Overview of the country
Reading about India
Books
Encyclopedias
Browsing Areas and Subject Headings
Newspapers
Travel Guides
Travel Web Sites
Films
Geography and Maps
Languages
Travel guides can teach you about all sorts of aspects of India. Some, such as the popular Fodor's series, contain information for travelers in general. These recommend hotels, restaurants, and places to visit, and provide a few pages of health and cultural information. Others provide information on India for more specific types of travelers, such as those who are interested in backpacking or photography. If you will be visiting India for an extended period of time, you may want to borrow or buy several travel guides to cover various interests and needs.
You can search through UNC-Chapel Hill's library catalog to find travel guides that meet your needs. One useful strategy is using India--guidebooks as an LC Subject heading in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library Catalog. Click on the links of the results that come up. You can look through the Subject lines to see what topics a book focuses on.
Several excellent guidebooks to India are:
Fodor's India [serial]. New York, NY: Fodor's Travel Publications.
Published annually.
An excellent guide to India for all travelers. Contains suggestions for places to stay, eat and visit, basic health precautions, public transport information, and a few cultural notes.
Davis Library and Undergraduate Library DS406 .F62
Let's Go: India and Nepal [serial]. Perris, CA: Let's Go Publications.
Published annually.
The Let's Go series provides information for travelers who want to dig deep
into cultures, while spending minumal money. Suggestions for lodgings tend toward small guest houses rather
than upscale hotels. Rather than pushing visits to the Taj Mahal, the authors suggest visiting local sari
shops and tea houses to visit the "real" India. Plenty of cultural information and color photos.
Davis Library Browsing Collection
Lonely Planet India. Ed. Sarina Singh, et al. Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet, 2003.
The popular Lonely Planet series is aimed at backpackers and other budget travelers. The information is honest and pointed--if the authors really liked or disliked something, they'll let you know! Lonely Planet India provides suggested itineraties for exploring various parts of India, as well as plently of cultural information.
Undergraduate Library DS406 .I55 2003
