Essence of India with Varanasi: Explore Indian Culture, Architecture and Traditions
5.0
19 Ratings

Immerse yourself in the essence of India with a tour that explores its culture, architecture, and traditions. Visit iconic cities like Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, as well as the spiritual city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges. Experience the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the vibrant streets of Jaipur, and the ancient temples of Khajuraho. This tour is a…

see more
Duration: 11 days
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Delhi

Swaminarayan Akshardham - Day 1: Company representatives will collect you from your hotel or another central location in Delhi. After refreshing, enjoy local sightseeing, including the modern Hindu temple, Akshardham.
Friday Mosque (Jama Masjid) - Explore Old Delhi by rickshaw, stopping to see Jama Masjid and other monuments. Ride…

see more
What's Included
  • Flight from Varanasi to Delhi (15 kg main luggage, 7 kg hand luggage)
  • Rickshaw ride in Delhi
  • Bottled water
  • Pick up and drop off in Delhi
  • 3-star hotel accommodation (AC, private bathroom)
  • Breakfast included
  • Fuel surcharges
  • Parking fees
  • Morning and evening boat ride in Varanasi
  • Transport by AC private vehicle
  • Local guides in Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Orccha, Khajuraho, Varanasi
What's Not Included
  • Meals
  • Gratuities
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

The Essence of India is a perfect choice for these travellers who would like to see the most significant places for Indian culture as well as admire the beauty of architecture and find out something more about Indian traditions and customs. The tour includes sightseeing of the cities and towns like the capital of India

