The rhythm of a Bikaner day
Mornings are for the big sights: Junagarh's painted rooms are quietest and most beautiful at opening time.
Deshnoke at dawn: the Karni Mata temple is calmest and most atmospheric then.
- Early morning
- The big sight: Junagarh or Deshnoke
- Late morning
- Main visit done
- Midday
- Lunch, rest, perhaps an indoor museum
- Late afternoon
- Old city, havelis, palaces
- Evening
- Courtyard dinner, music, chai, stars
- Early starts: be out early, with breakfast before or after, and finish the main visit by late morning.
- The middle of the day: for lunch and rest. Even in winter the sun is strong from late morning to mid-afternoon, and in warmer months it is fierce.
- When the palace hotels earn their keep: a long lunch, an hour by the pool or with a book in a shaded courtyard.
- Late afternoons: for the old city, the havelis and the palaces, when the low sun brings out the carving and the lanes fill with life.
- Evenings: dinner in a courtyard, folk music, a walk for chai and sweets, or the stars.
- Each experience explained: our list of things to do in Bikaner, with the city in context in our main Bikaner guide.
One day in Bikaner
- Morning
- Junagarh, two and a half to three hours
- Late afternoon
- Old city, Bhandasar, Rampuria havelis
- Deshnoke
- On the way to or from Jodhpur
- Day trip?
- Not advised, stay at least a night
Morning, Junagarh Fort
At opening time: be at the gate with a guide who knows the family history.
- The route: walk the palaces in order, from Rai Singh's mirrored Phool Mahal to the gold of the Anup Mahal and the painted rain of the Badal Mahal.
- The museum: finish with its armour, palanquins and First World War biplane.
- Allow: two and a half to three hours. Our Junagarh Fort guide explains every room.
Midday, lunch and rest
- Back to the hotel: for lunch and a rest in the heat of the day.
- Staying at Lalgarh: visit the Shri Sadul Museum in the early afternoon, before it closes.
Late afternoon, the old city
The walk: from Kote Gate through the bazaar to the Rampuria havelis and the Bhandasar Jain temple.
- The timing: arrive for the last hour of light, when the red sandstone carving glows.
- On the way: fresh bhujia from a busy shop and a cup of chai.
Evening, dinner in a palace
- Dinner: in the courtyard of your palace hotel or in a haveli, with Rajasthani dishes and, if you like, desert musicians.
- Next morning: continuing to Jodhpur, leave early and stop at Deshnoke for the Karni Mata temple on the way, which saves a separate trip.
Alternative, arriving from Jodhpur
Deshnoke first: leave Jodhpur early, reach Deshnoke by mid-morning, then continue to Bikaner for lunch and a rest.
Afternoon: the old city and the havelis.
- Next morning: give Junagarh the whole morning before leaving for Jaisalmer or Shekhawati.
- Why it works: it spreads one night across two half-days.
- The trade-off: Deshnoke later than the ideal dawn hour is busier and warmer. In winter that hardly matters. In the hot months, we would rather you stayed an extra night and saw it at sunrise.
Two days in Bikaner
- Day one
- Junagarh, then the old city and havelis
- Day two
- Deshnoke at dawn, Lalgarh, the camels
- Deshnoke
- About 45 minutes south
- Sunset
- Devi Kund Sagar or the Lalgarh terrace
Day one, the fort and the old city
Morning: Junagarh at opening time, with a full morning for the palaces and museum.
Don't miss: ask your guide for the sati handprints on Daulat Pol and the Sanskrit inscription near Suraj Pol, which most visitors miss.
- Afternoon: lunch and rest at your hotel.
- Late afternoon: walk the old city with a local guide: the bazaar behind Kote Gate, the Lakshminath temple near the site of the first fort, the Bhandasar Jain temple and the carved Rampuria havelis in the last light.
- Evening: a bhujia tasting in the old city, then dinner at your hotel. At Bhanwar Niwas, you are already home.
Day two, Deshnoke, Lalgarh and the camels
Before sunrise: leave for Deshnoke, about forty-five minutes south, to reach the Karni Mata temple at first light.
Why then: local devotees fill it and the kabas gather around the fresh milk. Take socks, and return for a late breakfast.
- The faith and etiquette: our Karni Mata Temple guide.
- Afternoon: after lunch, the Shri Sadul Museum at Lalgarh Palace.
- Then the camels: drive to the National Research Centre on Camel to watch the herds come home from grazing, and taste camel milk tea.
- Evening: sunset at the royal chhatris of Devi Kund Sagar, or tea on the terrace at Lalgarh as the stone turns pink, then dinner in the palace courtyard.
Three days in Bikaner
Days one and two
- The plan: follow the two-day version above.
- One change: perhaps move the camel research centre to the third day, giving the second afternoon more time at Lalgarh.
Day three, Jorbeer, Gajner and the lake
Winter morning: go early to Jorbeer with a naturalist for vultures and steppe eagles, at one of the best sites in India. Bring binoculars and be ready for the smell.
Other months: a slow morning in the old city instead, with an usta artist's workshop and the Ganga Government Museum.
