesmerizing view of the ocean, and some of the best beaches the country has to offer.
Apart from all this, there is also an experimental township, known as "Auroville" 12kms from Pondicherry, which has left foreigners who have been there, mind blown!! Believe me, it blows your mind!!
Check out more on this -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroville
Recommended Hotels - Hotel Annamalai International ; Anandha Inn
Recommended Food Joints - Ajantha Sea View Restaurant... has a great view, good food and reasonable prices, so honestly, its pretty legit!
Another one would be Blue Dragon Restaurant, which is a little highly priced but has some great variety and the food is simply delicious!!
I'll write more about other cities later, but honestly, there is just SOO much to see in India, it is incredible!!
North India
Pushkar - In the state of Rajasthan, and not that far from Delhi, this city is a hub for hippie foreigners and photographers. It is basically a hill station but has a huge variety of traditional Indian shops and temples. It is said to have more than 100 temples of Lord Ganesha around the city. But overall the view from the city is amazing, the place is really chill, and you can buy a lot of traditional Indian goods for cheap!
Hotel Recommendation - The Pushkar Bagh ; Pink Floyd Hotel
Food Recommendation - I forget the name, but there is a something Garden View restaurant which you will easily notice while walking on the main market street. It has a really relaxed atmosphere and great food selection ranging from ethnic Indian to Israeli food!!
Another great restaurant is called Chhota Pushkar (meaning little pushkar), it is pretty small but the food is spicy, cheap and delicious ;)
South India
Pondicherry - I am sure a lot of people have heard about Goa. Goa is a beautiful city full of beaches. But even more beautiful, and probably unknown to a lot of foreigners is Pondicherry (or simply Pondi as the locals would call it), The French Riviera Of The East. This place has a mesmerizing view of the ocean, and some of the best beaches the country has to offer.
Apart from all this, there is also an experimental township, known as "Auroville" 12kms from Pondicherry, which has left foreigners who have been there, mind blown!! Believe me, it blows your mind!!
Check out more on this -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auroville
Recommended Hotels - Hotel Annamalai International ; Anandha Inn
Recommended Food Joints - Ajantha Sea View Restaurant... has a great view, good food and reasonable prices, so honestly, its pretty legit!
Another one would be Blue Dragon Restaurant, which is a little highly priced but has some great variety and the food is simply delicious!!
I'll write more about other cities later, but honestly, there is just SOO much to see in India, it is incredible!!
