What to see in Rajasthan

What to see in Rajasthan in 10 days

There is a lot to see and experience in Rajasthan. It is a beautiful state with old forts and charming cities with a lot of history. Here are our top picks for 10 days in Rajasthan. Focus on Food, Heritage and the three most popular cities in Rajasthan

Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer

Travel map for Rajasthan

10 day itinerary for Rajasthan

Day 1, 2 and 3 Jaipur

Drive from Delhi to Jaipur and spend three days in Jaipur looking at the sights

Day 3, 4, 5 in Jodhpur

Drive from Jaipur to Jodhpur and spend 3 full days there. Jodhpur has amazing hotels and sights

Day 6, 7, 8, 9 in Jaisalmer

Drive to Jaisalmer. Spend 3 nights here. Spend an entire day seeing the desert at Sam, Rajasthan.

Day 10 - Fly or take the train back

Take the flight or the overnight train back to Delhi from Jaisalmer

How to see Jaipur

Jaipur is the capital of the princely and proud state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is on the Golden Triangle tours of India that take people from Delhi to Jaipur to Agra and back.

Why go to Jaipur

Jaipur is the stepping stone to the desert cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. It has the amazing Amber fort and various other sights to see. Jaipur is also the Jewellery capital of India. There is still a lot of wealth in this city. Most semi precious stone inlay work in done in Jaipur and exported to the rest of world. Jaipur also has amazing block printed fabrics and is the headquarters for Anokhi, a famous clothing store in India. Be aware of scammers though. People will try to sell you fake gems – walk away.

It is also called the pink city because old part of Jaipur is painted pink.

Where to stay in Jaipur

You can spend a lot of money on hotels in Jaipur. Its money well spent. The Fort/Palace hotels is this state of India are in excellent condition and provide extraordinary service. Here are our recommendations:

Rambagh palace: The Jewel of Jaipur and owned by the Taj Group of hotels
Oberoi Rajvilas: Sets a high bar for any other hotel in India.
ITC Rajputana: The Indian Tobacco Company’s flagship hotel is a part of the SPG group. They have great food and hospitality and are 1/4 the price of the previous two hotels
Samode Hotel: A beautifully ornate hotel. See the hotel’s website to learn more.
Hotel Diggi palace: Beautiful palace hotel centrally located

What to see in Jaipur

Forts

Amber Fort

aka Amer fort. A world heritage sight, this massive fort-palace complex dates back to Raja Man Singh and was the royal palace of the Kachwahas from c. 1600-1727. It is truly massive. The main sights within the fort include the Sheesh Mahal. It has thousands of mirror tiles on its walls and ceiling.

Jaigarh Fort

This fort is one kilometre from ”’Amber Fort”’. It was never conquered in battle, this was considered the strongest of the three forts in the area. It is best known as the site of the world’s largest cannon, the Jaivana

Nahargarh Fort

This is the smallest of the three forts. It has excellent views over Man Sagar lake and the vast sprawl of Jaipur

Palaces

City Palace

An imposing blend of traditional Rajput and Mughal architecture, this palace was build by Jaisingh. Jaipur is named after him.

Jal Mahal

Water palace in Jaipur in the mansarovar lake is great to see. You can catch a glimpse of it on the way to Amber fort from Jaipur.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Breeze)

Built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Singh as part of City Palace was an extension to the women’s wing and its entire facade is full of windows. It’s a must see.

How to get from Jaipur to Jodhpur

Get our of Jaipur by Train if you dont have your own car. The journey will take 6.5 hours and we recommend picking a train from this nice guide. You can take the 22478 Jaipur – Jodhpur SF Intercity Express. It takes only 5 hours but you might have to book in advance. Book on cleartrip.com. Their user interface is easy to understand.

Moving onto Jodhpur

Why go to Jodhpur

Go to see the massive Mehrangarh fort and the blue houses below. Go and sample the rich food of the region. Go to sample amazing hospitality. Go in February and see the world sacred spirits music festival. There is nothing like it.

Where to stay in Jodhpur

Fort hotels in Jodhpur should be on your list of places to stay in Jodhpur. These are:

Umaid bhawan palace by the Taj Group of hotels
Hari Mahal by Taj Hotels
Oddly named WelcomHotel by ITC Group
Mihirgarh fort hotel
Raas – Nicely located, modern hotel
Ranbanka Palace – Cheaper and nicely located

What to see in Jodhpur

Mehrangarh fort

This is huge 15th-century Fort on a high point in the city. It is a former palace that’s now a museum. The Museum has many weapons, paintings and palanquins. Get great views of the city from here and see why it’s called the blue city.

Jai Pol

Jai Pol, is a gate to the Mehrangarh fort. It’s a massive gate and is a good sight to see while you are close to Mehrangarh fort.

Jaswant Thada

Jaswant Thada is a architectural jewel. It is an empty commemorative tomb and was built in 1899, in honor of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. It features hand carved latticed marble screens and domes. The inside is has portraits of Rathore rulers. It’s a peaceful place to relax and enjoy stunning views of the Fort and city. Great place to recuperate from a long day of sightseeing.

Toorji ka Jhalra

Is a beautiful step well in Jodhpur, which has been restored by the RAAS hotel. You should definitely go here. Step wells are amazing to see. Sit on the steps and reflect on your life, your loves and your travels.

Moving on to Jaisalmer or the gateway to the deserts of Thar.

Getting to Jaisalmer from Jodhpur

Take the train between these two cities or get a tourist Taxi. It will take 5.5 hours regardless. List of trains can be found here. Book on cleartrip.com for aforementioned reasons.

Why go to Jaisalmer?

Is visiting a 12th century fort a good enough reason to go? Is visiting one of the only living forts in the world a good reason to go? What about Sand Dunes? Tasty food?

While youngsters might be all “forted out” by now, there are still many amazing forts to see in this desert town. Adventure seekers can indulge in Dune Bashing, Para motoring, Para sailing.

Fort Palace, Jaisalmer fort

Is a 12th century living fort. People still live within the walls of this massive fort. Jaisalmer Fort is the second oldest fort in Rajasthan, built in 1156 AD. It is made of sandstone and looks yellow during the day. This is why it is also called “Sonar Durg” or gold fort by locals. It is one of the six hill forts of Rajasthan that have been named Unesco World Heritage sights. It is said that is fort was under siege for 9 years. Alauddin Khilji ruled Delhi then and had attacked this fort. Sure of certain defeat, the women committed mass suicide by walking into a pyre to protect their honor from the Mughal invaders.

4000 people live in the fort. Triple ring of walls surround the fort.

World famous director Satyajit Ray made a detective movie called Sonar Kella based on the fort. It was based on a novel he wrote of the same name and he won a national award for this movie.

Patwon Ki Haveli

A Haveli is a large house. This one is particularly well decorated. It consists of a set of five houses, which were built by five Jain merchant brothers in the 19th century.

Desert Boy’s Dhani

Great place to sample local food in Jodhpur.

Sam

Pronounced “Sum”, is the epicentre of all desert camps and sand dune activities. Go there in the late afternoon from Dec-Feb and leave after riding a camel and watching a sunset. The camp gets very cold at night as temperatures fall below zero.

Don't forget to visit Udaipur

Read our guide here

What to see in Rajasthan