India, Nepal and Bhutan in 3 weeks: Delhi to Paro

Days 1–2: Delhi

Day 1. From Terminal 3, the Airport Express metro reaches New Delhi Railway Station in around 25 minutes, and the first trains leave the end stations at 04:45. Sleep at the New Delhi YMCA Tourist Hostel on Jai Singh Road, a short walk from Connaught Place. In the evening, walk to India Gate, the 42-metre arch that remembers some 70,000 Indian soldiers of the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War, floodlit after dark.

Day 2, Old Delhi. Start with breakfast at Lotan Chole Wala in Chandni Chowk (07:30–10:00), then walk the bazaar that Jahanara Begum laid out in 1650 and the spice market of Khari Baoli. Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, was finished in 1650; foreign visitors pay INR 400 and may enter from 08:00 until sunset except during prayer times, and robes can be hired at the northern gate. Spend the afternoon in the Red Fort, which Shah Jahan began in 1639: its marble halls include the Diwan-i-Khas, where the Peacock Throne once stood. Foreign visitors pay INR 550 online or INR 600 in cash, and the fort is closed on Mondays.

Old Delhi is easiest with a local guide the first time. In the evening, a three-hour food walk through Chawri Bazaar, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk, with a rickshaw ride, starts from Connaught Place near the YMCA; it is in the box below. Our Delhi guide covers the city's other sights.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 3–4: the Taj Mahal and the train to Varanasi

Day 3, the Gatimaan Express. Take a taxi or the metro to Hazrat Nizamuddin station. The Gatimaan Express, India's first semi-high-speed train, leaves at 08:10 and reaches Agra Cantt at 09:50, 1 hour 40 minutes later, every day except Friday. Book on IRCTC with the Foreign Tourist quota, which takes an international mobile number and opens up to 365 days ahead; our transport guide explains the account.

Leave your bags at Hotel Taj Resorts near the Taj's East Gate and spend the middle of the day in Agra Fort, which Akbar rebuilt in red sandstone between 1565 and 1573. Shah Jahan added the white marble palaces and was later held here for eight years until his death in 1666; foreign visitors pay INR 550 online. Go to the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon, when the marble turns warm in the low light. The ticket costs INR 1,100 for foreign visitors, INR 50 less online, plus INR 200 to enter the main mausoleum; it includes shoe covers and water. The Taj is closed on Fridays.

Day 4, the Vande Bharat. The Agra Cantt–Banaras Vande Bharat Express (20176) runs east along the Ganges plain through Kanpur and Prayagraj. The Railway Board introduced it in 2024 at 06:00 from Agra Cantt and 13:00 at Banaras, about seven hours, six days a week; IRCTC shows its time and running days for your date when you book. Take a taxi from Banaras station to the old city and walk the last stretch through the lanes.

In the evening, watch the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. It usually begins just after sunset and lasts about 45 minutes, with young priests swinging tiered brass lamps to the sound of conches and bells. You can watch from the steps or from a boat; an evening aarti tour by boat is in the box below. Our Agra guide covers Mehtab Bagh and Fatehpur Sikri if you want a longer stop.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 5–6: Varanasi and Sarnath

Day 5. Be on the river at dawn. Rowing and motor boats wait at Dashashwamedh; agree the route and the price for the whole boat before you set off. From the water you see the pilgrims bathing, the priests at their offerings and the fires of Manikarnika, one of the holiest cremation grounds in India, where photographs are not welcome. Then eat kachori sabzi in Kachauri Gali and walk on to Kashi Vishwanath, the city's great Shiva temple. Foreign visitors can book the temple trust's assisted darshan ticket at its help desk near Shapuri Mall in Bashfatak, with the original passport and copies of the passport and visa; it costs INR 600 and includes an escort. Phones and pens are not allowed inside, and free lockers are provided.

