Cultural

The cultural tag covers 27 trips, more than any other tag on this site. All of them are private and guided — your own car, your own guide, your own start date. They run from 6 days in Bhutan to 25 days across South India, and from EUR 750 to EUR 3,140 per person. What connects them is the built record: Mughal forts, Hindu and Buddhist temples, old royal cities, colonial ports, and the UNESCO sites in between.

India — 12 trips, from EUR 1,000

India carries the most cultural routes. The shortest complete one is Golden Triangle & Spirituality, 8 days from EUR 1,175: the Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi, the Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, then Varanasi for the evening Aarti on the ghats and Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. The last leg flies Varanasi–Delhi, and that flight is in the price.

The magic of Rajasthan is the cheapest India route — EUR 1,000 for 10 days — and mixes forts with three safaris: Sariska, Ranthambhore, and a boat safari on the Chambal at Dholpur, where you sleep in the Raj Niwas Palace. For more of Rajasthan, On the trails of the Maharajas runs 15 days from EUR 1,840 and adds the Bundi stepwells, Udaipur, the desert at Manvar, and blue Jodhpur. Royal Rajasthan & Varanasi, 14 days from EUR 1,520, joins the Shekhawati havelis and Ranthambhore to the ghats.

Two long routes go further. North India – landscapes and culture, 21 days from EUR 2,300, starts in Ahmedabad, crosses to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, takes a rural train through the Shekhawati region, then finishes at Fatehpur Sikri, Rishikesh, and Haridwar. The diversity of South India, 25 days from EUR 2,860, is the temple route: Mahabalipuram, Kumbakonam, Madurai, the Jain sanctuary at Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid, Hampi, the Ooty toy train, ending on the beach in Goa. If 25 days is too long, South India – Exotic World covers the core in 11 days from EUR 1,570.

One trip has fixed dates. Golden Triangle & Colors of India, 7 days from EUR 1,515, is built around Holi in a Jaipur garden, and also includes a handblock printing session with local printers, a cooking class in a private home, and a sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola. Everything else here you book for whatever dates suit you. See Indien and the Golden Triangle for the regions.

Sri Lanka — 6 trips, from EUR 750

The wonderful world of Sri Lanka is the cheapest cultural trip in the catalogue: 13 days from EUR 750. It takes in all four of the island's major historical sites — the Dambulla cave temples, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, and Anuradhapura — plus the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the Lankatilaka temple, the Ella Rock hike, and Horton Plains.

Between culture and jungle, 14 days from EUR 1,380, pairs those sites with Udawalawe, the Sinharaja rainforest, and the Dutch fort at Galle. Sri Lanka's glory at EUR 1,050 and Culture & nature at EUR 1,120 build in real beach time. Forests, tea plantations & culture at EUR 1,140 includes the climb of Adam's Peak. Breathtaking nature & culture from EUR 1,220 runs Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Yala, and Galle, then ends in the Maldives.

Nepal — 6 trips, from EUR 930

The world of Nepal is the short version, 9 days from EUR 930: Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Chitwan for jungle drives and one-horned rhino, Pokhara with the 5am sunrise from Sarangkot at 1,592 metres, then Dhulikhel and Nagarkot. Temples, shrines & Himalayas doubles that to 14 days from EUR 1,350 and adds the monasteries at Pharping, the Ramkot hike, and the Shanti Stupa. Culture and Himalayan hiking (14 days, EUR 1,760) and Impressions of Nepal (17 days, EUR 1,640) spend longer in the hills. More on Nepal.

Bhutan — 3 trips, from EUR 2,010

Bhutan costs more per day than anywhere else on this page, because of the country's own tourism tariff. The land of happiness is 6 days from EUR 2,160: Rinpung Dzong in Paro, Thimphu, the 3,080-metre Dochula Pass with its 108 chortens, an hour's walk up to the Chime Lhakhang temple, and the Tiger's Nest on the cliff above the Paro valley. The magic of the gigantic Himalayas, 8 days from EUR 2,010, swaps in Punakha and the Ha Valley. The Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, 8 days from EUR 2,500, adds a hike to Bumdra monastery before the Tiger's Nest. See Bhutan.

What is included, and what is not

Every trip on this page includes a German-speaking guide, hotels, breakfast, a bottle of water on arrival, and a number you can call around the clock while you are travelling. International flights are not included. Domestic flights written into the route are — the Varanasi–Delhi leg on Golden Triangle & Spirituality, the Bagdogra flight on Colourful Rajasthan & Himalayas. Rooms come as Standard, Deluxe, Superior, or Executive. There is no five-star tier in this catalogue, and we would rather say so now than at the hotel door.

When to go

Timing matters more here than on a beach trip, because you walk most of a cultural itinerary. Read best time to visit India month by month, Sri Lanka, Nepal, or Bhutan before fixing dates. Still choosing between two countries? India or Sri Lanka puts them side by side.