Air
Transport Services: Indian Airlines, the
country's major domestic airline, files extensively across the nation and to
neighbouring countries as well.
Alliance Air, India's second domestic
airline, covers small towns not touched by Indian Airlines.
Foreigners
must pay in foreign currency, traveller's cheques or currency exchange
forms. The dollar tariff is applicable on domestic section for foreigners
and NRIs. Misplaced tickets are not the responsibility of these airlines.
Indian Airlines has a 21 day 'Discover India' fare which costs US
$ 400. Also available are INDIA WONDERFARES prices at US$ 200 valid for 7
days.
Other excursion fare circuit trips providing 20% or 30% discount
on the regular fares are also available. Foreign Nationals below 30 years
are entitled to Youth Fare discount of 25% on US dollar tariff in Domestic/
Indo-Nepal flights.
Train/ Rail Network
in India: The Indian Railways is the world's second largest
railway system, under a single management with a route length of over 62000
kms.
There are generally two classes - 1st and 2nd class.
Air-Conditioned coached which have 1st class A.C. and A.C. chair cars are
also avvailable.
The cost of reservation is nominal and children
between 5 and 12 years have to pay only half the regular fare. Children
below 5 years are allowed to travel free of cost.
It is advisable
to obtain reservations in advance, as trains in India are crowded.
Left
Luggage: This is a facility at most railway stations, wherein the
tourist can check the luggage into a cloakroom for a short period.
Special
Trains: The 'Palace on Wheels' is a royal experience fit for
Maharaja, which does a regular circuit of the state of Rajasthan. This train
operates on ever Wednesday of the week, from October to March.
A
few other special trains are Taj Express, Pink City Express and Shatabdi
Express.
Indrail Passes:
These enable the tourist to enjoy unlimited travel on Indian trains within
the period of their validity. A tourist travelling on Indrail Pass is
exempted from paying reservation fee, sleeper charges, supplementary charges
for travelling by super fast trains or for meals provided in Rajdhani &
Shatabdi Express trains.
The cost of the passes are in US$ and are
as follows :
Fare (in US Dollars): For
Adults Per Person
| Duration |
AC First |
First Class |
Second Class |
| 1 Day |
65 |
29 |
12 |
| 7 Days |
220 |
110 |
55 |
| 15 Days |
270 |
135 |
65 |
| 21 Days |
330 |
165 |
75 |
| 30 Days |
410 |
205 |
90 |
| 60 Days |
600 |
300 |
135 |
| 90 Days |
800 |
400 |
175 |
Fare (in US Dollars): For
Children Per Person
| Duration |
AC First |
First Class |
Second Class |
| 1 Day |
33 |
15 |
6 |
| 7 Days |
110 |
55 |
28 |
| 15 Days |
135 |
68 |
33 |
| 21 Days |
165 |
83 |
38 |
| 30 Days |
205 |
103 |
45 |
| 60 Days |
300 |
150 |
90 |
| 90 Days |
400 |
200 |
88 |
BusIndia has an
extensive and well developed bus system, with the system varying widely from
State to State. Buses with video shows are becoming increasingly popular on
certain routs. Baggage is generally carried on the roof. Hence the tourist
must ensure that his/her luggage is secured properly and is waterproof.
There are extensive local bus routes in all major cities.
Driving:
Car rental system (similar to those in the West) like Hertz, Budget,
Europecar are available in India. Also available are chauffeur driven cars
and short and long distance metered taxis.
Other
Transport: In some places, auto-rickshaws (three wheelers),tongas
(horse-drawn two wheelers), and Victorias (horse drawn carriages) operate.
Calcutta boasts of an extensive tramway and also India's only underground
Metro Railway.
Foreign
Missions/ Consulates in India..........Indian Embassy/ High Commissions
