10 Must See India Destinations

Most first time travelers to India usually land in Delhi, India's capital city. It can be a rather rude shock. The city is primed to take advantage of the unsuspecting tourist. However, bear with it! Delhi's top attractions feature spellbinding mosques, forts, and monuments left over from the Mughal rulers that once occupied the city. Many of these are set in beautiful landscaped gardens that are perfect for relaxing. And the crumbling old city of Old Delhi is a fascinating, albeit chaotic, place to explore.

A part of India's popular Golden Triangle tourist circuit, Agra is home to the Taj Mahal. Enough said really. It's India's most iconic monument and the top historical attraction in India.  For that reason, it's impossible to leave it off the list (although Agra itself is an uninspiring city).

Jaisalmer is often referred to as being straight out of a romantic Arabian Nights fable. It's a cliche, but how better to describe this remarkable sandstone city that rises magically from the sand dunes of the Rajasthan desert? The city hosts the quirky Jaisalmer Desert Festival every year, and has some very romantic hotels located right in the middle of the desert. And of course the ever popular camel safaris as well.

Varanasi is a city quite like no other.  This mystical holy city openly reveals its rituals along the many riverside ghats, which are used for everything from bathing to burning the bodies of the dead.

No doubt India's most popular and widely recognized caves, the Ajanta Ellora caves are carved into hillside rock quite in the middle of nowhere, in northern Maharastra. These caves are simply awe inspiring. Words can't describe how magnificent they are.

An incredible energy can be found in Hampi. The last capital of Vijayanagar, one of the greatest Hindu kingdoms in India’s history, it's renowned for its captivating ruins, intriguingly intermingled with large boulders that rear up all over the landscape.

Ancient Madurai in Tamil Nadu is home to the most impressive and important temple in south India --the Meenakshi Temple. If you only see one south Indian temple, the Meenakshi Temple should be it. The city of Madurai is more than 4,000 years old, and has remained a major center for Tamil culture and learning. The 12 day Chithirai Festival, featuring a re-enacted celestial wedding of God and Goddess, is held in Madurai during April each year.