India, June 20 -- A New Zealand traveller who set out expecting the Taj Mahal to be the standout attraction of his north India trip ended up surprised by another destination entirely. Sharing a 'brutally honest' ranking of the places he visited, travel vlogger Daniel MacKinnon revealed which cities exceeded expectations, which iconic landmarks lived up to the hype, and the hidden gem he believes deserves far more attention. (Also read: Kriti Sanon's dreamy Sicily diaries from Cocktail 2 shoot will make you book a trip instantly; see complete travel guide )

Sharing highlights from his trip on June 18, Instagram post, Daniel wrote, "I went expecting the Taj Mahal to be the highlight. It wasn't." His journey covered a section of North India...