What should women wear when travelling in India?

How women travellers should dress in India is an ongoing discussion. It's the question I've been asked most since I've been out here and the issue that Alice and I struggled most with before we came. So, here's a brief overview in relation to the places we visited.

Before I begin, though, it should be said that how you dress is completely down to you, and what you are comfortable with. At the end of the day you are a travelling woman in India, you are going to get lots of looks from locals (both male and female) and will attract attention by just being there. How you dress will only affect the sort of attention you receive. Alice and I didn't once feel threatened on our trip. Yes, people looked at us, and often we did flash a little more knee/shoulder than is probably encouraged; but we did so under the clear understanding that we were going to generate that kind of reaction and were comfortable with that fact.

North India

Delhi
Delhi is a crazy place. It might be smaller than Mumbai with a smaller population, but it feels that bit more chaotic. To us, it felt dirtier and more intrusive. Make sure you have a shawl with you at all times and I would keep your shoulders and knees covered, just to avoided the attention. You can buy trousers for 100rps in most of the bazaars, so stock up at the beginning of the trip.
If you visit any temples you will have to cover up, but it is worth donning the same garb for any palace or fort visits; people will ask to take photos of you in Delhi.

Varanasi
Varanasi is a holy city, 300 funerals take place here every day. It's hot and humid and intense and you'll sweat more than you ever thought was physically possible, but keep covered up at all times here; just out of respect.

Agra
Being a tourist destination, the Taj Mahal is full of people from every corner of the globe. You could wear anything you liked here, really, so it's up to you whether or not you want to observe the more conservative dress code. We did, because it felt more respectful.

Jaipur
Jaipur is a little more chilled out, so it is at your discretion how much flesh you show. Keep a scarf with you and just be respectful. It is worth noting that a lot of people living in Jaipur aren't as used to westerners than those in the big cities; Jaipur is huge and quite poor in parts, so just be aware that you might attract a lot of attention.

Jaisalmer
I got my shoulders out in Jaisalmer for the first time. It is a small city, and felt that more chilled. We ensured we always had something to cover us up, but were a bit more relaxed on the dress code. Just, as a mentioned, be aware of the level of attention you might attract while you are there. Many of the camel safaris offer village visits; I would recommend keeping covered up for these, just to avoid creating anymore havoc than your presence alone will inevitably cause.

South India

We only visited a very small part of South India, so you may need to look around for advice on how to dress in Kerala, Chennai and beyond.

Goa
Goa is a bit like a beach resort. People walk through the streets in their bikinis here, especially in Palolem. We didn't go that far, but shorts and dresses were fine. Bikinis are all good on the beach, though I would recommend finding a slightly quieter patch of sand and maybe tucking yourselves behind a boat or something similar to avoid drawing a crowd. A lot of people told us to cover up on the local buses, however we found that we didn't draw any additional attention so carried on as we were (keeping a shawl or scarf with us at all times).

Hampi
Hampi is a very sacred place. If you are visiting any of the active temples make sure you cover up; chances are you will be asked to by the tourist information guys if you don't. The rest of the place you are fine; Hampi draws a lot of domestic tourists to it's ruins so just be aware that you might stick out a little bit and get a few looks from other Indians.

Mumbai
Dress according to your activity and location. If you're visiting the slums be respectful and conservative and consider that people aren't that used to scantily clad western women wandering around. In Colaba we felt quite comfortable in dresses with shawls, though we did put trousers on at night. Be aware of the Bollywood talent scouts that patrol the strip outside Leopold's; it is more than likely that you'll be scouted to be extra in an up and coming film if you're a woman and you're western and you're arms or legs are exposed (we were scouted within a minute of getting out of the cab!)

My main advice would be to stick within your comfort zone. Alice and I felt comfortable in Goa wearing summer clothes, but for much of Rajahstan we kept our shoulders and knees covered. Understand that you are already attracting a lot of attention, and what you wear will only add or subtract from that.

L&A x 

Jaipur: elephants, gin, bunk beds and swimming pools.

Our Lonely Planet guide to India has been renamed The Bible. We take it in turns to lug it around and so far it's yet to really let us down (that is if you take it's  flamboyant reviews with a pinch of salt.) So, when it told us there were hotels in Jaipur that allowed non-guests to pay to use their swimming pool, we knew exactly what we wanted to do as soon as we'd alighted the 12hour overnight train from Varanasi.

