Bhopal

Friday, midday

Check into the Jehan Numa Palace (doubles from £105, www. jehannuma.com), a lavish historic retreat owned by a local royal family and suitably grand with a full size swimming pool.

1pm

Head into the maelstrom of Bhopal’s bazaar for myriad shopping opportunities. Sample some of the delicious street food.

2.30pm

A guided tour is the best way to explore a city that has far more to offer than just being the scene of the world’s largest industrial accident in 1984. Experience Travel (www. experiencetravelgroup.com) can book Sikander, a bright guide and would be novelist with superb local knowledge.

8pm

Bhopal is fringed by jungle. Recline for an al fresco dinner amongst the lush subtropical vegetation at Under the Jamun Tree (www.jehannuma. com/jnr). The local Bhopal curry, made with fresh coriander and poppy seeds, is delicious.

Saturday, 10am

The Remember Bhopal Museum (tel: +91-958934534), the work of determined survivors, offers a unique insight into the 1984 disaster. It is an essential stop that also helps channel funds to help victims from this ongoing tragedy.

Midday

Enjoy a packed lunch en route to Bhimbetka, barely 30 miles away. This remarkable UNESCO World Heritage site is strewn with dramatic boulders and intricate rock formations, covered in prehistoric paintings. Only found in the 1950s, they constitute some of the world’s finest Stone Age paintings.

7pm

If you get tired of Bhopal’s myriad restaurants that specialise in northern and central Indian cuisine, La Kuchina is the city’s best Italian and is handily located at the Jehan Numa Palace.

Sunday, 9am

Ease travel ravaged muscles with a session in the spa at the Jehan Numa Palace. Or laze by that 25m pool. You could even check out the bizarre horse racing track that runs around the hotel. ■

Robin Mckelvie