Day 6, Sarnath. The Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, about 10 km from the city. The Dhamek Stupa, more than 40 metres high, dates from the Gupta period, and the museum keeps Ashoka's Lion Capital, the emblem of India; the museum is generally open 10:00–17:00 and closed on Fridays. Triveni Cabs charges INR 1,499 for a sedan for 4 hours or 40 km. In the afternoon, walk south along the ghats to Assi Ghat, where the city's cafés and guesthouses gather.

Our Varanasi guide describes the ghats, the lanes and the temples in more detail. If you prefer company at dawn, a sunrise boat tour with a heritage walk is in the box below.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 7–9: Kathmandu and the valley

Day 7, the flight to Nepal. Buddha Air flies from Varanasi at 08:30 and lands in Kathmandu at 09:35, a 50-minute flight, two or three times a week. The flights were on Monday, Wednesday and Friday when the third weekly flight was added in 2024; this plan takes the Friday, so check the days in Buddha Air's booking search before you book the trains and the Bhutan week. If no flight fits your dates, the overland route through Lumbini crosses the border on foot at Sunauli and takes three nights on the way, in Bhairahawa and Lumbini. You leave India here, but the 30-day e-Tourist visa allows several entries, so it still covers your return to Delhi on day 20.

Get the Nepali visa on arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport: USD 30 for 15 days, enough for this route. Pay the fee in cash, in US dollars or another major currency; cards and Indian or Nepali rupees are not accepted. Our Nepal entry guide explains the arrival form and lists the nationalities that must apply in advance. Sleep at Thamel Boutique Hotel, which can arrange a paid airport pickup. In the afternoon, climb to Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, on a hill 3 km west of the centre; its stupa is believed to date from 460 AD.

Day 8. Spend the morning in Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old royal palace and more than 50 temples, including the house of the Kumari, the living goddess. In the afternoon, take a taxi to Pashupatinath on the Bagmati, Nepal's holiest Hindu temple; only Hindus may enter the main temple, and other visitors watch from the terraces across the river. Walk or ride on to Boudhanath, whose 36-metre dome rises over the Tibetan quarter, and stay for the evening when the Tibetan community walks around it.

Day 9, Patan. Cross the river to Patan Durbar Square, the old Newar royal square of temples and palaces. The NPR 1,000 ticket includes the Patan Museum, in a restored wing of the palace, and its courtyards. Our Kathmandu guide and Patan guide go further. A guided Kathmandu heritage day and a Patan-and-Bhaktapur tour from Kathmandu are in the box below.

The Nepal Tourism Board's fees for foreign visitors are NPR 1,000 for Kathmandu Durbar Square, NPR 200 for Swayambhunath, NPR 400 for Boudhanath, NPR 1,000 for Pashupatinath and NPR 1,000 for Patan.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 10–13: Pokhara and back to Kathmandu

Day 10. Fly to Pokhara: Buddha Air lists more than 17 flights a day on the route, about 25 minutes in the air. If cloud grounds the flights, the intercity tourist buses to Pokhara leave from Kantipath in Kathmandu; plan the road as a full travel day. Sleep at New Pokhara Lodge in Lakeside. Spend the afternoon on Phewa Lake: hire a boat to the island temple of Taal Barahi, then watch the evening from the shore.

Day 11. Drive up to Sarangkot before dawn, 11.3 km and at most 30 minutes from Lakeside, for sunrise over the Annapurna range, from Dhaulagiri in the west to Machhapuchhre and Lamjung. Later, visit the International Mountain Museum (daily 09:30–17:00; NPR 750 for foreign visitors), with its galleries on the 8,000-metre peaks and the mountain peoples of Nepal.

Day 12. Take a boat across the lake and hike for about an hour up to the World Peace Pagoda, the white stupa on the hill above the southern shore, for the view over the lake to the Annapurnas; then walk down the far side to Davi's Fall and the caves. This is also the day for paragliding over the lake, if you want it: Sunrise Paragliding charges NPR 8,500 for its standard tandem flight of about 20 to 30 minutes, with photos and video NPR 2,000 extra. A paragliding flight that meets in Lakeside is in the box below. Our Pokhara guide covers the caves and the other short hikes around the lake.

