Travel Guide: Cheap flights to India
India Airlines and Airports
Airline and airport information plus insider tips for India
Travelling to India can be life-changing experience for the first-time visitor. For tourists seeking peace and tranquillity, India is a spiritual destination that provides insight and enlightenment. For others, flights to India mean visiting the Taj Mahal or walking the picturesque beaches in the resort town of Goa. Whatever the reason behind booking your cheap flights to India, you can be sure to leave with a lasting impression of this country.
India is a country of contrasts. Tourists stepping off their flights to India will find it's rich in prosperity, but in some areas is poor in culture. India evokes a sensual and exotic experience for some, but it is also plagued by poverty. On either side of a busy tourist street in Delhi, travellers will find themselves surrounded by turbaned shepherds and politicians of India's parliament. With a culture as different as this, it's hard to believe cheap flights to India can take under nine hours.
India is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. India has borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the north. Its borders are prone to conflict and even internally there is tension between Hindus and Muslims. However, India is also renowned as a country where great personal peace can be sought and found. Many of the major airlines offer cheap flights to India, and travellers can also find good flight deals to Delhi and Calcutta on local airlines specific to the Asian market.
Find the best flight prices to India
When to fly to India
Peak season:
Delhi's peak tourist season is mid-September through March, during which October to February is considered the best time to visit, although it may be more difficult to find cheap flights to India as it gets much busier. Mumbai is cooler and drier from November through to February. Goa's peak season is October to February, and Bangalore's dry and clear season is December to February.
Off season:
Although you can definitely find cheap flights to India in the summer months, Indian summers are typically hot (Delhi summers can go above 43 degrees Celsius) and humid. Also keep in mind that a monsoon can disrupt flights to India and shut down phone systems and electricity.
Getting Around
Driving in India is not recommended, particularly in the cities. In Old Delhi and Mumbai you can explore the sights on foot, which will also give you a great opportunity to buy some fantastic souvenirs with the savings you will have made on cheap flights to India.
Many visitors hire a car and driver by the day to get around a city, although taxis and rickshaws are an option. For taxis and rickshaws (both auto and bicycle) make sure to negotiate the fare before you set out. Once you have bought your cheap flights to India, booking a pre-paid taxi from the airport can ensure you reach your destination safely.
Most cities have a bus system. Generally the buses are hot and crowded, particularly during rush hour, when the additional traffic also affects the bus service. The exception is Chennai, where the city buses and suburban trains are fast and economical.
Cheap flights make travelling from one city to another easy - there are a number of international and regional airports and carriers for internal India flights.
Flying to India
Major airports in India include:
Amritsar International (ATQ)
Bangalore International (BLR)
Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International (BOM)
Chennai Madras International (MAA)
Goa (GOI)
Hyderabad (HYD)
New Delhi Indira Gandhi International (DEL)
Jaipur International (JAI)
Kolkata Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International
Airlines offering cheap flights to India include:
Air India
British Airways
MyTravel Airways
Thomsonfly
Virgin Atlantic
In-flight Reading
Try our in-flight reading suggestions for your flight to India
A Suitable Boy
by Vikram Seth
The stories of four families linked by marriage set in 1950s India against the enormity of the subcontinent with its overpowering heat. Flights to India will fly by as you lose yourself in lush gardens, colourful festivals, exotic foods and memorable characters.
Bollywood
by Tejaswini Ganti
Guide to the cultural, political, thematic, and historic aspects of the Hindi cinema industry based in Mumbai, and interviews with some of the key players.
India My Love
by Osho
An introduction to Indian religion and spiritual beliefs by a spiritual leader.
India: A Million Mutinies Now
by V. S. Naipaul
A collection of interviews and anecdotes of people from different walks of life that paints a portrait of India's complex society, person by person.
India: An Illustrated History
by Prem Kishore and Anuradha Kishore
Simple yet accurate telling of more than 5,000 years of India's history. Visitors to the country are sure to step off their flights to India knowing a lot more than they did when they got on.
Insider Information on India
Goa's warm weather and sandy beaches bring droves of tourists from the rest of India and abroad, attracted by holiday packages and the wide variety of cheap flights to India that call there. A hippie playground in the 1960s, Goa today has five-star resorts and a party-all-night atmosphere, yet you can still find remote and secluded beaches.
Mumbai (Bombay) is India's richest and most vibrant city. The city has more millionaires than any other in India but also extreme poverty, a swinging nightlife and the Banganga Tank where pilgrims cleanse their souls. A visit to Mumbai also brings you to some of the best bazaars, sports activities, and performing arts. Hopefully you'll have managed to find some really cheap flights to India so you can take full advantage of all Mumbai has to offer.
India's fifth-largest city, Bangalore has a mild and healthy climate. Bangalore was the first Indian city to get electricity and is now India's high-technology centre. Cosmopolitan Bangalore has excellent pubs, restaurants, and cafes. Visitors here step off their flights to India and into a shoppers' paradise with Mysore silks, sandalwood and rosewood carvings, brass and ivory artefacts, lambani jewellery, and handicrafts from embroidery to pottery.
Chennai has one of the longest urban beaches in the world, but also a large city's pollution problems. An important centre before the British arrived, Chennai retains the best of southern Indian traditions and remains a gateway to South India. For anybody planning to book cheap flights to India, Chennai continues to be a top destination for many visitors.
Travel Tips
- Finding Cheap FlightsOur golden rules for finding a cheap flight
- Airlines with low-cost ticketsAn essential guide to how the main carriers operate
- Before You GoAdvice on everything you need to do before you set off
- Regional UK and Irish AirportsFlying from the four corners of the UK and Ireland
- Glossary of Flying TermsAn A-Z of common terms you’ll need to know
- Travel Sickness and DVTHow to stay happy and healthy in the air
Travel links
- Currency converterFind the current exchange rate
- WeatherThe weather in India today
- Destination GuideLonely Planet's guide to India
- MapIndia Map from Multimap