Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal — 14 Days Grand Loop from Delhi

North-east Rajasthan's open-air art gallery: towns where 19th-century merchants covered their mansions in frescoes of gods, trains, cars and Englishmen.

• Morning: Pick-up in Delhi at about 8 a.m.
• Drive: Delhi to Mandawa is about 260 km, 5–5½ hours.
• Afternoon: A walk with a local guide through Mandawa's lanes: the Chokhani, Goenka and Murmuria havelis, and the Mandawa Castle.
• Tickets: Each haveli charges a small entry, usually ₹50–200. A local guide costs about ₹500–800.
• Eat: Lunch on the road; dinner at a heritage hotel, often in a converted haveli or the castle.
• Tip: Many havelis are private homes. Your guide asks before you photograph inside.
• Overnight: Mandawa

West into the desert to Bikaner, a city of camel herders and bhujia makers, with one of the most richly painted forts in India.

• Morning: Check-out at about 9 a.m.
• Drive: Mandawa to Bikaner is about 190 km, 3½ hours.
• Afternoon: Junagarh Fort, never conquered, with gold-leaf and mirror rooms like the Anup Mahal and the Phool Mahal; about 2 hours with a guide.
• Evening: The old city's merchant havelis around Rampuria street, and a bhujia shop for the famous spicy snack.
• Tickets: Junagarh Fort has a single ticket, a few hundred rupees for foreign visitors.
• Eat: Bikaneri bhujia and kachori; for dinner, a heritage hotel such as the Laxmi Niwas Palace restaurant.
• Tip: Take a guide at Junagarh: the stories behind the painted rooms are the point of the visit.
• Overnight: Bikaner

Bikaner's famous rat temple on the way out, then the desert road to the golden city.

• Morning: Check-out at 8 a.m. The Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke (30 km), with thousands of revered rats; about 45 minutes.
• Drive: Deshnoke to Jaisalmer is about 300 km, 5–5½ hours.
• Sunset: Vyas Chhatri or Bada Bagh for the golden fort at the end of the day.
• Eat: Lunch on the road at Pokaran. Rooftop dinner facing the fort.
• Tip: Take socks you can throw away for the temple, which you visit barefoot.
• Overnight: Jaisalmer

Morning inside the only living fort in India, where 3,000 people still live within the walls, and afternoon into the dunes for sunset by camel and a night under the stars.

• 9:00 a.m.: Walk into Sonar Qila, the 12th-century 'golden fort': the royal palace museum and the carved Jain temples (open to visitors in the morning until about noon). About 2½ hours.
• Late morning: Patwon ki Haveli, five merchant houses of lace-like carved sandstone, and Nathmal ki Haveli.
• Afternoon: Rest, then leave at about 3 p.m. for the dunes at Sam (42 km) or the quieter dunes at Khuri (45 km), about 1 hour.
• Sunset: A camel ride of about one hour onto the dunes to watch the sun go down. A jeep ride over the dunes is optional.
• Evening: Folk music and dance by the fire at the camp, dinner, and stars like you rarely see near a city.
• Tickets: Entry to the fort itself is free; the palace museum and Patwon ki Haveli have their own modest tickets. The camel ride and camp dinner are normally included in the camp booking.
• Eat: Lunch in the fort at a rooftop café; dinner at the camp.
• Tip: Take a small overnight bag; the large suitcases stay safely in the car. Ask for a camp away from the main Sam strip if you want quiet.
• Overnight: Desert camp in the dunes

Dawn in the desert, then east to the blue city.

• 6:30 a.m.: Sunrise over the dunes with tea, breakfast at camp.
• Drive: Back via Jaisalmer for your bags, then about 285 km, 5–5½ hours to Jodhpur.
• Evening: A walk through the blue lanes to the Clock Tower and Sardar Market.
• Eat: Makhaniya lassi at Shri Mishrilal and mirchi vada at Janta Sweet Home near the Clock Tower.
• Overnight: Jodhpur

A day in the city ruled from one of India's mightiest forts, standing 125 metres above the blue houses.

