Indien

Chennai may be the capital of Tamil Nadu, but Madurai claims its soul. Madurai is Tamil-born and Tamil-rooted, one of the oldest cities in India, a metropolis that traded with ancient Rome and was a great capital long before Chennai was even dreamed of.

Välkommen in i en myllrande verkstad som upptar en hel stadsdel i norra Kolkata. I Kumortuli ser man vidden av festivaler, firanden och den indiska gudavärlden – här tillverkas nämligen skulpturer för hinduismens miljoner gudar och att vandra genom kvarter och gränder är konstnärligt och kulturellt häpnadsväckande.

Few places in India are at once so traveler friendly and enchanting as mountain-framed Leh. Dotted with stupas and whitewashed houses, the Old Town is dominated by a dagger of steep rocky ridge topped by an imposing Tibetan-style palace and fort. Beneath, the bustling bazaar area is draped in a thick veneer of tour agencies, souvenir shops and tandoori-pizza restaurants, but a web of lanes quickly fans out into a green suburban patchwork of irrigated barley fields. Here, gushing streams and narrow footpaths link traditionally styled Ladakhi garden homes that double as charming, inexpensive guesthouses. Leh’s a place that’s all too easy to fall in love with – but take things very easy on arrival as the altitude requires a few days' acclimatization before you can safely start enjoying the area's gamut of adventure activities.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala's capital – still usually referred to by its colonial-era name, Trivandrum – is a relatively compact but energetic city spread across low-lying hills and is an easygoing introduction to urban life down south. Most travelers merely springboard from here to the nearby beaches of Kovalam and Varkala, but Trivandrum (once capital of the princely state of Travancore) has enough good food and intriguing sights – including a zoo, a Travancore palace and a cluster of Victorian museums in glorious neo-Keralan buildings – to justify a stay.

Just nu är det smällhett i norra Indien. Och snart kommer monsunregnen. Sådan tur att du just nu inte behöver resa dit för att uppleva indisk kultur. Det kan du nämligen göra på mycket närmare håll. Närmare bestämt i Kungsträdgården i Stockholm nu på lördag.

Enthralling, historical Jaipur, Rajasthan’s capital, is the gateway to India’s most flamboyant state.

Du kanske har sett bilder på överfulla indiska tåg där passagerarna lutar sig ut genom dörrarna och sitter på taket. Lugn, så illa är det inte. En indisk tågresa är betydligt mer civiliserad och bekvämare än så. I alla fall om du bokar plats i förväg. Vagabonds Indienexpert förklarar vad du bör veta innan du kliver ombord.

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.

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

Orchha could make towns many times its size green with jealousy. At heart, Orchha is nothing but a tiny, agricultural village that shouldn't really be of much interest to anyone, but it was blessed by history: for nearly 300 years it was one of the most important urban areas in this part of India. This has left the small town with a supreme display of Mughal-influenced Rajput architecture in the shape of spectacular palaces, temples and royal chhatris (cenotaphs). And thanks to an important temple dedicated to Rama, it's also a major pilgrimage and spiritual centre. Combine these with a laid-back atmosphere, some fabulous accommodation options, as well as opportunities to enjoy the surrounding pastoral countryside, with walking, cycling and rafting all on the agenda, and you'll understand why Orchha can be considered one of the highlights of Madhya Pradesh.