Know before you go: India

Quick answer: Most leisure travellers to India need an e-Tourist Visa (e-Visa/ETA) applied for online before arrival, dial 112 for any emergency, and October to March is the most comfortable season to visit; carry a mix of rupee cash and a debit/credit card, since digital wallets are convenient but not always simple for foreigners to set up.

Visa & entry

Nearly all foreign nationals need a visa to enter India, and the easiest route for tourism is the e-Tourist Visa issued through the official government portal. There are 3 types of e-Tourist Visas available, with a validity period of 30 days, one year, and five years. For the 30-day e-Tourist Visa, the validity is 30 days from the date of your first arrival in India, and multiple entries are granted within that validity period. Longer visas work differently: for the 1-year and 5-year tourist visas, the maximum stay in India during one calendar year should not exceed 180 days.

Apply well before you fly, but not too last-minute. You should apply at least 4 days before travel; the 1-year and 5-year tourist visas can be applied for up to 120 days in advance, while the 30-day tourist visa can be applied for up to 30 days in advance. Keep your documents in order: your passport will need to be valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival in India, with at least 2 blank pages for stamping by the immigration officer. Note that all three types of e-Tourist Visa are non-extendable and non-convertible, so double-check your dates before booking flights.

Entry points have expanded recently. Indian authorities have added the first land border crossing for e-Visa holders at Raxaul on the India–Nepal border, facilitating regional travel for visitors moving within South Asia by land. Otherwise, eVisa entry is allowed only through designated airports and seaports listed on the official portal, so if you’re arriving somewhere unusual, verify it’s on the list first.

Because visa rules, fees and eligible nationalities change without much notice, always confirm current requirements on the official e-Visa portal and your nearest Indian mission before booking travel, rather than relying on this summary or third-party blogs.

Getting around

India’s cities have genuinely useful, tourist-friendly transit now. In Delhi, the Delhi Metro is the most tourist-friendly system in India, connected to all major attractions, with the Airport Express Line running from IGI Terminal 3 to New Delhi station in 19 minutes for ₹60; you can buy a Tourist Card for ₹250, valid 3 days with unlimited rides, at any metro station. In Mumbai, local trains are the fastest way across the city but are crowded during rush hours (8–10am, 6–9pm); you can buy a day pass for ₹80 at any suburban station.

App-based cabs and autos are the easiest way to move around without haggling. Ola and Uber operate in all major Indian cities and are significantly safer and fairer priced than unmarked taxis; Ola Auto is generally the safest, metered auto-rickshaw option. For longer, multi-day trips, hiring an outstation car with driver is common and priced per kilometre.

For intercity travel, trains remain the classic way to see the country. Foreign visitors can book through IRCTC, India’s official rail ticketing site. Foreign tourists and NRIs holding a valid passport can book Indian train tickets online through the Foreign Tourist Quota (FT Quota), which gives overseas travelers a longer booking window and a better chance of a confirmed berth on popular trains. Foreign tourists can book up to 365 days in advance under the FT Quota, whereas for most other passengers the Advance Reservation Period is now 60 days. If you’d rather have help in person, the International Tourist Bureau at New Delhi Railway Station offers personalized help with reservations and travel planning, with trained staff and guides who speak several foreign languages. Domestic flights connect all major cities quickly and affordably if you’re short on time.

Money & costs

The rupee (₹, INR) is the only legal tender you’ll need day to day. Foreign tourists can bring a maximum of about Rs 25,000 in Indian Rupees into India, and foreign currency above $5,000 in cash must be declared on arrival. For getting rupees once you land, skip the airport counters if you can: airport currency exchange counters charge 8% to 9% above the mid-market rate, while city ATMs from major banks are significantly cheaper.

Cards are widely accepted in hotels, malls and mid-range restaurants, but cash is still essential outside cities. As one guide summarises the sensible approach for visitors: the most resilient strategy is a blend of methods, one or two low fee cards, a modest reserve of cash, and, where available, access to a tourist friendly digital wallet or UPI based service. India’s ubiquitous QR-code payment system, UPI, is normally tied to an Indian bank account and phone number, but a newer option helps: in 2023 India’s National Payments Corporation launched UPI One World, a prepaid wallet system letting foreign tourists use UPI without an Indian bank account or phone number, with current limits of up to ₹25,000 per transaction and a monthly maximum of roughly ₹50,000. These apps must be set up in advance and require passport KYC, so don’t count on doing it at the airport in a rush.

Always keep some small-denomination cash on hand regardless of your digital setup, since even with digital wallets working perfectly, cash in rupees remains non-negotiable for India travel: network outages happen, servers go down, phones run out of battery, and some vendors, particularly in rural areas and at small temples, don’t accept digital payments at all. Tell your card issuer you’re travelling before you leave home to avoid blocked transactions, and carry two different cards as backup.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit most of India is during the cool, dry season, between November and March, when temperatures are comfortable across the north and sightseeing is easiest. The best season to visit India is undeniably October to March, when the weather is the most pleasant for exploring the country’s rich heritage, vibrant cities, wildlife reserves, and beaches.

This is also peak season, so plan and book ahead: peak travel season begins in December, driving up flight and hotel costs, and October through March is peak travel season in India, starting with Diwali, the festival of lights, through to Holi, the colourful spring festival. If crowds bother you, aim for the edges of the season, since crowds start thinning out in February, making it prime time to visit, with sunny days and cool evenings still on offer.

Avoid the extremes if you can. If your trip planning is flexible, avoid the peak summer months from late May to July when temperatures soar above 104°F (40°C), especially in northern and central regions, since intense heat makes outdoor exploration difficult. The monsoon (roughly June to September) brings heavy rain to much of the country, though it has its own appeal for some travellers: it’s ideal for enjoying the greenery and solitude in places like Kerala. Mountain regions flip this pattern; a Himalayan trip is often best in the warmer months, since a hiking trip to the Himalayan mountains is best planned for June to August when the weather is marvellous even as the rest of the country experiences rainfall.

Emergencies & safety

Save one number above all others: 112. In an emergency, dial 112 first: it is India’s single national emergency number under the Emergency Response Support System, connecting you to police, fire, ambulance, and other emergency services. It works nationwide and is India’s unified emergency number for police, ambulance and fire dispatch combined, working on all networks, even without a SIM, and from a locked phone.

There’s also a free app worth installing before your trip: the Government of India provides the 112 India mobile app for emergency assistance, letting users send an SOS alert with their GPS location and contact emergency services with a single tap.

Beyond 112, other direct helplines remain in use across India: Police 100, Fire 101, Ambulance 102, Tourist helpline 1363, Road Accident 1073, Disaster management 108, Air Accident 1071, Women in Distress 1091, Medical helpline 104, and the Indian Railway Security Helpline 1322. The tourist helpline is especially useful for non-emergency travel problems, since it’s a dedicated, multilingual line for visitors.

A few practical habits go a long way: share your live location with someone when travelling alone or at night, keep photocopies (digital and paper) of your passport and visa separate from the originals, and use registered taxis or app-based cabs rather than unmarked vehicles, especially after dark.

Official sources

• Indian e-Visa / ETA Official Portal
• Bureau of Immigration, India
• Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India (official tourism site)
• Incredible India, Emergency Numbers page
• Emergency Response Support System (112), Ministry of Home Affairs
• 112 India official ERSS site
• IRCTC, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (official train booking)
• Reserve Bank of India (currency and forex regulations)