Food Tour of India

Your flight lands at Delhi’s international airport. Delhi is one of the most historic capitals in the world. As you exit the aircraft you are met by your airport representative. You will be assisted through Immigrations, Customs and baggage collection. On exiting the terminal you transfer to your waiting vehicle and you are driven directly to your hotel. At the hotel, you check in and the rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Delhi.

Begin your exploration with a historic tour of Old Delhi on a cycle rickshaw and ride through the crowded streets of the 300-year old wholesale market that sells an extraordinary variety of items – silver, jewellery, aromatic spices, leather, fruit, and vegetables. Next visit the Jama Masjid and Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial. After lunch, drive through Lutyen’s Delhi, once the Imperial capital of the former British Empire. Visit the majestic Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India, India Gate and Humayun’s Tomb, the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The evening is at leisure. Overnight in Delhi.

No trip to India is complete without a train journey. You can forget the images of overcrowded compartments and people sitting on the roof. On long distance trains, the travel is both safe and comfortable. And your seats are booked in advance. You enjoy the hospitality of the Indian Railways today as you take the superfast train to Agra. The time is a mere two hours and on arrival, you are met by your representative and transferred to your waiting vehicle. Your destination is the mighty Agra Fort. This is a magnificent 16th century fortress and remains as one of the finest Mughal forts in India. There are several mosques, public halls used for audiences, the elaborate Mirror Palace, and a white marble tower where Shah Jahan’s son imprisoned him for eight years until his death. And from his prison window he could see the stunning Taj Mahal which he had built for his favorite wife. From here you make your way to the famous monument. The Taj Mahal truly is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture in the world, and as the rays of the sun fall on the marble tomb the monument perfectly reflects in the stillness of the pools adding to the beauty, majesty and splendor. A monument of love built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1630 for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains, 20,000 men labored day and night for twenty two years to build this masterpiece which has held the world awestruck ever since. Have lunch before boarding your waiting vehicle and driving back to Delhi. The drive takes approximately four hours. The evening is at leisure. Overnight in Delhi.

After breakfast you will be transferred from your hotel to the airport for flight to Ahmedabad. On arrival, meet your Luxe representative and proceed to your hotel. This afternoon you will visit Sabarmati (Gandhi Ashram). In peaceful, shady grounds on the Sabarmati River’s west bank, this ashram was Gandhi’s headquarters from 1917 to 1930 during the long struggle for Indian independence. Gandhi’s poignant, spartan living quarters are preserved, and there’s a museum that presents a moving and informative record of his life and teachings. After the visit to the museum, spend time in a most unusual museum at Vishala, where centuries old utensils are displayed which showcase the evolution of Indian cooking techniques. The collection has utensils from various parts of the country and includes traditional urns, pots, coffee filters to name a few. After the visit, you get the opportunity to see the creativity used to prepare steamed snacks in this region. Watch nimble fingers roll thin sheets of chickpea flour into khandvi, shaping the rolled paatra using colocasia leaves, smearing rice flour on banana leaves to create the delicate paanki. Understand the process of tempering that is used throughout India to finish a dish and to bring out the most of the flavours of the spices. Luxeperience: Tonight, enjoy a Thaali dinner at a famous restaurant. The thaali is a popular tradition especially in this part of the region. This is a pre-plated meal and allows you to taste several dishes. More importantly, this meal reflects the traditional hospitality of the country. You will have to quickly learn the skill of politely refusing or else be prepared to over-eat! Overnight in Ahmedabad.

After breakfast, proceed to Modhera. Two hours outside of the city, is the stunning 11 Century CE, the Sun Temple at Modhera dedicated to the Sun God. While parts of the temple have been destroyed, and the gold idol stolen by invading armies, the remains stand testimony to the magnificence of this region’s architecture. A short distance away is Patan, which was the capital of this region during the medieval times and is home to one of the most painstaking weaving techniques called Patola. Patola is an intricate silk weaving technique in the ikat tradition practiced only in Patan. This rare art is practiced by just one family in this area, who has passed the craft down from one generation to the next. The town also has a beautiful stepped well that is several storeys deep with intricate carvings on its pillars. Luxeperience: After a quick visit to the stepped well, we will organize a picnic lunch for you, cooked by one of the local families. Large tiffin boxes bursting with theplas and aloo ki sabzi and various dry snacks and pickles will be served for you to feast upon. Return to the city after lunch and afternoon is at leisure. In the evening, we take you on a street food walk that showcases completely different variety of food available and highlights the locals’ obsession with it. A famous foodie couple from Ahmedabad will lead this walk. The area where walk begins is home to a vegetable and jewellery market in the mornings but in the evenings, it morphs into a bustling market serving street-food. The experience is incredible; the local chaat stalls teeming with people yelling out their orders of snacks, the aroma of hot savoury dumplings being fried in huge vats of oil, the din of people laughing, chatting all over helpings of kulfi and ice creams, the walk is a perfect opportunity to see how food binds people and communities together. Overnight in Ahmedabad.

