India is the UK’s most popular long-haul destination outside the USA. And honestly, once you look at the numbers, it makes sense. Direct flights from Heathrow to Delhi take under 9 hours that’s shorter than flying to New York. The time difference is 4.5 hours. English is everywhere. And your pound stretches further in India than almost anywhere else you could go. We’ve been organising India tour packages from UK since 2013. In that time we’ve helped thousands of guests from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and everywhere in between finally book the India trip they’d been putting off. This guide covers everything you need e-Visa, flights, costs in GBP, the best places to go, and a sample 14-day itinerary we’ve built specifically around how British travellers tend to travel.
Table of Contents
- Why British Travellers Are Choosing India Now
- India e-Visa for UK Citizens: Step by Step
- Best Flights from the UK to India (2026)
- Best Destinations for British Travellers
- Sample 14-Day India Itinerary from the UK
- How Much Does an India Holiday from the UK Cost? (GBP)
- Private Tour vs Group Tour: Which Is Right for You?
- Essential Travel Tips for British Visitors to India
- Plan Your Trip with DIPT
1. Why British Travellers Are Choosing India Tour Packages Now
India and Britain have centuries of shared history. That doesn’t make India feel like home — it doesn’t, not at all but it does add something to the experience that visitors from other countries don’t quite get. You recognise the railway stations. The administrative buildings. The hill stations that were built specifically so the British could escape the summer heat. And then you go around a corner in Old Delhi and you’re somewhere that has absolutely nothing to do with any of that, somewhere ancient and overwhelming and completely its own thing.
Beyond the history, the practical case for India from UK is strong right now:
- Heathrow to Delhi in under 9 hours on a direct Air India or British Airways flight
- The pound goes much further here than in Europe, the US or Australia
- October to March is warm and dry across North India good timing if you’re escaping a British winter
- The e-Visa takes about 10 minutes online and costs under £100
- English is widely spoken at hotels, restaurants and major tourist sites
2. India e-Visa for UK Citizens: Step by Step
No consulate visit. No posting your passport anywhere. The India e-Visa is straightforward for British passport holders and the whole thing takes about 10 minutes online.
Which visa to apply for: For a holiday, you want the e-Tourist Visa. It comes in three durations:
- 30-day single entry
- 1-year multiple entry
- 5-year multiple entry
Most of our UK guests go for the 1-year multiple entry — it’s not much more expensive and means you can come back without reapplying.
How to apply:
- Go to the official Indian government portal: indianvisaonline.gov.in
- Fill in the online form — about 10 minutes
- Pay online: roughly £20–£80 depending on which duration you choose
- Your e-Visa arrives by email within 72 hours
- Save it to your phone or print it out — no physical stamp needed
What you need:
- Valid UK passport with at least 6 months left on it
- A digital passport photo
- Your return flight details
- Hotel confirmation for your first night
One thing that catches people out: apply at least 4–5 days before you travel, not 72 hours. During peak season (October through January) processing can run slower than normal. Don’t cut it fine.
3. Best Flights from UK to India (2026)
From London Heathrow (LHR) the best option:
- Air India direct to Delhi: about 8 hours 45 minutes
- British Airways direct to Delhi: about 9 hours
- Virgin Atlantic direct to Delhi: about 9 hours
- Air India direct to Mumbai: about 9 hours 15 minutes
- British Airways direct to Mumbai: about 9 hours 30 minutes
From London Gatwick (LGW): No direct flights. You’ll connect through Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar Airways) or Abu Dhabi (Etihad). Total journey around 11–13 hours.
From Manchester (MAN): No direct flights to India from Manchester — connect via Dubai, Doha or Heathrow. Total around 12–14 hours.
From Birmingham (BHX): Connect via Heathrow, Dubai or Doha. Around 12–14 hours total.
From Edinburgh (EDI): Connect via Heathrow or Dubai. Around 13–15 hours total.
When to book: Book 3–4 months ahead for October to January travel. Heathrow direct flights fill up and prices jump significantly in the 6–8 weeks before departure.
One routing worth knowing: fly into Delhi and out of Mumbai, or the reverse. It avoids backtracking and lets you cover both North and South India on one trip. Both cities have direct flights back to Heathrow.
Approximate return costs from London (2026):
- Economy: £450–£850 per person (book early)
- Business class: £2,500–£5,000 per person
4. Best Destinations for British Travellers
The Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra & Jaipur)
The most popular India tour packages from uk include where most first-time British visitors start, and for good reason. The Taj Mahal. The Red Fort. The palaces of Jaipur. It’s a lot in a good way and it’s all connected by road within a few hours’ drive.
