Book excerpt: India is like nowhere else on earth, boasting the snow-capped Himalayan Mountains in the north, arid deserts in the centre, palm-fringed beaches and lazy backwaters in the south. With well over 1 billion inhabitants, India is a fascinating melting pot of cultures and religions that is completely unique. Berlitz Pocket Guide India is a concise, full-colour travel guide that combines lively text with vivid photography to highlight the best that the country has to offer. Inside India Pocket Guide: Where To Go details all the key sights in the country, while handy maps on the cover flaps help you find your way around, and are cross-referenced to the text. Top 10 Attractions gives a run-down of the best sights to take in on your trip. Perfect Tour provides an itinerary of the country. What To Do is a snapshot of ways to spend your spare time, from hiking in the Himalayas, to marvelling at the Taj Mahal, to soaking up the sun on a beach in Goa. Essential information on India's culture, including a brief history of the country. Eating Out covers the country's best cuisine. Curated listings of the best hotels and restaurants. A-Z of all the practical information you'll need. About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.