‘Best food in Rajasthan, best people in Kerala’: German traveller’s ranking sparks debate

3 min readNew DelhiJul 1, 2026 06:12 PM IST

Christian Betzmann, who regularly shares his travels across India on Instagram, recently posted a carousel reflecting on his journeys through more than 20 Indian states.

A German traveller’s personal roundup of his favourite experiences across India has sparked an animated discussion online, with people both agreeing with his choices and passionately defending their own states.

Christian Betzmann, who regularly shares his travels across India on Instagram, recently posted a carousel reflecting on his journeys through more than 20 Indian states. Instead of ranking the states overall, he picked standout destinations for different categories based entirely on his own experiences. Sharing the post, Betzmann wrote, “Here is my honest rating! There’s sooo many places I could mention all over again though.”

His selections covered everything from food and nature to adventure, architecture and hospitality.

Punjab impressed him the most for its hospitality and also earned the title of the country’s “best religious place”. Meghalaya was his choice for the “best adventures”, while Kerala received two mentions, with Betzmann calling it home to the “best people” and the “best nature”.

Nagaland topped his list for the “best tribes”, while Goa stood out for having the “best community” and the “best waterfalls”. Among individual destinations, Varanasi left the strongest impression on him as the “most intense place” he had visited. The Taj Mahal, meanwhile, was the monument that made him feel the “most mind blown”.

Rajasthan dominated the heritage category, with Betzmann naming it the state with the “best architecture” as well as the “best food”. Jaipur also earned a special mention for its forts, which he described as the country’s best.

Himachal Pradesh was another favourite, winning praise for its mountains and what he called “the cleanest skies”. While Assam was labelled India’s “most underrated state”, Karnataka received recognition for offering the “best surf”.

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Not every category was celebratory. Betzmann described Delhi as the “most polluted place” he encountered during his travels.

Looking back on his journey, he also singled out celebrating Holi as the craziest experience he had in India.

Check out the post:

The post soon drew hundreds of reactions, with many social media users sharing their own opinions and suggesting places they felt deserved recognition. One user wrote, “Cleanest, Peaceful & Civic Sense MIZORAM.” Another joked, “Bro should get an Aadhaar card now.”

A third person commented, “You missed the leh ladakh. Best mountains there.” Another user pointed out, “A foreigner posts their favorite Indian states, and half the comments become, ‘What about my state?’ We keep saying India is a beautiful mosaic of cultures, but sometimes we act like it’s a state-wise ranking competition instead.”