Puri

Travel: Rs 900 (up-down). Hop onto the Howrah-Puri Express or the Sri Jagannath Express. You can also drive down, which will cost you more if you are renting a car.

Stay and Food: Rs 2,400 for three days. The New Marine Drive area (towards the lighthouse) is a good place to put up if you are eyeing a budget holiday and decent rooms are available for Rs 800 a day.

Food: Rs 1,000. A trip to Puri is incomplete without a bite of delicious goja. Pack some up and savour it on your way back to Kolkata. Also try chhanapora.

Sight-seeing: Rs 700. Some of the top picks are the Jagannath Temple, Sakhi Gopal, Konark Temple, Chandrabhaga beach, Dhabalgiri, Udaygiri and Khandagiri. When in Puri, shop for seashell handicrafts or saris. Splash about during the day and take a walk along the beach in the evening.

Gangtok

Travel: Rs 1,200 (AC 3-tier). The Darjeeling Mail, Uttar Banga Express, Kanchenjunga Express and Kanchan Kanya are some of the options. Volvo buses (A.C. sleeper bus; Rs 500) and the state-run buses are also available.

Stay and Food: Put up at a hotel for as little as Rs 300 per night. And there are a range of more plush options for all budgets. Add another Rs 100 per meal, if not less. Don’t expect great food, though.

Sight-seeing and shopping: The scenic Gangtok has a lot on offer. There are stupas, monasteries and waterfalls. Check out the Rumtek monastery and Enchey monastery. Woollens, bamboo art and stone-studded wristlets are some of the must-buys. Make a day trip to Chhangu Lake, with cash to spare.

Gopalpur

Travel: Rs 600 (up-down). Board a train to Behrampore, 16 km from Gopalpur. You can also fly to Bhubaneswar and then travel by road.

Stay and Food: Rs 2,400 for four days. You can put up at one of the sea-facing hotels. Charges vary between Rs 300 and Rs 800 per night. Try the fresh seafood.

Sight-seeing: Rs 500. The beach is the main attraction at Gopalpur. Frequent visitors say boat rides are a must. Also do make it a point to visit the lighthouse for a bird’s eye view. Don’t expect to find much else to do — except relax.

Mandarmani

     

Travel: Expect to pay about Rs 120 (up-down by train). Catch the Shalimar-Digha Express. If you are renting a car or driving your own vehicle, costs will be higher and it will take you around four-and-a-half-hours. Buses also ply from Esplanade. Charges vary between Rs 76 and Rs 160.

Stay and Food: Hotel rooms come as cheap as Rs 300 and go up to around Rs 2,800.

Sight-seeing: The beach is the main attraction. There isn’t much else to do here, but to keep yourself busy, try your hand at beach volleyball, cricket or football.

Visakhapatnam

     

Travel: Rs 1,800 (up-down; AC 3-tier, overnight). Flights (Rs 9,000 approximately, return) are also an option, but won’t leave you with much to spend.

Stay: Rs 5,000 for four days. In Rushikonda, which is the quieter side of Visakhapatnam, there are plenty of guest-houses and hotels. A stay at the AP Tourism lodge overlooking the sea at Rushikonda is a good option if booked in advance. Hotels and cottages are available for Rs 500 a night to Rs 2,000.

Sight-seeing: Rs 2,000. Hire a car (Rs 1,000) to take you to the Borra caves with stalactite and stalagmite formations, and hill station Araku valley. Visit the different beaches like Lawson’s Bay beach, Ramakrishna beach and take a tour of the submarine museum.

Food: Rs 2,000. Food is a little expensive. A meal at a restaurant (for one) would cost Rs 200-Rs 250, while street food is cheaper but not always available. The spicy Andhra curries are a must.

Jaipur

               

Travel: Rs 3,200 (train) + Rs 800 (bus). Since there are no direct trains from Kolkata, a break journey via either Jodhpur or Delhi are the best choices. Hop on to the Jodhpur-Howrah Express or take the Rajdhani to the capital and then a Volvo bus. Delhi is just 259 km from the Pink City and is connected by the NH8.

Stay: To get a feel of the royal life, stay at a palace hotel (not less than Rs 3,000). But for the budget-minded, comfortable accommodation for around Rs 800 is also available.

Food: Rs 1,500. Rajasthani and Marwari food are scrumptious, with delicacies like gatte ki sabzi and dal bati churma in addition to sweets like moong dal ka halwa and ghewar. For foodies, a trip to the village resort of Chokhi Dhani is a must. Here, a hearty Rajasthani meal served desi-style costs Rs 245 and the hospitality will keep you smiling for days.

Sightseeing: Rs 1,500. The city comes with a historical buffet as well, including Amer Palace and Jaigarh, Nahargarh and Amber forts. Raj Mandir is a rare pre-Independence palatial movie hall, with nominal entry charges of Rs 20 to Rs 40. For shopaholics, the meenakari and jadau trinkets at Johri bazaar are great bargain buys and the rainbow-coloured Rajasthani skirts at Babu bazaar are pop picks.

Agra-Delhi

               

Travel: Rs 1,000 (up-down; sleeper class); Rs 3,000-plus (Rajdhani).

Stay and Food: Rs 6,000 for three days. Expect to pay Rs 2,000 a day at a decent guest-house at Karol Bagh. You will find plenty of hotels for less in R.K. Puram or near the airport through Gurgaon. Take a conducted day-trip to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri (Rs 800-Rs 900) which leaves in the morning and brings you back late evening.

Food: As little as Rs 1,000 for your entire trip. Or as much as you would like to spend. You will find food from every corner of the country and many corners of the world here.

Sight-seeing: Rs 2,000. Tour buses take you around the city to tourist spots like the Qutub Minar, Red Fort and India Gate for as little as Rs 200.

