Indien

A regular nominee among travelers’ favorite beaches in India, Gokarna attracts a crowd for a low-key, chilled-out beach holiday and not for full-scale parties. Most accommodation is in thatched bamboo huts along the town's several stretches of blissful coast.

Welcome to the lush Western Ghats, some of the most precious heat relief in India. Rising like an impassable bulwark of evergreen and deciduous tangle, from north of Mumbai to the tip of Tamil Nadu, the World Heritage–listed Ghats (with an average elevation of 915m) contain 27% of India’s flowering plant species and an incredible array of endemic wildlife. In Tamil Nadu they rise to over 2000m in the Palani Hills around Kodaikanal and the Nilgiris around Ooty. British influence lingers a little stronger up in these hills, where colonialists built 'hill stations' to escape the sweltering plains and covered slopes in neatly trimmed tea plantations. It’s not just the air and (relative) lack of pollution that’s refreshing – there’s a certain acceptance of quirkiness and eccentricity here. Expect organic farms, handlebar-moustached trekking guides and leopard-print earmuffs.

There are few more refreshing Tamil Nadu moments than leaving the heat-soaked plains for the sharp pinch of a Kodaikanal night or morning. This misty hill station, 75 miles (120km) northwest of Madurai in the protected Palani Hills, is more relaxed and intimate than its big sister Ooty (Kodai is the ‘Princess of Hill Stations’, Ooty the Queen). It’s not all cold either; days feel more like deep spring than early winter.

South Goa is the more serene half of the state, and for many travelers that’s the attraction. There are fewer activities and not as many bars, clubs or restaurants, but overall the beaches of the south are cleaner and not as crowded as those in the north.

A kaleidoscopic blend of Indian and Portuguese cultures, sweetened with sun, sea, sand, seafood, susegad and spirituality, Goa is India's pocket-sized paradise.

Once dubbed the ‘Temple City’, Bhubaneswar is a worthwhile pit stop for a day or two. This will allow you to take in the old city’s holy centre, which surrounds the ceremonial tank called Bindu Sagar. Thousands of medieval stone temples once stood here; around 50 currently remain. Temples aside, there are a couple of worthwhile museums, an ancient cave complex and the most varied dining scene in Odisha, along with a smattering of decent hotels.

Myllrande marknader, minglande Bollywoodstjärnor, skyskrapor, hindutempel, coola kaféer och världens bästa gatumat. Följ med till SVT-reportern Malin Mendels Bombay.

The glittering highlight of this otherwise understated region is Amritsar’s unmissable Golden Temple. Punjab is studded with gleaming gurdwaras (Sikh temples), but it's the Golden Temple that everyone comes to see. Visiting it is a spiritual experience that will stay with you long after you leave India.

Irreverent, cheerful and pleasantly boisterous, Sikkim’s modern capital is layered along a precipitous mountain ridge, descending the hillside in steep tiers. Viewpoints survey plunging green valleys that remain beautiful even when partly shrouded in mist. If the weather plays ball, look for glimpses of snow-topped Khangchendzonga on the distant skyline. More than specific sights, Gangtok is appealing as a place for post-trek R & R or for meeting fellow travelers to organise group tours and permits. The city's mostly pedestrianised social-commercial heart is Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Marg, packed with restaurants, shops, travel agents and a bustling early-evening passeggiata of relaxed wanderers. High above, the contrastingly calm central ridgetop links manicured gardens and an almost jungle-like area around the Chogyal Palace (former royal residence).

For many travelers, Kerala is South India's most serenely beautiful state. This slender coastal strip is defined by its layered landscape: almost 373 miles (600km) of glorious Arabian Sea coast and beaches; a languid network of glistening backwaters; and the spice- and tea-covered hills of the Western Ghats, dotted with fiercely protected wildlife reserves and cool hill stations such as Munnar. Just setting foot on this swathe of soul-soothing, palm-shaded green will slow your subcontinental stride to a blissed-out amble. Kerala is a world away from the hectic action of the rest of India, its long, fascinating backstory illuminated by historically evocative cities like Kochi (Cochin) and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).