- Old Delhi Rickshaw ride.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR
- Stop at local sweet shop to taste local sweet & snack tasting during Old Delhi Tour.
- Welcome dinner at a local restaurant in Delhi.
- Shared jeep ride at Amber Fort.
- Explore the local colourful market of Jaipur and local rickshaw ride.
- Visit Abhaneri Stepwell.
- Enjoy delicious lunch at a local restaurant in Jaipur.
- Hand block printing workshop in Bagru Village near Jaipur along with tea & Cookies. So come print something for yourself and explore Bagru & Daabu print.
- Visit the local workshop in Jaipur cutting Gems & Semi precious stones.
- Also visit silver jewellery showroom showcasing modern, traditional, and contemporary jewellery in Jaipur.
- Lac Bangle making in Jaipur. (Only demonstration).
- Visit of Jaipuri Mojri showroom.
- Visit of Blue Pottery shop.
- One day is free for local shopping or to explore local market and vendors of Jaipur. It will help you expand your business with new idea if you already boutique owner or if you are looking for new business ideas.
- Sunset visit of Taj Mahal.
- Enjoy delicious Kebabs during food walk in Lucknow.
- During heritage walk in Lucknow experience local hand embroidery, craft, local cuisine. Shop like a local here.
- Enjoy a Zardozi & Chikankari workshop in Lucknow with lunch.
- Lunch at Royal Café in Lucknow on fixed menu basis.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
It is a 10 nights/11 days programs covering the best of textile in Jaipur and Lucknow. It is a Golden Triangle program including various activities based on culinary and textile. This program is beyond a regular Golden Triangle program which includes regular monument sightseeing, under this program we have included heritage and food walk, block printing workshop, chickankari workshop, etc. In Jaipur we have included 4 nights to explore the sightseeing, culture, local life, art, craft, and shopping. Ladies who are having their boutique or who would like to start their own new business can explore the new business ideas here. Last but not the least we have included world famous “Taj Mahal “visit. It is a must do tour so let’s explore it with East Voyages.
Tour Leader Ms. Monicca Bambi, India
Hi, I am Monicca your host on this vibrant journey of colors, textile and art. I am the curator and organizer of the tour.
I am an art graduate from Delhi university and also completed master degree in Tourism from one of pioneer institute of Delhi.
My aim is to give the best travel experience to my clients which they can cherish for a lifetime. I have more than 15 years of experience catering overseas guests to India.
We have repeat guests who would love to travel with us again and again.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 01
Arrive Delhi by international flight.
On arrival at Delhi International airport after clearing immigration formalities, you will meet our representative in the arrival hall holding paging of your name. He will further assist you with your vehicle and then hotel check-in formalities. (Standard check-in time is 1200 hours)
Afternoon enjoy local shopping or rest at hotel.
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Dinner & overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 02
Delhi
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast you will be proceed for combined full day city tour of Old and New Delhi. We start the tour from Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk this part of Delhi will take you in Old Mughal era, while walking through old lanes you can see big wooden carved antique doors, big havelis (mansion), narrow lanes and busy bustling life. You must taste lip smacking street food in Old Delhi market area. Then you will visit India’s largest Mosque “Jama Masjid” where at a time 25,000 can accommodate.
Post lunch visit New Delhi or Lutyens Delhi, beautifully designed by “Sir Edwin Lutyens”, drive pass India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Connaught Place. Later continue the sightseeing visiting, Humayun Tomb, the tomb was built in 1570 and was the first garden tomb made by Humayun’s son Akbar. It is Unesco world heritage site.
Conclude the sightseeing with the visit of “Qutub Minar”, the stunning red stone tower is 72.5 m high with 2.75m in diameter. It is also UNESCO site.
Evening dinner will be at a local restaurant. (On a fixed menu basis).
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Day 03
Delhi- Jaipur (approx. 245 Kms/5- 6 hours)
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast drive to Jaipur. Jaipur is also known as pink city because of its wall color which are exclusively painted in pink color. This colorful city has chaotic streets, colorful auto rickshaws and lively culture. It is the gateway to Rajasthan vacation, here you can still see royal life, forts and Palaces reflecting glorious past.
On arrival check in at the hotel. Lunch at a local restaurant on a fixed menu basis.
Post lunch proceed for shopping visit bustling yet colorful market showcasing beautiful handicraft, Rajasthan jewelry and shoes. You can get your hand painted with traditional Indian design of henna.
