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Art, Food & Culture Experiences with Anna Barnes
artist, chef & anthropologist
Taking expressions of Interest
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Taking expressions of Interest ·
INDIA
Anna’s Art, Food & Culture Experience
INDIA
Markets, Villages & History
Dehli, Chandni Chowk, Jaipur, Agra, Taj Mahal, Dehli
(with optional Varanasi & North East Extension)
November 27th - December 6th, 2027
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Art
Studio artists. Writers. Photographers. Designers. Chefs. Textile Artisans & Visual storytellers.
Non-creatives are equally welcomed, supported by the structure of the journey and the care of our senior local hosts.
There is no hierarchy of skill — only depth of engagement.
Creative sessions remain fluid.
Time and space are held for your chosen practice to unfold naturally, shaped by context, light, and culture.Market tours with time to savour
Visit with Anna into the heart of the Local Villages & Family Homes.
Traditional Artisans, Weaving & Textiles
Early Morning Adventures-Capture the Light and soul of the culture
Gallery & Museum Visits
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Food
Authentic local food
Safe & Fun Street Foods
Learn about the Traditions of Gujarati and Uttar Pradeshi Gastronomy.
Explore Chaat Culture, Mughlai Influence & Punjabi Cuisine in Dehli.
Cooking Class & Market visit
"Break bread" with locals
Sketch, Food Filming, Content Creating & Food Photography Friendly
Cooking Demos by Anna & Friends
Write Recipes, Keep a Journal
Sober friendly (no booze based activities)
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Culture
Ethical Slow Travel
Sustainable Locally Operated Luxury
Family Home Visits
The best of India’s destinations
Temples, Forts and Palaces.
Artisans Ateliers
Market vendor interactions
Encounter the lived realities of Naga Sadhus, Hijra community, and Dalit, alongside many other voices that shape India’s cultural landscape.
Through respectful, guided engagement, gain a deeper understanding of identity, tradition, and the complexity of everyday life.
Discover expressions of Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam within the Indian context.
Small group-max 8
LGBTQIA+ safe space
Yoga, Massage and Ayurvedic Expereinces
Book club (book announced when you book)
10 days all inclusive
Private WhatsApp & Facebook Group
Delhi
Delhi is a layered city of imperial past and living craft, where Mughal lines, contemporary design, and sensory markets offer a rich, curated world for creative travellers drawn to culture, texture, and detail.
Step into the allure of Chandni Chowk, a labyrinth of narrow lanes and layered markets, where spice, silk, and sound move through centuries of trade, and where every turn reveals the texture of a living history shaped by craft, commerce, and connection.
Stroll the labyrinthine lanes of Old Delhi. Taste iconic street foods, perfected over generations. Tangy chaats, aromatic kebabs, stuffed parathas and decadent sweets. Every bite carries a story steeped in history.
Learn about the traditions and cultural influences that have shaped the diverse food landscape and sub cultures of the area.
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9 nights in locally owned 4 & 5 star boutique hotels
Dehli
Jaipur
Agra
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Small group of 8 ensures you will receive plenty of personal tuition during the sessions
9 nights accommodation
Fully hosted by Anna Barnes of Art Food Culture - Chef, Artist & Anthropologist.
9 breakfasts
9 lunches
8 dinners
Street food walking tour of Chandi Chowk (Old Dehli)
Guided Nightwalk Market tour
Kathak dance performance
In depth fresh food market tour and home cooking class with Ms Neha
12th century Qutab Minar - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Jaipur family home visit for Rajasthani culinary arts.
Make traditional dishes like Dal Baati Churma, Gatte ki Sabzi, and rotis while hearing cultural stories
Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace) and City Palace in Jaipur
Amber Palace, located in Amer, Rajasthan
Jeep adventure to Samode Village via rugged terrain and sand dunes. A day trip meeting locals, visiting ateliers, watching handcrafts and appreciating the hospitality of rural Indian life.
Johari Bazaar-see exclusive precious & semiprecious stones & jewellery representing the rich Rajasthani culture
Hindu temple visit
Jaipur Sweets shop visit & tasting
Block printing workshop
Explore contemporary culture through local foodways, everyday social practices, and community gathering spaces
Mebthab Bagh Garden & views of the Taj from the back side at Sunset
Sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal
Marble art palace
Agra Fort
watch Zardozi artisans at work
Fast train
Indian (and English speaking) Licensed International Guide on all outings
Private licensed, insured, air conditioned van trips with our dedicated driver
Drinking Water will be made available. Please bring your own stainless steel refillable bottle. Say NO to straws and single use plastic water bottles.