• 9:00 a.m.: Mehrangarh Fort at opening. The included audio guide is one of the best in India; allow 2½–3 hours for the palaces, the armoury, the howdah and palanquin galleries and the ramparts with their cannons.
• Late morning: Jaswant Thada, the white marble royal cenotaph below the fort, 5 minutes away, and the Rao Jodha desert rock park next to it for a short walk.
• Afternoon: The Umaid Bhawan Palace museum, part of one of the world's largest private residences (1943), still home to the royal family. Or a free afternoon in the old city markets.
• Evening: Sunset from a rooftop in the old city looking up at the lit-up fort.
• Tickets: Mehrangarh about ₹600 including the audio guide; Jaswant Thada and the Umaid Bhawan museum have small separate tickets (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less).
• Eat: Lunch at the café inside Mehrangarh. Try Jodhpur's makhaniya lassi and laal maas (spicy mutton curry) for dinner.
• Tip: The fort is steep; a lift near the main gate saves the climb for a small fee.
• Overnight: Jodhpur

A beautiful drive through the green Aravalli hills, broken by one of the great buildings of India: the 15th-century marble temple at Ranakpur with its 1,444 carved pillars, no two alike.

• Morning: Check-out at about 8:30 a.m.
• Drive: Jodhpur to Ranakpur is about 165 km, 3–3½ hours. Ranakpur to Udaipur is about 95 km, 2–2½ hours through the hills.
• 12:00–5:00 p.m.: Ranakpur temple opens to non-Jain visitors at noon. Allow 1–1½ hours. The audio guide is excellent.
• Evening: Arrive in Udaipur at about 5–6 p.m. Dinner by the lake.
• Tickets: Ranakpur about ₹200 including the audio guide; a small camera fee applies.
• Eat: Lunch at the temple's canteen (simple vegetarian thali) or a hotel restaurant nearby.
• Tip: No leather (belts, wallets, bags) inside, and shoulders and knees must be covered. Leave leather items with your driver in the car.
• Overnight: Udaipur

The most romantic city in India, planned so you see the palace in the cool of the morning and the lake at its golden best.

• 9:30 a.m.: The City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, built over four centuries; allow 2½–3 hours. Do not miss the Mor Chowk peacock courtyard and the crystal gallery (separate ticket).
• Late morning: Jagdish Temple (1651), a few minutes' walk away, then the old city lanes for miniature painting studios and silver.
• Afternoon: Rest at the hotel in the heat of the day, or visit Saheliyon ki Bari, the garden of the maidens, with its fountains.
• Sunset: A boat on Lake Pichola from the City Palace jetty, with a stop at Jag Mandir island, about one hour. Book the 5 p.m. boat in winter.
• Evening: The Dharohar folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli, 7 p.m., about one hour: puppets, and the famous dance with pots balanced on the head.
• Tickets: City Palace, crystal gallery, the boat and the dance show each have their own ticket, bought on the spot; together expect roughly ₹2,000–3,000 per person. Your driver points you to the right counters.
• Eat: Lunch with a lake view at Ambrai or Upre. Try gatte ki sabzi and ker sangri, Mewari specialities.
• Tip: Arrive at Bagore ki Haveli by 6:15 p.m. for a good seat.
• Overnight: Udaipur

Your car and driver are yours for the day. Most guests choose one of these three, and some simply rest.

• Option 1: Kumbhalgarh: Leave at 8 a.m. for Kumbhalgarh Fort (85 km, about 2 hours), with 36 km of walls, the second-longest in the world after China's Great Wall. Walk the ramparts to Badal Mahal at the top, 2–3 hours. Back by 5 p.m.
• Option 2: Ranakpur: The marble Jain temple with 1,444 carved pillars (95 km, about 2½ hours each way), open to visitors from noon.
• Option 3: slow day: A morning cooking class in a local home, the vintage car museum, Fateh Sagar Lake and sunset at the Monsoon Palace (Sajjangarh) on the hilltop.
• Tickets: Kumbhalgarh about ₹600, Ranakpur about ₹200, Monsoon Palace about ₹300 plus the forest gate fee (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less).
• Eat: Lunch near Kumbhalgarh at a heritage hotel, or a lakeside café in Udaipur.
• Tip: Tell your driver your choice the evening before so he can plan the departure time.
• Overnight: Udaipur

North through the Aravalli hills to the sacred lake of Pushkar.

