Day 1
Arrive Delhi, transfer to the Oberoi Hotel for overnight stay.

Day 2
Visit Old Delhi visiting some dramatic remnants of the Mughal Empire and ride a trishaw through its principal street, Chandni Chowk . See Raj Ghat a simple memorial that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948. Visit the city’s earliest surviving Islamic monument, the Qutb mosque and minar created by the founder of the sometimes-called Slave Dynasty, Qutb-ud-din-Aybak. 73 metres high and consisting of 5 storeys, the Qutb Minar construction started in 1199 on what was intended to be the most glorious tower of victory in the world.

Then explore New Delhi with its majestic boulevards and grand government buildings. India Gate, Delhi’s triumphal arch, stands at one end of the Rajpath. Towards the end of the day, stop by to visit the Tomb of Humayun. This Mughal Emperor’s senior wife, Haji Begum, commissioned the Tomb in the 16th century.

Day 3
Board the Shatabdi Express train departing Delhi at 6:00 a.m for Agra. Start exploring Agra with a drive up to the Agra Fort, a World Heritage Site credited to Emperor Akbar, India’s great visionary. From the Fort, we visit Itmad-Ud-Daulah, which became the first Mughal structure totally built from marble and pioneering the extensive use of `pietra dura’. In the late afternoon, visit the Taj Mahal, with its incredible lacy white grandeur, perhaps the most perfect architectural monument in the world.
Overnight at the Oberoi Amarvilas.

Day 4
You may wish to visit the Taj Mahal at sunrise. After breakfast, take an hour’s drive into the Indian countryside to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone former capital of the Mughal empire. The city lived between A.D. 1571 up to 1585 and then became a ghost town, abandoned, possibly due to complexities with the water systems. After lunch en route, drive to Jaipur where you stay at the Oberoi Rajvilas.

Day 5
Trace Jaipur’s history at the Amber fort, the former seat of the Rajput rulers of Jaipur, enjoy its beautiful palaces and Shiladevi temple (which continues to be the private temple of the Royal family) with its exquisite marble carvings and silver door. In the afternoon, encompass the highlights of Jaipur city, visiting the open air royal observatory “Jantar Mantar” stopping en route to see the “Hawa Mahal” or the Palace of Winds.

Day 6
Take the early flight from Jaipur to Udaipur, and transfer to the Oberoi Udaivilas. Udaipur has a great and glorious past. The legendry Ranas or kings of this state traced their ancestry back to the sun! It stands in a valley, amidst green hills on the banks of the famous Pichola Lake. Visit the City Palace and its Museum including the Crystal Gallery. Explore the colorful narrow by lanes of this city. A little before sunset, embark on the Royal Barge cruising around Lake Pichola with it’s majestic backdrop of the City Palace and the Shiv Niwas Palace, skirting the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir Island.

Day 7
Drive to Ranakpur to visit the Jain temples, situated in the remote and peaceful Aravalli valley. The most famous is the Adinath temple, beautifully crafted and well-kept marble edifice, which has 29 halls supported by 1444 pillars – no two of which are alike.

Day 8
Fly to Bombay to join your ship

Cruise Options
Join Crystal Serenity’s World Cruise on April 10th, joining the last two sectors of this legendary voyage to bring you all the way back to Southampton, visiting the Red Sea, Egypt and the Mediterranean en route. The World Cruise boasts a most impressive lecture programme, and the last leg from Rome to Southampton is particularly appealing to the British guest, with an actor from Shakespeare’s Globe bringing alive the wonders of this theatre, not to mention acclaimed author Bill Bryson

Other ships in Mumbai
Seven Seas Voyager turns around in Mumbai on March 27th. Join her from Singapore to Mumbai on 13th March for 14 nights, or from Mumbai to Piraeus for 17 nights
The World arrives in Mumbai on April 10th, and leaves on April 12th. Join her in Muscat or Dubai to explore the Persian Gulf and Gujerati peninsula (for Porbandar, the birthplace of Gandhi). Or join her Mumbai to visit Southern India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Seven Seas Navigator is in Mumbai as part of her Grand Indian Ocean cruise on November 1st 2008. Join her in Dubai on October 23rd for a 9 night cruise in the Persian Gulf, or in Mumbai to sail on a fascinating Indian Ocean Odyssey to the Maldives, Seychelles, Madagascar and South Africa (arriving Cape Town 21st November)

Availability is limited so don’t delay calling to get fares and make your arrangements