Letter of the week
Q My husband and I have a 14-hour layover (noon to 2am) in Delhi. Making allowances for collecting luggage and checking in, we estimate we have seven or eight hours for a trip into the city. Do you think this is feasible? I know the left luggage facility at the airport has been closed as a result of the terrorist threat, so we would have to take the luggage with us. As an alternative we wondered if a trip to the Taj Mahal would be possible?
S Schofield, Ormskirk
A I agree with your timings, but you should add one hour each way to get to and from the city. You may wish to consider hiring a car and driver to take you downtown and to what you wish to see. Metropole (metrovista.co.in) is recommended by the Lonely Planet India guide. This would give you somewhere to store your luggage (the boot of the car) but if your driver isn't staying with your vehicle he should be able to suggest a guesthouse that will look after your bags for a small fee. Alternatively, you could use the Delhi Traffic Police Prepaid Taxi Booth just outside the international terminal entrance. You'll get a prepaid voucher (around 300Rs - £4) to give to the driver once you're at your destination.
You won't have time to make it to the Taj Mahal but you should be able to see the main sights of Old Delhi - the Red Fort, the National Museum and Jama Masjid mosque. You'll need a transit visa to leave the airport. Visa services are outsourced by the Indian High Commission to VFS (0905 757 0060; in.vfsglobal.co.uk). Check out India Mike (indiamike.com) for more information.
Q I plan to cycle with a friend from Santander to Santiago de Compostela in the first fortnight of May. We'd like to hire bikes in Santander and bring them back there by train on 16 May. Initial research indicates that bike hire for such a trip outside Santander could be difficult. Do you have any advice, especially about bike hire, as well as about places to stay en route, and information about returning by train, please?
Michael McSorley, by email
A Most people take their own bikes with them on the pilgrim trail so they can be sure of a reliable and comfortable ride. However, assisting walkers and cyclists on the pilgrim routes to Santiago is a growing industry in northern Spain and it's now possible to arrange for one-way bike hire so you won't need to bring the bike back on the train. Tour'n'ride (tournride.com), which is based in Santiago, can deliver to locations across northern Spain and will also supply panniers, helmets and GPS. Its online booking tool quoted me €139 to hire a mountain bike for two weeks in June.
A wealth of information about accommodation along the various pilgrim routes is available on the website of the Confraternity of St James (csj.org.uk) and via its online bookshop. The easiest route back from Santiago is via the ALSA bus (alsa.es), which takes from six to eight hours, requires making a connection in Oviedo and costs €55. Be careful to travel on an inter-city bus rather than a "normal" service, as this will make far more stops. The train requires a change in Palencia and will be a longer journey.
Q I have a son in Sydney, who has two children under three, and a daughter in Scotland, with two children under four. We would like to get together for a family holiday next year - somewhere convenient for both families, preferably without changing planes. The time of year is open as schools are not yet an issue. What would you suggest?
Bob Glaister, by email
A You need to narrow this down a bit. Start with places that are easy to get to. OAG Flights (oag.com) is a good place to check and compare flight times between any two airports. As a general guide, major hub airports such as Singapore, Bangkok and Los Angeles will offer the best connections and prices, as well as being roughly halfway between Australia and the UK. Weather will be another deciding factor. Southern California is great year-round but flights are at their busiest and most expensive during December and January and from the start of July to the end of August. The same fare considerations apply to south-east Asia, but you should also consider the wet season, which can strike at different times of year depending on where exactly you head to. In Thailand, which is possibly the best destination for your family holiday, July-September and March are quite soggy, while Singapore is most prone to deluges between November and January. Weather2Travel (weather2travel.com) is the best place for further research.
Q My wife and I are going to Toronto in late-May for 12 nights. We are staying with relatives for the first five nights in Toronto, but then we want to go elsewhere for a week. Can you recommend a second destination within Canada with enough to keep us occupied, great scenery and nice walks. We do not drive, so it would need to be accessible by train - we would rather not fly internally.
Michael Goldby, London
A The Canadian wilderness is tough to access without your own wheels. However, from Toronto you could join an expedition north. Call of the Wild (call-wild.com) offers canoeing, hiking and horse-riding trips in the Algonquin National Park, 140 miles north of Toronto, and can arrange transport. Accommodation is at the comfortable Algonquin Eco Lodge (algonquinecolodge.com, doubles from £70), which is three hours by road from Toronto.
After this, Montreal would make an excellent second city destination. Easy to get to by train from Toronto (viarail.ca; from £81 return), the city is packed with great architecture and museums, and has a lively Old Town and waterfront to explore.
From Montreal you can also take a bus (see hostellingtremblant.com for details) to Ville de Mont Tremblant (tremblant.ca), from where you can go hiking, canoeing, cycling or enjoy the scenery without the need for a car. Pretty much wherever you stay or what you want to do can be reached by shuttle bus. The Canadian Tourism Commission (canada.travel) can help with further questions.
