Best India Guidebooks
Every major guidebook company from Lonely Planet to Let’s Go makes at least one India guidebook.
Most guidebook companies make many more than one book on India, as the country’s vast territory and diversity of places to visit make for enough material for several.
If you’re planning on visiting India, getting a specific guidebook for the region you will visit is a good idea. For example, Lonely Planet’s book on Rajasthan gives good in-depth coverage of that region of India and will save you from lugging around a huge book as you travel.
If you’ll be visiting lots of places in India, getting a larger guidebook like The Rough Guide to India is a good idea. If you’re handy with scissors, you can cut out the chapters you need and leave the rest at home to save room as you pack your bags.
Once you know what size guidebook you need, shop around for an India guidebook that fits your travel style. If you’re backpacking, Lonely Planet, Let’s Go, and the Rough Guide are some of the best guidebooks. If you’re going upscale, look into guides that offer more high-end suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and shopping.
On a budget? A lot of the best deals on India guidebooks can be found on websites where travelers that have just returned from India are selling their books. If you’re lucky you can get a copy with good notes and suggestions written in!
One last tip on finding the best India guidebooks: check the date the guidebook was published. If it is more than a few years old, don’t buy it. Things change so quickly in India that an old guidebook will be of little use to you today.