Prepare entry, payments and city-specific transport before a complex trip
Check the visa or eVisa rules for your passport only on the Government of India portal.
Eligible eVisa applicants normally need a passport valid for at least six months when applying, an onward or return ticket, and an approved ETA before travel. Foreigners and OCI cardholders can submit the free e-Arrival card online within 72 hours before arrival; it is not a visa. India is highly digital, but ordinary Paytm and Google Pay India accounts generally depend on Indian banking. Carry working physical cards and modest rupee cash.
UPI One World wallets for visitors exist, but onboarding, loading, fees, merchant-only QR limits and refunds vary, so treat them as optional rather than essential. At airports, use an official prepaid counter, a signed app pickup zone or a transfer arranged by your accommodation. Match the vehicle and driver, share the trip and avoid hailing alone at night. Transport, ticketing and language needs change sharply by state and city.
Confirm local rules, download maps and save addresses in the local script. Check a current government travel advisory for every destination, including regional restrictions, weather and health requirements. Call 112 for police, fire or medical emergencies. The multilingual tourist helpline is 1363 or 1800-11-1363.
The easiest first ride app for many visitors, with cars and autos across numerous Indian cities.
A leading local platform for autos, cars and legally available bike taxis in supported cities.
A long-established Indian app for cars and autos, useful as a price and driver-supply comparison.
A fare-negotiation alternative for cars and autos in selected Indian cities.
A direct-driver auto and cab platform led by Bengaluru, with partner services in selected other cities.
A driver-owned cooperative ride app in Delhi NCR and selected rollout areas, including parts of Gujarat.
India's key channel for hotels, drivers, guides, restaurants, confirmations and pickup coordination.
The best general map for city navigation, saved places, driving and offline areas across India.
An India-focused map with detailed local addresses, live traffic, navigation and toll information.
Delhi Metro's official route, station-information and QR-ticket app.
Mumbai's official multimodal planner and QR-ticket app for participating metro, rail and bus operators.
Bengaluru Metro's official app for network information and supported ticket or card functions.
Live bus tracking plus mobile tickets or passes in selected participating Indian cities.
The Ministry of Tourism's official destination, attraction, event and trip-planning resource.
The most practical translation app for text, camera and downloaded language packs used across India.
Indian Railways' official app for reserved train tickets, including the foreign-user booking framework.
The most useful marketplace for comparing and booking private intercity bus operators across India.
Indian Railways' newer official app combining tickets, train enquiry, platform tickets and support.
An offline-friendly train-status and schedule app from Google for Indian rail journeys.
The Government of India's national emergency app for police, fire, medical and other urgent assistance.
The free official arrival-information form for foreigners and OCI cardholders, submitted within 72 hours before arrival.
The India Meteorological Department's official forecasts, observations and severe-weather warnings.
The Central Pollution Control Board's official air-quality data and complaint app.
Reliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Avoid the pre-activated SIMs pushed in tourist districts like Paharganj in Delhi or Colaba in Mumbai: they are registered to a stranger's ID and typically die after about two days, so only buy where your passport and photo are taken. Activation is not instant, count on a few hours and occasionally up to two days, so plan for your arrival day to be partly offline. The SIM may also expire on the same date as your visa. One more thing: when you activate an Indian number, WhatsApp will offer to switch your account to it; decline unless you actually want to move it.
Best all-round pick for tourists, with the widest coverage including mountains and rural areas and the smoothest airport sign-up process for foreigners.
Often the fastest 5G in major cities, with competitive entry pricing.
A shrinking network with spotty coverage, and often hard to get without a local contact. Best avoided.
The essential apps for India are Uber, Rapido, Zomato, Swiggy, WhatsApp.
We've curated 31 apps across 13 categories for traveling in India, including 12 essential apps.
Uber is the top-rated ride hailing app in India. The easiest first ride app for many visitors, with cars and autos across numerous Indian cities.
Tracked rides, official tickets and cash backups make Bangladesh easier to navigate
Use two ride apps, book scenic trains early, and keep cash beyond the cities
Arrange arrival and island transfers first, then add local apps only if your itinerary needs them
Use ride apps in Kathmandu, carry cash beyond cities, and verify every trekking permit
inDrive in the cities, cash for daily life, and official alerts for the road north
