Places to Visit in Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the size of a large European country, and the places to visit are a ring of cities, each a day's drive from the next, with forts, lakes and desert between them. This is the whole state in one page: what each place is, what it is for, how many nights it needs, and how the pieces join up into a trip. We run private journeys through all of them with a car and driver, and we hold hand-picked stays in each.

The four big cities

Jaipur, the Pink City

The capital and the usual first stop, four to five hours from Delhi. Amber Fort on its ridge, the City Palace and the Jantar Mantar observatory inside the walled city, the Hawa Mahal facade, and the bazaars, each street its own trade. Two nights is right; three if you want the workshops and the food. Things to do in Jaipur and where to stay.

Jodhpur, the Blue City

Six hours west. Mehrangarh Fort on its rock above a blue-washed old town, the Clock Tower market, a stepwell with cafes on its rim, and a ring of family forts in the country around it. Two nights. Things to do in Jodhpur and where to stay.

Udaipur, the City of Lakes

The south, and the gentlest of the four: the City Palace along Lake Pichola, island palaces on the water, hills all round, and rooftops for the evenings. Two nights, three with Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur. Things to do in Udaipur and where to stay.

Jaisalmer, the Golden City

The far west, five hours beyond Jodhpur. A twelfth-century fort people still live in, carved merchant havelis below it, and the Thar starting at the last house, with a night on the dunes. Two nights. Things to do in Jaisalmer and where to stay.

The ones the circuit misses

Bikaner

North of Jodhpur, between Jaipur and Jaisalmer on the northern road. An unconquered fort with the finest interiors in the state, an old town nobody visits, the rat temple at Deshnoke, camels, and bhujia. One night breaks the long road; two is better. Things to do in Bikaner and where to stay.

Pushkar

Three hours from Jaipur, a small town around a sacred lake, with one of the few Brahma temples anywhere and the camel fair in November. A night, or a long day from Jaipur; it is a stop on the Rajasthan Grand Journey.

Ranthambhore

Three and a half hours from Jaipur, the tiger reserve with a tenth-century fort inside it. Two nights and three or four safaris give you a real chance of a tiger. Where to stay.

Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur

In the hills between Udaipur and Jodhpur: a fifteenth-century fort with a wall some thirty-six kilometres long, and a Jain temple of 1,444 carved marble pillars in a forested valley. A long day from Udaipur, or a night on the road to Jodhpur. Where to stay near Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur.

Shekhawati

The painted towns north of Jaipur: Mandawa, Nawalgarh, Dundlod, Churu, where the merchant havelis of the nineteenth century are frescoed inside and out. Half-forgotten, and a night in one of the havelis is the way to see it. Where to stay in Mandawa and Churu.

Mount Abu

The state's one hill station, in the far south-west, with the Dilwara Jain temples, whose marble carving is the finest in India. A cool night between Udaipur and Gujarat. Where to stay.

How they join up

Every one runs privately, with the same car and driver throughout, the hotels named before you pay and one price. The Rajasthan journeys, with prices, or find one in three taps.

When to visit Rajasthan

October to March. November to February is the heart of it: cool mornings, warm afternoons, cold nights in the desert. October and March are warmer but quieter. April to June is very hot, above forty degrees most days; the monsoon from July to September is light in the west and turns the south green. The big fairs fall in the season: Pushkar's camel fair in November, Bikaner's in January, Jaisalmer's Desert Festival in February, the Jaipur Literature Festival in January.

How many days for Rajasthan?

Four nights sees two cities properly. Six does the classic three. Ten does the whole loop without rushing. Anything shorter than four is one city, and Jaipur is the one to pick.

Which is the best place to visit in Rajasthan?

For a first visit, Jaipur, because it is nearest and has the most. For the fort, Jodhpur. For the lakes and the evenings, Udaipur. For the desert, Jaisalmer. For the place nobody else goes, Bikaner. Most people come back for the one they missed.

Is Rajasthan safe for tourists?

Yes. It is the most visited state in north India and used to visitors. The usual care with valuables and with agreeing a price before getting into an auto-rickshaw. On our journeys the same driver is with you throughout.