All You Need To Know About Wagah Border

Beating Retreat Ceremony At Wagah Border

If you are visiting Amritsar, besides seeing the world-famous Golden Temple, Wagah Border must also be on your list! 

A display of patriotism, unity, and discipline – Wagah Border witnesses both enthusiastic civilians and global tourists willing to partake in the enthusiasm. 

Today, we bring you an exclusive guide and tips you need to know before traveling to Wagah Border. Let’s get started!

History of the Wagah Border

The Wagah Border lies on the Grand Trunk Road, named after the Wagah Village. Also called the Wagah Attari Border, it is one of the only two international road border crossings between India and Pakistan.

Historically, the border was an important landmark for migrants during the partition of India. Since 1959, India and Pakistan have been performing what is internationally renowned as the “Beating Retreat Ceremony.” 

What happens at the Wagah-Border Ceremony?

Wagah Border is known for its iconic ” Beating Retreat Ceremony” or ” The Flag Lowering Ceremony.” 

At sundown, the gates of the two countries are opened on both sides, followed by the simultaneous lowering of the national flags. It is preceded by a grand show comprising high-spirited marching and coordinated performances by the Indian BSF and Pakistan Rangers. 

After folding the national flags, Soldiers from the two nations give each other a firm handshake before retreating to close the national gates again.

The entire show is a surreal and immersing experience for every visitor on the premises.

When to visit Wagah Border?

Wagah Border Parade Timings vary depending on seasons. In summer, the show starts at 5: 15 p.m., and in winter at 4:15 p.m. It is a 45-minute ceremony. The seats here are based on a first-to-come basis (and it gets really crowded). So, it is best to reach the venue early. 

The Wagah Border entrance, on the other hand, remains open from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

How to reach the Wagah Border?

There are several means to reach the venue from Amritsar. You can opt for shared cabs/ bus facilities around the Golden Temple. The distance is around 35 Km. From the stoppage, it is a further 1 Km walk to the main ceremony venue.

You can also opt for cab services from your hotel if they offer the facilities for it. 

A piece of advice if you hire a driver- since there is no phone network near the border area, we suggest you note and remember your parking space to avoid any later confusion.

Are you interested in touring more tourist attractions in Amritsar? Make sure to check out Amritsar Travel Packages!

Pricing at Wagah Border

It is FREE to attend the Wagah Border Ceremony. The only costs involved are your travel costs and additional on-site purchases. 

Shared autos/ bus/ personal cabs typically range between Rs 100-2000 approximately, depending on the facilities you choose.

What to bring at Wagah Border?

Since this is a national border area, there are limitations on what to bring. You can carry cash, cameras, mobile phones, and ID proof. Other than that, eatables or stuff, including carrier or camera bags, are banned. 

There is a locker, however, where you can submit your luggage at a charge. You can also shop inside the venue for souvenirs and eatables.

Conclusion

So, that is all for today’s blog about Wagah Border. The Wagah Border Ceremony is not just limited to showmanship but is also symbolic of the history, rivalry, and brotherhood between the two nations.

So, if you are in Amritsar, make sure to visit the revered Wagah Border and create a lifelong, memorable experience!

Also Read: Things you cannot miss while booking a Hotel in Amritsar

Things you cannot miss while booking a Hotel in Amritsar

People who have a knack for traveling must be aware of the crucial role a good hotel plays in making or breaking the vibe of a vacation. Finding a good hotel that is well within your budget, offers a variety of amenities, is at a reasonable distance from the well-known city attractions, and does not overcharge is a feat not everyone gets to experience. 

So, to help you reach as close as possible to picking the right hotel for your next trip to Amritsar, here are some must-not-forget points that you need to remember while looking for a hotel in Amritsar! 

Family-friendliness

Everyone must follow the safety protocols to stay safe in the hotels. If you are on a family vacation in Amritsar, choosing the right hotel becomes all the more important! Having a family with you means you need to be extra vigilant regarding their safety. So, the first and foremost thing you should judge a hotel by is its family-friendliness. 

