India Tourist Traps

 
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Most Viewed Tourist Traps in India

26.

HAWKERS/TOUTS/SCAM   Goa

HAWKERS/TOUTS/SCAM, Goa

 18 Reviews  Despite what people think and say I believe the beach sellers are part of the holiday experience. Some of the stuff they sell is what you find at the market and its up to you whether you get it... 

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27.

BEWARE   Mumbai

BEWARE, Mumbai

 20 Reviews  There is a guy at the Gateway of India claiming to be a holy man who will try to bless you, i got caught to this trap.... basically he will approach you and try to "bless"you, i kept saying no and a... 

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28.

Paharganj   Delhi

Paharganj, Delhi

 6 Reviews  Paharganj is a fun place to visit and shows you the real india. It has hundreds of hotels and small shops. There are people who will try to sell hard, give you bargain offers or even try to trick you.... 

 See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

29.

TAXIS   Goa

TAXIS, Goa

 5 Reviews  You can't really blame taxi drivers for trying to take the "stupid tourists the long way around"... this happens all over the world, so Goa is no different. One our first 2-3 days in Goa we only... 

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30.

TAXI / CABBIES   Mumbai

TAXI / CABBIES, Mumbai

 10 Reviews  Rickshaws are everywhere - do take them for the experience and because they are very cheap. But ensure they 'flag down' the meter - It should read '1' before you start your journey. if it says... 

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31.

Travel agencies   Delhi

Travel agencies, Delhi

 7 Reviews  If some tout approaches you in Connaught avoid. We were approached by a tout who promised a car & driver for 600 Inr's a day & switched to a closer from EXOTIC ADVENTURE TRAVELS who promised more than... 

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32.

MISCELLANEOUS   Goa

MISCELLANEOUS, Goa

 12 Reviews  I had rented a Taxi Cab to take us to see some of the sights in South Goa like the St. Francis church, beaches, temples etc. As I stayed at the Park Hyaat in south Goa is was a long way off and quite... 

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33.

Beggars   Delhi

Beggars, Delhi

 4 Reviews  Kids, beggars, old people, rickshaw-wallahs, shoe-cleaners - they're all there to make you feel uncomfortable, pitiful & above all embarrassed. I had a pretty rough first week in India, 'coz you just... 

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34.

Rickshaws   Delhi

Rickshaws, Delhi

 5 Reviews  i wasted time and money when rickshaw drivers instead of taking me where i wanted to go, insisted on taking me to expensive shops where they probably get commission. they turned a deaf ear to my... 

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35.

Traffic   Delhi

Traffic, Delhi

 4 Reviews  The transport in Delhi is horrifying. There are constructions every where because they have to finished all works for Commonwealth Game in 2010. The airport is under construction and Long queue on... 

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36.

Tour guides   Delhi

Tour guides, Delhi

 3 Reviews  While in Delhi, i went to a travel agents and booked a car and driver for my few days there so i could get a quick look around most of the major sites. I have to say, he was a nice chap who drove me... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

renovation of Sri Menakshi Temple Madurai

by MichaelFalk1969

At the moment (2/09) the Sri Menakshi temple is still in renovation, the temple gate towers (gopurams) are still covered with banana leaves and their colourful decorations cannot be seen. Also, inside the temple some renovation work is still going on. The temple and the activities that can be seen there are still interesting, but if you want to see it in its full glory, you should postpone your visit to a later date and check the status of the renovation on the internet.

Boat Ride - Periyar Lake - u/c

by MichaelFalk1969

The most popular way to experience Periyar National Park is to do a ride with the tourist boats that cruise for ca. one hour around the lake at different times of the day. Whenever a boat ride starts, the tour boats are rushed by passengers like the last remaining life-boat on the sinking Titanic, as there is free seating. The returning boats are so full that they remind me of the crowded Albanian refugee ships that used to cross the Adriatic to Italy in the 90`s. If you are lucky, you might see some wildlife on the shore, but only in the distance. You need binoculars or a very good camera. Book a seat on the upper level of the boat. Take a tour in the early morning or late afternoon. Don`t go on weekends.

Bangalore Palace - u/c

by MichaelFalk1969

The Bangalore Palace - a residence of the Wodeyar Maharajas - looks interesting from the outside, as it is built in an architectural style that reminds of medieval Windsor Castle in England. The interior has some pretty staircases, rooms and courtyards, but also plenty of rooms that are completely rundown and in dire need of renovation. Also, the raja seems to have a very bad taste which shows in the paintings of his art collection. The reason I consider it a tourist trap is that the entry fee is reasonable (200 Rs.), but the photo permit is a rip-off (500 Rs.!). If you want to take photos, this is possibly the most expensive location in South India. For these reasons, my advice would be to skip the place altogether. Take a photograph of the exterior.

popular scams, part three

by MichaelFalk1969

Sometimes, riksha drivers will claim that a certain attraction is not open yet and suggest to visit a shop instead to pass the time ("just looking"). In 99% of all cases, this is a lie. Decline and insist that you want to be taken to your destination directly. They will take a no for a no.

