STAY

Many international flights arrive late in the evening. Meet your driver — guides and drivers are all but required in India — and transfer straight to your hotel. Most recently, we recommended the refurbished 220-room Oberoi, New Delhi, centrally located near Humayun’s Tomb. Request a room or suite on a high floor for the most panoramic vistas (the forestlike golf course is the slightly better view). Your first night, you’ll probably just want to shower and sleep, but on other days, you’ll be able to take advantage of the outdoor pool and spa.

DINE

It’s easy (and delicious) to dine at The Oberoi’s fine Indian restaurant and/or its stylish top-floor Chinese venue. The rooftop bar is a romantic place for sundowners, and the clubby ground-floor cocktail lounge is ideal for a cozy nightcap. One of Delhi’s best restaurants, Indian Accent, is nearby (your driver will take you there and back). For lunches while you’re out and about, consider Lakhori, a charming spot in the courtyard of a converted haveli (mansion) in Old Delhi, and Olive Bar & Kitchen near the Qutb Minar, which has an excellent, mostly Italian menu. (See our restaurant reviews.)

EXPLORE

With three nights, you’ll have two full days to sightsee in the Delhi metropolitan area. Start perhaps in one of the oldest sections, the tranquil Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which spreads out near the much more famous Qutb Minar, a towering 13th-century minaret adjacent to the ruins of a large mosque. Closer to your hotel, Humayun’s Tomb helped inspire the Taj Mahal. It stands in a leafy park along with other striking tombs. Just to the west, the planned city of New Delhi contains all the major government buildings and has great shopping (Khan Market and Connaught Place both offer a range of upscale stores, for example). Farther north, Old Delhi is home to impressive monuments like the 17th-century Jama Masjid mosque, plus a labyrinth of lanes lined with homes and storefronts, often in historic buildings. Many visitors breeze through on a trishaw, but consider exploring on foot with your guide, particularly if you’re there on a Sunday, when it’s less crowded.

STAY

Now that much of the journey is along an eight-lane highway, it takes about four hours by car to get from Delhi to Jaipur. The most exclusive and conveniently located of our recommended hotels is the 13-room Rajmahal Palace Raas Jaipur, not far from the historic center in an 18th-century residence that still belongs to the local royal family. If you prefer a larger property with more extensive grounds, the 78-room Rambagh Palace, a Taj hotel, is an excellent alternative.

DINE

Our favorite restaurant in the historic Pink City, which is actually more terra cotta in color, is The Johri, a vegetarian-Indian dining room in a stylishly renovated haveli down a narrow lane (you’ll have to walk a block to reach it). Both the food and the cocktails here are creative and attractively presented. Samode Haveli, also in a renovated mansion, has a more traditional décor. RajRasa, just north of the historic center, is a fine choice for a Rajasthani lunch; Cinnamon serves flavorful dishes from the Punjab and classic Mughal cuisine; and the ornate Bar Palladio is a solid option for Italian food. Our recommended hotels also all have excellent restaurants.

EXPLORE

Jaipur has numerous impressive attractions. The Hawa Mahal, the “Palace of Winds,” has become something of a symbol of the city, and it’s worth a stop to have a closer look at its intricate façade. The Jantar Mantar, a parklike royal observatory, has a striking array of sculptural (and precise) astronomical instruments, and the sprawling City Palace is justly popular. Its Textile Gallery can get packed, but the palace’s Jaipur Centre for Art was blissfully empty. Ask your travel advisor to arrange for special access to the Chandra Mahal, the private residence of the Jaipur royal family. North of the center is the Amber Fort, somewhat akin to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain (arrive early or late to avoid a long wait to access the parking lot). Just downhill from the fortified palace is a stepwell that M. C. Escher might have designed. Closer to town, the Nahargarh Fort affords splendid panoramas over the city. The Johri Bazaar, a traffic-clogged boulevard lined with colorful storefronts of textiles, jewelry and foodstuffs, is Jaipur’s most famous place to shop. You might find a souvenir or two, but those on a fashion hunt should head to Rohit Kamra (for menswear), the Carpet & Textile House (for block-printed clothes and home goods), Hot Pink (for clothing for everyone) and Andraab (for exquisite cashmere scarves and wraps).

STAY

You’ll likely be in the mood for a break from cities by this point. You might spend a couple of nights at the 71-room Oberoi Rajvilas, about 20 minutes outside Jaipur, but consider making more of a contrast. Head about three hours south of Jaipur to the 48-suite Six Senses Fort Barwara, a restored 14th-century fortified palace with thoughtfully integrated contemporary additions. It has a dreamy pool flanked by colonnades, and the courtyard outside its main restaurant becomes utterly transporting in the evening, when it’s lit by fire pits and oil lamps. Accommodations are all large and exceedingly comfortable, and the extensive spa incorporates atmospheric historic spaces.

DINE

Unless you make an excursion that includes a picnic, you’ll enjoy all your meals at the resort. The Cortile serves breakfasts and Indian dinners, either on its romantic patio or in its vaulted dining room. We took lunches at Rani Bagh, which presents delicious Mediterranean cuisine at tables overlooking the swimming pool. A torch-lit private dinner on the ramparts is also worth considering.

EXPLORE

It would be tempting to spend a few days just relaxing at the Six Senses, taking advantage of the pool and spa and on-site activities. But numerous fascinating excursions are available. You might start one morning with a sunrise hike in the rocky hills just beyond the fort, and take an afternoon with a guide to visit the untouristed town of Chauth Ka Barwara, which abuts the fort. The locals are friendly and curious, and the lanes have attractive historic buildings in various states of decay. One of the most popular excursions from Fort Barwara is a tiger safari in nearby Ranthambore National Park.

