Visit India in summer, when the crowds of the wintertime months are gone, and you'll be able to enjoy this fabulous country at a less frantic pace, with most of the sites to yourselves.

Begin your journey in the capital Delhi, a microcosm of India's old and new, with its skyscrapers overlooking the fortresses of past dynasties. Tour the historic sights of Old Delhi, including the Red Fort, once the most opulent fort of the Mughal Empire, the Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque and the Mughal monuments Humayun's Tomb and Qutab Minar.

Day trip to the Taj Mahal, a sublime destination for any lover of architecture and seeker of the wonders of world. To the Nobel prize winning Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, the Taj Mahal was a "tear on the face of eternity," a building to echo the cry, "I have not forgotten, O beloved." An enduring monument to love, with a continually fulfilling beauty, it was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1631-52, as a tomb and memorial for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Stay in the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces' heritage properties, really living like royalty. Three are over-the-top Maharaja's palaces:

• Rambagh Palace in Jaipur—the "Jewel of Jaipur" and recently renovated

• Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur—decadent art deco stylishness

• Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur—an enchanting fairytale lake setting

• In sophisticated Mumbai (Bombay), it's the Taj Mahal Palace—an architectural marvel built in 1903

Throughout your travels in India, you'll tour impressive ancient fortresses, sacred temples, and shop traditional bazaars for exquisite silks and a myriad of handicrafts. And, the gracious hospitality of the Indian people will follow you wherever you go.