plug power gendrive Wandering around the skinny alleys of the old city bazaars is a head-spinning assault on the senses.

Ista Hotel HOTEL $$$ (%2708888; www.istahotels.com; GT Rd; s/d from 9000/9500; aiWs) Amritsar s only fivestar hotel, sits beside a bright shopping mall, alphaOne, 3km east of the interstate bus terminus. Fans of five-star hotels may be a little underwhelmed by the smallish standard plug power gendrive rooms, but will adore the pool and the pampering Ista Spa, which has quite a reputation. Room, meal and spa packages are available. Thai and Chinese cuisine is available in Thai Chi Restaurant and teppanyaki is available in Collage, the hotel s multicuisine restaurant (mains 160 to 400).

Caf Coffee Day CAFE (Phawara Chowk; snacks from 45; a) One of the ubiquitous espresso coffee franchises with savoury and sweet munchies, plug power gendrive decent coffee and brain-freezing cold concoctions. Other branches are on Lawrence Rd and inside the alphaOne shopping mall. Entertainment The Aaanaam plug power gendrive (%2210949; Taylor Rd) and Adarsh (%2565249; MMM Rd) cinemas screen Hindi (and occasionally English) movies. Consult newspapers for session details.

Wandering around the skinny alleys of the old city bazaars is a head-spinning assault on the senses. There are shops selling everything from devotional ornaments to jootis; a good place for jootis is around Gandhi Gate (Hall Gate), where they start at 200. Katra Jaimal Singh Bazaar is full of salwar kameez and saris, plug power gendrive while the city s more modern shops can be found along Lawrence and Mall Rds.

Neelkanthi Krishna Dham Yatri Niwas (%291615; Pehowa Rd; r 900-1950; a) off ers the best accommodation option, with charmless but otherwise fine rooms; the attached tourist office (%293570; h9.30am-5pm Tue-Sat) is of limited help.