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Even the most intrepid and independent travelers benefit from a guide now and then.

After a day spent exploring the bustling Chandni Chowk market, or other Old Delhi sites like Red Fort, make like a local and cool off with a thick, refreshing lassi from this popular purveyor. Opened in 1974, and included in every list of the best lassis in Delhi ever since, Amritsari earns raves for both the way it crafts the yogurt-based drink (which can be ordered sweet or salty), and for its seasonal menu of flavors. Don’t miss a swig of fan-favorites like the malai flavor—made with hand-churned cream, and so dense you may not have room for much else—or rose-badam, a sweet combo of rose milk and almonds. If you’re feeling salty, the namkeen-jeera, which combines cumin and rock salt, should do the trick. Note that the stand is located in the market, and is take-out only.

Sikhs and non-Sikhs go to Amritsar for one reason – to see the Golden Temple (Hamandir Sahib) so, that is what I did on my most recent trip to India. Except, I went on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday which is a national holiday in India and because of that, I expected the place to be crowded with locals enjoying a day off. It was indeed crowded so much so I could barely walk. I returned the next day thinking it would be better and it was but it was still packed with people. I did manage to see the place but not quite in the way that I wanted to experience a holy site. So, I hopped in a taxi and went down the road to Tarn Taran Sahib. There, I found a place of religious tranquility and a golden temple that was just as beautiful albeit on a smaller scale. Sikh devotees were out and about but there was not a throng of people. It was just the place I was looking for!

The village of Wagah on the borders of India and Pakistan hosts the most flamboyant and enthusiastic ritual of nationalism every night. In the evening, huge crowds swell on each side of the border and cheer on elaborately uniformed soldiers of each nation as they strut and wheel in procession. They then lower their flags at the same time and clang the gates shut for the night. Men over loudspeakers lead chants praising their respective countries, and all aim to outshout the other side. Miniature flags, armbands and noisemakers in Pakistani and Indian colors are available for purchase so one may compete in the biggest “spirit challenge” I’ve ever seen. What if we did this on the border of the US and Canada?

Across north India you’ll come across dhabas: food stops serving wholesome meals to travelers. Urban Tadka is a big-city take on these highway institutions. The menu includes rich north India curries—butter chicken, reshmi tikka, Amritsari chicken, sarson ka saag—all served with a variety of flatbreads and rice preparations. The restaurant is done up with rustic touches, and this extends to the menu—try the coconut water cocktail, served in the tender coconut itself.