India Hotels

Real reviews from real travelers

Forums
Deals

Top India hotels

Goa Hotels: 2306 Reviews - 3668 Photos
Mumbai Hotels: 2287 Reviews - 3884 Photos
Bangalore Hotels: 745 Reviews - 942 Photos
Hyderabad Hotels: 409 Reviews - 525 Photos
Kolkata (Calcutta) Hotels: 743 Reviews - 2049 Photos
Agra Hotels: 1198 Reviews - 3441 Photos
Jaipur Hotels: 1111 Reviews - 2852 Photos
Munnar Hotels: 170 Reviews - 334 Photos
New Delhi Hotels: 1235 Reviews - 2411 Photos
Chennai (Madras) Hotels: 512 Reviews - 846 Photos
Delhi Hotels: 1861 Reviews - 4072 Photos
Mysore Hotels: 252 Reviews - 552 Photos
Pondicherry Hotels: 168 Reviews - 343 Photos
Manali Hotels: 98 Reviews - 181 Photos
Kodaikanal Hotels: 67 Reviews - 105 Photos

India Tourist Traps

by goutammitra

Previous Next

Tourist Traps
by goutammitra
Tourist Traps
by goutammitra
Tourist Traps
by goutammitra
Paharganj
by Liatris1
Paharganj
by Liatris1

Most Viewed Tourist Traps in India

51.

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...

See All 43 Tourist Traps in Goa

52.

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...

See All 32 Tourist Traps in Mumbai

53.

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

54.

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...

See All 43 Tourist Traps in Goa

55.

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...

See All 32 Tourist Traps in Mumbai

56.

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...

See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

57.

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...

See All 43 Tourist Traps in Goa

58.

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...

See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

59.

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...

See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

60.

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...

See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

61.

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...

See All 46 Tourist Traps in Delhi

Great Prices, Great Rooms: hotels.com We Know Hotels Inside And Out. Click or call now: 1-800-914-6835
Find the perfect activity!: Expedia.com Book early before things sell out. Skip long lines and save on tickets!

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Golden Triangle

by willo56

Almost every single monument in the 'Golden Triangle' (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur) is totally infested with touts and scammers,even worse than other countries.Everytime you stop at a traffic light in Delhi your car will get beggars banging on the windows asking for money or anything they can see inside the car,which gets tiring after a while.The entrance to the Red Fort in Delhi was swarming with dodgy touts hovering like vultures for the next meal.Outside the Taj Mahal you have to run the gauntlet of touts before you get to the entrance,but at least they have security out there.Amber fort in Jaipur has people inside who will ask you for money or anything you have,one even wanted my sunglasses!I even made the mistake of smiling at a tout/busker,who then proceeded to follow me for about 30 mins simply saying 'money money!'You cant even just go for a stroll without being surrounded by beggars...

Snake Charmers

by uglyscot

Whether you are at the India Gate in Delhi or the Gateway of India in Mumbai, you are likely to be confronted by a snake charmer. He will probably be carrying a squat round basket which he places on the ground. Then he starts playing a pipe/flute and takes the lid off the basket. Out will appear the head of a cobra. It may make a few darting moves in his or your direction, depending on how long it has been in captivity. The exciting part is when it opens his hood wide. The snake charmer we stopped to watch never actually asked for anything, but we felt obliged to give him a few notes for the opportunity of taking pictures and seeing such a dangerous creature close to- even if it had had its poison glands removed. The next one we met, we ignored.

Strangers Requesting Photo

by vaticanus

Frequently, at tourist sites and even while aboard trains, many Indians will ask you to take their photo. In India (and throughout East Asia I am told) taking pictures is a special event marking importance and significance. An outright refusal will hurt feelings. Many times a copy of the photo is neither suggested nor expected. Just having the photo taken satisfies the request. But in situations where you do not want to take photos (for example groups of students on school trips or to conserve film if you aren't shooting digital) the following tactic may work. Ask for an address to send the photo to. Many Indians do not use postal services and do not have a mailing address. Or they only know it in a non-English script. Asking for an address will discourage those you do not want to take a photo of but whom you do not wish to offend. Simply say you need "a proper address in English"....

Shoe cutters in Agra

by Gigiandlou

At an agra train station, two shoe shine boys offered to polish my shoes, I politely but firmly told them no on the grounds that I was wearing flipflops, to which the smaller of the two replied "I shall fix them for you then madam" and whilst I was looking at my friend in puzzelment (my flipflops were fairly new and not in need of fixing) the young scamp took out a pair of scissors and cut through the strap of my shoe. Luckily our train arrived at that moment so I bought a lovely pair of camel leather sandals at Jaipur the next day. I suppose the only thing you can do is to watch out for shoe shine boys with scissors! don't let yourself get confused and keep an eye on your shoes!

