Tipping
Tipping in
hotels and restaurants is normal practice
and expected. It is a purely personal matter
but, as a rough guideline, we recommend the
following:
- A porter in
a hotel who carries your bags: 10 - 20 INR
(depending on the category of hotel).
- A porter at
a train station: If you are travelling with
India Nepal Travel, this is included in the
cost of the holiday. If you are travelling
solo, then there are fixed charges (normally
about 10 INR per item).
- At
restaurants, 5 - 10 % of the bill is the
usual amount given to a waiter (but check
that service has not already been included
in your bill).
Doormen and
others may look at you for a tip but do not
feel that you need to tip them.
Taxi drivers
and auto rickshaw drivers do not expect tips
for short journeys but will expect a tip if
the journey is more than half a day.
Trekking
guides usually receive a tip of about a
minimum of 250 INR per day per group but
tipping is a purely personal matter. If you
feel that the guide has put in a great deal
of effort then the tip can be increased to
reflect this.
Shopping
India is the
place for shopping for handicrafts,
jewellery, silk, furniture, tea, spices,
pickles and chutneys or simply for enjoying
the atmosphere of street bazaars. Each state
is famous for particular products - silk
from Varanasi, pickles from Haryana and
spices from Kerala. If you are starting your
trip in Delhi, you can get an idea of prices
and quality by visiting any of the state and
other emporia near Connaught Place. Before
buying anything that will be carried by you
to abroad, we suggest you read the latest
guidebooks' advice on this. We will be
happy to advise you if you have any specific
shopping requests or interests.
Most shops
open at 10am and stay open until 7 or 8pm.
Different markets have different closing
days (most are open 6 days a week) so please
check that the market you want to visit is
open on the day you intend to visit it |