Transfers to and from airport directly to the hotel with the group on the first and last morning of the trip
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International airfares
Visas
Travel insurance
Beverages- alcohol and imported soft drinks, extra drinks ordered by you.
Extra activities and tours organised in your free time (at your own cost)
Personal expenses, laundry, minibar, tips, extra nights accomodation etc.
Tips and gratuities
Anything not mentioned in the Included list
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Dehli, Jaipur, Agra.
(For the fully hosted by Anna Varanasi, Kolkata, Darjeeling & Sikkim Extension directly after, please get in touch)
The closest airport to our starting point is International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport
International Airport CODE is DEL.
Our Experience begins at 1pm on the first day advertised in Dehli.
Please ensure that you have arranged your airline tickets so you arrive with plenty of time to meet us before we begin.
The Experience ends early afternoon on the last day advertised.
If you need help organising your transport from your home town to India please email or call Anna. We provide travel agents details to help you navigate the details, or take care of everything for you.
Onward travel and additions to your itinerary can be organised for you. Please get in touch should you wish to explore other areas of India.
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All Prices in AUD (Australian Dollars).
Solo - Private Room & Ensuite AUD $7100 (approx USD$4900)
Twin - Private Room & Ensuite AUD $6900 (when booking two places at the same time twin/double bed).
AUD $1500 non refundable deposit required to reserve your spot. (Fully refunded if ArtFoodCulture cancels the trip).
Final payment of balance via our preferred payment provider WISE, your preferred bank direct transfer (EFT) or Credit Card.
We will send payment details and confirmation before due date.
Currencies fluctuate constantly. Please see your preferred currency conversion app for more accurate estimates.
Balance due 120 days before commencement date.
We will email you (not less than) 120 days before departure date to confirm trip viability.
The 2 day extension trip to Varanasi, and the 10 day North East India trip (Kolkata, Darjeeling & Sikkim) offered with discount if participating in all 3 journeys. Please get in touch.
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This itinerary is thoughtfully designed for discerning travellers who appreciate immersive cultural exploration at a consistent, unhurried, yet active pace.
Each day involves extended periods on foot — typically three to four hours — as we move through historic quarters, living neighbourhoods, architectural sites, markets, and landscapes where texture, scale, and detail are best experienced slowly and on the ground. Terrain may include uneven stone pathways, gentle inclines, staircases, and heritage environments that retain their original character.
Travel between locations may include local transport and occasional transitions that require ease with boarding and disembarking, as well as accommodation that reflects the authenticity of place rather than uniformity of modern hotel design.
This journey is best suited to travellers with confident mobility, a comfortable level of fitness, and an enjoyment of sustained daily movement as part of cultural engagement rather than physical exertion.
The rhythm of the experience is intentional and fluid, allowing for depth of observation and connection. It is not designed for a leisurely or intermittent pace, but for those who find pleasure in being continuously present within a place — walking, noticing, and absorbing its layers in real time.
Cultural Engagement
These journeys are immersive cultural experiences designed for travellers who want to understand a place through its people, food, traditions and everyday life. Rather than focusing on artistic output, we prioritise meaningful cultural engagement, learning directly from local communities and exploring the social, historical and sensory layers that shape each destination. Creative practices such as sketching, photography and writing are welcomed as ways to deepen observation and reflection, but the heart of the experience is cultural immersion.
Sketching, photography, writing and other creative practices are welcome, but they are not the purpose of the experience. Creativity is a tool for observation, reflection and deeper cultural engagement.
Our journeys are designed for travellers who are genuinely curious about how people live, eat, work, gather and create meaning within their own communities. We explore foodways, markets, social rituals, domestic life, sensory environments, local histories and everyday cultural practices. We learn directly from local guides, artisans, cooks, farmers, families and community members.
The people we meet are not subjects for observation. They are our teachers.
Learning Through Participation
Anna’s journeys are built around active cultural participation rather than passive observation. Guests are invited to engage directly with the people, practices and traditions that shape everyday life.
This trip includes shopping alongside local cooks in neighbourhood markets, participating in cooking classes within family homes, spending an afternoon learning traditional woodblock printing techniques, visiting ateliers and workshops to meet Zardozi artisans, sharing meals with local families, exploring agricultural landscapes, & learning directly from craftspeople whose skills have been passed through generations.
