[mclaren1885]

Planning to drive down from Delhi to Bangalore sometime this month in a Baleno. Want to visit the Taj Mahal on the way. What would be the best route to cover Delhi-Agra-Bangalore? Would it worth driving from Agra to Jaipur and follow the GQ?

What are the places worth seeing on this route? Between Delhi-Bombay.

Abhi,Hvk and others. Your views will be extremely helpful. So shoot guys..

We will have atleast 3-4 drivers. So driving for really long stretches is not the issue. Could you guys list out the best possible route and must visit places along the way? Thanks in advance..

[vkochar]

If you stick to the best route you will be doing Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Udaipur & then ahead towards Maharashtra and then further south.

This way is a bit long but you get to see all the major cities.

I would recommend you to give Agra, Jaipur & Udaipur a stop as all these cities are good stopovers and have a lot to see.

Its mainly these 3 cities between Delhi & Mumbai, if you want to add on then you can add on Ahemdabad / Surat / Vadodara as well ( though I do not much about these cities ! )

It is definetely worth sticking to this route. I think it is nearly 1500 kms. See attached best route ( courtesy - mapmyindia.com ) .



Here is a list of must see when here -

Agra - Taj mahal, Sikandra.
Jaipur - Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Markets, Chowki Dani in the night
Udaipur - City Palace, Monsoon Palace and a few other places.

I would be glad to help you out with these 3 places as I am a regular in all.

[akroy]

You can choose vkochar's directions and suggession.

You can also think of this route:
Delhi - Agra -Gwalior - jhansi - sagar - bhopal - hoshangabad - Nagpur - Hyd - Blr

You can see places like Oorchha (near Jhansi), Sanchi Stupa (Vidisha near Bhopal).
If time permits you can also divert from Hoshangabad to Panchmarhi (I have a friend from Hoshangabad and he tells the route to Panchmarhi is good). From Panchmarhi to can trace back onto NH69 which heads to NH7 at Nagpur.

This route will help you with some new places compared to the NS corridor route via Sagar - Narsinghpur (poor facilities and bad roads)

Abhi

[mclaren1885]

Abhi, if I am going through Nagpur I have an aunt who lives near Betul and I would love to pay her a surprise visit. But are the roads from Agra to Nagpur good and safe? Or would it be better to stick to the GQ?

[akroy]

Originally Posted by mclaren1885

Abhi, if I am going through Nagpur I have an aunt who lives near Betul and I would love to pay her a surprise visit. But are the roads from Agra to Nagpur good and safe? Or would it be better to stick to the GQ?

Then stick to my route. sent you a PM.

Abhi

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by akroy

You can choose vkochar's directions and suggession.

You can also think of this route:
Delhi - Agra -Gwalior - jhansi - sagar - bhopal - hoshangabad - Nagpur - Hyd - Blr

Ok if you are taking this route and want to take halt in Bhopal then you can do the following things.
1. Badi jheel ( Big Lake) : It is really really big
2. Manav Sangrahalya : This is an antropological musimum.
3. Bheem Betika : Oldest human settlement in indian subcontinent.
4. See Bhojpur 30 Km from Bhopal and has an unfinished temple which was being constructed by Raja Bhoj. I have a fond memory of this place and I was attacked by bees in 2002 .

If you are not too much in to natural history and antropology etc you can skip Bhopal.
Orccha has good palaces etc but make sure you reach there in morning time and leave by 4 PM to reach Gwalior during day light.

You can take night halt at Gwalior as well and see Jai Vilas Palace and Fort and 24 Km from Gwalior is a Ghariyal Sanctuary in River Chambal on NH3.

If you are visiting Sikandra in agra , Go another 30 KM or so and see Kevaladev Ghana Bird Sanctury in Bharatpur. While in Agra visit Kinari Bazar and eat Chaat (remember the taste from Childhood).

Udaipur is the place where you should spend some time Saheliyon ki Baari and Lake Palace are worth visit.
In Jaipur Amber fort and Jantar Mantar are worth visiting apart from Hawa Mahal The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is still preserved unlike defunct one in Delhi
Beware of touts in Agra and Jaipur they can skin you off for money and bargain hard if you are purchasing any thing.

Jaipur is the places for Gems and Jwellery but do not buy anything if you don't know what to buy and from whome.

[vkochar]

There are two routes mentioned here -

1. Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Udaipur
2. Delhi - Agra - Gwalior - Jhansi - Nagpur

Both routes are very different from each other. The first one is a very popular one with private commuters like us and is full of tourists - which means better highways for night travelling , better stops with motels, cafes & good stops on the way. Also means more tolls to pay on the way.

