First, decide where you want to wake up
The old city: dense, cheerfully noisy and alive from dawn to late at night, under Mehrangarh.
Its reward: you walk to the fort, the stepwell and the clock tower, and the floodlit ramparts fill your window after dark.
Its trade-off: cars cannot reach most lanes, so arrivals and departures mean a short walk or an auto-rickshaw.
- Old walled city
- Walk to the fort, stepwell and clock tower
- Garden city
- Umaid Bhawan, Ajit Bhawan, Ratan Vilas
- Fort drive
- Ten to fifteen minutes from the garden city
- Outside the city
- Bal Samand and the village forts
- Our pattern
- Two nights in the city, one or two in the country
- The garden city: the green, spacious Jodhpur of the twentieth century, south and east of the walls, where the royal family and nobility built palaces and bungalows with gardens.
- Its reward: lawns, pools and room to breathe, with the fort a ten- to fifteen-minute drive away.
- Who it suits: families, light sleepers, and anyone who wants the hotel to be a destination in itself.
- Outside the city: lake palaces on the edge of town such as Bal Samand, and the village forts of Marwar an hour or two away.
- Companions, not substitutes: the fort and the bazaars first, then the silence of rural Rajasthan.
- How it fits together: our main Jodhpur guide, and our palace hotels guide for the great palaces across the state.
Every stay on this page, at a glance
Umaid Bhawan Palace: Art Deco palace on Chittar Hill, part hotel, part museum, part royal home. Grand, gardened, with a pool.
RAAS Jodhpur: old haveli and new wings directly under Mehrangarh, with the fort in almost every window.
- A royal palace
- Umaid Bhawan Palace
- The old city
- RAAS Jodhpur or Pal Haveli
- A family welcome
- Ajit Bhawan or Ratan Vilas
- Lakeside gardens
- Bal Samand Lake Palace
- Village life
- Rohet Garh, with its horses
- Privacy for two
- Mihir Garh
- Pal Haveli: a noble townhouse near the clock tower, simpler, with a rooftop restaurant facing the fort.
- Ajit Bhawan and Ratan Vilas: family homes of the Rathore nobility in the garden city, personal and unhurried.
- Taj Hari Mahal: modern and reliable, close to the airport, around a large pool.
- Bal Samand and Sardar Samand: lake retreats, one on the Mandore road, one an hour south-east.
- Rohet, Mihir Garh, Chandelao and Khimsar: village forts from under an hour to roughly two hours away.
- Manvar: the camp in the dunes on the road west to Jaisalmer.
Umaid Bhawan Palace, the last great palace of princely India
- Built
- November 1929 to 1943
- Architect
- Henry Lanchester
- Rooms
- 347, under a dome about 31 metres high
- Hotel since
- 1971, now run by Taj
- Also home to
- The royal family, and a museum
The story of the palace
Famine relief: Maharaja Umaid Singh built it partly to give work to some two to three thousand people during years of failed rains.
The style: Western Art Deco mixed with Indian domes and pavilions, in creamy golden sandstone from the hill itself.
- The interiors: murals by the Polish artist Stefan Norblin, among the finest Art Deco rooms in Asia.
- Three in one: the family of Maharaja Gaj Singh II lives in one wing, the hotel fills another, and a museum a third.
- Why it's special: not a museum or a converted palace, but a royal home where the family flag still flies.
What to ask for
Rooms vary: a great deal, in a building of this size.
- For a special occasion: the historic suites, which keep the original Art Deco furniture and fittings.
- Whatever you book: ask for a room facing the gardens, with Mehrangarh on its ridge across the city.
- Book early: for October to March, and very early for the October folk festival and the Christmas and New Year weeks.
Who it suits
Best for: a once-in-a-lifetime palace stay, honeymooners, and families who need space and a pool.
- Spend time in it: long lawns, a vast terrace and the old palace rooms to explore, so plan at least one slow afternoon.
- Not for: stepping out of the door into bazaars. The old city is a short drive away.
Staying in the old city, under the fort
RAAS Jodhpur
Why we choose it: to be inside the old city without giving up any comfort.
The buildings: old rose-red sandstone haveli buildings beside crisp new wings, around a courtyard and pool, directly beneath Mehrangarh's walls.
- The design: modern and restrained, with carved stone screens and clean lines. Almost every room looks up at the fort.
- On foot: Toorji ka Jhalra and the clock tower, a few minutes away.
- Ask for: a full fort view, and plan one evening on the terrace when the floodlights come on.
- Who it suits: couples, design lovers and anyone who wants to walk straight into the lanes. Families who need gardens may be happier further out.
Pal Haveli and the old townhouses
Noble townhouses: inside the walls near the clock tower, several families have turned them into small heritage hotels.
- Pal Haveli: one of the best known, the Pal family's haveli, with courtyard rooms, painted walls and a rooftop restaurant facing the fort.