  • Delhi, Agra
  • the place of Taj…
see more
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(19 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Hsugrace
Feb 10, 2026
Incredible Indian Tour - This is my first trip in India. The trip is as many people say: incredible! I believe this is the best adjective to describe India. Come and explore the incredible culture yourself and you’ll find the incredible part in almost every aspect of the daily life. The itinerary is well organized and our driver is superb during the whole journey in giving us introduction about India. Besides, our guides did a great job in presenting the culture and features of the places we visited. Thus, I highly recommend this tour and would love to come back to explore other parts of India again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pere802
Feb 10, 2026
Must do - Hotels were great, guides very good and our driver Prakesh outstanding. Wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patriceo741
Apr 17, 2025
Great tour, great driver, great guides, will recommend - I'm very pleased with my trip Essence of India from Delhi to Varanasi. The first hotel was a little subpar, but the second was a great improvement and they got better as we traveled. Our driver Prakesh was amazing and very helpful, willing to provide us with everything we need and a few extra things we also appreciated. He was also willing to stop at extra places like a grocery store at our request. All our guides were very knowledgeable and willing to cater to us even though my mom had some mobility issues and my dad kept wandering off. Overall the experience has been absolutely wonderful and I would recommend it to my friends.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
901julianw
Jan 17, 2025
Great introduction to amazing India - My wife and I had never been to India before so decided on a guided tour and were happy we did. Payless tours had good reviews, a good itinerary and good pricing so went with them. The tour and sights we saw were absolutely amazing and unforgettable. India is incredible. Payless tours organised everything as per the itinerary and Nareej at Payless tours was very responsive and accomodating. The tour guides showed up on time and were informative about the sights and Indian culture. We had a car to ourselves and fantastic driver (thanks Anil) which is important on the Indian roads. We covered over 1800km in ten days so used time in the car as time to relax and watch the world go by. The hotels were good to very good and rooms were clean, all had wifi, and the included buffet breakfast was a great way to start the day. We spent about an extra $50au / day each on entry fees, meals, tips, souvenirs (didn’t buy much). All in all this is a great eye opening trip to India and we highly recommend Payless Tours based on our experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
142miyukii
Dec 16, 2024
A great introduction tour for the first timer of India! - I'm very happy that I did this tour instead of just traveling by myself figuring out all the logistics as I go. Without the tour, I would have had some difficulties navigating myself and moving to the next destinations as well as understanding the culture of India and its safety. I cannot say thank you enough to my driver, Prakash. He speaks English, is kind, caring and trying to make me feel comfortable and safe all the time during the trip. I learned a lot about Indian and Hindu culture from him! 100% recommendation to have him as a driver for your trip! He is a great driver but more than just a driver! The tour itself is well organized and followed the itinerary posted on the website most of the time. “Payless Tours India “ is trustful and reliable company. I highly recommend it to your Indian journey. There were some minor things that I did not feel comfortable about. I did not expect to visit many specialized shops during the local tours, so I became stressed out going there to say “No” to their bargains although I was interested in learning about it. Sadly I found out that’s I got a different material for high price in later days….. For the hotels, they provided 3 star hotels where the staffs are all nice and helpful, but wifi is sometimes not available in the rooms. No heater at all the hotels in December. Not sure if it’s Indian standard without heating or not though, but I got sick from the coldness. However, these things are happened in general, I guess. Other than that, again it's a great tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Noa19011986
Oct 25, 2024
Best tour - It was so amazing, lovely and impressive. Thank you very much Rohit Saini. We was in lot of beautiful places in Jaipur, Pushkar, Orcha, Kujaraho, Varanasi You showed me India in such an outstanding light and atmosphere. Memories for whole life. Im loving India, my spritual home. Thanks also to Payless Tours and Neeraj for your Support. Regards
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yesjim
Oct 23, 2024
Amazing at every turn. - Just half way into our incredible trip and already can recommend Payless Tours. Our driver Sanjay is treating us like Royalty. The roads are rough but the vehicle is comfortable. Our driver is very inexperienced.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair20110558706
Oct 12, 2024
Wonderful tour vanarsari - Awesome hotel and fantastic one day boat trips connected with lunch. We also bought a resort tour and Male tour which were also fantastic and we'll organized. Pay less tours india met our expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
278cliver
Mar 14, 2024
One of the most extraordinary adventures of my life - I will never forget this experience. from ancient temples, to divine food, ethereal forts, the ghats of Varanasi, and tigers in the jungle. This trip had absolutely everything I was hoping for and more. Payless were incredibly flexible and able to basically tailor the trip to my rather niche interests, including the particular hotels I wanted to stay in. I want to make special mention of my driver, Mr Prakash (translation: Mr Sunshine) who was more of a father to me during this period than a driver. He put up with my foibles with patience and went above and beyond in every way to make sure that I was comfortable and happy. One example is that my particular booking did not have any kind of Safari included, but it took nothing more than a passing comment of mine about a desire to see tigers for Mr Prakash to organise a trip to the jungle on one of the mornings without needing to sacrifice any of the other activities. When I mentioned my interest in Indian classical music, he took me to a tourist-less evening at a temple where locals were celebrating Maha Shivaratri . The examples are countless. His creativity, kindness and generosity I cannot praise enough. A wonderful, wonderful man.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roving15883655113
Feb 5, 2024
North - South in 14 days - The decision to use the services of PaylessToursIndia turned out to be great; the organization was at the highest level - refined in every detail; immediate contact with Mrs. Ewa and her husband proved their direct interest in us and our impressions of our intensely lived day; the numerous gestures of sympathy were very nice; Each of Mrs. Ewa's co-workers turned out to be wonderful professionals at all stages of our journey; we had several guides and drivers who made us feel like we were reaching the heart of each of the cities and places we were in; It was great - it felt safe to be under the care of friendly people who were very committed to their work and who took great care of us and our children. India turned out to be wonderful in its diversity;
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Check Availability
From $480
From $480
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Select a date
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
More activities from this operator
From $580
5.0
44 Ratings
Magnificent India and Nepal Tour: Explore Major Cities, Cultural Sites and Natural Wonders
Delhi
From $600
4.9
16 Ratings
18 Days Royal Rajasthan with Varanasi: Immersive Cultural and Historical Indian Tour