Delhi to Dharamsala

You'll need to take a bus up to Dharamsala - it takes around 12 hours from Delhi, and probably you can book a bus from whichever guest house you're staying in, most have travel desks and Dharamsala's a popular route. You should be able to get on a bus the day after you book it, or the day after that. The bus drops you at Dharamsala and then jeeps take you up to McLeod Ganj from there.

You can take a day trip to Agra from Delhi by train and back again, or go there for a couple of days. As you only have 11 days it might be wise to book that in advance to make sure you get a ticket, or you could find yourself not able to get on a train for a few days.

The Pahar Ganj area of Delhi is a backpackers area with lots of guesthouses. I stayed at the Ajay guest house just off the main street in Pahar Ganj - it was cheap and clean. Also Pahar Ganj is very close to New Delhi railway station and also has a metro station just down the road. You can find details of all this in Lonely Planet. You shouldn't really need to book in advance to get somewhere to stay, but tell the rickshaw driver you have already booked somewhere and don't let him talk you into going somewhere he suggests (for his commission). Just be firm.

In Agra I stayed at the Shanti Lodge, which has a great view of the Taj from its rooftop cafe.

In Dharamsala/Mcleod Ganj, I stayed at the Green Hotel, which has a choice of basic rooms (with bathrooms outside) or rooms with attached bathrooms and hot water (still pretty cheap, and you'll need hot water as it's chilly up there!).

All of those guest houses should be in Lonely Planet. Reply to this

Hiya

Kunga's was good in McLeod Ganj, worth visiting to eat there even if you don't stay. We found them friendliest out of three places we tried, and stayed there for about eight weeks. There are plenty of places around, even arriving with nothing booked you should be ok to find somewhere to stay. Reply to this