Three generations, one route
Grandparents often bring memories of an older India, or stories from a family that came from here. Parents bring the plan and the worry. Children bring questions nobody else would think to ask. Our guides are good at weaving all three together.
Pace for everyone: travelling with three generations changes everything. The pace has to suit the slowest walker without boring the fastest.
One roof: the hotels must hold everyone, with rooms close enough that a grandparent can knock on a grandchild's door.
- Hotel changes
- Three
- Longest stays
- Four nights in Jaipur and Udaipur
- Longest road
- Jumped by a short flight
- Final stay
- A palace where the royals still live
- The real cost of a long drive: a couple would shrug it off, but it matters when someone has a bad knee or a small child gets carsick.
- So we keep the moves to three: four nights in each of the two great cities, and a short flight over the longest road.
- Delhi: the gentle landing, a night to sleep off the flight before anything is asked of anyone.
- Jaipur: the grand pink capital of the Kachwaha kings, full of bazaars, palaces and craft.
- Udaipur: the lake city of the Sisodias, the place where even the busiest uncle finally sits down.
- Jodhpur: closes the journey under Mehrangarh, the fortress on a cliff, with a final stay in a palace where the royal family still lives in one wing.
- Something for each age: a story about a king for the children, a detail about the architecture for the parents, and time on a bench in the shade with chai for those who have seen enough stairs for one morning.
- Shared moments: a boat on Lake Pichola at sunset with the whole family aboard, or a private dinner in a palace courtyard for a grandparent's birthday.
- Bagru: a morning when the children print cloth while the grandparents watch from a charpai, the woven rope bed of every Rajasthani courtyard.
- What lasts: those are the pictures that end up framed at home.
How we plan for every age at once
Fewer moves, longer stays
The cost of a move: every hotel change costs half a day in packing, driving and settling in, and more for older travellers.
- Four nights in Jaipur and Udaipur: you unpack properly, learn the staff's names and have slow mornings.
- Three nights in Jodhpur: a day in the city, a day in the countryside and a day at rest.
Two speeds in the same day
Split, then meet: when the family wants different things, we split for a few hours and meet again for lunch or sunset.
- For example: teenagers climb the ramparts while grandparents take a gentler route through the museum, or children swim while parents explore a bazaar.
- Two cars, two guides: on these days, so nobody waits for anybody.
Planning around mobility
Forts were built to keep people out: many have steep ramps and high steps.
We know the easy ways: which forts have lifts, jeep access or shorter routes.
- Mehrangarh: the fort's trust runs a lift for the upper part of the climb.
- Amber: we drive to the upper gate rather than walk the ramparts.
- Help where you need it: we arrange wheelchairs and helpers, and tell you honestly where a sight will be hard. Our guide to accessible travel has more detail.
One table at dinner
Together in the evening: however the day has been spent, we bring everyone together.
- The setting: sometimes a long table in a palace courtyard with folk musicians, sometimes a quiet family dinner in a suite.
- A shared thali: small bowls of dal, curries, breads and sweets, a lovely way for every generation to taste the same things and argue about which they liked best.
Day by day, twelve unhurried nights
- Nights
- Twelve nights, thirteen days
- Pace
- Long stays, three hotel changes
- Best months
- October to March, best February
- Good for
- Grandparents, parents and children
- Starts
- Delhi airport
- Ends
- Jodhpur, flying to Delhi or Mumbai
Day 1: Delhi, landing gently
Met inside arrivals: at Indira Gandhi International Airport, and taken to a calm central hotel.
- Nothing else is planned: most families simply eat early and sleep.
- If energy allows: a short walk in Lodhi Garden among the fifteenth-century tombs, or an evening drive past India Gate as the lights come on.
- A second night: our Delhi page has ideas.
Days 2 to 5: Jaipur, the pink city at a family pace
Day two, the move: the fast train or the road to Jaipur, about four to five hours by road and a little over four by train, arriving for lunch and a long rest.
First evening: on the hotel lawns.
Day three, the old city: start early at Hawa Mahal, when the morning light falls full on its facade, with chai on a rooftop opposite.
- Rickshaw, not feet: grandparents often enjoy a cycle rickshaw through the bazaars more than a walk.