For British visitors specifically, the historical thread through the Golden Triangle runs deeper than it does for most nationalities. The colonial-era architecture of New Delhi. The Mughal forts that British forces occupied and modified. The administrative buildings that look uncannily like something from Whitehall. It’s a strange and interesting layer on top of everything else.
Read our full guide: Golden Triangle Itinerary: How Many Days Do You Need?
Rajasthan
If the Golden Triangle is where British travellers discover India, Rajasthan is usually where they fall in love with it. The desert forts. The lake palaces of Udaipur. The sand dunes outside Jaisalmer. The blue city of Jodhpur. Add 5–7 days to your Golden Triangle and you have a North India loop that covers the parts people are still talking about years later.
Kerala
North and South India are genuinely different countries in terms of climate, food, language and feel. Kerala in the south is greener, slower and more relaxed. The backwaters, the tea plantations in Munnar, the Ayurvedic retreats, the beaches at Varkala it’s a good end to a trip if you’ve spent the first week rushing around Rajasthan. Fly south from Delhi or Jaipur and spend your last 4–5 days doing very little.
Goa
Goa gets unfair criticism from people who’ve never been. Yes, it’s popular with British tourists. It’s also genuinely lovely Portuguese colonial architecture, excellent fresh seafood, and beaches that vary from lively (North Goa) to nearly empty (South Goa, if you pick the right beach). Good as an end to a North India trip before flying home.
Varanasi
Varanasi is the one that stays with people. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, on the banks of the Ganges. The sunrise boat ride watching the ghats wake up, the rituals on the riverbanks, the smoke and the bells and the chaos is unlike anything else in India or anywhere else. Not for everyone. But the guests who go almost always say it was the part of the trip they think about most. Add 2 nights.
5. Sample 14-Day India Itinerary from UK
This is our most popular structure for British travellers. Golden Triangle, then Rajasthan, then Goa to end. Fly in to Delhi, fly home from Goa.
Day 1 — Arrive Delhi Land at IGI Airport. Your driver meets you at arrivals. Hotel. Sleep. The time difference from the UK is only 4.5 hours, so you’ll feel more human than you expect.
Day 2 — Delhi Old Delhi by rickshaw: Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk. New Delhi in the afternoon: India Gate, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar. Dinner in Hauz Khas Village.
Day 3 — Drive to Agra (3–4 hours) Your driver takes you to Agra. Check in, rest. Late afternoon, go to Mehtab Bagh — the garden across the river from the Taj Mahal. Almost nobody goes there. The views back across the water at sunset are better than anything you’ll see from inside the complex.
Day 4 — Agra Taj Mahal at sunrise. Use the East Gate, arrive before 6am. Agra Fort in the morning while you still have energy. Drive to Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri — the Mughal ghost city, abandoned after 14 years for reasons historians still argue about.
Day 5 — Jaipur Amber Fort early, before the heat and the coaches arrive. City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal in the afternoon. Evening in the bazaars of the old walled city.
Day 6 — Jaipur to Jodhpur (5–6 hours) Drive to the Blue City. Mehrangarh Fort at sunset — massive, well-preserved, and the views over the blue-painted streets below it are something else.
Day 7 — Jodhpur to Jaisalmer (4–5 hours) Drive into the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer Fort is a living medieval fort — people actually live and run shops inside the walls.
Day 8 — Jaisalmer Morning in the fort. Afternoon camel safari to the Sam Sand Dunes. Desert sunset. Optional overnight camp in the dunes — basic, but the sky at night out there is extraordinary.
Day 9 — Fly to Goa Drive to Jodhpur airport, fly to Goa (about 2 hours). Check in, swim, eat fish curry.
Days 10–11 — Goa North Goa (Anjuna, Vagator, Baga) if you want beaches with bars and people around. South Goa (Palolem, Agonda) if you want quieter. Old Goa’s Portuguese churches are genuinely worth an hour if you want something other than sand.
Day 12 — Goa Whatever you didn’t do. Sunset cruise on the Mandovi River. Last dinner — lobster, Kingfisher, the usual.
Day 13 — Fly home from Goa Transfer to Dabolim Airport. Home via Mumbai or direct. You’ll be back in the UK by morning.