- Simpler stays: fewer facilities and sometimes steep stairs, but character, and owners often at home.
- What to expect: our guide to heritage havelis.
The honest trade-offs
The costs: noise at some hours, a walk from the car, and lanes that are hard for limited mobility.
- The gains: the fort at dawn from your window, breakfast before the crowds, and the clock tower at dusk without a drive.
- Our verdict: for a first visit of two nights, usually worth it.
Family homes of the Rathore nobility
Ajit Bhawan
Its story: built for Maharaj Ajit Singh, a younger brother of Maharaja Umaid Singh, near the city centre.
A pioneer: one of the early heritage hotels of Rajasthan, still run by the family.
- The feel: like staying with an old Jodhpur family, which in a sense you are.
- Compared with Umaid Bhawan: less formal, closer to shops and restaurants, with gardens and a pool.
- Who it suits: travellers who enjoy conversation and character more than grandeur.
Ratan Vilas
Its story: a gracious family home built for Maharaj Ratan Singh, a Rathore nobleman, in the colonial-era quarter.
The hosts: his descendants still live here, with guest rooms around a courtyard and garden.
- The feel: small, quiet and personal, and the home cooking is a highlight.
- Who it suits: a family welcome rather than a hotel, and good value for the setting.
- What it's like: our piece on staying with a royal family.
Modern luxury in the city
Taj Hari Mahal: a modern low-rise hotel in a Rajput style around a large pool, close to the airport and the city centre.
- The feel: reliable and calm, good for families or business travellers.
- The trade: the comfort of the palaces without their history.
Lake palaces on the edge of town
- Bal Samand
- A short drive north, on the Mandore road
- Run by
- The royal family's own hotel company
- Sardar Samand
- About an hour south-east, towards Pali
- Built
- 1933, as a hunting lodge
Bal Samand Lake Palace
Where: on the road to Mandore, a short drive north of the city.
- The setting: a red sandstone summer palace above Balsamand Lake, one of the oldest reservoirs around Jodhpur.
- The grounds: gardens and old orchards running down to the water, peacocks on the lawns, and air noticeably cooler than in town.
- Who it suits: families who want space to roam, and anyone who wants the city close but not its noise.
Sardar Samand Palace
Built: by Maharaja Umaid Singh in 1933, an Art Deco hunting lodge above a large irrigation lake.
- Inside: hunting trophies and watercolours from the royal collection, a fascinating period piece.
- Birds: the lake draws water birds in winter.
- Today: a heritage hotel, for birders and lovers of Art Deco who want a night of complete quiet.
Village forts within two hours
- Rohet Garh
- Under an hour south
- Mihir Garh
- An hour to an hour and a half
- Chandelao Garh
- About an hour
- Khimsar Fort
- Roughly two hours, towards Nagaur
- Manvar
- About an hour and a half west
Rohet Garh
Its story: in 1622 the ruler of Jodhpur granted the estate to Thakur Dalpat Singh, and his descendants still live in the fort beside the lake.
- A pioneer: opened to guests in 1990, one of the earliest family-run heritage hotels in Rajasthan.
- Writers' desk: Bruce Chatwin worked on The Songlines here, and William Dalrymple later wrote part of City of Djinns at the same desk.
- Known for: Marwari horses, rides through Bishnoi country, and home cooking our own family still talks about.
Mihir Garh
Its story: built by the same family in open country near Rohet, a newer fort in the old style, rising from the sand like a castle of clay.
- The feel: smaller and more secluded than the city hotels, with large suites.
- What to do: ride, walk, swim and watch the sky.
- Who it suits: couples, and anyone who wants privacy and space above all.
Chandelao Garh
Where: a small village fort north-east of Jodhpur.
- The feel: simpler than the others and closer to everyday village life.
- What you do: walk the village with the family, meet craftspeople, eat Marwari home cooking.
- Who it suits: travellers who care more about people than polish. A good base for the Bishnoi and craft villages.
Khimsar Fort
Its story: begun in 1523 by Karamsji, the eighth son of Rao Jodha, on the road to Nagaur.
- Today: part family home, part hotel, with a walled garden, a pool and its own dune village a short drive away.
- On the way: a fine night en route to Nagaur or Bikaner.
Manvar, among the dunes
Where: on the road west to Jaisalmer, about an hour and a half from Jodhpur.
- Why: the camp and resort at Manvar break a long drive with an evening in the dunes.
- Read more: the Manvar desert camp, and our guide to luxury desert camps near Jaisalmer.
Which stay for which traveller
Honeymooners and anniversaries
Grand: Umaid Bhawan, with a historic suite, dinner on the terrace and a walk on the lawns under the stars.
- Intimate: RAAS, with the floodlit fort from your bed and the old city at your door.
- Then: a night at Mihir Garh, where the only plan is a sunset ride and a long dinner.