These experiences are not performances created for tourists. They are opportunities to learn through conversation, observation and participation, gaining a deeper understanding of the cultural systems, knowledge and relationships that sustain a community.
Travellers who join us should be comfortable approaching each destination with humility, curiosity and a willingness to question their own assumptions. This often means stepping outside familiar routines and embracing experiences that are unfamiliar, sensory and sometimes challenging.
You may find yourself tasting food you have never encountered, walking through busy markets before sunrise, harvesting ingredients, sharing meals in family homes, listening to stories that challenge your perspective, or spending time in places where tourism is not the centre of daily life.
Creative practice happens within this context. We encourage guests to sketch, photograph, write and document what they learn, but always with an understanding of the cultural, historical and social systems that surround what they are observing.
These journeys are not designed for travellers seeking a comfortable holiday, a private creative retreat, or an experience centred primarily on their own artistic practice.
They are designed for people who want to engage deeply with culture, develop greater cultural awareness, expand their sensory understanding of place, and build meaningful connections with the people who generously share their lives with us.
This is not an art retreat with cultural activities added on. Culture is the purpose of the journey, and creativity is one of the ways we process, remember and engage with what we experience. The focus is always on understanding place through participation, conversation, observation and genuine human connection.
The travellers who thrive on these journeys arrive with curiosity rather than expectations, openness rather than certainty, and a desire to learn rather than simply consume experiences. If you are motivated by a deeper understanding of people, food, traditions and everyday life—and wish to express those insights creatively along the way—you will find yourself in the right company.
Forts, Palaces & Tombs
Amer Fort Agra Fort Taj Mahal Hawa Mahal Qutab Minar
Move through the first palaces and tombs of empire, where early fortifications and Mughal gardens sit within a landscape shaped by power, craft, and time. Stone corridors, carved screens, and resting places of rulers reveal cities built in layers, where history is held quietly in form, proportion, and space.
Markets, cooking classes, and gastronomy reveal a living food culture shaped by region and history. From the street-side rhythm of chaat to the richness of Punjabi and Rajasthani cuisine, each experience opens into layered traditions and everyday flavour. Discover the Mughlai influence at its core, alongside contemporary expressions that include Tibetan momos and the distinct evolution of Indian-Chinese cooking.
Markets of textiles, spice, and craft, where everyday life is shaped by layers of culture and exchange. Shared experiences and guided encounters, connect you more closely with place—observing detail, rhythm, and atmosphere—where food, art, and culture are lived rather than displayed.
Mughlai cuisine and cultural influence shaped by the courts of the Mughal Empire.
It is characterised by slow cooking, rich sauces, layered spices, and an attention to texture and aroma—seen in dishes like biryani, korma, and kebabs—where Persian, Central Asian, and Indian traditions are brought into a composed, enduring culinary language.
Agra & The Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal unfolds in white marble, where precise symmetry, reflective water, and shifting light shape a space that feels both grounded and weightless. As the day changes, its surfaces soften and glow, revealing a design where proportion, material, and atmosphere are held in perfect balance.
Sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal. There are so few tourists you practically have the
Taj to yourself. No crowds to fight through and plenty of space for creativity.
Evening Sunset in the Mebthab Bagh Garden to view the Taj from the back side. Built in 16th century by Babur. This garden was tagged as the ‘moonlit pleasure garden’.
Samode Village & Rural Landscape
Travel by jeep through the rural landscapes surrounding Samode, where farmland, desert terrain, and village life reveal a quieter dimension of Rajasthan.
Accompanied by our guide, explore the village's historic lanes and observe the social and economic rhythms that shape daily life. Encounters with artisans, agricultural workers, shopkeepers, and residents offer insight into living traditions, local craftsmanship, and contemporary rural culture.
This experience provides a thoughtful introduction to the region beyond its palaces and monuments, highlighting the relationship between landscape, community, and craft.
Picnic lunch at The Bagh and time for personal creative practices.
Anna Barnes
Your Host, founder of Anna’s Art, Food & Culture Experiences
Your host Anna Barnes (founder of ArtFoodCulture, chef, artist and long-term traveller has built a network of contacts over the years that will enable you to enjoy experiences with greater insight than with your regular tour. We go behind the scenes, interact with families, participate in learning creative skills, and taste some of the best food the region has to offer.