Malaysia

     

Travel: Rs 26,000 return (includes visa).

Stay and Food: Rs 20,000. Spend three nights at Kuala Lumpur and two nights at Genting Highlands. Food, lodging and transport would come within Rs 4,000 a day.

Sight-seeing: Reach Genting Highlands from Kuala Lumpur by road and air. When at Genting, visit the casinos and the Genting Theme Park. The Petronas Twin Towers are a must visit when in Kuala Lumpur. Stop over at Malaysian Borneo for the coral reefs, dive sites or to catch a glimpse of dolphins.

Dubai

     

Travel: Rs 26,000 return (Emirates).

Stay: Rs 15,000. A two-night, three-day stay ranges from Rs 6,000 (basic) to Rs 20,000 (luxury) a night. Many tour operators throw in breakfast, desert safari and the Dhow evening dinner cruise.

Sight-seeing: Visit the swanky shopping malls that dot Dubai. Visit the Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeirah and the Gold Souk. Travel around in a water taxi and shop at the Mall of the Emirates.

Food: Rs 4,000. There are plenty of inexpensive Indian restaurants everywhere, if you are so inclined. A decent meal comes within 100 dirhams.

Thailand

     

Travel: Rs 16,000 by Thai airways (including visa and taxes). From Bangkok to Phuket, take either a 90-minute return flight (3,000 baht for a low-cost carrier or up to 7,000 baht for others) or a government A.C. bus by road (1,600 baht return).

Stay: Rs 22,000. Two days at Pattaya, two days at Bangkok and two days at Phuket. In Bangkok, lodging is available for $30 (basic) to $350 (luxury). Pattaya, being a seaside resort, has plenty of hotels on Beach Road. Low-end hotels cost 1,000 baht a night. Expect to spend around 4,500 baht at the high end. Also try Second Road and Third Road for accommodation. In Phuket, charges range from $50 (two-star hotel) to $120 (three-star).

Sight-seeing: Don’t miss the tallest hotel in Thailand, the 84-storied Baiyoke Sky and the floating market in Bangkok.

Activities: In Bangkok, shop at upmarket Sukhumvit or at the night market at Pratunam. Go para-gliding in Pattaya.

Food: Rs 6,000. An Indian buffet or a Thai meal should not cost more than 200 baht. Rows of bars and restaurants in Sukhumvit offer easy-on-the-pocket food and entertainment.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

     

Travel: Rs 15,000 return (by air). Rs 3,000-Rs 6,000 one-way (by ship) from Kolkata.

Stay: Rs 20,000. Two days at Port Blair (Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 a night at government lodges) and three days at Havelock. Accommodation at Havelock is more expensive and a room could easily cost you Rs 4,000-Rs 5,000 a night in a four-star hotel like Wild Orchid. Take a ferry (Rs 300-Rs 400) from Port Blair to Havelock island. Be prepared for ferry cancellation without notice in case of bad weather conditions.

Sight-seeing: Rs 2,000. At Port Blair, visit the museum (Rs 50) and Cellular Jail. At Havelock, the Radhanagar beach is exquisite. Check out the active volcano on Barren Island. Many islands have hostile tribes and visitors are not allowed.

Activities: Rs 7,000. A speedboat from Havelock will take you to smaller islands for snorkelling (Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500), including gear. Start early at 6am and finish off by 11.30am. Carry your own food and plenty of sunblock. Adventure buffs can also try out scuba diving, trekking (try the nature trail from Mt Harriet to Madhuban) or island camping.

Food: Rs 6,000 for five days.

Kerala

               

Travel: Rs 15,000 return.

Stay: Rs 25,000 for a five-day stay. Try to include at least one night on a houseboat.

Sight-seeing: Rs 7,000. Visit the verdant backwaters as well as Varkala, Kovalam and Munnar. Don’t miss the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, the Jewish Synagogue in Kochi and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Keep your binoculars ready, in case you get to see a Nilgiri tahr (a goat). Kerala is also famous for its Ayurvedic massages, so do pamper yourself when there. A massage costs Rs 1,500 (per session).

Food: Rs 3,000. Meen Moily (fish curry) is a classic.
 


Singapore

     

Travel: Rs 28,000 return (by air).

Stay: Rs 15,000 for three days. There are ample hotels in and around town between Rs 4,000 and Rs 8,000 a night.

Sight-seeing: Celebrate Christmas in Singapore with Singapore Tourism Board. From December 19 to 25, visit the colourful Float parade on Orchard Road and Christmas village at Plaza Singapura. Other exciting events will be held right up till January. Visit Sentosa, Singapore’s island resort. Start with a trip to Images of Singapore (museum) and walk a few steps up to the Merlion Tower. A little away is the Underwater World and also The Night Safari.

Activities: Shop at Takashimaya, Raffles, Suntec City, Plaza Singapura and down Orchard Road. Stop over at Sim Lim Square for tech tools. Mustafa Shopping Centre, open around the clock, is a must for Indian tourists, for everything from spices to chocolates at steep discounts. At Bugis Village and Little India, get unbranded goodies for cheap. For the armed, Orchard Road boasts brands like Zara, FCUK, TopShop and Prada.

Food: Rs 4,000. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures. There’s Malay, Indian and Chinese food. Try Prata (a paper-thin multi-layered pancake), fish head curry, Rojak (fruit and vegetable salad), Laksa and Satay. While most eateries don’t take orders past 10pm, Newton Circus is a great place to eat all night with less than $5 (Singapore) in your pocket.

Miscellaneous: Buy a SIM card for about $40 to keep in touch while on the move. International calling cards are available at 7-Eleven stores for $10, usable at phone booths across town.

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