- The longer trip: our honeymoon journeys.
Families with children
What children want: space, a pool and something to explore.
- In the city: Umaid Bhawan and Bal Samand have gardens big enough to run in, and the palace museum and vintage cars are a hit.
- In the country: Rohet Garh's horses, lake and village walks keep children busy for days.
- Connecting rooms: ask early, because heritage buildings have few. See our family journeys.
First-time visitors on a tight schedule
Two nights only: stay close to the sights.
- Where: RAAS or a good old-city haveli puts the fort, the stepwell and the clock tower within a short walk.
- Save for later: the palaces and village forts, for a longer return visit.
Repeat visitors and slow travellers
Reverse it: base yourself in the countryside and come into the city for single mornings.
- Where: Rohet Garh, Chandelao Garh or Sardar Samand, for rural Marwar at its gentlest, with Bishnoi villages, birds and long lunches.
- Still close: near enough for a morning in the bazaars or a concert at the fort.
Photographers
The room: one with a clear line to the fort.
- The light: sunrise, and the half hour after sunset, when the floodlights balance the blue sky.
- The base: the old city makes dawn walks through Brahmpuri easy. See our photography tips.
Heritage or modern, palace or haveli
Heritage hotel: once a palace, fort, haveli or hunting lodge, usually still owned by the family who built it.
What you gain: history, character and often the family themselves at dinner.
What you may get: uneven floors, thick walls that block wifi, small bathrooms in older wings and stairs without a lift.
- Palace
- A ruler's residence, grand and gardened
- Haveli
- A courtyard townhouse, intimate
- Village fort
- A noble family's country seat
- Modern hotel
- Consistency over character
- Modern luxury: consistency, big bathrooms and every service, but less sense of place.
- Have both: a palace or haveli in the city, then a family fort in the country.
- Palace or haveli: mostly scale. A palace had grand public rooms, gardens and staff to match.
- The haveli: a townhouse around courtyards, inward-looking, where life happened on the roof and in the shade of the inner court.
- Village forts: seats of noble families who held land from the ruler, like a country house in a working village.
- Read further: heritage hotels explained, and our note on rawlas and thikanas.
What money really buys in Jodhpur
What money does not buy is the old city itself. The lanes of Brahmpuri, the mirchi bada at the clock tower and the dawn on the ramparts are the same for everyone, and that is part of their charm.
A view and a calm: a suite in a royal home, a terrace above the gardens, a room that looks straight at the fort.
- People: staff who remember how you take your tea.
- Access: early entry and private guides at the fort, and a car waiting at the old city's gate.
- Evenings: dinner arranged in a courtyard rather than a restaurant.
- Freedom: to come back to a pool at noon and go out again at four.
- Our advice: spend on the room and the guide, and keep the street food cheap.
- The wider picture: our guide to the cost of luxury in Rajasthan, and things to do in Jodhpur to fill the days.
Eating well where you stay
Laal maas: ask for it made with Mathania chillies, from a village just outside the city.
Vegetarian: a Marwari thali with ker sangri and gatte.
- Family kitchens: in the family-run forts, women of the household often cook from recipes handed down for generations. Ask whether you can watch or help.
- The dishes: our food of Jodhpur guide.
- Private dinners: most heritage hotels will set one up on a rooftop facing the fort, beside a lake, or on the dunes near a village fort.
- Not set menus: evenings arranged around you, often the highlight of a stay.
- Dietary needs: tell us in advance, including Jain food, which avoids root vegetables, and the kitchens will plan around them.
Fitting a Jodhpur stay into a longer journey
From Jaipur: guests arrive tired after five or six hours on the road, so we like a pool and a calm first evening, then the fort early next morning.
South to Udaipur: we often break the road at Rawla Narlai or the leopard camps of Jawai, with a stop at Ranakpur.
- West to Jaisalmer: Manvar breaks the road with a night in the dunes.
- Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur: this journey gives Jodhpur two nights between the pink city and the lakes.
- The desert triangle: loops Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
- Mewar and Marwar: pairs it with the forts and temples of the south.
- Our balance: a grand city hotel and at least one family-run fort, because that contrast is what guests remember.
Booking tips from our planners
Book early: for October to March, and very early for the October folk festival, Diwali and the Christmas and New Year weeks.
Old-city arrivals: ask whether a car can reach the door. If not, the hotel usually sends porters to the nearest gate.
- Fort-facing rooms: ask wherever one exists. The view of Mehrangarh at night is the whole point.
- Older wings: check bathroom sizes, stairs and lifts if anyone has limited mobility.
- April to June: choose a good pool and shade. You will spend the middle of each day there.
- Mix your nights: two in the city, one in a village fort. The contrast is the best part of a Marwar journey.
- Weddings: Jodhpur's palaces are popular venues, and a large wedding can fill a hotel and its gardens for days. Ask us.
