The mela calendar comes first
No date matters more on this route than the Magh Mela's bathing days, usually in January and February, and in Kumbh years the whole season. On those days roads near the Sangam close, the bridges over the Ganga and Yamuna are diverted, and getting a loaded truck out of the city can take hours. Ask the mover to check the bathing-day list with you before fixing a date.
Beyond the mela, the usual northern extremes apply: blistering heat in May and June, and dense fog on the doab roads in December and January. October to November and late February to March are usually the safest windows.
Getting out of Prayagraj
Old-city homes around Chowk and Katra usually mean a smaller vehicle or a carry to the main road, and an early start before the markets open. Civil Lines and George Town bungalows have room but take longer to clear, and homes in Naini or Jhunsi add a bridge crossing at the start. Tell the mover which applies to you.
Bungalow households often have heavy bookcases and law books. Ask for small, strong cartons so each one stays liftable.
Two days on the road
From Prayagraj the highway runs through Fatehpur to Kanpur, then on through Auraiya and Etawah to Agra, and north past Mathura into Faridabad and Delhi. Some movers use the expressways for part of the way instead. At about 665 km, the truck will usually stop overnight, so ask where it will park and how it's secured.
On longer routes a truck usually covers about 400 km a day after dispatch. Agree the expected arrival on the quote, and ask how you'll be kept updated.
Packing for a long haul
Two days of highway vibration is hard on loosely packed cartons. Ask for furniture to be wrapped in blankets with corner protection, mattresses and sofas covered in plastic, and fragile items packed with plenty of padding. Label every carton with its room and a few words on what's inside.
Keep documents, jewellery, medicines, chargers and a change of clothes in a bag that travels with you.
Which part of NCR
If the truck comes up NH 19, it reaches Faridabad and south Delhi first; if it uses the Yamuna Expressway, Greater Noida and Noida come first. Inside Delhi, heavy goods vehicles face daytime entry restrictions on many roads, so the unload may be early in the morning or late in the evening. Most NCR societies ask for notice, permitted hours, a lift booking and sometimes a refundable deposit.
Share your sector and the society's rules with the mover before loading day.
Lawyers, students and officials
With the High Court, the university and many coaching institutes, plenty of people on this route are lawyers, students and officials moving to Delhi's courts, colleges and ministries. A student's room can usually be booked as a few-items move. If an employer is paying, find out what paperwork they want; all the movers we work with issue GST invoices.
Settling in
Register with your society or RWA on the first day, check how water, power backup and cooking gas work, and order broadband as soon as you have the address. If you arrive in late October or November, Delhi's air can be very poor for weeks. Our guide to moving in Delhi NCR covers each part of the region in more detail.