You can get from Russia to India only by plane. The main air hub of the country – the capital’s airport – is named after Indira Gandhi. Aeroflot, Etihad Airways, Air Astana, Turkish Airlines and other carriers fly here from Moscow. Aeroflot has direct flights departing from Sheremetyevo (travel time – 6 hours), from Domodedovo – from Air India (6 hours). The cheapest connecting flights are organized by Air Astana: with a transfer in Alma-Ata (10 hours). Faster – from Air Arabia via Sharjah: 9 hours. From St. Petersburg to Delhi, you will have to fly with transfers. The fastest and cheapest way is with Air Astana with a connection in Alma-Ata: tickets – 291 USD one way, travel time – 10 hours. See Countryaah.com for other countries starting with I.
It is more convenient to fly to Goa directly. Regular and charter flights to the only Dabolim airport in the state are carried out by Rossiya, Jet Airways, KLM, Emirates and other carriers. Rossiya offers direct flights from Moscow: departure from Vnukovo, travel time – 7 hours. With one change at Qatar Airways (via Doha, 11 hours). From St. Petersburg to Goa, you can fly with only two transfers. The lowest prices are from Scandinavian Airlines and Qatar Airways: via Stockholm and Doha, 31 hours. The fastest flights are from Qatar Airways with Es Seven: 14 hours with transfers in Moscow and Doha.
You can get to Kerala through Goa or take tickets to one of the two international airports in the state: in Cochin or Trivandrum.
The cheapest and fastest flights to Cochin from Moscow are from Air Arabia (10 hours via Sharjah), Scandinavian Airlines and Qatar Airlines fly from St. Petersburg with two transfers (32 hours via Stockholm and Doha). The same tandem carries from the northern capital to Trivandrum (16 hours with connections in Moscow and Doha), it is more convenient for Muscovites to fly with Air Arabia (11 hours via Sharjah).
Details on how to get to the popular regions of India: Goa, Delhi.
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Transport
Traveling around the country is most comfortable and fastest by plane. Domestic flights are operated by Indigo, Go Air, Jet Airways, Spice Jet and other carriers. Sometimes they offer great prices: for example, you can fly from the capital to Mumbai with Go Air for 7500 INR and 2 hours of travel. But in most cases it is cheaper to travel by train (long distances) or bus (short distances). By rail, it is more profitable to travel by trains of the 2nd class with air conditioning and two types of cars: 4 and 6 people in a compartment.
A special train with air-conditioned cars “Taj Express” runs between Delhi and Agra: it departs from the capital in the morning and returns in the evening. Tickets – 5800 INR in the 1st class, 1600 INR in the 2nd.
At the main stations of the largest cities and at international airports, there are separate “windows” or even halls for selling tickets to foreigners under a special quota (usually for dollars, and change is given in rupees).
The bus network in India is well developed: there are public and private transport companies in every state. The average cost of a 1 km trip on a public bus is from 1 INR. Prices from private carriers depend on the bus class and distance.
Urban transport
Shuttle buses run in almost all Indian settlements. Opening hours – until 19:30, ticket price – at the rate of 2-3 INR per 1 km. In large cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata – there is a subway. Travel in the metropolitan subway costs 15-60 INR depending on the distance.
Taxis in India are public and private. The first – with a fixed fee by the meter or prepayment at special cash desks. Secondly, you can and should bargain, knocking down up to 50% of the price announced by the driver. The average taxi fare is 8-12 INR per 1 km, transfer from the airport to Delhi is 350-450 INR, in Goa – from 700 INR and above.
In some states, “taxi driver days” are officially held, when all transportation, including excursions, has the right to be carried out only by taxis (only buses to the airport work from alternative modes of transport).
Motor rickshaws, or tuk-tuks, are an exotic, fast and convenient way to get around the city. And quite affordable: 2-2.5 times cheaper than a regular taxi. A cycle rickshaw is an option suitable only for a sightseeing walk around the city: the speed of a turtle, no convenience. And if the passenger is “in the body”, they don’t pull up the hill at all, you have to get out and walk alongside. Another authentic transport is tempo, an analogue of Thai songteos: pickup trucks with two wooden benches in the back. You can ride them for 30 INR.
Rent a Car
In short, it’s better not to. There are several reasons, one more significant than the other: firstly, the tracks are narrow (although in good condition), and markings and road signs are sometimes absent. Secondly, the traffic is very dense almost around the clock, carts drawn by oxen, motorcycles, people move in the general stream; various representatives of the local fauna regularly appear on the canvas. And, last but not least, Indian drivers do not follow even the minimum rules of the road. To top it off, driving in India is left-hand drive. Therefore, to travel around the country it is better to rent a car with a driver. It’s not overly expensive, but it’s safe.
The most popular means of transportation in India are motorcycles and scooters. Very convenient, given the traffic density. The average cost of renting a scooter is 200-400 INR per day, while no one has canceled the bargain, especially if the rental period is more than a week. Required documents: passport and driver’s license.
