Rajasthan is the part of India that looks like the pictures: fort walls above painted cities, camel caravans in the Thar, palaces on lakes. It is also large. Driving it badly means spending your holiday on the highway, and driving it well means choosing which cities to leave out.
This is how we route Rajasthan for travellers with one to three weeks.
The Pink City and the usual entry point from Delhi. Amber Fort, the City Palace, Jantar Mantar, and bazaars that have not been prettified for visitors. Two days.
The Blue City, under the enormous bulk of Mehrangarh Fort. Mehrangarh is the best-preserved fort in the state and the old town beneath it is genuinely blue rather than a marketing line. Two days.
Lakes, white palaces and the gentlest pace in Rajasthan. Most people plan two days and wish they had three.
Deep in the Thar, a golden sandstone fort that people still live inside. The desert nights are the reason to make the long drive out. Two days.
Smaller stops. Pushkar for the lake and the camel fair in November, Bikaner for the fort and the camel breeding farm. One day each if the route allows.
One week: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur. Fly out of Udaipur rather than driving back to Delhi.
Ten days: add Jaisalmer between Jodhpur and Udaipur, accepting two long drive days.
Two weeks: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur. This is the full circuit and it is the one worth doing if you have the time. It is close to our Rajasthan Royal Odyssey.
November to February, without much argument. Days are warm and evenings genuinely cold in the desert. October and March are workable. April to June regularly exceeds 45 degrees in the Thar, and July to September is monsoon, which is short in Rajasthan but turns the desert green if you like that.
These are real driving times on Rajasthan roads, not optimistic ones. Build them into the plan rather than discovering them.
Private vehicle and driver for the whole circuit, fuel, tolls, interstate taxes and permits. Hotels, meals, monument entry and guides are not included, so you choose your own hotels at your own standard. Rajasthan has some of the best heritage hotels in India and travellers usually have strong opinions about them, which is exactly why we do not pick for you.
We can book any of it at additional cost if you would rather hand the whole thing over.
Seven for three cities, ten to fourteen for the full circuit including Jaisalmer.
Car, for the flexibility. Trains connect the main cities well but the smaller stops and the desert forts are much easier with your own vehicle.
November to February. December and January are coldest at night in the desert, which is part of the appeal.
If you have ten days or more, yes. On a one-week trip it costs you too much of the trip in transit.
Tell us how long you have and we will build a route that does not spend it on the road.
