Writer Xenia Taliotis first visited India as a return to normal life after 20 months of cancer treatment, with her cousin and three young children in tow. The plan was the classic Golden Triangle – Delhi, Agra and Jaipur – but it collapsed within two days, and the family fled to Kerala's backwaters and Goa's beaches instead. Eleven years later, aged 60 and marking 14 years cancer-free, she went back with a softer itinerary: The Leela Palace Northern India Trail, covering Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur in place of Agra.
Delhi came first, and it hit hard. New Delhi is louder, hotter and more congested than ever, so the writer built in downtime at The Leela Palace New Delhi – a Lutyens-inspired hotel with domes, colonnades and a notable contemporary art collection, complete with curator-led art walks and a "vitality breakfast" aimed at gut health. When she did venture out, it was to Khari Baoli, the world's largest wholesale spice market, a 17th-century tangle of alleyways still buzzing with moneylenders, porters and spice traders. There was also a calligraphy session with master scribe Ameen Ur Rehman, who teaches the Arabic craft to visitors.
A five-hour drive brought the group to Jaipur, Rajasthan's pink-hued capital – the colour dates to 1876, when Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II had the city painted pink for Prince Albert Edward's visit. Highlights included the honeycombed Hawa Mahal, rose-petal welcomes and Kalbelia dancers whose mirror-stitched skirts scatter rainbows of light. The trip also tapped into the city's newer side: the Sculpture Park at Vijay Garhi, a former prison turned modern art space, and the Jaipur Centre for Art, both housed in historic buildings.
Udaipur was the calm after the storm. The City of the Lakes offered a sunrise yoga session, moonlight over Lake Pichola and a visit to Aavaran, a women-run workshop reviving 600-year-old block-printing traditions with indigo-dyed fabrics. For a traveller marking a personal milestone, it was the stillness the trip had been missing.
The takeaway for visitors: the Golden Triangle doesn't have to be a checklist. Swapping Agra for Udaipur trades the Taj-crowd crush for lake views and craft workshops, and pacing the route – with proper rest stops in Delhi – makes it workable for older travellers or anyone recovering from a big life event. Winter (October to April) is the comfortable season, and with BA, Virgin Atlantic and Air India flying direct to Delhi from around £430, the route is easy from the UK. Leela rooms start at £140 a night, with the six-night multi-city trail from £499 a night in winter.