Look for what the various hotels have in store through various offers and policies, and compare which one is offering the best deal out there. From the family-friendly ambiance and clean rooms to kids’ play areas, etc there are so many things to consider when looking for a family-friendly hotel in Amritsar. If you want to read what safety precautions you should follow, then you must click here!

Check-in and check-out timings

Another crucial detail one should pay attention to is the Check-in and check-out timing. Arriving at the hotel before the check-in time, or overstaying your check-out time can cause a lot of inconveniences. Therefore, if you’re reaching the city way ahead of your check-in time or have a late flight that may require you to overstay the check-out time, it’s best to book with a hotel that allows some flexibility in this department. Marriott hotels are one such group that allows their guests to check in early or check out late in case any such issue arises. So, it’s best to check with the hotel you’re booking beforehand regarding their check-in/check-out policy. 

Amenities they offer

Many of us often are under the wrong impression that all the hotels offer the same basic facilities and for the same charges. The simple answer to this misunderstanding is a No! Each hotel has its policies and amenities they offer. One such example is housekeeping. While some hotels in India offer free housekeeping service, others may charge additional charges for the same. 

The same goes for extra beddings, breakfast, free wifi, television facility, and many other such amenities. Therefore, it is best to have a rough idea about the things you strictly want your preferred hotel to offer, before picking a hotel in Amritsar. Also, if you’re looking for a more luxury stay then you can opt for hotels that offer luxury amenities including spas, swimming pools, etc. 

Hotel’s Location

Amritsar is a beautiful city with a rich heritage. If you’re planning on having a fun time exploring the city, we suggest booking a hotel near top tourist attractions to avoid spending too much on cabs/autos. However, this may not be as simple as it seems. There are plenty of cheap hotels in Amritsar that claim to be at a ‘walkable distance from the major tourist spots, but in reality, have kilometers stretching between them. So, it is especially important to do a proper research before putting your money and faith into a hotel.

 It’s best to do a thorough check of the locality the hotel is situated in not just for distance estimation but also to ensure it is in a safe locality and not some shady place you might regret going to later! 

Free WiFi

This one might not bother all of you, but for our fellow business travelers, this might just be the make-or-break point about the hotel. While most of the hotels claim to provide free wifi in this, many end up charging extra money for the supposed ‘free Wi-Fi’. There have also been instances where either the number of devices has been restricted, or the wifi is only available in the lobby. Though it feels like a minor inconvenience, it’s always better to be prepared beforehand! 

Customer Reviews

The importance of customer reviews cannot be emphasized enough. Be it online shopping or booking a hotel in Amritsar, customer reviews are something that one must always go through before putting your money on the table. 

Reviews serve a variety of purposes and must not be underestimated. They give the brands and their boastful descriptions the necessary check and give you a fair idea of what to expect. One should be able to read the pattern among the reviews. What feature is being commended, loopand what is the hotel lacking? What are the false claims, and what are the departments, the hotel outperformed its competitors in? They also give valuable information regarding certain services that have been closed permanently or temporarily. 

Reviews are real experiences coming from real people. They provide you with the perfect opportunity to learn from others’ experiences. One must never skip this section and thoroughly go through customer reviews rather than blindly trusting a hotel based on their rating. 

Cleanliness

Last but not least are the cleanliness standards maintained by the hotel. Usually, hotels are very particular about cleanliness and do a good job at maintaining basic hygiene standards. However, some hotels always leave room for a surprise, and not the pleasant kind! A mold here and there or sheets that have not been changed are common occurrences. Such instances can turn a pleasant trip into a horrific experience for most of us. So, it’s best to pick a hotel that takes cleanliness very seriously! 

Conclusion

Our list ends here, but yours doesn’t have to! You are free to add in more stuff that you think must be borne in mind before booking a hotel. The objective is to allow people to have as pleasant an experience as possible; so that they can have a vacation that only brings back happy memories. With all these points ticked off, you can rest assured that your hotel will be the last of your worries.

Top 5 Places to Visit in Lonavala for Couples

Lonavala is one of the famous hill stations in Pune, Maharashtra. It is on the Shyadhri Ranges, which are northern ranges of the exotic Western Ghats. This place looks heavenly during the monsoon. Lonavala is a romantic destination for solo women tourists, lovers, and honeymoon couples. The top five places to visit by romantic couples are listed below.

