Gay Friendly Golden Triangle with Goa

Long-haul arrivals into Indira Gandhi International Airport usually touch down late at night or in the small hours, and someone from our Delhi office is standing outside Terminal 3 holding your names, however late it is. The drive to your hotel in central or south Delhi is a 40- to 60-minute ride, traffic permitting. Your room has been confirmed in advance with a double bed if you are traveling as a couple, and the front desk already has your names, so check-in is simple. The morning is free to sleep, and a welcome folder in your room holds the printed itinerary, emergency contacts and help with getting a local SIM.

Around 3 pm your guide arrives for an easy first outing to Humayun's Tomb, completed in the 1560s in red sandstone trimmed with marble by the widow of Babur's son. Architects often call it the model for the Taj Mahal, and seeing it first helps you understand what you will see in Agra two days later. The gardens are laid out in the Persian charbagh style, divided by water channels into four parts, and in the late afternoon they are calm and pleasant to walk. Your guide also points out the smaller tombs in the complex, including the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan, older than Humayun's own.

From the tomb it is a short walk into the lanes of Nizamuddin Basti, a neighborhood that has grown around the shrine of the 14th-century Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya for more than seven hundred years. On Thursday evenings, and often on other days too, qawwali singers perform in the courtyard, and the music draws a mixed crowd of pilgrims, families and visitors. Cover your head and remove shoes before entering, and your guide will explain where visitors can sit. Dinner can be kebabs from one of the old eateries in the basti or something lighter back at your hotel. Overnight in Delhi.

Old Delhi is at its most interesting in the morning, when shops are opening and deliveries move through lanes too narrow for cars. Your guide starts at Jama Masjid, the great mosque built by Shah Jahan in the 1650s, where you can climb the steps to the courtyard and look out over the domes and rooftops. From there a cycle rickshaw carries you through Chandni Chowk and the wholesale lanes of Khari Baoli, said to be Asia's largest spice market, where sacks of chilies, turmeric and dried fruit are piled to the ceiling. Wear comfortable shoes and keep a light bag, as the lanes are crowded and lively.

Lunch is followed by a drive into New Delhi, the imperial capital Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed for the British in the 1910s and 1920s. You pass India Gate and the government buildings on Kartavya Path, and stop at Qutub Minar, a 73-meter tower begun around 1200 that marks the start of Muslim rule in Delhi. The surrounding complex holds the remains of early mosques and an iron pillar that has stood for well over a thousand years without rusting. Your guide can also take you through Mehrauli Archaeological Park, a large wooded area with ruined tombs and step-wells that few visitors find on their own.

Delhi has a busy, well-connected LGBTQ+ community, and its more cosmopolitan districts are where travelers usually feel most at ease. Hauz Khas Village sits beside a medieval reservoir and ruined madrasa, and its old buildings now hold design studios, bookshops and rooftop cafés with views over the lake. Khan Market is a smart shopping street with good restaurants, while the Lodhi Art District has large murals painted on the walls of a residential colony. Queer-friendly evenings and parties change venue often, so our local team shares current suggestions on the day rather than printing names that may be out of date. Overnight in Delhi.

After breakfast you check out and take the Yamuna Expressway south to Agra, a six-lane toll road that gets you there in about four hours. Halfway along there is a break at a tidy roadside food court for chai and a stretch. If your trip falls so that tomorrow would be a Friday, when the Taj Mahal is closed to visitors, we simply swap the order and see the Taj on this afternoon instead, keeping the sunrise slot for another day. Check in to your hotel in Agra, many of which have rooms or rooftops facing the Taj, and rest for an hour before the afternoon sightseeing begins.

Your guide meets you for Agra Fort, the massive red sandstone citadel on the bank of the Yamuna River that served as the main seat of Mughal power under Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Inside its walls you walk through palaces and audience halls built over three generations, from the robust sandstone rooms of Akbar's time to the white marble pavilions added by Shah Jahan. The saddest story here is Shah Jahan's: deposed by his son Aurangzeb, he lived out his final years as a prisoner in the fort, and your guide takes you to the Musamman Burj, the marble tower whose balcony faces his wife's tomb across a bend in the Yamuna.

Toward sunset the car takes you over the Yamuna bridge to Mehtab Bagh, a Mughal garden on the opposite bank that lines up exactly with the Taj. From here you see the monument from behind, across the water, with far fewer people around than at the main gate, and as the light turns orange the marble changes color. Legend says Shah Jahan planned a black marble tomb for himself on this side, and your guide can explain what archaeologists have found. Dinner back in Agra could be a Mughlai meal of slow-cooked curries and fresh breads, and it pays to sleep early, since the alarm rings well before first light. Overnight in Agra.

