Most popular & famous places to visit in India

Of course, on our list of famous sites in India, we needed to put on first place the Taj Mahal. Everyone on earth knows about the Taj Mahal, not just because it´s the most popular tourist attraction in India, but also because it´s considered one of the 7 wonders in the world.

This white marble building is a mausoleum built between 1632 and 1648, and it was made in honour of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the emperor Shah Jahan.

Around 7 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year, and although it gets really crowded, visiting the most famous monument in India is a must. You won´t regret it!

On second place we need to talk about one of the most important and famous historical sites in India, it´s known as the Qutub Minar and it´s located in the Qutub Complex, in the Mehrauli area of New Delhi.

The Qutub Minar is famous for being the tallest minaret built of bricks in the world, with a height of 234 feet (72 meters) it´s also one of the tallest monuments in India.

We got to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site last year and it was impressive, not only because of it´s height, but also because of its history.

Another of the most famous destinations in India is the Ganges River, especially the area located in the ancient city of Varanasi. The holly city of Varanasi and its Ganges River are popular for being a very important religious symbol for the Hindu population.

The Ganges River is probably the most famous spiritual place in India, as pilgrims from all over the country travel to the city of Varanasi to walk down the Gaths and get their blessings from the gods while having a bath.

Another curious fact about the city of Varanasi, is that it has its origins in the 8^th century BC, and that makes it be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.

You probably have seen man pictures of the Hawa Mahal, as it´s the symbol and the signature building of the city of Jaipur. This incredible structure was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh.

Of course, what makes the Hawa Mahal be one of India´s most popular tourist attraction is its architecture and its shape. The Hawa Maha is also known as “Palace of Winds” because its shape looks like a honeycomb (It has around 950 windows!). It is said that the main reason of building such a rare monument was to let the royal ladies look outside their window, as they were under ‘purdah’.

The red and pink sandstone make the Hawa Mahal be a beautiful photo spot, which means it will get very crowded and you may want to wake up early to not see the crowds.

If you are looking for something similar to the Arc de Triomphe of Paris but in India, we would advise you to visit the India Gate, which actually has its origins based on the Arch of Constantine, in Rome.

The India Gate may not be as popular as the Taj Mahal or other tourist sites of India, but we can still consider it one of the 10 most famous historical places in India. It was designed by Edwin Lutyens, and it was built in honour of the 82.000 soldiers who fought in World War One.

Now it´s a place where many tourists and locals go for a walk and even picnic around the gate, we visited it last year during a sunrise mission, and we can tell you that it looked beautiful!

Another of the destinations to travel in India that is has become very popular during the last years is the Kerala Backwaters. These area chain of lakes and lagoons located parallel to the Arabian Sea in the Kerala State (South of China)

The Kerala Backwaters network is a mix of man made and natural made canals fed by more than 38 different rivers. A typical activity to do there is to get on a Kettuvallams (typical rice boat) and discover the huge variety of flora and fauna of the area.

Kerala in general is one of the must see places in India, and it doesn´t have so many tourists yet, so we recommend you to visit it as soon as possible.

If you are ever thinking on visiting Mumbai, the one place you have to visit is the Gateway of India, It´s not only one of the most visited places of India, but also a very historical spot for Indian locals.

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of King-Emperor George V and Queen-Empress Mary, who were the first ones from the British Monarch visiting India.

This famous Indian site has a structure with the shape of a triumphal arch and it´s made of basalt. With its 26 meters (85 feet) is also one of the highest monuments in Mumbai.

We had to add a third place from Delhi on our list of the beautiful places of India to visit, it´s the Red Fort, which is after the Taj Mahal, the monument that receives more visitors per year (3-3.5 million).

The Red Fort was built in 1648 by Shah Jahan (the same one that built the Taj Mahal), the origin of its name of course, came after using a red sandstone for its construction. It covers an area of more than two square kilometres.

Although the Red Fort is beautiful on the outside, inside you will also find an impressive architecture and the two main gates (Lahore and Delhi Gate), which are impressive.

Another of the famous tourist places in India is the Kanha National Park. If course, if you are visiting India you may be interested in seeing a tiger in the wild or admire any of their incredible natural landscapes, well don´t worry, because there are many national parks and places to see animals in India.

We choose the Kanha National Park as it´s the one that gave inspiration to Rudyard Kipling, when he made the popular novel “Jungle Book”. It´s a wild paradise perfect to scape from big cities and crowded places.

Some of the animals you can find in the Kanha National Park are: Tiger, Panther, Chital, Wild pig, Sloth bear, pythons and more…

The Amer Fort or also known as the Amber Fort is another of the best places to see in India, being more concrete, in Amer, Rajasthan, just 11 kilometres away from the city of Jaipur. The Amer Fort was built by the Menaas, a tribe from Rajasthan.

This fort is known for being one of the most beautiful forts in India and the most visited tourist attraction in Jaipur as it receives around 1.5 million visitors per year. The main reason why tourist love this place so much are its artistic elements, it´s formed by impressive walls and doors, plus, it´s made of yellow and pink stone, which make it wonderful.

The Amber Fort is one of the famous Indian places to visit, we highly recommend you going any time from October to March as it´s the best time to go.