You bid goodbye to Ahmedabad and fly to the historic city of Lucknow this morning. On arrival you are met and transferred to your hotel where you check –in. In the novel, Kim, Rudyard Kipling wrote 'no city - except Bombay, the Queen of all - was more beautiful in her garish style than Lucknow', and in the 18th century Lucknow was one of the most architecturally beautiful of India's cities. Start by exploring Lucknow's historic buildings, monuments and mausoleums that are a architectural mix of British Raj and Nawab influences; explore the Bara Imanbara and Chota Imanbara before heading to the Hussainabad picture gallery, where you can see a range of portraits depicting the former Nawabs. Explore the Dikusha Palace and the Rumi Darwaza, which was constructed in 1786 and incorporates an eight faceted chattri. La Martiniere College is worth a stop. It was built as the country home of the French soldier, Laude Martin, who made his fortune as a trader in Lucknow and endowed it as a school upon his death in 1800. Explore the cultural aspect of Lucknow on a walking tour in the evening through Lucknow's ancient alleyways, nooks and crannies, past medieval temples and mosques. Explore crumbing houses with ornate windows, local markets selling freshly cut flowers, silverware, hookahs, itar (oil based perfumes) and Chikan embroidery work. Lucknow is famous for Awadhi Cuisine which was perfected by the Nawabs who were not only gracious hosts but also extremely fond of good, tasty and nutritious food. The art of slow cooking was invented here. Luxeperience: Tonight, dress-up to the occasion in traditional Lakhnawi attire to dine in the unique Dastarkhwan style with a descendant of the Nawab’s family. On arrival at the home of an erstwhile royal family of Lucknow, you will be greeted by the family, after a short introduction and customary wishes, enjoy in their company a most lavish meal that would have the following dishes: Korma (braised meat in thick gravy), Salan (a gravy dish of meat or vegetable), Keema (minced meat), Kababs (pounded meat fried or roasted over a charcoal fire), Bhujia (cooked vegetables), Dal, Pasanda (fried slivers of very tender meat, usually kid, in gravy). Deseert of course follows as no meals can end without sweet. It truly is a feast fit for royalty. Return to your hotel after dinner. Overnight in Lucknow.

After a relaxed start you transfer to the airport for your flight to Kolkata. India’s second largest city, Kolkata is also its cultural hub. The former capital during the British Raj and a trading post of the powerful East India Company, the city still retains many architectural relics including the splendid marble Victoria Memorial. But it also offers tourists opportunities to explore lively markets, stroll through lush gardens, iconic temple visits and simple boat trips on the Hooghly River. On arrival you are met and transferred by your Luxe representative to hotel. Luxeperience: Bengali cuisines is one of the few cuisines in India in which the meal is served course-wise rather than all at once. This evening, you get a rare glimpse of the old way of life, now sadly endangered. Your host is an art collector and socialite and the venue for dinner is his charming apartment in historic Chowringhee. Enjoy an authentic and home-cooked Bengali cuisine while partaking in stimulating conversation on Hinduism, culture, food, and other traditions of Bengal. Return to your hotel after dinner. Overnight in Kolkata.