Day 13. Fly back to Kathmandu in the morning. In the afternoon, take a taxi 12 km east to Bhaktapur, with the Palace of 55 Windows, the Golden Gate and the five-storey Nyatapola temple. Foreign visitors pay USD 18 or NPR 1,800. Sleep in Thamel again; the flight to Bhutan leaves the next morning. Our Bhaktapur guide has the walk.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Bhutan's rules and the operator package

Bhutan has different rules from its neighbours, and they shape the budget. Everyone except Indian nationals needs a visa, applied for online before you travel: the fee is USD 40, and the Department of Tourism reviews applications within five working days. With the visa you pay the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF): USD 100 per adult per night until 31 August 2027, USD 50 for children from 6 to under 12, and nothing for children under 6. Indian nationals travel on a permit instead and pay Nu 1,200 per night; visitors from Bangladesh and the Maldives may get their visa before travel or on arrival.

You may book your trip yourself: the Department of Tourism has allowed independent booking since 23 September 2022. But a certified guide must be with you at all times, you must stay in hotels the Department of Tourism has certified, and self-drive cars cannot be hired. A car with a driver costs Nu 4,500 a day and the guide is extra, so a package that also covers hotels and meals is often simpler; this plan budgets one. Our Bhutan entry guide explains the visa and the SDF step by step.

The plan follows the Essential Bhutan Journey of Guided Bhutan, which gives its Department of Tourism licence as 50002428: seven days and six nights with two nights each in Thimphu, Punakha and Paro, three-star hotels, all meals, a private guide, driver and car, the entry fees, the SDF and the visa, from USD 1,740 per person (USD 3,480 for two); the operator's quote confirms the price for your dates. Of that, USD 1,280 for two is the SDF and visa. Flights and tips are extra; the budget below adds the tips. Guided Bhutan names its hotels when you book. Our Bhutan trip-cost guide compares it with a cheaper and a four-star week.

Book the Bhutan week first. Choose the operator, fix the dates, then book the flight from Kathmandu to Paro to match; the operator applies for the visa once you have paid.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 14–19: Thimphu, Punakha and Paro

Day 14, into Bhutan. Drukair's March 2027 timetable flies KB401 from Kathmandu at 09:50 to Paro at 11:00 every day; Bhutan Airlines also flies the route on some days of the week. Ask for a seat on the left side of the plane: flying the other way, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu appear on the right, and Kanchenjunga as the plane crosses Sikkim. Your guide meets you at Paro airport for the 47 km drive to Thimphu, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Visit the National Memorial Chorten, where people walk around the stupa all day, and end at Tashichho Dzong, the whitewashed fortress of 1641 that houses the King's throne room; visitors may enter from 17:00 to 18:00, or 09:00 to 17:00 on public holidays.

Day 15, Thimphu. Start at Buddha Dordenma, the giant gilded Buddha on the hill above the city, then see the takin, Bhutan's national animal, at the Takin Preserve. On a Saturday, walk through the Centenary Farmers' Market by the river, Thimphu's main market, whose renovated halls now sell cooked food as well as produce.

Day 16, over Dochula. Cross Dochula (about 3,100 m), with its 108 chortens and, from late March to April, rhododendrons on the Punakha side, and drive down to Punakha, 74 km and 2 to 2.5 hours from Thimphu. Punakha Dzong, built in 1637 where the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu rivers meet, is the high point of the week for many visitors.

Day 17, Punakha. Walk through the rice fields to Chimi Lhakhang, the fertility temple of the Divine Madman, Drukpa Kunley, cross the long suspension bridge over the Pho Chhu and climb to the Khamsum Yulley Namgyal Chorten above the valley.

Day 18, to Paro. Drive back over Dochula, 115 km and 3.5 to 4 hours, and visit Rinpung Dzong above Paro town in the afternoon.

