Where to Go in India: Beach, Hills or a City Break?

Which sounds more like a holiday to you: a morning around Jaipur's palaces, an afternoon by the sea, or a few days in the hills? Manali, Goa, Jaipur, Kerala and the Andamans offer quite different breaks. The place that looks good in a photograph may still involve more driving, hotel changes or early starts than you want.

Here is a way to narrow it down before you start booking.

Five places, five different holidays

Our suggested stays exclude the journey from home. Add time if you prefer slower days.

Manali, when you want a few days in the hills

Manali belongs on your list if mountain scenery is what you are looking forward to. Solang Valley and Hadimba Devi Temple give you two places to build a visit around. You can also leave an afternoon for a walk, a meal and time back at your stay.

The important detail is the journey. Put the drive to your hotel on the itinerary before filling the following morning with sightseeing. If your group dislikes long days in a car, keep the outings close together and leave a longer excursion for another day.

It is also worth deciding whether you want Manali alone or a route that includes Kasol. Both can appear under “Himachal holiday”, but they use your time differently. Our Himachal guide is a useful starting point; the Manali–Kasol cost guide covers that combined route.

Goa, with time left for the beach

A Goa trip does not need an outing every morning. You might want the beach to be most of the holiday, with one day in Panaji or Old Goa. Or you might prefer moving around, eating out and seeing a different part of the state.

Decide that before choosing the hotel. Look at where your planned outings are and how they fit around one base. A hotel can suit your room budget and still be awkward for the places you want to visit.

For three or four nights, try writing down just the outings you would be disappointed to miss. Leave the other gaps free. A long breakfast or a quiet afternoon is part of a holiday too.

There are more ideas in the Goa guide. For a budget outline, use the Goa trip cost guide, then get a quote for your dates and chosen stay.

Jaipur, for a short break with plenty to see

Jaipur gives a shorter trip a clear focus: Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, the City Palace and time in the markets. It is a good one to discuss if your group enjoys architecture and city sightseeing.

Pick the visits that interest you most. Trying to cover every named stop can leave little time to enjoy any of them. If someone in the group prefers a slower day, make a market visit or an extra stop optional.

When travelling with parents, the useful details are specific: stairs, walking, where the car drops you and where you can take a break. Those answers tell you more than a package being labelled “family-friendly”.

You can keep Jaipur as a city break or make it part of a longer trip. The Rajasthan guide and Rajasthan trip cost guide will help you look at both; a multi-city circuit needs a different budget and number of nights.

Kerala: choose the places you want to stay in

Munnar's hills, the backwaters around Alappuzha, also called Alleppey, and Varkala's coast each offer a different kind of stay. You do not need all three on one holiday.

Start with hills, backwaters or the coast, whichever matters most to you. Then see whether a second area fits the time you have. Give the transfer a place in the plan, rather than treating it as spare time between two full sightseeing days.

The stay itself deserves some attention. For a houseboat, find out what the proposed booking includes and how boarding works. For a hotel, look at the room and access arrangements your group will actually use.

The Kerala guide has more ideas. Our Kerala trip cost guide explains the main parts of a budget, including the choices that can change the final price.

The Andamans: leave room between island transfers

The Andamans are worth considering when the island stay is the main reason for going. Swaraj Dweep, formerly Havelock Island, is one option for beach time. Start with where you want to stay and work the arrival, departure and island connections around it.

Write the hotel nights and transfers on the same page. That makes it easier to see how much of each day you have free. If you want another island in the route, give it enough time to be a stay you enjoy.

A water activity can be a separate decision once the dates and route are settled. The operator needs to confirm its current arrangements and conditions.

The Andaman trip cost guide breaks down the main expenses, from stays to transfers.

What does everyone want from the trip?

Before sending a list of destinations around the family group, ask each person what they would enjoy doing. One person might want full days out. Another may be looking forward to eating together and having nowhere to rush to.

Agree on a couple of priorities and how many days you can be away. That gives you a useful brief. Our customised travel planning guide explains how we turn those details into an itinerary.

Before you settle on a quote

When two quotes look very different, start with what each includes: hotel nights and room type, meals, transport, activities and the final amount payable. Then look at the payment and cancellation terms.

Our holiday package checklist helps with that comparison. Destination weather, travel advice and the proposed services still need checking for your dates; a seasonal label alone is not enough to book around.

If none of these five places is quite what you had in mind, try the offbeat India guide. You can also browse domestic trips or use the trip finder.

Tell us who is coming, where you are starting and how many days you have. If you already have a place in mind, tell us what drew you to it. If you are still deciding, we can start there too. Send us a message.

Sources

Destination details checked on 27 October 2026: Incredible India's guides to Manali, Goa, Kerala and the Andamans, and Rajasthan Tourism's Jaipur itineraries.

FAQs

Goa or the Andamans for a beach holiday? Start with the time you have and the journey you want. For Goa, the main choice is your base and the outings around it. For the Andamans, put the island connections beside your hotel nights before deciding how many places to include.

How many nights should I spend in Jaipur? Two or three nights is a starting point for a city break. Add time if you want slower sightseeing days or plan to continue elsewhere in Rajasthan.

Can I include hills and backwaters in a Kerala trip? Yes, a route can include both. Allow time for the move between stays and decide which visits matter most. With fewer nights, spending longer in one area may suit you better.

What should I consider when travelling with elderly parents? Start with what they enjoy and how they feel about walking, stairs, driving and boat boarding. Ask for details of the actual room, transfers and visits. A destination name on its own cannot answer those questions.

Are the linked cost guides my final trip price? No. They contain dated examples and explain the costs to consider. Your booking needs a fresh written quote for your dates, group and chosen services, with inclusions, exclusions and payment terms.