India
Rajasthan
Forts, palaces and the Thar horizon
Why go
Rajasthan is the trip people mean when they say they want to 'see India'. The route strings together Jaipur's pink bazaars and Amber Fort, the blue lanes of Jodhpur beneath Mehrangarh, romantic Udaipur on its lakes, and the golden desert city of Jaisalmer with a night under canvas in the dunes. We stay in heritage havelis and palace hotels wherever we can — it's half the point.
Trip highlights
- Amber Fort and old-city Jaipur
- Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
- Lake Pichola and the City Palace, Udaipur
- Sunset camel ride and desert camp, Jaisalmer
Ways to travel Rajasthan
Palace circuit
Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur staying in heritage and palace hotels, with a private car.
Desert extension
Add Jaisalmer and a luxury tented night in the Sam dunes with folk music around the fire.
Golden Triangle plus
Delhi, Agra and the Taj Mahal at sunrise, then into Rajasthan for the forts.
Explore Rajasthan city by city
What to see, when to go, how to get there and what it costs — for each place people actually travel to.
Eastern Rajasthan
Jaipur
Rajasthan's capital: hill forts, a walled bazaar city and the easiest first stop from Delhi
Southern Rajasthan (Mewar)
Udaipur
Lakes, a palace complex on the water and the most relaxed pace of any big Rajasthan city
Western Rajasthan (Marwar)
Jodhpur
A fort above a blue-washed old city, and the usual gateway to the Thar desert
Western Rajasthan (Thar Desert)
Jaisalmer
A sandstone fort city at the edge of the Thar, with dunes and desert camps close by
Central Rajasthan
Pushkar
A small holy town on a sacred lake, known for the Brahma temple and the November camel fair
Central Rajasthan
Ajmer
Home to one of India's most visited Sufi shrines, and the gateway to Pushkar
South-west Rajasthan (Aravalli hills)
Mount Abu
Rajasthan's only hill station, with a lake, sunset viewpoints and some of India's finest marble temples
North-west Rajasthan
Bikaner
A desert city with a fort that has survived largely intact, a rat temple and a camel research centre
Southern Rajasthan (Mewar)
Chittorgarh
The largest fort in India by area, and the old capital of Mewar
Southern Rajasthan (Aravalli hills)
Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur
A 15th-century fort with one of the longest walls in the world, and a marble Jain temple in a forest valley
Eastern Rajasthan (Sawai Madhopur)
Ranthambore
One of India's best-known tiger reserves, set around a 10th-century hill fort
Hadoti (south-east Rajasthan)
Bundi
A quiet fort town of painted palaces, step wells and blue houses that most itineraries skip
Eastern Rajasthan
Bharatpur
Keoladeo National Park, a UNESCO wetland where thousands of migratory birds spend the winter
North-east Rajasthan
Alwar and Sariska
The nearest Rajasthan for a short break from Delhi: a lake palace, a tiger reserve and a fort hotel
North Rajasthan
Shekhawati and Mandawa
An open-air gallery of painted merchant mansions, a few hours from Jaipur and Delhi
Guides to help you plan Rajasthan
Deep-dive guides for the decisions worth getting right — routes, budgets and the experiences people search for most.
The three headline cities, without a long circuit
A 5-day, 4-night route through Rajasthan's three best-known cities — Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur — for travellers who want the forts, the blue old city and the lakes without the time for a full circuit.
7 days / 6 nightsThe classic circuit, with a night in the desert
A 7-day, 6-night route that adds Jaisalmer and a night in the Sam dunes to the Jaipur–Jodhpur–Udaipur core — the most popular length for a first proper Rajasthan trip.
11 days / 10 nightsEvery headline stop, plus a hill-station finish
An 11-day, 10-night route covering Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Mount Abu — the full circuit for travellers who can give Rajasthan the time it deserves. Trims to 10 days or stretches to 12 without much change.
Budget guideA practical breakdown, by trip length and travel style
What Rajasthan costs, broken down by hotel category and trip length.
Pilgrimage guideThe temples people plan a trip around — timings, mela dates, how to reach, and how to combine them
A practical guide to Rajasthan's major pilgrimage temples — Khatu Shyam, Salasar Balaji, Sanwariya Seth, Shrinathji at Nathdwara, Mehandipur Balaji, Ramdevra, Karni Mata and the Pushkar Brahma Temple — with timings, mela dates, how to reach each one, and how to combine them with a regular Rajasthan trip.
Rajasthan itineraries to start from
Ready-made routes you can tweak — change hotels, add nights, combine with another destination.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan Heritage — Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur
The three great cities of Rajasthan by private car, staying in heritage havelis and palace hotels, with a desert night if you want it.
Rajasthan
Golden Triangle — Delhi, Agra & Jaipur
India's classic first trip — Old and New Delhi, the Taj Mahal at sunrise, Fatehpur Sikri and the forts and bazaars of Jaipur.
Rajasthan
Jaipur City Break — The Pink City in a Weekend
A short, well-paced first taste of Rajasthan — Amber Fort, the old-city bazaars, a rooftop dinner and time to actually shop. Ideal as a long weekend or bolted onto a Delhi trip.
Rajasthan
Jaisalmer & the Thar — Fort, Havelis & Dunes
The living golden fort, the carved havelis of a caravan-trade city, and a night under canvas in the Sam dunes with a camel ride and folk music around the fire.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan for Two — Udaipur & Jaipur
Two of India's most romantic cities — a lakeside stay in Udaipur with a private boat at sunset, then Jaipur for the forts and the bazaars, staying in heritage properties throughout.
Rajasthan
Royal Rajasthan — Forts, Palaces & Golden Sands
The state's greatest hits in a week — Jaipur's Amber Fort, Jodhpur beneath Mehrangarh, the golden city of Jaisalmer with a desert night, and romantic Udaipur to finish.
Rajasthan
Grand Rajasthan — The Complete Circuit
The unhurried version — Jaipur, the holy lake at Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and its dunes, Udaipur, and the cool hill retreat of Mount Abu, staying in palace and heritage hotels throughout.
Rajasthan
Jaipur & Ranthambore — Palaces & Tigers
Two mornings tracking tigers through the ruined forts and lakes of Ranthambore, framed by a couple of days in Jaipur. Easily added to a Golden Triangle trip.
Rajasthan
Shekhawati — Rajasthan's Open-Air Gallery
The quiet, offbeat corner north of Jaipur where merchant families covered whole towns in frescoes. Slow days among painted havelis, staying in a converted castle or two.
Let's build your Rajasthan trip
Send us a rough idea — a destination, a month, a budget — and we'll come back with a plan you can actually picture yourself on.