Footprint India

I spent several weeks in 2004 traveling through India using only this guide. The hotel listings were very helpful and even a relative that accompanied me on my travels (who is a cosmopolitan native) was impressed at the hotels we found for very reasonable rates and convenient locations. I always asked to view the room before checking in because my standards vary from their standards, but this book gave me a great headstart on which hotels to visit. If I didn't agree with their recommendation, I always found a similar hotel. It is a bit thin on the history and culture, for which I suggest a Fodor's.

Great introduction to the regions and their attractions? Check. Detailed descriptions of even the smallest places of interest? Check. Quick but practical hotel and restaurant ratings? Check. In-depth information on history, politics, geology and landscape, vegetation, including crops, wildlife, religion, culture, festivals, economy? Check! Extensive information on getting around, routes from A to B (and many alternatives), trekking, air and train travel, cycling etc? Check. This guide really has everything you need, practical and educational - and in a very practical little package to boot (hard cover, small size, paper-thin pages to avoid too much bulk). The authors' biographies are revealing: one of them is a bona fide expert, a professor of South Asian Geography at the School of Oriental and African Studies. It's that kind of company you need to get a grip on a country like India. And you usually don't get it - most guidebooks are written by people who are simply more experienced in travel than your average joe, but have no in-depth knowledge of the country. What it lacks, compared to Lonely Planet/Rough Guides is a chummy, get-a-load-of-this tone. Unadorned information me seem dry to some, but to others it is a relief compared to guides whose authors assume you share their prejudices. For instance, hotel listings are terse. A typical entry reads: "Category E, 130 rooms, some A/C (better rm on upper floor),restaurant (Indian veg.) rec; reasonably clean but gets crowded and noisy" It's worth looking through other guidebooks if you want restaurant and hotel listings fleshed out for you. But if you only carry one guidebook to India, let it be this one.

We started our five week tour of India with Let's Go India Nepal, and found the Footprint guide four weeks into our tour. After looking it over, we quickly realized how much detail, clarity, and completeness we were missing. We didn't open Let's Go again, other than to retrieve our bookmark.Some of the telephone numbers were slightly off, but that is par for the course in India. The correct numbers were easily located via directory assistance, which the book informed us of.We stayed at two of the highly recommended hotels between US$5 and US$6 a piece and were delighted by the overall quality and cleanliness we found.Its descriptions of some of the sights surpassed even that of our tour guide.We liked this guide so much that we now use Footprint guides for our travels wherever they are available and up to date.WARNING: The guide warns that the prices for many tourist attractions will go up on Jan 1, 2001. They actually went up on October 18, 2000. Now at most major tourist sites in India, foreigners pay the same number of dollars as Indian's pay rupees.

I spent one month travelling all over India with the 1999 edition of the India Handbook and what a life saver it was. The book was fantastic with its information and right on the money everytime with hotel rates, ferry schedules, etc. The brief anecdotes were especially helpful and I really appreciated the open mind the book had quick not to judge a country full of many different aspects. The book was enlightening and in my hand all the time, but my mind was still open to new experiences which were not preconceived by the authors. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who really wants to experience India in a different light!

We hav just completed an excellent three week journey through India. Much of this would simply have not been possible without the help and guidance of this excellent guide. For instance we have just come back by road from Goa to Mumbai through some very varied and interesting countryside including a trip up into the Ghats which was quite hairaising anlong narrow, twisty roads. The road conditions were such that it took us much longer than we anticipated. The Handbook did not let is down but suggested an excellent hotel at Kiplung. In addition, we found that the descriptions of the sites more than compensated for not having guides available at Orccha for instance. The only time we had problems was when we did not consult the guide sufficiently!