Day 19, Tiger's Nest. Start early for Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, the temples built against a cliff 900 metres above the Paro valley around Guru Rinpoche's meditation cave. The round trip is about 6 km and takes 5 to 6 hours with about an hour inside; the climb takes most people 1.5 to 3 hours, and ponies can carry you up to the halfway cafeteria if your operator books them in advance. Photographs are not allowed inside. By day 19 you have spent five days at Bhutan's altitude, which makes the climb easier. Our Paro and Tiger's Nest guide has the trail in detail.

Entry to the dzongs and temples on this route is in the package: the Department of Tourism's table lists Nu 1,000 for Tiger's Nest and Nu 500 each for Tashichho Dzong, the Memorial Chorten, Punakha Dzong and Chimi Lhakhang; Buddha Dordenma and Rinpung Dzong are free. Our Thimphu and Punakha guide has more on both valleys.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Days 20–21: back to Delhi and home

Day 20. Drukair's KB202 leaves Paro at 11:55 and lands in Delhi at 13:45 every day in its March 2027 timetable. Fill in India's e-Arrival card again within 72 hours before you land. Take the Airport Express back to the centre and the YMCA, and spend the late afternoon at Humayun's Tomb, the garden tomb of 1569 that set the pattern for the Taj Mahal (INR 550 online for foreign visitors).

Day 21. Fly home from Delhi. Leave the morning for Lodhi Garden or Connaught Place if your flight is late.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

What three weeks cost, all in

About USD 3,970 per person, USD 7,940 for two, before the flights from Europe, with every hotel night, every meal and ordinary drink, the Bhutan package with its SDF and visa, the trains, the five flights between and inside the countries, local transport, admissions, the Indian and Nepali visas, SIM cards and a 10% buffer.

The model is two adults with UK passports sharing a double room for 20 nights in March, at the rates the hotels and operators publish. Indian prices are converted at the European Central Bank's rates of 4 November 2026 (USD 1 = about INR 94.6), ngultrum at the same rate because it is pegged 1:1 to the rupee, Nepali prices at Nepal Rastra Bank's buying rate of 20 October 2026 (USD 1 = NPR 151.59), and pounds at the European Central Bank's rate (GBP 1 = about USD 1.35).

• Rooms, about USD 720. The YMCA's Executive Double at INR 6,245 a night with breakfast and taxes for three nights; Hotel Taj Resorts at INR 4,555 plus taxes, about INR 4,800; Ganpati Guest House's air-conditioned Budget Room at about INR 5,200 a night with its 5% tax for three nights; Thamel Boutique Hotel's Deluxe Double at USD 55 a night for four nights; and New Pokhara Lodge's Standard double at USD 30 a night with taxes for three nights.
• Food, about USD 380. In India, about INR 17,100 for two: lunch and dinner at about INR 300 to 1,100 for two at ordinary restaurants in Delhi, Agra and Varanasi, plus breakfasts in Varanasi, water and tea. In Nepal, about NPR 30,700 for two: in Kathmandu, breakfasts at NPR 325 to 600, a khaja set at NPR 435 for lunch and dinners like Rosemary Kitchen's mutton thali at NPR 849; in Pokhara, the lodge breakfast at USD 5 each and Cheli Thakali's sets at NPR 410 (vegetarian) for lunch and NPR 710 (mutton) for dinner; and about NPR 800 a day for tea and water.
• The Bhutan week, about USD 3,790. Guided Bhutan's package from USD 3,480 for two; tips of about USD 280, at USD 20 a day each for seven days, inside the USD 10–15 for the guide and USD 5–10 for the driver that Guided Bhutan calls typical; and about USD 30 for tea, water, snacks and two Bhutan Telecom tourist SIMs at Nu 200 each.
• Getting around, about USD 2,000. Varanasi–Kathmandu about USD 100 each, an estimate, as Buddha Air quotes the fare only when you search; Kathmandu–Pokhara and back about USD 130 each way per person, an estimate of the US-dollar fare foreign visitors pay; Kathmandu–Paro about USD 260 each and Paro–Delhi about USD 230 each, from Bhutan Airlines' starting fares of about USD 250 and USD 220 on the same routes, because Drukair, whose flights this plan uses, publishes no fares; the Gatimaan about INR 1,200 each (its INR 750 chair-car fare at launch, times 1.5 for the Foreign Tourist quota, with an estimated 5% tax) and the Vande Bharat about INR 2,800 each, plus IRCTC's INR 118 registration and INR 236 booking charge per ticket; and about INR 10,400 and NPR 15,000 for taxis, the metro, the Sarnath car and two boats in Varanasi.
• Sights, about USD 180. The Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal with the mausoleum, Humayun's Tomb, Kashi Vishwanath and Sarnath, about INR 8,800 for two; the six Kathmandu Valley sites and the mountain museum at the foreign rates above, plus a boat to Taal Barahi, about NPR 13,800 for two.
• Visas and SIM cards, about USD 150. India's 30-day e-Tourist visa at USD 25 plus a 3% bank charge, Nepal's 15-day visa at USD 30, Ubigi's 10 GB India eSIM at US$15 and Ncell's 14-day TouristPro Explorer SIM at NPR 995, each for two.
• Flights from Europe. Turkish Airlines' lowest London–Delhi economy return fares were GBP 619 for March 2027 and GBP 687 for April 2027, so count about GBP 600–700 (USD 810–950) per person. This route flies home from Delhi, so a simple return ticket works.
• Paragliding in Pokhara is optional and not in the total; it adds NPR 8,500 per person.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026

