So, having spent the day with the newly inaugurated Taj City Rickshaw company, I jumped on the late-afternoon train from Agra and, at half past ten the same evening, rolled into Lucknow.

As a city with a population of around three million, the capital and administrative centre of the nation’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, and with a history and culture to rival those of anywhere in North India, it’s not as if I hadn’t wanted to get to Lucknow before. It had just been one of those places that had never quite been part of my travel plans. Until now, that is. And I have to say I loved it.

Sitting on either side of the Gomti River, with traces of human civilisation dating back to the Stone Age, it really burst into life in the late 18th century when the fourth nawab, Asaf-ud-Daula, decided to move the capital of the kingdom of Awadh from Faizabad here, apparently in order to escape the clutches of an overbearing mother.

Lucknow soon became known as North India’s cultural capital, and the nawabs who ran it were famous for their extravagant lifestyles and enthusiasm for the arts. Under their patronage, music, dance, embroidery, perfume creation, and arts of all forms flourished as did the lavish architecture.

As Shia Muslims, they created some of the finest examples of religious architecture in the country, with the city having over fifty Imambaras, which literally means House of the Imam, the Bara Imambaras being the most famous and impressive. On my first morning, with my excellent guide Sankalp, we visited this incredible mosque complex, which, among other things, has an impressive stepwell, a labyrinth of internal corridors and the third largest unsupported hall in the world (the larger ones being in St Peter’s in Rome and the Hermitage in St Petersburg). Next to this is the huge and elaborate main gate to the old city, called the Rumi Darwaza, with the arch through which one travelled, shaped and carved as an inverted collar of a lady’s blouse. There is the country’s tallest clock tower, an observatory, Le Martinière Palace and college, a number of old churches and spectacular tombs to various nawabs and their wives. Over the course of my 72-hours in the city, we visited them all.

However, for any Brit coming to Lucknow, there is a more disturbing story, and that centres around the Residency of the East India Company and the tragic events of 1857. When I grew up and learnt about this period at school, it was known as the Indian Mutiny. Now it is generally referred to as the First Indian War of Independence. During the summer and early autumn of that year, the rebelling Indian sepoys laid siege to the residency. Of the roughly 3,000 people inside the compound – soldiers, helpers, women and children – only 2,000 would make it out. Here I was lucky enough to be guided by Samir, one of the best guides I have ever had, who, with the use of maps and charts, explained in enthusiastic detail the run-up to the siege, the siege itself and the aftermath. To walk around the ruins of the buildings, most clearly riddled with cannon and grape shot, the graves, and the excellent museum is sobering, but also quite fascinating.

But what the residents of Lucknow seem to be most proud of is their cuisine. Designated by UNESCO as a City of Gastronomy, it’s famous for its lassis, its round rather than triangular samosas, its five different kinds of breads, its sweet kulfi, but mostly for its kababs, giving it the nickname City of Nawabs and Kababs. The story goes that when Asif ud Daula, founder of the city, lost all his teeth and was therefore unable to eat a solid kabab, he was so miserable he asked his chef to come up with a kabab that was so soft he only needed his gums to eat it. The chef did just that by pounding the meat – usually lamb – and mixing it with papaya. These kababs are still famous in the city, and they are delicious. In all, I had three culinary experiences: one sampling street food in the old bazaar, and two in the homes of a wonderful chef-host, Asma, and a fascinating journalist, Naheed.

Up until now, Lucknow has not been a city many tourists visit. Although well connected with Delhi, Agra and Varanasi, for some reason, many, like me, have passed it by. With improving hotels, great guides and all that it has to offer, I feel this is about to change and that Lucknow will soon take its rightful place as one of North India’s tourist gems.

Watch this space as we are now looking to incorporate it into one of our North India group tours.