Rajasthan Destinations
Twelve places, one state. Forts on hilltops, palaces on lakes, dunes that turn gold at sunset and a national park where tigers still walk out on the road.
Pick Your Rajasthan
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Jaipur — The Pink City
Rajasthan's capital is where most trips start, and for good reason. A walled old city painted terracotta pink in 1876, hilltop forts on three sides, and bazaars that have been selling the same gemstones and block prints for three centuries. Two full days is the minimum; three if you want to shop properly.
- Amer Fort & Sheesh Mahal
- Hawa Mahal
- City Palace
- Jantar Mantar
- Jal Mahal & Nahargarh
- Johari & Bapu Bazaar
Jodhpur — The Blue City
Mehrangarh sits 120 metres above the old town on solid rock, and the view from its ramparts — a sea of indigo houses running to the desert horizon — is the single best panorama in Rajasthan. Down in the lanes below, Sardar Market and the Clock Tower keep the city loud until midnight.
- Mehrangarh Fort
- Jaswant Thada
- Umaid Bhawan Palace
- Clock Tower & Sardar Market
- Mandore Gardens
- Toorji Ka Jhalra stepwell
Udaipur — The City of Lakes
The one Rajasthan city people extend their trip for. Seven lakes ringed by the Aravalli hills, a City Palace complex you can spend half a day inside, and rooftop restaurants where dinner comes with the Lake Palace lit up in front of you. Easily our most-requested honeymoon base.
- City Palace & Crystal Gallery
- Lake Pichola boat ride
- Jag Mandir
- Saheliyon Ki Bari
- Fateh Sagar Lake
- Monsoon Palace sunset
Jaisalmer — The Golden City
One of the last living forts on earth — around 3,000 people still live inside Sonar Quila's walls. Spend the day among carved havelis, then drive 40 km out to Sam for a camel ride over the dunes and a night in a desert camp under a sky with no light pollution at all.
- Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Quila)
- Patwon Ki Haveli
- Sam Sand Dunes
- Desert camp & folk night
- Gadisar Lake
- Kuldhara ghost village
Pushkar — The Holy Town
A small town wrapped around a sacred lake with 52 ghats and the only major Brahma temple in the world. Quiet for most of the year, then completely transformed each November when the Camel Fair brings 50,000 animals and traders to the sand flats outside town.
- Brahma Temple
- Pushkar Lake & 52 ghats
- Pushkar Camel Fair
- Savitri Temple ropeway
- Sadar Bazaar
- Ajmer Sharif Dargah nearby
Ranthambore — The Land of Tigers
India's most reliable place to actually see a wild tiger, partly because the terrain is open and partly because these tigers are famously relaxed about jeeps. A tenth-century fort sits inside the park, and the lakes at Padam Talao are where most of the classic sightings happen.
- Jeep & Canter safari
- Zones 1 – 10
- Padam Talao
- Ranthambore Fort
- Trinetra Ganesh Temple
- Surwal Lake birding
More Places Worth a Detour
Mount Abu
Rajasthan's only hill station, and the state's cool-weather escape at 1,220 m. Boating on Nakki Lake, sunset at Guru Shikhar and the extraordinary marble carving of the Dilwara Jain temples.
Bikaner
Junagarh is one of the few Rajasthan forts never taken by an invader, and its painted interiors are the best preserved in the state. Add the national camel research centre and the Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke.
Chittorgarh
The largest fort in India by area — 700 acres on a hill, with the Vijay Stambh tower, Rani Padmini's palace and the Gaumukh reservoir. Heavy with the history of three sieges, and usually visited between Udaipur and Bundi.
Kumbhalgarh
A 36 km perimeter wall winding along the Aravalli ridge — second longest continuous wall in the world after the Great Wall of China. Birthplace of Maharana Pratap, and a UNESCO World Heritage hill fort.
Ranakpur
1,444 marble pillars, and no two carved alike. The Chaumukha temple is the finest Jain architecture in Rajasthan and sits perfectly on the Udaipur – Jodhpur drive, so it costs you almost no extra time.
Bundi
The Rajasthan most tour buses miss. Garh Palace holds the best surviving Rajput murals anywhere, there are 50-odd stepwells in town, and you can walk the whole place in an afternoon without a crowd.
Not sure how to fit it all in?
Tell us your dates and how many days you have. We will build a route that keeps the driving sensible and still covers what you came for.