Also visit the beautiful Jaipuri Mojri (Sandals) showroom. After watching the fascinating design of traditional Jaipuri Sandals, we will visit a textile showroom showcasing amazing textile products like cushions, bedcovers, art objects etc. Here you can see carpet weaving and many craftsmen doing block printing preparing different awesome designs with different color themes.
Then we visit workshop of semi-precious and precious stone jewelry, how the craftsman is cutting and shaping the stones. Check out the amazing jewelry collections too. Later also visit silver jewelry showroom, stone showcasing modern, contemporary, and traditional jewelry designs.
Later visit Blue Pottery shop in Jaipur is one of the well-known crafts of Jaipur. It was once a native craft of Persia that was brought to India by Mughals and later got patronized by Indian ruler (mostly Rajput). This blue pottery technique is an imported one. It is a mix of Chinese glazing technology with Persian decorative arts. Blue pottery caught the local people’s interest, and many started learning this craft soon, most of the Kumbhar (pottery) families also shifted from working on red clay to blue pottery later, on a larger scale. Eventually blue pottery craft flourished in and around Jaipur. Blue pottery has made its mark among a few other crafts.
Later visit making of Lac Bangles. Bangles are known by many different names across the country. There is a high demand for lac bangles mostly during festivals and occasions in India. Even foreign people have started adorning these Lac bangles and are even exporting these bangles to foreign countries. Many tourists from foreign countries comes to India in search of Lac Bangles, stays in India for few months practicing this craft and after learning goes back to their countries to produce lac bangles. Jaipur is recognized as a chief center of art and crafts in India.
On this day you can give your fabric to get stitched and on the departure day on the last night in Jaipur you can get your suit/ Kurta ready. (Optional)
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Day 04
Jaipur
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast drive to Bagru Village. Bagru village is about 30 kms from Jaipur. (01 Hour)
Earlier block painting was famous in large parts of Rajasthan but due to modern printing technology and demand the work is limited and done at some places only. Bagru village is one of those places where still traditional Hand block painting work is done. Get in touch with your creative side, or develop your skills, while learning side by side from our skilled craftsperson. Be fascinated by the prints made with small wooden blocks and colors extracted from nature.
Check in at Local artist workshop to prepare your own hand block print cloth using Bagru and Dabu techniques. During the workshop we will provide you with light snacks.
We will also walk around the village and witness the people doing this craft, here you can click beautiful photos. It will be a random walk. Return to Jaipur.
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Day 05
Jaipur
Breakfast at hotel
After early breakfast proceed to visit Amber Fort en-route stop at Hawa Mahal for clicking some pictures, it is a stunning 5 story building. It was built to enable royal ladies to see the daily lives of the city or some function or procession as those days ladies had to cover their faces. Visit Amber Fort by shared jeep.
Afternoon visit City Palace (Royal residence) & observatory (Jantar Mantar).
Evening will be at leisure to relax. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 06
Jaipur
Breakfast at hotel
This day will be free to explore this beautiful city in your own manner. If you have any plans to meet some vendors or suppliers you can meet on this day, since Jaipur is paradise for shoppers you can explore the other shopping avenues on your own.
Overnight stay at the hotel
Day 07
Jaipur – Agra (approx. 265 Kms/ 6 hours)
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast drive to Agra en-route visit Abhaneri Stepwell. It is one of the largest step wells in the world and one of the most beautiful ones. Located in the eastern part of the province of Rajasthan, it was built by King Chanda somewhere in the 9th century. The Chand Baori is not an easy landmark to find, thus it is one of the hidden secrets of India Chand Baori one was built during the 8th and 9th centuries and has 3,500 narrow steps arranged in perfect symmetry, which descend 20m to the bottom of the well.
Centuries ago, the stepwells were built in the arid zones of Rajasthan to provide water all year through. Today, the construction is not used as a well anymore, but its exquisite geometry attracts local and international visitors. About 64 feet deep, it is India’s largest and deepest stepwells with 13 floors and was built in the 9th century for water harvesting. The land of the Taj is not only famous for the biggest allure “Taj Mahal” but also legacy of mughals which they had left behind. Their legacy can be seen in mausoleums, tombs, and magnificent forts. On arrival check in at the hotel.
After visiting step well continue drive to Agra. The land of the Taj is not only famous for the biggest allure “Taj Mahal” but also legacy of Mughals which they had left behind Their legacy can be seen in mausoleums, tombs, and magnificent forts.