- Afternoon: drive west to Gajner, the royal lodge by a lake in its own sanctuary, about forty minutes from the city, for lunch overlooking the water.
- Staying the night: walk the shore in the late afternoon, looking for blackbuck, chinkara and waterbirds.
- Evening: a quiet dinner at Gajner beside the lake, or back in Bikaner for a private haveli dinner with folk musicians.
- Clear nights: drive a little way out of the city to watch the stars.
- Not moving hotels: Gajner works perfectly as a half-day trip, with lunch by the water, a shore walk and sunset at Devi Kund Sagar on the way back.
Four days in and around Bikaner
- The Bishnoi
- Mukam and Bishnoi villages
- The grasslands
- Tal Chhapar, then Shekhawati
- The pilgrim lake
- Kolayat, about 50 km away
- A slow day
- Read, swim, cook, walk
Days one to three
- The plan: follow the three-day version.
- Stay at Gajner: spend the third night there if you can, for an easy start to the fourth day.
Day four, choose your adventure
Option one, the Bishnoi: drive east to Mukam, the holiest place of the Bishnoi community, where their founder Guru Jambheshwar's last rites were performed.
Bishnoi villages: blackbuck and chinkara graze close to the houses. Our page on the Bishnoi villages explains their faith.
- Option two, the grasslands: a long day trip, or better an overnight move, east to Tal Chhapar, home to large herds of blackbuck and to harriers and eagles. Continue from there into Shekhawati.
- Option three, the pilgrim lake: Kolayat, about fifty kilometres from the city, where the legend of Karni Mata's son began at the sacred lake of Kapil Sarovar.
- Kolayat's ghats: lovely in the early morning, and host to a great bathing fair at the full moon of Kartik.
- Option four, a slow day: stay put, read, swim, take a cooking lesson with a Bikaner family and walk the old city once more. After three busy days, this is a luxury in itself.
An afternoon in the old city, step by step
Kote Gate and the bazaar
When to start: at Kote Gate, about an hour and a half before sunset, when the heat has eased and shops have reopened after the afternoon lull.
- The bazaar: grain merchants, spice sellers, cloth shops, bangle stalls and sweet makers crowd the way into the old city.
- How to walk: slowly, behind your guide, letting him do the talking at the busiest corners.
The temples
Lakshminath: one of the oldest temples in the city, near the site of Rao Bika's first fort, in the quieter lanes.
- Bhandasar: the Jain temple, with its paintings and gold leaf.
- Dress: leather items stay with your driver for the Jain temple, and shoulders and knees should be covered.
The Rampuria havelis
Timing: arrive in the last hour of light.
- The cluster: carved red sandstone mansions built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, every bracket and screen in sharp relief now.
- Which doors: your guide will know which open to visitors and when it is better to admire from the lane.
Bhujia, chai and the walk home
As the light goes: bhujia fresh from the pan at a busy shop, and a cup of hot, sweet chai.
- Watch: the lanes fill with families out for the evening.
- The car: your driver waits at an agreed corner, since cars cannot follow you through the narrowest lanes.
Where Bikaner fits in a longer journey
The classic route: the desert triangle of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
The usual direction: Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, on to Bikaner, then back towards Jaipur or Delhi through Shekhawati.
Breaking the drives: we often stop at Khimsar, Nagaur or a desert camp.
- From Jodhpur
- About four to five hours
- From Jaisalmer
- About five to six hours
- From Jaipur
- About five to six hours
- To Shekhawati
- About three hours east, Mandawa and Churu
- From Delhi
- Overnight and day trains, or most of a day by road
- From Jodhpur: via Nagaur and Deshnoke, or via Khimsar.
- Onward east: the painted towns of Mandawa and Churu make a lovely route on to Jaipur or Delhi.
- By train: overnight and day trains from Delhi run to Bikaner Junction.
- Longer journeys: Bikaner features on our forts and palaces grand tour and heritage havelis trail.
- For birders: our birding journey pairs Tal Chhapar with Bharatpur.
- Two weeks or more: our page on two weeks in Rajasthan shows where Bikaner adds the most.
- Each leg: our guide to road distances and drive times.
- To Jaisalmer by rail: trains also connect the two cities, though most guests travel by private car with a driver.
- On a first trip: with ten days or more, Bikaner is well worth adding. With only a week, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur may be enough, and Bikaner can wait for a second visit.
A sample week on the desert triangle
Days one and two, Jodhpur
Arrive: in Jodhpur, the blue city, for two nights.
- See: Mehrangarh at opening time, and the blue lanes of the old city in the late afternoon.
- Second morning: the Bishnoi villages.
Days three and four, Jaisalmer
The drive: west across the desert to Jaisalmer.
- See: its living golden fort, carved havelis and the dunes beyond.
- Stay: two nights, perhaps one in a luxury desert camp.
Days five and six, Bikaner
- The drive: north-east to Bikaner, about five to six hours.
- The plan: our two days, Junagarh and the old city first, then Deshnoke, Lalgarh and the camels.
Day seven, Shekhawati and onward
East: a final night among the frescoed havelis of the painted towns of Shekhawati.
- Then: on to Jaipur or Delhi.
