Useful Facts

Internet: Luxury hotels are increasingly wi-fi enabled or will have a LAN you can use. Hotel business centres are web-connected and internet cafes are a common sight all over the country.

Currency: India's currency is the 'Rupee', abbreviated as 'Rs'. One Rupee is equal to 100 paise. Coins are in various small denominations of 1, 2, & 5, Rupees. Notes (Bills) are in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1000 Rupees.

Foreign Exchange: Visiting foreigners can exchange money at the international airport where 24-hour exchange facilities are available, through banks and approved moneychangers. You could also change money at most big city hotels, national or international banks in the major metro cities.

Bank timings are usually from 1000 hrs to 1600 hrs on weekdays and 1000hrs to 1200 hrs on Saturdays. Please remember that not all banks will exchange foreign currency or travelers cheques particularly in small towns. Exchange money only through authorized banks or Money Changers. Insist on a receipt/encashment certificate when changing money. Retain all receipts to facilitate re-conversion of unspent money on departure from India.

Travelers Cheques/Credit Cards: Travelers' Cheques should be of well-known brands like Thomas Cook, American Express and Visa. Major Credit Cards like American Express, Master Cards, Visa, etc are generally accepted by large establishments, including hotels, shops and airlines.

Communication: The country code for India: 0091. Codes for the metro cities are: Delhi-011, Mumbai-022, Kolkata-033 and Chennai-044. When calling from overseas drop the zero in the city code.
Cell phones that work in India need to be tri-band, need to be unlocked and on roaming mode. They should be compatible to the Indian system which works on 900/1800MHz. Switch off the phone in your own country and then switch it on in India again. All hotel desks have agents available to assist on cell phone usage.

Language: While India has 27 states with as many languages and twice the amount of dialects, English is widely spoken and understood and you won't have any difficulty communicating at all. If English is not your native language, we do arrange for interpreters and guides who are fluent in your language.

Humour: Must bring it along.