Rajasthan

Rajasthan, in a few days

India's largest state, at 342,000 km², lines up its sandstone forts along arid ridges: Amber above Jaipur, Mehrangarh on its 120 m cliff in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer planted in the Thar. In between, the lakes of Udaipur and the tigers of Ranthambore.

Day by day

1

Jaipur

Days 1-3

The pink city, with its Palace of Winds in the centre and Amber Fort on a hill 11 km out.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Amber Fort2 to 3h · from 5,€50
  11 km from Jaipur, the fortress climbs a hill above Maota Lake. Raja Man Singh began building it in 1592.
• Hawa Mahalabout 30 min · from 2,€50
  The Palace of Winds, built in 1799 for Sawai Pratap Singh, is nothing but a five-storey facade of pink sandstone pierced by 953 windows.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Pearl Palace ↗ (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Alsisar Haveli ↗ (€95 a night) · Luxury: The Oberoi Rajvilas ↗ (€500 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Jaipur on GetYourGuide

2

Sawai Madhopur

Days 4-5 · 🚆 Train 2h

The railway town at the gates of Ranthambore, once the hunting ground of the maharajas of Jaipur and now home to some sixty tigers.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Ranthambore Tiger Reservehalf a day · from €30
  Once the hunting ground of the maharajas of Jaipur, the reserve covers about 1,400 km² of dry forest and ravines, with some sixty Bengal tigers.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Tiger Haveli ↗ (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Tiger Den Resort ↗ (€75 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Sawai Madhopur on GetYourGuide

3

Udaipur

Days 6-8 · 🚆 Train 7h30

The largest palace in Rajasthan on the shore of Lake Pichola, and the marble Jain temple of Ranakpur in the Aravalli hills.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Lake Pichola and the City Palace of Udaipur2 to 3h · from 3,€50
  The lake was dug in 1362 and enlarged by the maharanas of Mewar, who built the largest palace in Rajasthan on its shore: a 250 m facade, eleven interlocking palaces, four centuries of building.
• The Ranakpur templesabout 1h · from 2,€50
  In a wooded valley of the Aravalli hills, the Jain Chaumukha temple was built in pale marble in the 15th century, on three levels and nearly 3,600 m².

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Jaiwana Haveli ↗ (€50 a night) · Mid-range: Amet Haveli ↗ (€110 a night) · Luxury: Taj Lake Palace ↗ (€700 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Udaipur on GetYourGuide

4

Jodhpur

Days 9-10 · 🚕 Car with driver 4h30

A city under Mehrangarh, which stands 120 m above it on a sheer sandstone base.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Mehrangarh Fort2 to 3h · from €9
  The fort stands 120 m above Jodhpur on a sheer-cut sandstone base, with walls that rise to 36 m in places.

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Singhvi's Haveli ↗ (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Ratan Vilas ↗ (€85 a night) · Luxury: RAAS Jodhpur ↗ (€280 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Jodhpur on GetYourGuide

5

Jaisalmer

Days 11-13 · 🚆 Train 5h40

A yellow sandstone citadel in the Thar that people still live in, and the Sam dunes 42 km away.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Sam sand dunesan evening · from €60
  42 km from Jaisalmer, an easy-to-reach ridge of sand: a few kilometres of shifting crests in the middle of a stony plain.

✦ Free to visit

• Jaisalmer Fort

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Tokyo Palace ↗ (€25 a night) · Luxury: Jaisalmer Marriott Resort & Spa ↗ (€170 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Jaisalmer on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Train and driver · The train links Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer; Udaipur to Jodhpur is done with a car and driver.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Thali: a tray of small vegetarian dishes, eaten together rather than in order.
• Curry and dal: mild in one state, fierce in the next. Ask before you commit.
• Tandoori and naan: meat from a clay oven, bread baked on its wall.
• Street food: samosas, pani puri, chaat, eaten standing up.
• Lassi and masala chai: drinking yoghurt, and tea boiled with spices and milk.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Sealed bottled water only, never from the tap, and no ice.
• Unofficial tourist offices are a common scam near stations. Book through your hotel.
• Cover shoulders and knees, above all at temples and mosques.
• Eat food that is hot and freshly cooked, and skip anything sitting out.

Words that help

English ↔ Hindi

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/rajasthan

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.