Tigers Leap

The energetic couples must trek and reach Tigers Leap viewpoint, which has a prominence of 2,132-ft AMSL. After reaching this viewpoint, the views of lush green Shyadhri Ranges, mountain mists, milky waterfalls, and sunrise and sunset views are breathtaking. A day trip is essential to take photos of waterfalls and surrounding hills with mist. It is the coolest place to sit and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.

Rajmachi Fort

Maharashtra is famous for its hilltop forts in India. Rajmachi is one of the historic forts that young couples must visit once in Pune. A 30-minutes moderate trek from Udhewadi village is unavoidable to reach this hilltop fort. It is a vigil fort, and you will have the best lush green mountain views with flowing clouds during the monsoon. A half-day trip is enough to enjoy trekking and get the best views from this hilltop fort.

Read Also: Top 10 Hotel Booking Sites in India

Kune Falls

Are there any Lonavala best places to visit for couples? Then you must not miss seeing the mesmerizing Kune waterfalls. You both will be amazed to see a 3-tire waterfall in milky white color drops from 2040-ft AMSL. You both can swing and take a bath under the waterfalls. There is a cute church near these falls. You will hike in dense forest cover to reach this site. Monsoon season, June to November, is the best time to see water here.

Lonavala Lake

The romantic couples must miss visiting the Lonavala Lake once in your Lonavala trip. The best time to visit this aquatic attraction is from August to February. The lake water dries up in summer. Indrani River is the primary water source of this lake apart from water streams of Sahyadri hills. You both can try angling, swimming, and bird watching amidst the lush green landscape near the foothills of Sahyadri Mountain Ranges. It is also the best place to hike around this lake and enjoy Mother Nature.

Bhushi Dam

Bhushi Dam is one of the local picnic spots for the Pune localities. Yet, it is also most visited by lovers and newly married couples. July to December is the best time to visit here to see the water falling from the dam’s gate. This dam is located in scenic surroundings of lush greenery and Sahyadri Hill surroundings. You both will feel heavenly on the top of this dam in the rainy season as the mist is flung over this dam water.

Lonavala is a couples-friendly tourist place in Pune, Maharashtra. It is advisable to carry raincoats, umbrellas, and water resistance bags to cover your electronics and other valuables. These are aquatic sites during the monsoon in the Sahyadri Mountains.

Tips to Find the Best Hotel in India

Hotels in India are of multi-national, Indian-based hotel groups, private, and others forming a chain of hotels. They are standard, premium and star-rated hotels. Their hotel pricing, facilities and amenities are different. Most of the top hotels are present in major cities and major tourist attractions places in India. Thus, when you are looking for the best hotel, the below-n tips will find them as per your budget and seek the highest in hospitality.  

By Brand

Many hotels in India are big business giants. They follow the best practices in the hotel industry. They provide what they offer while you book online or offline. Thus, check for the top 10 branded hotels and book the preferred one after checking the hotel room price, facilities and amenities. They serve online customers via their official hotel website. They do have tie-up with top integrated online booking platforms.

Integrated Online Booking Platforms

If you do not know anything about the hotel industry in India, the integrated hotel booking sites will help you find the best one for you. You need to use their filters and select the hotel facilities, amenities and other services on the site or app. They will search and give you the hotel names. Thus, check the top hotels and locations once again and book the best by price.

Read Bad Reviews

Many of the excellent reviews posted are by company end. Thus, if you wish to know the real-time experience of those who stayed in a hotel, you must read some bad reviews. It will come to know all the hotel facilities and amenities they provide or not. Bad reviews are not fake when they are routed through their social media sites and e-mail authentications. Such reviews state the real hospitality they serve to the hotel guests. It is the best way to avoid such hotels with bad practices. In this way, you can know the best hotels with the least bad reviews.