- The journey: our desert triangle journey is built on exactly this route, and we adapt it for every guest.
Planning around the Camel Festival
What happens: parades, decorated camels, races, dances and folk music, in the city and its surroundings.
Who comes: visitors from across India and abroad.
- When
- January, over a few days
- Dates
- Set each year by state tourism
- Book
- Hotels and guides months ahead
- Allow
- An extra night if you can
- Afternoons and evenings: we plan the main events then, when the parades and performances take place.
- Mornings: kept for Junagarh and Deshnoke, busier than usual but still manageable at opening time.
- Traffic: expect it around the festival grounds.
- Who loves it: children, and photographers.
- Before we fix your route: we confirm the dates. Our page on the Bikaner Camel Festival explains the events.
Variations for different travellers
For families
The shape: active mornings, afternoons free for the pool.
What children love: the biplane and armoury at Junagarh, the calves and camel milk ice cream at the research centre, and a short camel ride at sunset.
- Deshnoke: the kabas, if they are curious rather than nervous.
- January: plan around the Camel Festival.
- Where to stay: Laxmi Niwas Palace or Gajner, where there is space to run about. Our page on family journeys has more ideas.
For couples
The room: a palace suite, or a characterful room at Narendra Bhawan.
- The moments: tea at Lalgarh at sunset, and a private haveli dinner with musicians.
- The finish: a night by the lake at Gajner.
- The surprise: a dawn drive to Deshnoke, with the desert turning gold outside the window, is surprisingly romantic.
For repeat visitors to Rajasthan
Less fort, more country: Jorbeer and Gajner with a naturalist, and a morning with an usta artist.
- Further out: a day with the Bishnoi at Mukam, and a slow route east through Tal Chhapar into Shekhawati.
- The journey for you: our offbeat Rajasthan journey.
For food lovers
Build each day around a meal: kachori and rasgulla for breakfast in the old city, and a bhujia tasting in a workshop.
- Hands-on: a cooking lesson with a Bikaner family.
- The grand finish: a royal dinner in a palace courtyard.
- The dishes and shops: our food of Bikaner guide.
For photographers
First light: Junagarh's terraces and Deshnoke's courtyard.
Last light: the Rampuria havelis and Lalgarh's facade in the hour before sunset.
- Evening sky: Devi Kund Sagar's chhatris.
- Midday: for editing.
- People: always ask before photographing them, and never at prayer.
For pilgrims and those interested in faith
More Deshnoke: a dawn visit and an unhurried morning in the town.
- Add: Kolayat's sacred lake and the Bhandasar Jain temple.
- Festival dates: Navratri, when pilgrims walk to Karni Mata, or the full moon of Kartik at Kolayat.
- The wider journey: our sacred Rajasthan journey links the state's great pilgrim towns.
For the hot months
April to June: start at dawn, be back by ten, and go out again after five.
- The order: the fort first thing, Deshnoke at sunrise on the second day, and the old city only in the evening.
- Keep it short: short days, and a hotel with a pool.
Getting around Bikaner
A private car: every Bikaner stay we plan has one, with an experienced driver who waits while you visit.
Short distances: between the fort, Lalgarh, the camel centre and the hotels, usually fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Within the city
- Usually 15 to 20 minutes
- How we travel
- Private car and experienced driver
- Old city
- On foot, with a guide
- Auto-rickshaws
- Fine for short hops, agree the fare first
- Light traffic: by Indian standards, outside the bazaar hours.
- Further afield: for Deshnoke, Gajner, Jorbeer and day trips, the car is essential.
- The old city: narrow, crowded lanes full of motorbikes, best seen on foot with a guide, the car meeting you at an agreed point.
- Auto-rickshaws: fine for a short hop if you are exploring alone, but agree the fare first.
- Across the state: our guide to getting around Rajasthan explains drivers, trains and flights.
Where to stay for each itinerary
For grandeur: Laxmi Niwas Palace.
For design and personality: Narendra Bhawan.
- Inside the old city: Bhanwar Niwas.
- One or two nights: choose one of the three.
- Three or four nights: split the stay, two nights in the city and one or two at Gajner beside the lake.
- Compare them: our guide to luxury hotels in Bikaner.
- Choose your dates: our best time to visit Bikaner guide.
Small things that make a big difference
Book your Junagarh guide the evening before: and agree to meet at the gate at opening time.
Socks for Deshnoke: and wet wipes for afterwards.
Where a guide matters: for Junagarh and the old city, always. The fort has few useful signs and the best havelis are not signposted. At Lalgarh and the camel centre, a guide helps but is less essential.
- One late afternoon for the old city: whatever else you plan. It is the heart of Bikaner.
- A gap in each day: an invitation into a haveli, a wedding band in a lane, camels crossing the road, rarely happen to people running late for the next sight.
- Bhujia on your last day: in a sealed tin, so it stays crisp for the journey home.
- By season: in winter a warm jacket for dawn starts. In summer, patience and long rests.
- No day trips: don't fit Bikaner into a day trip from elsewhere. The drives are long and the city deserves at least one night.
- Celebrating something: tell us. A birthday dinner in a palace courtyard or a sunset picnic in the dunes is easy with a little notice.
