Planning a trip to India could be a daunting task if you’re trying to fit too many things on a 2 week holiday. If you’re looking for a relaxed time whilst still seeing a few things keep reading this relaxed India itinerary, if on the other hand you’re looking to “see” this huge country entirely in only 2 weeks then keep googling as this is not the itinerary you’re looking for.
I’ve left India out of my travel plans for many years only because I’ve met many backpackers around the world that told me that to get a good sense of India you need to be there for at least 3 months, so when I finally decided to do this 2 week trip in India I knew I had to keep it easy as I enjoy much more to go on a slow travel mood rather than having an exhausting trip where every single day I wake up in a new place (been there, done that!)
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Most of the time I improvise all my trips but for a 2 week trip backpacking in India it’s better to get a bit of an idea beforehand on where to go as the options are almost endless. So I decided to make a combination for a relaxed 2 week India itinerary where I could learn about its history, relax by the beach and see some natural and historical places. Easy!
On this article I’ll show you now only where I went but also some sample prices so you get an idea of what budget do you need to go backpacking in India for 2 weeks. If you haven’t booked anything yet, check my other posts for more inspiration to go backpacking in Asia.
My relaxed 2 Week India itinerary:
Mumbai – 1 night
Goa – Palolem – 7 nights
Hampi – 4 nights
Mumbai – 2 nights
Getting to Mumbai from the airport
To start my days backpacking in India, I found the Mumbai airport pretty organized and not chaotic. With several ATMs around which had a decent exchange rate. To get to Mumbai I took the Chalo Bus towards Gate of India.
You can buy the bus tickets at the counter right out of the arrivals area, the bus was comfy and with frequent departures. The one way ticket costs 176Rs (less than £2 at the time of writing). You buy the tickets on the 6th floor and then go down to the 4th floor where the buses depart.
Arriving to Mumbai
I was only planning to spend one night in Mumbai first so I went straight to the Colaba district as I knew I could see a few sights there in only one day. I stayed at Cowies Backpackers Hostel which was ok as it’s walking distance from the Gate of India and close to a few great (and cheap) restaurants.
As I arrived early in the morning from the UK, I was not able to check in so I went exploring straight away and made my way to Gate of India to catch a boat to the Elephanta Caves.
Day 1. Visiting the Elephanta Caves in Mumbai
If you’re looking for things to do in Mumbai, visiting the Elephanta Caves is surely a top choice. This Unesco World Heritage Site is easily reachable from Gate of India and it’s a fantastic option to fill half of your day exploring Hindu cave temples.
You can reach the island of Gharapuri (or Elephanta Island) by ferry. The cost of the journey is 260Rs and takes about an hour to get there. It can be crowded but there are regular departures in case you decide to wait a little bit for the crowds to move on. You can buy the ticket near the Gate of India entrance.
Once you reach the island, you have to pay 2 charges, one of 5Rs just for visiting the island and another one of 600Rs to enter the area of the caves. There a small train that you can take from the boat to the entrance of the “village” which only saves you just about a 5min walk, I didn’t take it of course as I love walking.
The island is easily walkable, although take some water with you as it can be hot. There are plenty of restaurants and souvenir shops as well.
After spending a good couple of hours wandering around the island I made my way back to Mumbai to check in at my hostel, rest a bit and go for dinner. The Madras Cafe, a few minutes away from Cowies Backpackers Hostel was fantastic for my first Indian meal.
Day 2. Taking the train from Mumbai to Goa – Palolem
If you want to go from Mumbai to Goa you first need to decide where in Goa exactly, as this region has quite a few different spots to visit. I made my way to south Goa as I heard it was quieter than the north, so it depends if you want to chill and relax or if you’re looking to go partying. If you travel in India you should definitely experience a long train journey!
It takes about 12 hours to go by train from Mumbai to Goa, I travelled to Cancona (or Canacona) station and walked about 15 minutes to Palolem from the station.
It took me a bit to understand how to book a train ticket on the main Indian Railways website, so don’t leave this to the last minute as it’s well advised to book in advance. I went on 3rd class with AC and the ticket was about £10. I found this class quite comfortable for my first Indian train journey.