The second one is a shorter route remember which means the truck traffic on this one is massive. My goods go from Agra - Mumbai every fortnight to the docks so I know. This means more jams, not safe at nights and bad roads. Although its also NH's on this but the roads are boring and not many scenic stops. Also means travelling through the day only.

The first one is a tried & tested route.

You ask yourself which places you want to see.

If it is simply the journey you want to do and not the stops I'd suggest the second one ( Nagpur ). But if its a journey as well as a small vacation then do the first one ( Jaipur etc ).

Although there are plenty of more places you can visit. I just listed the aboslute must do's.

[hvkumar]

Agra-Jhansi-Nagpur is avoidable, although it is the shortest route - simply because the MP roads between Lalitpur and Lakhnadon are bad, poor facilities and not an interesting route at all, besides avoidable for safety reasons at night.

Apart from the Ahra-Jaipur-Bombay route under discussion, I would like to add one more route for your consideration - which I discovered during my recent East-West Drive:

From Agra, take NH2 south via Etawah towards Kanpur. Turn off 25 kms before Kanpur onto NH 25 for Jhansi. This is the East-West corridor. You have a blast of a ride on NH2, but NH25 till Jhansi is being widened, and you have a mixture of road detours and moderately bad roads, but otherwise an enjoyable experience. Real fun starts after Jhansi, from where the 4-laning is complete, but for a few bridge sections. This is one of the most amazing and fastest stretches you will take in India - via Shivpuri, Kota, Chittorgarh to Udaipur. Sample my speeds - NH2-Jhansi (190 kms, 3.30 hrs), Jhansi-Shivpuri Bypass (90 kms, 1.10 mts), Shivpuri BP-Kota (240 kms, 3 hrs), Kota-Chittorgarh (190 kms, 2 hrs), Chittorgarh-Udaipur (120 kms, 1.30 hrs). Places en route - you have Orchcha next to Jhansi, but you must take this route only for the drive. Toll roads not yet functional, so you travel virtually free.

If you leave Agra in the morning, you can halt at Udaipur that night.

If you take Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur route, you can alos check out igf there are any birds left in Bharatpur (unlikley at this time of the year).

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

If you leave Agra in the morning, you can halt at Udaipur that night.

If you take Agra-Jaipur-Udaipur route, you can alos check out igf there are any birds left in Bharatpur (unlikley at this time of the year).

hvk is right about the other route also via Kanpur. Its a very fast and good route. Havebeen there once.

I did Udaipur - Agra last year. I started at 5:30 AM from Udaipur and was in Agra by 5:30 Pm in the evening. Total stops were 3 - half hour each.

I guess if you do it you'd be stopping in Jaipur on the way as you'd want to visit / sightsee.

Let me know your final decision. I can help you with some absolute VFM hotels in all 3 places - Agra, Jaipur & Udaipur if you wish.

[pkumar]

How is the road condition from Agra to Jaipur, via Bharatpur? what is the distance?

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by pkumar

How is the road condition from Agra to Jaipur, via Bharatpur? what is the distance?

Agra to Jaipur via Bharatpur and Dausa is around 230 kms. Should take you 4-5 hours. Road conditions are normally good, but have no current update. Advised not to travel this sector at night, especially between Agra and Bharatpur.

[karankapoor]

I recently did Agra to Jaipur via Bharatpur its 221km from agra the road condition from Agra till fatehpur sikiri was pathetic but from fatehpur to bharatpur it was excellent, from Bharatpur ti jaipur the road was quite good but there were some stretches where the road condition was bad (work in progress) but overall it was a nice journey.

Agra/Jaipur highway pic

[kpzen]

^^ Looks quite similar to the Bangalore - Krishnagiri route.

Rahul.

Are u planning to drive in your Baleno ? If yes, then which route did u take to reach Delhi ?

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by pkumar

How is the road condition from Agra to Jaipur, via Bharatpur? what is the distance?

Agra to Jaipur is about 230 - 240 kms via Fatehpur Sikri & Bharatpur.

The road to Fatehpur is single and ok. Not potholed majorly but gets heavy traffic. After Fatehpur to Bharatpur its quite nice and then onwards its 75 % brilliant.

Also, do not do this in the night, doable only during day time.

[karankapoor]

Originally Posted by vkochar

Also, do not do this in the night.

Totally agree with the above don't even think about driving at night at this route, Recently (3 months back) 2 buses were hijacked at the same route so better be careful.