Visas, SIM cards and the season

India. Apply for the 30-day e-Tourist visa online at least four days before you fly: for UK, US and most European passports it costs USD 25 from July to March and USD 10 from April to June, plus a 3% bank charge. It runs 30 days from your first arrival and allows several entries, so it covers the return from Paro. Fill in the e-Arrival card within 72 hours before each arrival. Our India entry guide has the full rules.

Nepal and Bhutan. Nepal's visa on arrival costs USD 30 for 15 days; Bhutan's visa and SDF are in the package. Buy an Ubigi eSIM for India before you leave (10 GB for 30 days, US$15), Ncell's TouristPro Explorer in Kathmandu (NPR 995 for 14 days), and Bhutan Telecom's Nu 200 tourist SIM (1 GB for 7 days) at Paro.

Money. ATMs in Kathmandu and Pokhara accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards. In Bhutan, ATMs and banks accept Visa and Mastercard and cards are widely used in the towns; the ngultrum is pegged 1:1 to the Indian rupee, US dollars and rupees in cash are widely accepted, and you can change money on arrival at Paro airport.

When to go. March to mid-April works best for all three countries. In Delhi, March has a mean maximum of about 30°C and only a few foggy days, and it falls after the October-to-February months that the UK Foreign Office names as the worst for air pollution in northern India; by April the mean maximum reaches 36.5°C. In Bhutan, spring runs from March to May; Paro's March averages are 17°C by day and 4°C at night with little rain, and the rhododendrons flower on Dochula. Nepal's spring brings rhododendrons too, but the Kathmandu Valley's air is hazier from January to April, so the mountain views are often clearer in October and November.

October and November are the other good window, with clearer Himalayan views but more smoke and fog in north India from late October. Avoid June to September, the monsoon in all three countries. The USD 100 SDF applies to nights until 31 August 2027, so a spring 2027 trip pays the rate this budget uses.

Two festivals change the plan. Holi, the festival of colours, falls on Tuesday 23 March 2027, a public holiday in Delhi; expect crowds and coloured powder in the streets that day, and if you land on Saturday 20 March, it is the day of the train to Varanasi. The Department of Tourism's tentative dates put the Paro Tshechu at Rinpung Dzong on 18–22 March 2027, five days of masked dances beside the dzong; if your Paro nights fall that week, book the package early. Our best time for Bhutan and best time for Nepal guides go month by month.

Prices and times checked 5 November 2026