Your guide collects you while it is still dark so you can be near the front of the line when the gates open at sunrise. Shah Jahan ordered the Taj Mahal in 1631 for Mumtaz Mahal, who did not survive the birth of the couple's 14th child, and around 20,000 craftsmen and laborers spent about two decades finishing it. The white marble starts pale grey, turns pink and then bright white as the sun rises, and the gardens are calm before the tour buses arrive. Inside the tomb, look closely at the inlaid semi-precious stones in the marble screens. Only small bags, phones and cameras are allowed, and you receive shoe covers at the entrance.

Many couples ask about photos in front of the Taj, and the answer is simple: take as many as you like, together or apart, just as any other visitors do. Your guide knows the quieter angles away from the main platform and is happy to be your photographer. Keep in mind that this is also a place of prayer, with a mosque on its western side, and that open displays of affection draw attention in India regardless of who is involved. A late breakfast and checkout follow at the hotel, before the drive west into Rajasthan, the desert state that holds Jaipur.

Roughly 40 km out of Agra comes Fatehpur Sikri, a red sandstone capital Akbar raised in the 1570s and left after only about fifteen years, probably because of water shortages. Its palaces, courtyards and the great Buland Darwaza gateway are remarkably complete, and walking through them shows you how a Mughal court was organized. In the courtyard of the Jama Masjid, the pierced marble shrine of Salim Chishti, the holy man who foretold the birth of Akbar's heir, is hung with red threads tied by people making a wish. The road then continues through farmland and small towns to Jaipur, which you reach in the evening. Overnight in Jaipur.

Jaipur was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and was one of the first planned cities in India, laid out on a grid with wide streets and bazaars. The old city is painted a soft terracotta pink, a color first applied to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876. First up is Amber Fort, a honey-colored hilltop stronghold reflected in Maota Lake, a short drive out of town. You can drive up to the gate by jeep or walk the ramp, and we do not include elephant rides. Inside, the Sheesh Mahal, or mirror palace, is covered in tiny pieces of mirrored glass that shine with even a little light.

Back in town comes the City Palace; part of it remains a royal residence to this day; look for the Peacock Gate in the inner courtyard and the two giant silver jars Maharaja Madho Singh II filled with Ganges water for his 1902 voyage to London. Next door is Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century astronomical observatory listed by UNESCO, where giant instruments of stone and brass were used to measure time and track the stars. Your guide explains how the largest sundial can tell the time to within two seconds. Lunch can be a Rajasthani thali with dal baati churma, a local specialty of baked wheat balls served with lentils.

By late afternoon you are standing below the Hawa Mahal, a honeycomb of 953 small windows from which royal women once watched festivals in the street below. The best photos are from the cafés on the rooftops across the road. Afterwards, take time in the bazaars of Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar for block-printed cotton, silver jewelry and colorful textiles, with your guide on hand to help you bargain. Jaipur also has a growing café and design scene in the newer parts of town, which your guide can suggest for a relaxed dinner together. Overnight in Jaipur.

Depending on the flight time, the morning may leave room for a visit to the Albert Hall Museum or walk around the stepped water tank at Panna Meena ka Kund near Amber. Your driver then takes you to Jaipur International Airport for the flight to Goa, which is direct on some days and on others connects through Mumbai or Delhi, taking between two and a half and five hours in total. We choose the best schedule for your date and handle baggage tags through to Goa if you connect.

Our Goa team meets you on arrival, usually at Dabolim Airport, and drives you about forty minutes to your beach resort in South Goa, around Benaulim, Varca or Cavelossim. These beaches are long, flat and quieter than the north, and resorts here are spread out among palm gardens, which makes them a natural place to rest after five busy days in the north. Your room is booked as a double for couples, as everywhere on this trip. Spend the evening by the pool or walk down to the sand for a sunset drink at a beach shack. Overnight in South Goa.

Goa's interior is very different from its coast, and this morning's outing heads inland to the low green hills around Ponda, about an hour from your resort. The area is known for its Hindu temples, many of which were rebuilt here in the 16th and 17th centuries after the originals near the coast were destroyed under Portuguese rule. A first stop is the Shri Mangeshi Temple, dedicated to Shiva, with its white lamp tower and courtyard, where non-Hindus can visit the outer areas. Temple staff expect covered arms and legs, and footwear stays at the gate.