Hotel Locations

You might expect a sea view or Mountain View room while on a beach vacation or to a hill station. Yet, most of the hotels might not have such total views of the mountain and the oceanfront. Thus, when a hotel says so and so views, it is advisable to check on the official hotel website, the app you search and online that the hotel images are the same. It would help if you could check the hotel location posted on social media sites by travel bloggers.

Check Main Clients of a Hotel

Many corporate companies have tie-up with the top hotels in India. They prefer so as they serve the best in hospitality and other guest-friendly features. Many wealthy and famous people prefer some particular hotels as they serve better. Thus, you can get an idea of which hotel has the main clients as a reputation of that hotel and they market them with their images. Yet, those hotels might be premium and luxury types.

Conclusion

The best hotels are busy in all seasons. Their price only differs. Thus, it is the same with other hotels too. This list of best hotels changes in a yea as per customers’ ratings and ranking. Thus, some of the online tips and real-time customer reviews on social media sites will help you find the best one before you start your travel.

Top 10 Hotel Booking Sites in India

A thousand hotel booking sites are there when we search online. It won’t be evident to find the best sites. Here, I have listed the top 10 hotel booking websites in India as per real-time customer rating, raking, excellent reviews, customer-friendly services, deals, and offers.

MakeMyTrip

MakeMyTrip.com is an Indian-based online travel company with headquarters in Gurugram. It tops the list of hotel booking sites in India by customer rating, ranking, and the number of visitors on its page. Apart from hotel booking, they serve the travel and tour allied services on their website. They provide excellent customer services offline and online.

Website: https://www.makemytrip.com/

TripAdvisor.in

Tripadvisor.in is the travel and tour partners’ preferred site in India. They serve through the web and apps in India. Their AI (Artificial Intelligence) integrated technology matches your hotel booking taste and preferences. Thus, they can filter from thousands of hotels and bring out the desired hotel you are looking for.

Website: https://www.tripadvisor.in/

Yatra

Yatra.com ranks 3rd among the top 10 hotel booking sites in India. Travelers from all categories prefer their site for custom-made trips at an affordable price. They serve domestic and international hotel booking along with other travel-related services. If you are looking for a one-stop site for A-to-Z travel needs, then Yatra is the best one. 

Website: https://www.yatra.com/

Airbnb.co.in

Airbnb.co.in allows travelers to book an accommodation of all types in 191 countries of this world. Tourists and others can book a hotel room according to their budget, and expectation is guaranteed on their site. Their travel website is much more affordable compared to the top 3 hotel booking sites in India.  

Website: https://www.airbnb.co.in/

Cleartrip

Cleartrip.com is famous for offering the best prices among India’s top 5 hotel booking sites. People book here due to the big deals and offers they give on hotel accommodations. Altogether, they give many discounts on other tour and travel-related needs on web and app platforms. They have thousands of satisfied customers from India. 

Website: https://www.cleartrip.com/

OYO Rooms

People looking for budget-friendly hotel rooms prefer OYO rooms as the best site in India. They have tie-up and links with almost all hotels in India. Thus, you can book a cheap hotel in tourist attraction places and outside city limits. OYO wizard membership helps you to select the best and least price.

Website: https://www.oyorooms.com/

Trivago.in

If you wish to compare the hotel room prices in India trivago.in is the best hotel booking site in India. Their comparison feature includes many facilities and amenities that other travel best sites and apps do not have. Thus, you can book a hotel with all your necessary hotel facilities and amenities at an unbelievable price.

Website: https://www.trivago.in/

BookYourOwn

BookYourOwn serves on the web and app with many hotel booking options. A million native people use this site to get the best deals on hotel accommodations. Their continued patronage for the existing customers is much appreciated as they offer free cancellation, high reward points, deals, and offers.

Website: https://www.bookyourown.net/

hotels.com

In.hotels.com has a list of 3,25,000 hotels. They are luxury, premium, standard, and budget-friendly hotels across this globe. If you wish to save some money on hotel room booking, it is the best site in India.

Website: https://www.hotels.com/

Booking.com

If you wish to book a hotel after reading genuine customer reviews, booking.com is trusted in India. They give comprehensive options to check hotel booking prices, hotel comparisons, and varied types of accommodations in one place.

Website: https://www.booking.com/