India experiences three seasons a year: Summer, Rainy Season (monsoon), and Winter (although the tropical south does not quite experience a cold winter). Except in the Himalayan regions, there is usually never any snow.
April and May are the hot months, June through September is the rainy season, and November through January is the winter season. There is a brief Spring in February and March, especially in North India.
From June through September, the Southwest monsoon causes rains over most parts of the country. It hits the west coast the most and therefore the western coastline is much greener than the interior.
The Northeast monsoon hits the east coast between October and February, and causes much devastation due to the occasional cyclones. The only region that gets rains from both the Southwest and the Northeast monsoons is Northeastern India, which experiences the highest rainfall in the world.
India has many different regions and therefore, there are 22 official languages with hundreds of other less prominent languages. Hindi is spoken by 30% of the population and is the main working language of the Central Government. Speaking Hindi will allow you to get by in most of India, except in Tamil Nadu and the Northeast, which is met with hostility from the locals.
English is widely spoken in major cities and in most government offices.
National Holidays and Festivals
January 26 – Republic Day
August 15 – Independence Day
October 2 – Gandhi Jayanti
February or March – Holi (Festival of Color)
September or October – Navratri
October or November – Diwali (Festival of Lights)
The official currency is the rupee. The subdivision is the paise (at 100 paise per rupee). The exchange rate as of Feb 2010 is 46.4 rupees to US$1.
Carry small denominations of cash with you wherever you go to avoid problems with changing larger denominations, as many merchants and taxi drivers will not be able to break a large bill or they do not want to be stuck with the large bill.
Rates for exchanging rupees overseas are often poor.
Bargaining is normal and is expected with vendors, but not with department stores and the like. You will get better prices when buying multiple items in the same store rather than by bargaining in different stores individually.
Tipping in India is practiced but is optional; however, tipping to porters, tour guides, and tour drivers is customary and expected. In restaurants, if the service was good, a small tip is appreciated. In some cases, tipping can be done beforehand to ensure good service.
230V/50Hz; Indian (Old British)/European plugs