Le Passage to India experience: The iconic tearoom which you will visit is more than just a landmark tearoom in Kolkata. It is perhaps one of the few places that retains the atmosphere of 1930s British India, it serves the best of continental food and finest Darjeeling Tea. After tucking your way through a traditional English breakfast served here, enjoy a full day tour of this city that starts after breakfast. Begin at the Victoria Memorial containing a collection of Victorian memorabilia, including Queen Victoria's Piano. Nearby is the old British fort, Fort William and the 48-metre high monument along with the Kalighat temple and the Raj Bhavan which was once the residence of the British Viceroy in India. The Indian Museum is perhaps one of the country’s best museums and offers a rich collection of art, as well as fossils and meteorites. Kolkata’s large Chinese community once thrived and made their mark on the city. To get a better understanding of this community, their cuisine and the ‘Indianization’ of Chinese food, your lunch this afternoon will be at a little restaurant that functions in the home of one such Chinese family, located in central Kolkata. The food is typically Indian Chinese cuisine that is now gaining popularity around the world. In simple surroundings, enjoy a meal including specialties like Chimney Soup, Cantonese Noodles, Steamed fresh water fish (whole), and other Indian-Chinese favourites. After lunch spend the afternoon in College Street in the university quarter and sip coffee surrounded by the intelligentsia at the famous Indian Coffee House. It gives you a healthy understanding of Kolkata’s long-standing reputation, as a centre for learning and political philosophy. In the evening, take a walk on banks of the River Hugli for an excellent view of the Howrah Bridge, crossed each day by more than a million commuters. Here, board your private boat and enjoy a trip to the former French, Dutch and Portuguese settlements on the banks of the river. Overnight at Hotel.

The morning is at leisure with your vehicle and guide available at your disposal. Afternoon fly to the city of Nizams "Hyderabad". Set along the Musi River, on the Deccan Plateau, Hyderabad has been a regional capital and centre of trade and commerce for over 500 years. The city earned the nickname ‘City of Pearls’ as it was once a global centre for pearl and diamond trade. Today’s Hyderabad is modern and cosmopolitan but still has a very palpable strong Muslim influence, especially in the old city. On arrival in Hyderabad, you are met and transfer to your stunning hotel. After you have freshened up, take a tour of the Palace with the in-house historian that ends with a classic Palace High Tea. While enjoying the beautiful view of the city below, try out the delicacies of the past that have been transformed into gourmet bites by a highly qualified team at the Palace. Post the high tea, you can relax and enjoy the royal surroundings of the Palace. Overnight in Hyderabad.

A true local can spend hours debating the best place to have a cup of Irani tea and people have come close to blows over arguments of the best Haleem joints in town. The cuisine of Hyderabad is a result of its history of over four centuries and the right to good food is simply taken for granted by both the people of this city and visitors. Today as you take a food walk through the busy vegetable markets and by-lanes of the old city, you will get a glimpse into the food ethos of this region as well as get a first- hand experience of the Hyderabadi passion for good food. The food walk ends at a monument where we will have a special stall set up serving the typical breakfast of this region. Watch crisp dosas being cooked in front of you and meet a local expert who will explain the Islamic food practices and how they have played a role in the evolution of the Indian cuisine. After breakfast, begin your exploration of this former capital of a royal domain that’s filled with interesting palaces, museums and other cultural sites. Visit the landmark Charminar, the 17th-century Mecca Masjid mosque, Chowmahalla Palace, Salar Jung Museum, Golconda Fort and the royal tombs of the Qutab Shahi dynasty. End the sightseeing with a stroll through Laad Bazaar, which is filled with small shops selling lacquer bangles, pearl jewelry, inlaid metalwork and other local crafts. It’s a colourful, busy and vibrant market with great opportunities to interact with the friendly locals. The evening is at leisure. Overnight in Hyderabad.

On the agenda for today is the city’s quintessential "Biryani tour". One of the most popular dishes of Hyderbadi cuisine is the Biryani. Technically speaking, it is just a dish of rice and meat cooked with some spices but it evokes the most passionate emotions among many foodies. The tour will reveal the delectable path that this dish has taken across the different parts of India. On this tour, we will get a detailed cooking lesson on making of a biryani and enjoy a sumptuous meal with one of the traditional families in Hyderabad. The afternoon is at leisure. Tonight a special farewell dinner will bring down the curtain on your tour of India. This evening, at an exclusive venue you get to enjoy a tasting menu put together by the Chef that aims to showcase the best dishes India and this city to offer. Pair the starters with a glass of chilled rose champagne and the evening is certainly off to a good start. A fine Riesling complements the entrees that include many local delicacies and of course, biryani. The last act is a tasting plate of rich, traditional sweets which wraps up this truly superb evening. Overnight in Hyderabad.

The morning is at leisure. Your escort and vehicle are at your disposal. Later, depending on the time of your international flight you are assisted with your transfer to the airport for your homebound journey.