Seemingly over-willing helpers all around

by Rupanworld

In India, one is sure to come across people from all spheres of life like the taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, waiters, shopkeepers, people hanging out on streets etc. who are more than willing to help you with info on hotel accomodations, transport, restaurants etc. and tourists might just get overwhelmed with the cordial behaviour. But beware, most of them would be commission agents and the best deal they might talk about might actually turn out to be the worst deal. Please, therefore, do your own homework before coming here so that you don't need info from people on the roads. It's always a pleasure to talk to the locals, only if you know you are not wrongly trusting their false informations.

Rice Girls of Colaba,Mumbai

by lynnehamman

I write this "warning" with a smile on my face............It was really more amusing than annoying, but I will give a brief description of what happened. We were walking along the promanade at Colaba, Mumbai, and these 2 sweet, tiny little girls, about 15 yrs old, came up to us. They grabbed my hand, put a flower in it, and begged for RICE. No......they said, they did not want money...just rice. We smiled, and kept on walking. That night, Richard felt REALLY guilty, and bad that he had not given them the rice that they has asked for, to feed their starving families.Next day, they find us again. So they eagerly led their latest benafactor to a little shop, where he proceeded to buy not just rice., but sugar, milk , biscuits and various other foodstuffs. A veritable feast.They were delighted, Richard felt good,and we were given more flowers.Later that day, we saw them , busy withother...

taxis & touts

by lynnehamman

the only small problems we ever encountered was that sometimes taxi drivers take the LONG way to somewhere.especially if they think one is new to India.... and touts can be a bother too. The best way is to deal firmly, but politely with them.Most of all, KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR. It takes away all the stress!!! Auto-rickshaws are a good way to go, if the distance is not too great....fix a fare before you leave. And always mention to taxi drivers & touts that you have been to India before....then they know that you are aware of there tricks. SMILE.

Weather

by husain

Between april and september, its either hot or humid or both in much of India. So if u want to visit during those months, its a good idea to have the Hills on your travel map- the Himalayas in the north, or other ranges in other parts. There are some great locations to be found.That being said, the southern states are often reasonably pleasant even during summer.In the north, it stays hot or hot and humid between April and September, and the summer temperatures regularly cross 40 cel during may and june.Its very pleasant during feb-march and again during oct-nov, and can get quite cold during dec-jan. Some parts of the plains reach sub-zero temps, with Delhi coming pretty close to Zero cel between the end of december to the 2nd week of jan...In the mountains, it can range from 35 degrees in the summers to around -30 during peak winter in Ladakh...

Tip Photo
Shopping in India

by sheriwong

Many know India as a poverty country, and you will think there are no expensive things to buy. But you are so wrong. There are silk materials, garments, hand woven carpets, jewellery, stones. So do bring credit cards and lots of cash. So if you are interested in above items, do have your tour guide bring you to the right place.You could be hot housed to make that purchase. If so do step out for some fresh air !

India - beggers and mercy

by lara1962

In eyery city we saw, beggers followed us step by step. First we felt pity for them, but we had to learn to ignore them because they touched us and we felt hardly pressed. Don´t give money! It seems hard, but it´s the only way. I had the impression, that every begger has his own area. If you leave his area, the begger dissapeares. But don´t worry. The next will be behind you soon. In some Hotels in Rajastan for Indian people it´s forbidden to entry in the Hotel area. If you are travelling the first time in the back country of India it makes sense to choose a hotel like this. No Rikshaw driver will follow you until your room and no salesman is waiting behind the breakfast buffet.

Top 3 Hotels in India

Neemrana Fort-Palace  State of Rajasthan

 2 Reviews and 235 Opinions  This is such a lovely place, whether for a couple celebrating their love or for a singleton,... 

 Hotels in State of Rajasthan

Taj Lands End  Mumbai

 4 Reviews and 521 Opinions  22,000 square feet of meeting space connected by pre-function areas suitable for exhibitions ... 

 Hotels in Mumbai

Leela  Goa

 5 Reviews and 461 Opinions  hallo was meeting adam pyotr mancic in the surfclub arambol. best friend at this time. every night... 

 See all 99 Hotels in Goa

Questions and Answers

mosaka profile photo

Q:  Hello folks, I am thinking to travel to India from July 28-Aug 28 2012. It includes both north and south India. I heard about... 

anilpradhanshillong profile photo

A: 1. If you limit your travels to the plains of India during Jul 28-Aug 28, 2012, you'll experience high humidity, heat and quite a few showers. As it is, South India is... 

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