If we think about India, we usually have in mind a huge number of people that belong to different ethnic groups and speak various languages.
India is actually the world’s seventh-largest country and its territory covers the region from the Himalayas to tropical Kerala, and from the sacred Ganges to the Thar desert.
Due to the fact that it has more than one billion inhabitants who speak over 200 different languages, India boasts an endless variety of cultures, landscapes, historical monuments, and places to be explored and visited.
Some of the must-see attractions there are the ancient ruins, religious structures, and exotic cities, and it was quite a difficult task to make our collection of the top 27 tourist attractions in India.
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Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal is a red sandstone five-story structure that can be found in the heart of Jaipur.
It is considered as one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, nicknamed ‘the Palace of the Wind’, and it used to be a place from where royal women looked at street activities while hidden from the view of the people down there.
This pyramid-shaped palace has 953 windows, and each of them boasts an intricate design.
The palace was constructed in 1799 and it is an example of Rajputana architecture.
Havelock Island
Havelock Island is popular for its ecotourism.
At Havelock Island, which is the largest island in Ritchie’s Archipelago in the Andaman Islands, you will find Redhanagar Beach, believed to be one of the best beaches in Asia.
The island is not as crowded as other islands in Asia, but it has to offer everything a tourist would need – great beaches, snorkeling, and scuba diving opportunities.
Our suggestion is to visit it during the period from mid-January to mid-May when the sea is calm.
Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is an ideal location for people who wish to see wildlife in its habitat.
Bandhavgarh National Park is definitely one of India’s most popular national parks where a visitor gets the opportunity to see leopards, barking deer, sloth bears, hyenas, and Indian bison.
The greatest feature of this park is Bengal tigers, but only 10 percent of visitors managed to see one.
You should come here either early in the morning or late in the afternoon, as this is the best time to see the wildlife.
Dharamsala
Dharamsala is the place that used to be the home for the Dalai Lama after escaping from Tibet as well as the home to the Tibetan government in exile.
The name Dharamsala means a spiritual dwelling and this was a place for pilgrims to rest.
It requires advance planning but it is possible to attend one of the Dalai Lamas public teaching sessions.
Dharamsala is most frequently visited by hiking enthusiasts and tourists who are interested in yoga and Indian cooking lessons.
Pushkar Camel Fair
The Pushkar Camel Fair is a place that you should visit if you want to take a camel home, as this can be a souvenir of your trip to India.
The Pushkar Camel Fair lasts for two weeks in the fall and offers people an opportunity to buy some other livestock as well.
About 1,000 animals are bought and sold during this fair.
However, the fair has transformed not only into a place where farmers buy and sell livestock but also into a full-scale festival where tourists can see camel races, sports events, carnival rides, and even mustache competitions.
Ranakpur Temple
Ranakpur Temple is an impressive Jain temple known for its art and architecture.
It is considered one of the world’s best.
The temple was built in the 15th century and the construction works lasted 50 years.
This is one of the largest temples in India as it has 29 halls and 80 domes.w
What makes it famous are its 1,444 unique pillars.
You can see the statues of deities at the top of each dome as well as jaw-dropping carvings in the interior.
Varkala Beach
Varkala Beach is most frequently visited by tourists who would like to take a break from sightseeing.
It is a sandy beach with impressive cliffs, ideal for sunbathing and swimming.
According to the Discovery Channel, Varkala Beach is one of the top 10 seasonal beaches in the world.
This place is known for its mineral springs and it is believed that swimming in them heals ailments and purifies one’s sins.
Travelers who go sightseeing typically pay a visit to Janardhana Swami Temple, a 2,000-year-old temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu.
Darjeeling
Darjeeling is a town located in northeast India well known around the world for tea, trains, and scenic beauty.
Darjeeling tea is famous as a thin, light-colored, aromatic tea.
The leaves that this tea is made of are grown in the hills around Darjeeling.
Once you get on the skyline, you can see the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayan foothills.
The access is possible either by a three-hour car ride from the nearest airport or a seven-hour journey on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railroad.
Qutb Minar
Qutb Minar is well known as the second-highest brick minaret in the world, towering 80 meters (270 feet).
Qutb Minar construction started in 1193 and lasted four years.
The result of this was this spectacular minaret that is made of marble and red sandstone bricks all of them carved with sayings from the Koran.
The top can be reached by using a circular staircase with 379 steps, but it is unfortunately closed to visitors.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque built in India, is located at the minaret’s foot.
Thikse Monastery
Thikse Monastery may seem familiar to travelers who have been to Tibet, due to the fact that this 12-story building resembles the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
The only difference is that Thikse Monastery, this Buddhist monastery, is located in Ladakh, India.
Similar to Tibetian one, Thikse Monastery is located at a high elevation – 3,600 meters (11,800 feet) and it contains the tallest statue, a 14-meter (45-foot) high depiction of Maitreya.
Some of the most important Buddhist art – stupas and wall paintings, can be seen there.
Mysore Palace
The Mysore Palace complex is considered the second most popular tourist attraction in India, as it consists of seven spectacular palaces.
Mysore was under the rule of the Wodeyars from 1399 to 1950, so the original palace was built in 1399 while the current palace was completed in 1912.
The new three stories high palace is a mixture of Muslim, Hindu, Gothic, and Rajput styles.
It is well known as the location of the annual art and culture festival – Dasara.
Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort is the most impressive and one of the largest forts in India.
It can be found atop a hill overlooking Jodhpur.
Mehrangarh Fort was built in the mid-15th century and nowadays, its visitors get the opportunity to see cannonball imprints on one of the seven entrance gates.
Inside of it, there are beautifully decorated palaces and a museum with a collection of palanquins, musical instruments, royal cradles, and costumes.
Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National Park is the place where you can see animals in the wild.
Jim Corbett National Park is India’s oldest national park where people can see the endangered Bengal tiger.
The park was established in 1936 and was renamed in 1954 to honor Jim Corbett, who is known as the author and wildlife conservationist, who is credited with the creation of this nature reserve.
Due to the thick ve jungles and forest, it is not always possible to see the tiger, so we suggest coming from April to June.
Other wildlife that lives there include elephants, leopards, rhinoceros, and Himalayan black bears.
Amber Fort
Amber Fort is considered the main tourist attraction around Jaipur.
This place is famous due to its outstanding architecture, and it can be found at the top of a hill.
It was built in the late 16th century and is frequently described as stunning pink and red sandstone and marble structure.
The whole complex is a mixture of Hindu and Rajput styles and you could have seen it in many Bollywood films.
The most famous feature is the Mirror Palace, a room with a pure glass ceiling.
This room was the queen’s room from where she could see the stars before she fell asleep.
The only access there is on foot, a 4WD vehicle, or an elephant.
Meenakshi Amman Temple
Meenakshi Amman Temple is a remarkable Hindu temple built in the sixth century.
However, the current structure was built a thousand years later.
The temple is located on the Vaigai River and it is definitely the most important temple in Madurai, a 2,500 years old city.
It boasts 14 towers, each of them dedicated to a god or person, and around 33,000 sculptures and paintings.
Khajuraho
The Khajuraho is a group of temples that combine art with eroticism.
This tourist attraction was built around the 10th century, but only 25 of the original 85 temples remain today.,
It boasts of being the finest medieval temple art, not only in India but in the whole world.
This is the largest group of Hindu and Jain temples in the world, and all its carvings and sculptures represent women’s traditional lifestyles.
Even some of the carvings are sexually explicit.
Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves are tourist attractions in Inia that date back to the 2nd century BC.
Unfortunately, the Ajanta caves were abandoned around 650 AD and forgotten.
In 1819, a British hunting party accidentally came across them.
The isolation contributed to the preservation of everything that could be found inside, so some of their paintings remain even today.
You can see the murals representing battlefields and sailing ships, city streets, and snow-covered mountains.
From the city of Aurangabad, you can easily reach the Ajanta Caves as well as the equally stunning Ellora Caves.
Kerala backwaters
The Kerala backwaters consist of lagoons and lakes that are parallel to the Arabian Sea coast in the Kerala state.
You will be able to see many unique species of aquatic life such as crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds, otters, and turtles.
These days, houseboat tourism is the most popular tourist activity.
The several large Kettuvallams which are traditional rice boats are transformed into floating hotels.
Lake Palace
The Lake Palace is located in the city of Udaipur.
It was built as a royal summer palace in the 18th century, but nowadays it is transformed into a luxury 5 Star hotel.
The Lake Palace hotel operates under the “Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces” and has a boat for the guests to be transported to the hotel from a pier at the City Palace on the east bank of Lake Pichola.
The palace became very famous in 1983 when the James Bond film Octopussy was filmed there.
Virupaksha Temple
The Virupaksha Temple is located in the city of Hampi.
It used to be a small shrine but throughout history, it was transformed into a large complex under the Vijayanagara rulers.
This temple has been functioning successively since the small shrine was built in the 7th century AD.
Thus, it is considered one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in India.
Palolem
Palolem is one of Goa’s developed beaches and definitely the most beautiful.
Once there, you will see a natural bay surrounded by superior headlands offering you a calm, idyllic sea.
The beach is largely unspoiled and is inhabited by both local fishermen.
Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is a wildlife reserve in Asia that is well worth visiting.
This is a place where you can, if you are lucky enough, see a tiger in India.
The bamboo forests, grassy meadows, and ravines can be seen in Kanha and that is exactly what provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel “Jungle Book”.
Harmandir Sahib
The Harmandir Sahib is also known as the Golden Temple.
This is the main tourist attraction in Amritsar, as it is considered an important religious place to the Sikhs.
Guru Ramdas Ji. in the 16th century started building this temple, but in the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh covered the upper floors with gold.
This stunning temple is constantly full of thousands of pilgrims from all over India, who are delighted to see in person what they usually only see on television.
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is set in Rajasthan, close to the border with Pakistan.
Jaisalmer is the typical desert town, known for the walls of the “Golden City” that rise from the Thar desert.
The Jaisalmer Fort crowns the city.
Unfortunately, uncontrolled commercialism has destroyed the real feel of Jaisalmer.
However, once all the tour buses leave the place, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in India.
Ellora Caves
We have already mentioned the spectacular Ellora Caves, and they are one of the largest monastery-temple cave complexes in the world.
It has 100 caves in total, but only 34 are open to visitors.
The largest single monolithic rock excavation is found at the Kailasa Temple and it is so huge that covers an area double the size of the Parthenon in Athens.
The caves were constructed sometime between the seventh and ninth centuries and they are devoted to Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainism deities.
Varanasi
Varanasi is a sacred city to Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.
It belongs to the oldest incessantly inhabited cities in the world.
The city is situated on the banks of the River Ganges and it symbolizes both the very best and worst aspects of India.
Once there, you will be able to see pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganges at sunrise and this is definitely one of the most impressive sights in the world.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is an enormous mausoleum in Agra.
It is made of white marble, sometime between 1632 and 1653 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife.
This mausoleum is one of the masterpieces of Mughal architecture, and certainly the greatest tourist attraction in India.
The Taj Mahal does not consist only of this mausoleum, but it also includes several other beautiful buildings, reflecting pools, and extensive ornamental gardens.