On arrival check in at the hotel. Later visit Agra Fort.
Overnight stay at a hotel.
Day 08
Agra -Lucknow (approx. 260 Kms/ 5.5 hours)
Early morning visits beautiful Taj Mahal, during sunrise the sunrays have a magical effect with marble surface. It changes its color which creates eternal beauty (Closed on Friday).
Return to hotel for breakfast. Post breakfast drive to Lucknow. On arrival check in at the hotel. Lunch will be on a direct payment basis.
When in Lucknow, how can the talk about the food be left behind, continuing further we will walk down the lane adjacent to Akbari Gate. Tasting the best of meat dishes from the Awadhi menu from the places, where they originated from and have still been able to thrive on their own in the era of McDonald and KFC. You will experience the concept of food loyalty and the real taste of the original Tundey Kebabs, Raheem’s Nihari and Mobeen’s Pasanda Kebabs. Observe the chefs at work in these small and dingy shops that seldom look hygienic, but no one has ever fallen sick. To take this tour, you need to be a foodie with closed eyes, so that your taste buds work to their best of abilities. Try all of these, while a culinary curator (Walk Leader) explains the history and the recipe (Operational Except Sunday and Thursday)
Overnight stay at a hotel. (We have purposely not included dinner on this day as guests may not feel hungry after a food walk).
Day 09
Lucknow
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast at 1030 Hrs we will visit a Zardozi workshop and understand this art form and ace designer couple Masood & Almas (Almasood Label) will today showcase their work in a trunk-show and show us the current work that their craftsmen would be doing. A day here will teach us the Chikan & Zari Craft in a step-by-step session exclusively scheduled for us today. During a break we will enjoy a Traditional lunch here: Rastogi Meal – Rastogis are a community of Embroidery merchants who deal exclusively in Chikan craft. This meal is a high-calorie vegetarian meal had by this community to sustain all day through the dinner.
Post lunch this evening, we leave for a Heritage Walk: we will reach ‘Chowk‘ the oldest marketplace of Lucknow to appreciate the unique crafts of this Nawabi City. We walk in the by-lane of Chowk called ‘Gol Darwaza’ – a place that was once a seat of numerous ‘Kothas’ (a small entertainment studios where nautch girls performed in the evenings) now is a marketplace that is known to house the best of handicrafts and Chikan work. A heritage walk here will showcase the culture of this fabled city and take you into the bygone era. (Operates every day except Thursday and a few festival holidays).
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 10
Lucknow
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast enjoy city sightseeing. Post Lunch Later we visit Sadat Ali & Begum Tombs and the ‘Chatar Manzil’ (Outside view only), we reach the world’s most unique architecture, ‘Asifi Imambara’. This monument was built as a relief measure for a devastating famine, to provide employment to the subjects of the state by Nawab Asif-ud-Daula’. This is the world’s biggest hall that is devoid of any pillar support, wood, iron beams or concrete walls. Salute the “Nawab” (Prince) lying in peace inside and proceed to see his noble work. Also see the ‘Rumi Darwaza’ or the Turkish Gate and the Asfi Mosque. Later we reach the Husainabad Complex – The Clock Tower is the highest Clock Tower in Asia and in some ways superior to its counterpart, ‘Big Ben’. Today the clock stands motionless but has witnessed all times, the good, the bad and the ugly. Now enter the Babylon of East, The Husainabad Imambara – known for its beauty and pieces of décor. This was built in 1840 by Mohammad Ali Shah and is still considered to be a sacred address by the natives. The beautiful chandeliers, silver seat, sandalwood décor and calligraphy on the walls all are so creative. Admire each one and bow down to the Nawab and his mother sleeping inside.
Afternoon Lunch at The Royal Café: The royal cafe is a brand of Jagtiani hotels and properties with a rich legacy of forty years in the food & beverage industry in Lucknow. They have been delighting & entertaining the citizens of Lucknow with great food at highly affordable prices. This chain of hotels is known for introducing several signature dishes including Basket Chaat, Potli Kabab among others. They have also brought about several innovations for preparing food in hygienic conditions.
Evening will be at leisure to relax and to pursue independent activities.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 11
Lucknow – Delhi by flight
Breakfast at hotel
Post breakfast assisted transfer to airport to board the flight for Delhi.
On arrival at Delhi airport connect flight for onward destination.