A Passageto India

Seven cities stacked into one: Mughal forts, Lutyens avenues and the best chaat in the country.

The Taj at sunrise, Agra Fort by afternoon, petha for the train home.

Akbar's abandoned red-sandstone capital, behind the tallest gateway in India.

The Pink City: forts on every ridge, bazaars in every lane.

Lake palaces, rooftop sunsets and the gentlest pace in Rajasthan.

A living golden fort at the edge of the Thar.

Tigers among the ruins of a 10th-century fort.

Art deco sea fronts, vada pav at 2am and the Gateway at dawn.

Peshwa palaces and the Sahyadri forts on a weekend ride.

Latin quarters, feni shacks and a coastline for every mood.

Biryani, pearls and the Charminar lit up at night.

Garden city of filter coffee, microbreweries and weekend getaways.

Palace lit with 100,000 bulbs, sandalwood in the air.

Sri Male Mahadeshwara temple deep in the Eastern Ghats forest.

Adil Shahi domes, including the whispering gallery of Gol Gumbaz.

Boulder landscapes strewn with the ruins of Vijayanagara.

Temple towns, the Marina and a December music season.

French Quarter lanes and a quiet Bay of Bengal promenade.

Chinese fishing nets, spice warehouses and art-filled streets.

Tea estates rolling across the Western Ghats.

Red cliffs over the Arabian Sea.

Durga Puja, trams, rosogolla and the Victoria Memorial.

Kanchenjunga at sunrise, toy train, first flush tea.

Ganga aarti on 84 ghats in the oldest living city.

Nawabi kebabs, chikankari and the Bada Imambara maze.

Chandela temples carved with a thousand stories.

Ganga rapids by day, aarti by night.

Snow passes, apple orchards and cafés in Old Manali.

Monasteries under the highest motorable passes.

The Golden Temple langar and kulcha on every corner.

The white salt desert under a full moon.

One-horned rhinos across the Brahmaputra grasslands.

Living root bridges and the wettest places on earth.

Cellular Jail history and the clearest water in India.