Shops

by Carino

It really doesn't matter how and where you travel in India, sooner or later you will be taken to a shop. It could be your rickshaw driver, your taxi driver, a friendly Indian on the street or even your tour guide. All of them know someone with a shop and by bringing you there, they will get a commission of around 30% of whatever you might buy. Which means, everything you buy is 30% more expensive. Got the picture? Also if you do not buy anything a rickshaw driver will get a voucher or something similar. Please bear in mind, this is YOUR trip and you make the decisions. Tell your drivers, guides and anybody else that you don't want to be taken to a shop. Sometimes it will happen that you can not avoid being taken to a shop. E.g., your tour guide want to show you how carpets are made, or how blockprinting works. Don't waste your time (and your money). Walk straight out of the shop. Don't...

The Snake Charmer and Natural Miricle

by ChartIt

There are in India men whom play music and "charm" a cobra. All over. There are also men with cows that have extra legs. These things are very intresting to look at, so look. If you take a picture you will have to pay the man charming the snake or showing off the 5 legged cow at least 100 rupees. So be aware. Enjoy the exotic surrounding, just dont take pictures unless you want to pay for the privleage

Camel Rides

by ChartIt

You can be charged up to 500 rupees an hour in some areas, but in the same place We managed to get a 2 hour evening ride for 100 rupees. Tip the camel boys well, they deserve. My camel's name was Ronny, and the camel boy was wonderful. I gave him a tip the cost of our entire time so he had 100 rupees for his 2 hours of work. Some people i was with were far less generous. But sometimes you just have to give a little more for good service. We got the chance to have a camel ride in Pushkar, they have an annual camel fair there every year. We were not there at that time, but the camel is still an important part of their lives. It is worth it, even if you might have to pay an extra couple hundred rupees. the exchange rate does change, when i was there 1 dollar was 45 rupees. Ask around, they will give you deals and barter over everything. Also ask where it is you are going, what time of day....

Pushkar's Holy Scheme

by ChartIt

In Pushkar, mostly younger men will try and get you to go to the lake to bath and get a blessing. They normally will have you repeat after them a phrase which will then entail you promising them large amounts of money. After you get through this you have to give them this money. Once you do they tie a string on your wrist, wear it because it will be the only thing to keep you from getting hassled again by another individual. Take it as a travel expense, and funding of the local economy. Dont acknowledge them, or say no thank you I already have. If they give you a hard time just shrug your shoulders and keep walking- dont stop.

Major Scam at New Delhi Railway Station

by into-thin-air

I have already mentioned in my introduction about the scam at New Delhi Railway Station, But Do think that it also deserved a mention here in the tips section.I already knew about this scam (It is mentioned in Lonely Planet) But even armed with hat knowledge, I Still found it Incredibly Difficult as well as Incredibly Time Consuming to actually book these train tickets.My Advice is to Persevere – The Tourist Booking Office is upstairs in the Main Building, The entrance to this is about 30 metres to the left of the main entrance to the platforms.Once you have located the office, the rest of the booking is straight forwards, First you need to fill out a form for Each Journey (More than one person can be on one form but only one actual journey) putting in the departure point, the arrival point, The train number and the date and time of the journey, Then take this (these) forms(s) to one of...

Don't pay even one Rupee/ US$ in advance

by FruitLover

Delhi is loaded with tourist offices managed by impostors, claimed to be official governmental tourist information spots!!!They offer fantastic tours in the north states hundreds miles away from Delhi(Srinagar in Kashmir for example, 20-30 hours by bus), and charge you in advance for hundreds of US$. You take a bus to these far away destinations expecting to meet the representative of the company.... and.....Mr NOBODY IS WAITING FOR YOU ! NOBODY!! Fortunately, I refused to change my plan, and didn't pay money.In Dharamsala I met a female traveler from Taiwan that lost hundreds of US$, and even didn't go back to the croocks in Delhi. I'm afraid she didn't have invoice/ reciept and didn't know where to go and how to complain.

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

5,055 Hotels in India

Explore the World

The Place

Reviews and photos of India attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for India sightseeing.

Experience India

31,158 Tips and Reviews
72,325 Photos
610 Videos

Tourist Traps: Cities in India

More Cities in India

Popular Regions in India

More Regions in India

Questions and Answers

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...

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...

Read 5 Replies

India Members Meetings

Jan 31, 2013: Incredible India Meet Jan. 31 - Feb. 3, 2013

see all India member meetings

Click here for best deals for India

Find the perfect activity!: Expedia.com Book early before things sell out. Skip long lines and save on tickets!
Plenty of choices: agoda.com Save up to 75%, Don't miss! Live support, Instant confirmation.
Excellent Value Hotels: Select-A-Room.com Online Hotel Reservations Worldwide Great prices, instant availability
Best Web Rates Guaranteed: ChoiceHotels.com Compare Up to 5 Hotels by Amenities Find Great Deals Every Day