Train travel in India was much better than I expected, and in some ways it was even better than in the UK where I have lived for a few years. You can even get food delivered directly to your seat from restaurants along the journey which I found incredible compared to the services (or lack of) that I’m used of the trains in the UK.
I arrived to Canacona almost at midnight of my second day in India, that may seem like a day wasted on the train but I enjoyed the journey and met some interesting passengers on the tracks.
Days 3-8 Chilling in excess in Palolem
When choosing where to go in Goa, I was advised by a fellow backpacker to go to Palolem and it was a great shout as I had a wonderful time there. I loved the recommendation because south Goa it’s suppose to be quieter than the north where there’s more of a partying atmosphere.
I stayed at the Bhakti Kutir hotel and I absolutely loved it, somehow another backpacker I met didn’t like it that much but I really enjoyed this jungle retreat, steps away from three different beaches, super relaxing and away enough from the busier side of the village. Win, win, win!
My days in Palolem were split into Patnem beach, Colombo beach and Palolem beach, with each of them having a different charm. You can swim, kayak, do yoga, meditate during the days and have delicious food and cheap beers with beautiful sunsets every evening. There are plenty of restaurants in Palolem by the beach and in the village so you won’t get tired of tying new things every day.
I also did a cooking class when I was in Palolem, Rahul’s Cooking Class was really cool, as an enthusiast cook I enjoyed learning first hand on his handling of spices and got lots of tips and recipes from him. We cooked 4 different dishes and chapatti bread from scratch and it was all delicious! you will find flyers and posters around Palolem advertising his classes.
If you dont want to relax so much, there are plenty of bars by Palolem beach, some with live music, some with DJs, so you can still have a bit of a party in Palolem if you want to spice up your days backpacking in India.
Days 9-12 Traveling to Hampi from Goa and exploring around
Following my 2 week India itinerary, I made my way to Hampi. Another Unesco World Heritage site to soak up a bit of Indian history and culture.
I couldn’t find a direct train from Palolem to Hampi. You can do it if you really want by changing trains but I decided instead to take a direct night bus. You can book it online or with a travel agent in Palolem. The bus ticket from Palolem to Hampi costs 1470Rs.
The night bus leaves at around 9pm and you arrive to Hampi almost by sunrise. The sleeper bus has AC and they even provide a sheet to put on top of the bed. It can be cold in the evening so keep a jumper handy just in case.
I have done my fair bit of traveling via night buses in many countries. If you have not traveled much on night buses yourself, my recommendation is to never have a big dinner or drink much as you don’t want to have to have stomach issues or need to go to the toilet often, there are always stops along the way but better to just try to sleep rather than not enjoying the trip much.
Arriving into Hampi bus stop you will be “welcomed” or almost harassed by lots of taxi and Tuktuk drivers trying to take you to your hotel, this is really not necessary at all if you booked something in Hampi itself as the town is just a few minutes walk away. Just make sure to know where your accommodation is as some hotels are advertised as being in Hampi but they’re actually pretty far out of town.
I stayed at Lakshmi Heritage Tourist Home and was able to check in when I arrived which was really nice of them so I could get some more sleep. The accommodation was comfortable enough to the standards that I had experienced in India by then. There are no hostels in Hampi unless you go quite far out of town so all I could find were private rooms but they were not very expensive.
About 500 years ago, Hampi was the second largest city in the world, after Beijing. And for adventurous travelers it offers a fantastic mix of temples to explore and a beautiful rocky landscape for some cool hikes.
The main sight is definitely the imposing Virupaksha temple which greets you as soon as you arrive to the village. This Lord Shiva Temple was built in the 7th century and it’s simply incredible to walk around, this temple is still used for worship and you need to pay a small fee to enter. Keep reading for a list of the prices I paid when I visited India in 2024.
In the days that I spent traveling in Hampi I pretty much walked everywhere and rented bikes to visit ruins that were farther away. You can join tours if you want but I found it easy to just do it myself with the navigation help of the maps.me app.