6. How Much Does an India Holiday from UK Cost? (GBP)
When comparing India tour packages from uk Honest numbers. No vague ranges.
Return flights from London:
- Economy: £450–£850 per person (book 3–4 months ahead)
- Business class: £2,500–£5,000 per person
Private car and driver (14 days):
- £55–£75 per day for a Toyota Innova Crysta
- Full 14 days: roughly £770–£1,050 for the vehicle
Accommodation per night:
- Budget guesthouses: £25–£50
- 3–4 star hotels: £65–£120
- 5-star and heritage palace hotels: £160–£500+
Food per day per person:
- Budget: £12–£20
- Mid-range: £25–£45
- Fine dining: £50–£100
Entrance fees for the full 14 days:
- Taj Mahal: about £10 per person
- Other monuments: £3–£7 each
- Total roughly £50–£80 per person for the trip
Total for 14 days, not including flights:
- Budget: £1,200–£2,000 per person
- Mid-range: £2,000–£3,500 per person
- Luxury: £4,000–£10,000+ per person
On value: a mid-range heritage palace hotel in Rajasthan the kind of place with a courtyard and a rooftop and staff who know your name costs £100–£200 a night. The equivalent in the UK or Europe would be £400+. India is good value. That’s not spin, it’s just the exchange rate.
7. Private Tour vs Group Tour: Which Is Right for You?
Worth thinking about before you book.
Group tours (Cox & Kings, Kuoni, Intrepid, On The Go style):
- Lower upfront cost
- Everything pre-arranged
- Fixed itinerary you go where everyone goes, when everyone goes
- Shared vehicle with 10–20 people you’ve never met
- Sometimes rushed, sometimes inexplicably slow depends entirely on the group
- Shopping stops. Almost always shopping stops.
Private tours with DIPT:
- Your own vehicle and driver for the whole trip
- Leave when you want, stay as long as you like at each place
- Want the Taj Mahal at 5am before the crowds arrive? Easy you’re not waiting for 19 other people
- Nobody else’s schedule, nobody else’s pace
- For couples and families, often cheaper per head than you’d expect
For couples and families specifically, private almost always wins. You’re not paying much more than a group tour, and you get your trip back.
8. Essential Travel Tips for British Visitors to India
Money: £1 gets you roughly 107–110 rupees in 2026. Carry cash for markets, street food and anywhere that doesn’t take cards which is still quite a few places outside the main cities. Don’t exchange at the airport. ATMs in cities are fine.
Health: Bottled water only. See your GP before you go about Hepatitis A and Typhoid jabs most GPs recommend them. Pack Imodium and rehydration salts. The NHS doesn’t cover you abroad, so travel insurance isn’t optional.
SIM card: Buy a Jio or Airtel SIM at the airport on arrival. 4G everywhere that matters, costs almost nothing compared to UK roaming. Get one before you leave the terminal.
Clothing: October to March in North India: warm days (25–30°C), cool evenings (10–15°C). Light layers. A scarf or shawl for temples shoulders and knees covered, non-negotiable at most sites.
Time difference: IST is 4.5 hours ahead of UK GMT in winter, 3.5 hours ahead during BST. Jet lag from India is mild compared to the US or Australia. Most people are fine by day two.
Tipping: Expected and genuinely appreciated. Hotel porters: £1 per bag. Restaurants: 10%. Drivers: £4–8 per day if they’ve been good. Local guides: £8–10 per day.
FCDO advice: Check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india before you travel. India is rated safe for tourists with standard precautions.
9. Plan Your India Holiday from UK with DIPT
We’ve been organising India tour packages from the UK since 2013. Every group couple, family, solo traveller gets their own private AC vehicle and English-speaking driver for the whole trip.
We answer every enquiry ourselves, usually within a few hours. No automated replies, no call centre.
What’s included:
- Private AC vehicle (Toyota Innova Crysta or equivalent)
- English-speaking driver
- All fuel, tolls, state taxes and parking
- Hotel-to-hotel transfers throughout
- 24/7 WhatsApp support
What’s not included:
- International flights
- Hotels (we’ll recommend and book if you want)
- Entrance fees
- Meals
We’re on TripAdvisor and Trustpilot reviews from UK guests, verified, going back years. First-timers and people on their fourth trip.
Ready to plan?
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Driver India Private Tours is based in New Delhi. We’ve been running private tours across India since 2013 for travellers from the UK, USA, Australia, France, Spain and beyond.
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