STAY

It takes about four and a half hours from Jaipur or six hours from Six Senses Fort Barwara to reach Agra. Break up the journey with stops for lunch and at the restored ruins of Fatehpur Sikri, capital of the Mughal Empire in the late 16th century. Check into the 102-room Oberoi Amarvilas, a palatial resort that overlooks the Taj Mahal. Traditionally decorated accommodations have unforgettable views of the white-marble monument — be sure to order sparkling wine or a meal to have on your furnished balcony. The monumental main swimming pool, sunken in terraced lawns and surrounded with loungers shaded by jewel-toned fringed umbrellas, is a blissful place to while away an afternoon.

DINE

The hotel’s extravagant bar has a view of the Taj Mahal, as does a dining terrace. The two restaurants here are both good enough that dining elsewhere seems unnecessary (the only other decent options in Agra are also in hotels). Upscale Esphahan serves flavorful (but not very spicy) thali platters, and Bellevue offers international cuisine, including a few notable Italian-Indian fusion dishes. One day, we lunched beside the pool.

EXPLORE

Obviously, the Taj Mahal is the main draw. Although everyone has seen the mausoleum in pictures, it exceeds all expectations when you stand before it in person. Arrive a little before sunrise and make a beeline for the interior, which has an elaborately inlaid-marble screen at its center. Then you can take as much time as you like to marvel at the exterior from various angles. That way, you won’t have to wait as long to get inside. Agra also has other attractions, notably the expansive and palatial Agra Fort and the Tomb of Itmad-ud-Daulah. The latter, also known as the Baby Taj, is surprisingly crowd-free, despite being covered in gorgeous geometric marble inlay. You can purchase inlaid-marble boxes, tabletops and sculptures at Kalakriti, and fine jewelry and zardozi embroidery can be had at Kohinoor Jewellers. Consider returning to the Taj to see it at sunset, or observe it from a park across the sacred Yamuna River.

STAY

Having completed your visit of the Golden Triangle, you might have your driver transfer you about four hours back to Delhi. Taking a short flight to Varanasi, to see the holy city’s famous ghats, is another excellent option. But also consider driving five hours to the highly underrated and nontouristy city of Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is rich with impressive historic attractions, but it’s less well-endowed with luxury hotels. The best option is the Taj Mahal, Lucknow, a colonial-style property with tropical gardens that could be fantastic but needs renovation (as of this writing).

DINE

Lucknow is famous in India for its Awadhi cuisine. In your hotel, ornate Oudhyana serves Nawabi food — dishes created for Awadhi rulers — such as the creamy-soft kakori kebab of finely minced mutton mixed with rose petals and spices. The property’s second restaurant, Sahib Cafe, serves a fine buffet breakfast but is too glaringly lit for dinner. Have your driver take you instead to Tanatan, which presents Awadhi and other Indian food in an arched space fashionably decorated with architectural salvage. Falaknuma, in the Clarks Avadh hotel, is another fine choice for an Awadhi lunch or dinner.

EXPLORE

Start perhaps with a stroll around the campus of historic La Martiniere College, which has several elaborate colonial-era buildings. Continue on to the British Residency, built in the late 18th century as the home of the British Resident General. The mansions, assembly hall and church in the complex were all heavily damaged during the 1857 Siege of Lucknow, and the bullet- and cannonball-pocked walls stand as a monument to the dead (on both sides) to this day. The Chattar Manzil, the former palace of the Nawabs, is abandoned and technically closed; however, our guide, noticing us peeking in the windows, took us inside (note that it may be unsafe and perhaps illegal to enter). Lucknow is best known for its imambaras, sacred Shia Muslim congregation halls that honor the Martyrs of Karbala. Visit the graceful Chota Imambara, with a lacy façade and gilded dome. Inside, dozens of decrepit, mismatched chandeliers show how the building earned its nickname, the Palace of Lights. Nearby, the larger and grander Bara Imambara ranks among India’s great monuments, incorporating a huge mosque, a stepwell and a massive imambara. A “labyrinth” inside goes between the walls, leading to sculptural tunnels and eventually the roof, which offers magnificent views (a staircase allows the claustrophobic to ascend to the roof directly). The main shopping street of the old center, Gol Darwaza, also merits a walk. Numerous stores sell garments with chikan, the local style of hand-embroidery, at very reasonable prices.

STAY

From Lucknow, take a quick flight back to Delhi. If time is short, you can connect to your flight home, which likely departs late in the evening. Otherwise, transfer to your hotel. You might try the central 213-room Taj Mahal, New Delhi, which has a proper club floor, or the colonial-style 235-room Imperial New Delhi, which also has an enviable location. Both have swimming pools.

DINE

In addition to the restaurants noted above and the venues in your hotel, consider Dum Pukht in the ITC Maurya hotel, which specializes in the slow-cooking technique called “dum.”

EXPLORE

You could spend a month or more in Delhi and not see all of its attractions. Besides the ones previously described, consider visiting the Gandhi Smriti memorial at Birla House. You can see where Gandhi lived and the precise place, marked by the Martyr’s Column, where he was shot while holding his nightly public walk. The 17th-century Red Fort, the residence of the Mughal emperor for nearly 200 years, is another major site. Contemporary art fans have a range of independent galleries from which to choose, plus the National Gallery of Modern Art, which houses a diverting permanent collection in addition to temporary exhibitions. The Bahá’í  House of Worship, resembling a lotus blossom, is one of Delhi’s most-striking modern buildings. And, of course, the shopping opportunities are nearly inexhaustible. Consider booking your room for an extra night, so you can access it up until the time when you transfer to the airport in the evening to board your flight home.