Nearby you visit a working spice plantation, where a local guide walks you through shady groves of areca nut palms, with pepper vines wound around the trunks and cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla growing underneath. You crush leaves and seeds to smell them, and learn how each spice is harvested, dried and used in Goan cooking. The visit ends with a buffet lunch of home-style Goan dishes served on banana leaves, and on some farms a short demonstration of feni distilling from cashew fruit. The walk is easy, but bring insect repellent, especially after the rains.

In the afternoon you drive on to Old Goa, where the Portuguese built a capital of churches and convents along the Mandovi River from the early 1500s. Today it is a quiet place of lawns and large whitewashed or laterite buildings. Your guide takes you into the Basilica of Bom Jesus, where the remains of St. Francis Xavier are kept, and to the Se Cathedral and the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine, whose single broken bell tower still stands high above the hill. Late afternoon light suits these buildings well. You return south to your resort by early evening. Overnight in South Goa.

After the long days in the north, today is meant for rest. A single unbroken strip of sand links Majorda to Cavelossim, and a morning walk along it is often shared only with fishermen mending nets and the odd jogger. The sea is usually calm and shallow in season, and lifeguards watch the main stretches. Resorts in this area tend to have large pools and gardens, so there is space to read, swim and nap without moving far. If you would like a massage or Ayurvedic treatment, the resort spa or a nearby center can book it for you.

Later, an optional cruise heads out on the Sal River, a few minutes from most Cavelossim resorts. The Sal flows behind the dunes for a long stretch before turning into the sea at Mobor, past mangrove thickets, moored trawlers and fishing hamlets. Local boatmen offer trips to look for dolphins at the river mouth and for kingfishers, herons and eagles in the trees. Trips last one to two hours, and sightings depend on the season and tide. Boats carry life jackets, and we use operators we have worked with before.

As evening comes, walk out onto the sand at Mobor Beach, where the river and sea meet below a headland, and watch the sky turn over the water. The beach shacks here serve seafood straight from the local boats, and kingfish, pomfret and tiger prawns are often grilled with Goan recheado masala. South Goa is quiet and family-oriented at night, without the late-night scene of the north, and that is exactly why we chose it to end this trip. If you want a livelier evening, your driver can take you north to Panjim or the beach towns for a few hours. Overnight in South Goa.

This morning you see a side of Goa that most beach visitors miss. Twenty minutes inland is Margao, South Goa's commercial center, whose covered market is busy from early morning with stalls of fresh fish, spices, cashews, Goan sausages and local sweets like bebinca and dodol. Your driver can walk you through and help with any purchases. Close to the market stands the Church of the Holy Spirit, one of the finest examples of Indo-Portuguese church architecture in Goa, with a white baroque façade facing a large square lined with old houses.

About fifteen kilometers east, the village of Chandor was once home to wealthy Goan landowning families, and some of their mansions are still lived in by descendants who open them to visitors. The best known is the Menezes Braganza House, a long building with dozens of windows, whose rooms hold Chinese porcelain, Belgian glass chandeliers, rosewood furniture and a ballroom with a marble floor. Family members usually show visitors around and ask for a donation rather than a fixed fee. Visits are by arrangement, and your guide will confirm the timing the day before.

The afternoon is free for your last full day by the sea. Benaulim has a broad, shelving beach where wooden outriggers rest on the sand between a handful of low-key shacks. Take a final swim, rent a bicycle and ride along the village roads, or simply rest by the pool. If you are celebrating together, we can set up a table with candles on the sand or book a sea-view restaurant, at extra cost. In the evening our team reconfirms your departure flight and transfer time. Overnight in South Goa.

Take your time over the last breakfast; resorts are generally happy to store bags until an afternoon or evening pick-up. Dabolim Airport is about forty minutes from most South Goa resorts, while Mopa in the far north is nearly three hours away, so your pick-up time is set according to the airport and flight. Onward flights usually connect via Mumbai, Delhi or a Gulf hub, and a transit room can be reserved for long layovers.

You are seen right to the departure doors by our Goa team. In ten days you have walked through Mughal gardens in Delhi, seen the Taj Mahal turn white at sunrise, climbed the ramparts of Amber Fort and spent four quiet days on the South Goa coast. If you would like to see Kerala, Pondicherry or the temples of Tamil Nadu next time, our team is ready to plan another LGBTQ+ friendly trip around your interests. Safe travels home.