• Morning: Check-out at about 9 a.m.
• Drive: Udaipur to Pushkar is about 280 km, 4½–5 hours on the national highway.
• Evening: The ghats for aarti, the evening prayer with lamps and bells, then the bazaar.
• Eat: Pushkar is fully vegetarian and alcohol-free; rooftop cafés over the lake are the best spots for dinner.
• Tip: Politely decline the 'flower blessing' at the ghats; it ends in a request for a large donation.
• Overnight: Pushkar

A last morning by the lake, then the Pink City.

• Morning: Brahma temple and sunrise from the Savitri temple (ropeway or a 45-minute walk).
• Drive: Pushkar to Jaipur is about 145 km, 2½–3 hours.
• Afternoon: The City Palace and the Hawa Mahal from the rooftop café opposite.
• Tickets: City Palace about ₹700, Hawa Mahal about ₹200 (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less).
• Eat: Dinner at Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar in Johari Bazaar, or a rooftop restaurant.
• Overnight: Jaipur

A full day in the Pink City, planned to beat the heat and the queues: the hill fort first thing, the old city in the middle of the day, and the bazaars when the light softens.

• 8:00 a.m.: Amber Fort as the gates open, before the tour buses. Allow 2–2½ hours for the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), the Ganesh Pol gate and the zenana courtyards. A licensed guide is worth hiring here.
• On the way down: Panna Meena ka Kund, a geometric stepwell 5 minutes from the fort, and a photo stop at Jal Mahal, the palace in the lake.
• Midday: The City Palace (still home to the royal family) and next door Jantar Mantar, the 18th-century astronomical observatory, now a UNESCO site. About 2½ hours for both.
• Afternoon: The Hawa Mahal, the 'Palace of the Winds', best seen from the cafés on the rooftop opposite; go inside if you want to look out through the latticed windows.
• Evening: Sunset at Nahargarh Fort on the ridge above the city, with a drink at the fort café.
• Tickets: Amber Fort about ₹500, City Palace about ₹700, Jantar Mantar about ₹200, Hawa Mahal about ₹200 (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less). A composite ticket covers several state monuments for two days.
• Eat: Lunch: dal baati churma or a Rajasthani thali near the City Palace. Evening: lassi at Lassiwala on MI Road, or a full village-style dinner at Chokhi Dhani outside the city.
• Tip: Please avoid the elephant ride at Amber; your driver takes you up by car or jeep. In the shops, prices are always negotiable, and your driver earns no commission from us: shop only where you want.
• Overnight: Jaipur

Leaving the Pink City along the old Mughal road, with two of the most photogenic stops in north India, and the Taj Mahal at sunset from across the river.

• Morning: Check-out at about 8:30 a.m. One hour to Chand Baori at Abhaneri, the 9th-century stepwell with 3,500 steps in perfect geometry (30 minutes).
• Midday: Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned capital: the palace courtyards, the Panch Mahal and the Buland Darwaza, about 1½ hours.
• Drive: Jaipur to Agra is about 240 km; with the stops plan 7–8 hours.
• Late afternoon: Mehtab Bagh, the garden facing the Taj Mahal across the Yamuna, for sunset.
• Tickets: Fatehpur Sikri about ₹610, Mehtab Bagh about ₹300, small fee at Abhaneri (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less).
• Eat: Lunch on the road near Bharatpur. In Agra, Mughlai dishes and the local sweet petha.
• Tip: Your Taj Mahal visit is next morning at sunrise, so an early night pays off.
• Overnight: Agra

The grand finale. The Taj Mahal at first light, Agra Fort, and the easy expressway back to Delhi in time for an evening flight or a last night in the capital.

• Early morning: Leave the hotel at about 5:45 a.m. The Taj Mahal opens 30 minutes before sunrise; allow 2–2½ hours. Breakfast and check-out after.
• Late morning: Agra Fort, about 1 hour. Optional: the Itimad-ud-Daulah tomb, the 'Baby Taj', with the finest inlay work in Agra.
• Drive: Agra to Delhi is about 230 km, 3½–4 hours. Delhi airport drop works for flights leaving after about 7 p.m.
• Tickets: Taj Mahal about ₹1,100 plus ₹200 for the mausoleum; Agra Fort about ₹650; Baby Taj about ₹310 (approx. 2026 prices for foreign visitors; Indian citizens pay much less).
• Eat: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch on the expressway or in Agra.
• Tip: The Taj Mahal is closed every Friday; we plan around it. Leave large bags in the car with your driver.
• Overnight: Delhi, or your flight home