Rajasthan Travel Guide: Places to Visit, Seasons and Routes

Rajasthan covers 342,239 sq km, more than any other Indian state, so its sights are best grouped by region. The four big cities make the usual loop; the other places below slot in as stops or short detours. Distances are by road unless stated.

Jaipur

Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727, moving his court down from Amber, and it is Rajasthan's capital and one corner of the Golden Triangle with Delhi and Agra. Amber Fort, the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal are the headline sights, and three UNESCO listings cover the city: the walled city (2019), Jantar Mantar (2010) and Amber, one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan (2013). Two full days cover the city. Our Jaipur travel guide has the detail, and our guided Amber Fort visit is timed to beat the coach groups.

Jodhpur

Mehrangarh Fort stands on a hill 125 metres above Jodhpur, and the old town beneath it is known as the Blue City. Rao Jodha began the fort in 1459, and its museum holds howdahs, palanquins, textiles, paintings and arms. The city has its own airport, which helps if you want to finish a trip here. See the Jodhpur travel guide, or our Mehrangarh Fort tour, which uses a government-approved guide through the fort and museum.

Jaisalmer

Jaisalmer Fort, the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort, is a World Heritage Site, and people still live inside its walls: Incredible India counts nearly 3,000. West of the city lies the Thar Desert. Rajasthan Tourism lists camel and camel-cart safaris at the Sam and Khuri dunes, with desert camping from October to March, and Desert National Park is one of the last homes of the great Indian bustard. Our Thar Desert camel safari rides towards a high dune for sunset, then camps with folk music and dinner. More in the Jaisalmer travel guide.

Udaipur

Maharana Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in 1553 as the new capital of Mewar. The City Palace stands on the eastern bank of Lake Pichola, and Rajasthan Tourism singles out a boat ride around sunset for the view of the lake and the palace. Jagmandir and the Lake Palace sit on islands in the lake, and the Sajjangarh palace watches over the city from the hills. Read the Udaipur travel guide, or see the lake from the water with our Udaipur lake palace experience, which pairs a private sunset boat ride with a guided City Palace visit.

Pushkar and Ajmer

Pushkar is a Hindu pilgrimage town on a lake ringed by 52 ghats and more than 400 temples, among them one of the few temples to Brahma. As a temple town it serves vegetarian food only. Ajmer, a short drive away, holds the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, which Rajasthan Tourism describes as revered by Muslims and Hindus alike. The weeklong Pushkar Fair, a camel and livestock fair, takes place between October and November. See the Pushkar travel guide.

Ranthambore

Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve lies 14 km from Sawai Madhopur, with a 10th-century fortress on its skyline. Rajasthan Tourism says the park is open from October to June and advises booking in advance, online, through the forest department. Sawai Madhopur is 167 km from Jaipur, so the park pairs easily with the capital. No sighting is ever guaranteed. Our Ranthambore guide has the detail, and our Ranthambore tiger safari runs with a private naturalist.

Bikaner

Rai Singh began Junagarh Fort in 1588, and Rajasthan Tourism notes that it has never been captured. The city is also home to the National Research Centre on Camel, which the same source calls the only one of its kind in Asia, and to the Karni Mata temple at Deshnok, where rats move freely through the shrine. Bikaner's airport is about 10 km from the city, with direct flights from Delhi and Jaipur. The Camel Festival is held on the second Saturday and Sunday of January.

Chittorgarh

Chittorgarh Fort was the capital of Mewar and is one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan on the UNESCO list. Maharana Kumbha built the nine-storey Vijay Stambh, the Tower of Victory, between 1440 and 1448, and six Jain temples stand within the walls. Incredible India records three great sieges, in 1303, 1533 and 1568. A light and sound show tells the fort's story after sunset. Udaipur's airport is about 90 km away.

Kumbhalgarh

Rana Kumbha built Kumbhalgarh in the 15th century in the Aravalli hills, 84 km north of Udaipur, and Maharana Pratap was born here. Incredible India counts its walls among the longest fortification walls anywhere. Rajasthan Tourism says the defences fell only once, to the combined armies of the Mughals and Amber, mainly for want of drinking water. Udaipur's airport is 98 km away, and buses or a taxi from Udaipur reach the fort.

Bundi

Bundi is a quieter town of stepwells and old palaces. Taragarh Fort dates from 1354, Raniji ki Baori, the Queen's Stepwell, from 1699, and the small Sukh Mahal is the summer palace linked with Kipling's novel Kim. The Bundi Festival falls in Kartik, in October or November. The nearest airport is Jaipur's, about 206 km away, and the railway station has connections to Chittorgarh.

Bharatpur and Keoladeo National Park

Keoladeo Ghana National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, is a 29 sq km wetland made by embankments built some 250 years ago. More than 370 species have been recorded, and in winter migratory ducks, geese, waders and raptors arrive. Bharatpur railway station is about 5 km from the park, Agra's airport 56 km and Delhi 184 km. Deeg, a garden town with an 18th-century summer palace, lies north of Bharatpur.

Shekhawati

Shekhawati, the region of Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu in the north, is known for its painted havelis. Rajasthan Tourism calls Fatehpur, founded in 1508, its cultural capital, and singles out Ramgarh, founded in 1791, and Mandawa, once on a trade route between the Middle East and China. Khatu Shyam Ji temple, in Sikar district, holds a ten-day fair in February or March; our Khatu Shyam Ji temple tour times a private guide and vehicle around darshan hours, and the Sikar travel guide covers the area.

Mount Abu

Mount Abu is Rajasthan's only hill station, in the Aravalli hills. Its highlights are Nakki Lake, the white-marble Dilwara Jain temples and Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 metres the highest peak of the range. Udaipur is about 165 km away, and Abu Road, 27 to 28 km below the town, is the railhead. More in the Mount Abu travel guide.

Ten to twelve days link Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur, with a night in Pushkar, without spending every day in the car. A week fits Jaipur and two other cities; treat Ranthambore or Bharatpur as extra days rather than a rushed stop. Allow for long legs: our itineraries put Jaipur to Jodhpur at about five and a half hours, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer at five to six, and Jodhpur to Udaipur at about six, with a stop at Ranakpur.

Our Royal Rajasthan Circuit is a six-day, five-night private tour of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur with a private SUV and driver and a licensed local guide in each city. The Rajasthan Grand Tour takes twelve days: Jaipur, a night in Pushkar, Jodhpur, a night in the Thar Desert near Jaisalmer, and Udaipur. Families with children of about eight and older can look at the Rajasthan family tour. All Rajasthan trips are on our Rajasthan tour packages page, and the Delhi–Agra–Jaipur circuit is our Golden Triangle tour, five to seven days.