Narain Niwas Palace Hotel

We visited Narain Niwas Palace Hotel twice during our stay and pretended for a couple of hours we were staying in a luxury hotel, not living out of a backpack and sharing a dorm room with 7 other girls. We felt like we were breaking the rules, stripping down to our bikinis after days of 'dressing modestly', but it felt a lot like heaven, sipping beers and enjoying the afternoon Indian sun. (250rps per person).

That night we watched the sunset from Nahargarh Fort, which offered an unprecedented panoramic view of the expanse of city below. Get there before 5.30pm to pay your 50rps entry, then scale one of the turrets on the east side for the best seats on the house.

View from the fort 

Dinner was an LP special, at the canteen style restaurant at Hotel Arya Niwas in Chitra Cafw. Lesson learnt here: don't judge the restaurant by it's display plates of food that look like they've been there for weeks. We shared a thali for 120rps and tried the fresh orange juice which is actually made of sweet limes that taste like orange (?). It turns out this place is full of expat locals and we ended up eating dinner with Jo, a jewellery buyer from Kent and Alice, a student working in Delhi who studied at Eastbourne College (small world). 

The Amber Fort was one of Jaipur's highlights, and we spent a good few hours exploring. It's stunning, perching high on a mountainside overlooking a large lake below and surrounded by hills. A turreted wall snakes the area, and looks impressive from each and every angle. The glass palace is also one of the highlights. (200rps) 

An Indian Alan Partridge then hijacked our tuc tuc home and offered to take us for a backstreet tour, free of charge. First stop: Elephant House. A herd of elephants ferry tourists up to amber fort for 3 hours every morning and afternoon. We didn't want to pay the 950rps asking price so sacrificed a meet and greet with the elephants... Or so we thought. The elephant house is where the elephants are kept whilst they're not at the fort. We had a mini photoshoot free of charge, which was pretty cool. 

Alice, me and Madonna

After that, we headed to city palace. My advice? Don't bother. It was 400rps p/p and there was very little going on inside. It's a lovely building, but it doesn't stand out from the rest. We actually got our palms read whilst inside because it was so easy to be distracted by what was actually on offer. (Turns out I am impatient, ambitious and lucky. The chap suggested I wear lots of yellow and, if I get the chance, take a happiness course. 3 kids and 2 relationships are also in my future... apparently.)

That's my 'I can smell bullshit' face

It's worth heading to Ganesh Restaurant atop shop number ten in Nehru Bazaar. Despite the foreigners menu which they whipped out as soon as they saw us walking over the impressive roof terrace, the open kitchen was really impressive and it offers a comfortable bridge from restaurant to street food.

That night a group of us from Zostel made plans to seek out beers in Jaipur. Drinks stop serving at 11pm here, so start early or make friends with a local who can give you details of the underground scene. We ended up, after a couple hours of researching, deliberating and walking, in the basement bar of Copper Chimney on MI Road. Seven £1 g&t's later... 

We nursed our mild hangovers at Lassiwala on MI Road. This place has been imitated 10 times over so make sure you go to the original (it's black with gold writing), where the 20 or 40rps sweet milk drinks are served in clay pots kerbside. Lassi's are great for settling stomachs, too, if Delhi belly has kicked in. 

After that, 15p coffee and 8p roast at the Indian Coffee House on MI road. I loved it here because it was full of locals and it had a real old gentlemens club feel to it. You can imagine all the men sipping coffee and playing darata. 

We set aside a couple of hours after that to just stroll the bustling, winding streets of the Pink (Old) City. Each street varies, with the ones geared at tourists proving a little overwhelming, but the locals roads offering real insight into way of life. Jaipur is famed for its 7 handicraft: textile, Silver jewellery, blue pottery, leather, screen painting, enamel work and carpets, and around 60% of it's population work in the industry. Wholesalers work for the likes of monsoon, Tiffany's and Alice Temperley. In other words it's shoppers heaven. 

A quick take out thali back at zostel before we headed for our late night train, and our time in Jaipur was done. It's been a crazy busy few days.

L&A. Xx