I was lucky that during my days in Hampi it was the time for the Holi festival which I understand it’s the second biggest festival after Diwali. Holi is the festival of colours, love and spring and it was an incredible experience to be part of. The celebrations started early in the morning with locals playing the drums and everyone joining them for a very slow walk all over town full of dancing. The main feature of the festival is the use of color powders which are thrown among all the attendees. The camaraderie I experienced on that day with an entire village was a memory I’ll keep for the rest of my life. This was definitely one of the highlights of my days backpacking in India.
The color stains lasted on my skin for about a week, but it was certainly worth it! However, I met some Indians after the festivities were over and they told me that they put on coconut oil on their bodies before the festival and that helps to not get the skin stained, so that’s a tip in case you happen to be over there at the same time of the year.
After having an overdose of temples and celebrations, I relaxed by crossing the river and improvised a hike on the nearby rock formations which are stunning. Do not forget to carry plenty of water with you as it can get really hot in Hampi during the day.
Days 12-14 Traveling from Hampi to Mumbai and end of the trip
I travelled from Hampi to Mumbai by train, but to do so you need to first take a Tuktuk from Hampi to Hosapete train station as Hampi itself has no train.
The journey takes some 15 hours in total, I took again a 3rd class seat with AC and found it really comfortable. Just ensure you have a good book to read and don’t be afraid to start chatting with the locals as they’re always very talkative. Having a chai almost every time the vendor walked by my coach was also an entertaining part of the journey.
Arriving to Mumbai at around 5.30am I was looking forward to stretch my legs and it was quite nice to walk the city towards the Colaba district without the traffic and chaos of the daytime. It was still dark when I was walking to Cowies Backpackers Hostel for my final night in India but I didn’t feel it was insecure at all.
For the final hours in my 2 weeks in India I just wandered around the Colaba District, as there are several museums and beautiful architecture that you will find almost without knowing where you’re going. I went to a couple of markets and the famous Marine Drive as well.
Sample prices to go backpacking in India on a budget in 2024
Sample prices in Mumbai:
Hostel in Mumbai 1100-1500 Rs
Dinner 400-600 Rs
Beer in a “fancy” Mumbai bar 500Rs
1L Bottled Water 15-20Rs
Ferry to Elephanta Island 260Rs
Elephanta Caves entrance 600Rs (tourist rate)
Uber from Colaba to airport 650Rs
Train from Mumbai to Palolem (Cancona) 1200Rs
Bus from Mumbai airport to Colaba District 176Rs
Sample prices in Palolem:
Hostel dorm 400-900RS
Dinner 400-700Rs
Beer by the beach 120-200Rs
Breakfast 100-200Rs
Cooking class 2000Rs
Bus from Palolem to Hampi 1470Rs
Sample prices in Hampi:
Virupaksha temple 75Rs
Some other temples have a combined rate of 600Rs but many are free
Chai (tea) 30Rs
Mains at a restaurant 150-250Rs
Fresh juices 80-120Rs
Bike rent for a full day 150Rs
Train Hosapete to Mumbai 1250Rs
My impressions after 2 weeks backpacking in India
If you’re going to travel in India for 2 weeks I’d recommend you to not try to cover as many places as you can as India is not a “regular” country but a sub continent so it’s simply impossible to see it all in that period. I’m pretty happy with the three places I visited as it allowed me to experience city chaos, relaxing beaches, historical areas and beautiful landscapes. I was also able meet many friendly locals and got to learn a bit about their culture and can’t really say anything negative about my experience travelling in India.
Having said that, if you have never been to Asia or developing countries, you could potentially be overwhelmed at times by its intensity.
In previous trips I have tried to cover too much area of a country in a short period of time and those trips tend to be less enjoyable for me as the connection with each place is too short so if you’re the kind of person that inclines more towards a slow travel mentality then I think this itinerary covering Mumbai, Goa and Hampi would be perfect for you as.
India has lots of contrasts from the north to the south so if you have visited the north and didn’t like it much, give it a try to the south as this country has plenty to offer and I’ll definitely be going back in the future.
I hope you found this post informative and do drop any comments below if you have any questions when you’re planning your 2 week trip in India or share any other tips with fellow backpackers.
If you’d like an alternative trip of similar length, check my post about my hiking adventures in Nepal.
Happy adventures!