- City Palace after lunch: a private tour of the City Palace shows family rooms most visitors never see, with the painted gates of Pritam Niwas Chowk for the photographs.
- Day four, Amber at opening: at Amber Fort we drive to the upper gate by jeep so grandparents arrive fresh, while children and parents walk part of the way.
- The moment everyone remembers: the Sheesh Mahal, the hall of mirrors.
- Afternoon in Bagru: children and parents might print cloth with a family in Bagru while grandparents rest.
- Evening: a sunset from Nahargarh, or a puppet show and dinner in a haveli courtyard.
- Day five, deliberately loose: some go to the Jantar Mantar at midday to watch the great sundial's shadow move.
- Shopping: others shop with our guide for block prints, blue pottery and jewellery from families we know, never at commission showrooms. Then a long lunch, a swim and a final evening at the hotel.
Days 6 to 9: Udaipur, four nights by the lakes
Day six, the flight: Jaipur to Udaipur, about an hour in the air instead of six on the road.
Sunset on the water: everyone on a private boat on Lake Pichola, drifting past the island palaces while the City Palace turns gold. It is the moment the whole family goes quiet.
Day seven, the palace at opening: the City Palace grows more ornate as you climb, so we pace the stairs and pause in the courtyards.
- For the children: the peacock mosaics of Mor Chowk.
- Easy afternoon: the fountains and lotus pools of Saheliyon ki Bari are gentle walking for everyone.
- Evening dance: the folk show at Bagore ki Haveli, with women balancing stacks of brass pots on their heads, delights every age.
- Day eight, the temples: Eklingji, the family deity of the Mewar rulers, and Nathdwara, home of the Krishna image of Shrinathji, are about an hour from the city. Devout grandparents often call this the best day.
- Or stay behind: for a miniature painting lesson in an old-city studio, or a morning at the pool.
- Sunset together: at the Monsoon Palace, which you reach by car to the top.
- Day nine, celebrations: a private dinner in a palace or on the island of Jag Mandir, reached by boat after the day visitors have gone.
- Vows by the lake: couples married for decades sometimes choose a vow renewal, with their children and grandchildren around them.
Days 10 to 12: Jodhpur, the fort and the countryside
Day ten, the drive: Udaipur to Jodhpur, about five to six hours in all, broken in the middle at Ranakpur.
Ranakpur: the fifteenth-century marble Jain temple stands in a forested valley, and its forest of carved pillars is one of the great sights of India.
The steps: there are some up to the entrance, and our guide takes them at the slowest walker's pace. A long lunch nearby, and Jodhpur by late afternoon.
- If a long day is hard: split it with a night at Rawla Narlai, and we take a night from Jodhpur.
- Day eleven, Mehrangarh at opening: Mehrangarh, using the lift for the upper climb if it helps. The howdahs, palanquins, paintings and armoury hold every generation.
- The blue lanes: later, a gentle walk or rickshaw ride through Brahmpuri with a guide who grew up there, ending at the clock tower market at dusk for a saffron lassi.
- Day twelve, the villages: the Bishnoi villages south of the city, where blackbuck graze near the houses and potters and weavers welcome visitors into their courtyards. An easy, moving morning for every age.
- Last evening: a free afternoon at the palace, then a family dinner on the terrace with the fort lit on its ridge.
- Day thirteen: fly from Jodhpur to Delhi or Mumbai for your onward flights.
Where you'll stay, all under one roof
Delhi: The Oberoi, The Imperial or The Leela Palace
The Oberoi, New Delhi: quiet and polished, overlooking the green of the golf club.
- The Imperial: opened in the 1930s and still has the feel of that era.
- The Leela Palace: in the diplomatic quarter, the most palatial of the three.
- For one night: all are good for a single calm night.
Jaipur: Rambagh Palace or The Oberoi Rajvilas
Rambagh Palace: the home of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi. Grandparents who remember her glamour love staying where she lived.
- Made for sitting: Rambagh's lawns and long verandas.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: 32 acres outside the city, with villas and suites around gardens and pools. Its calm suits a family who want to spread out.
- For a smaller group: Samode Haveli, a painted nobleman's townhouse with the walled city on the doorstep.
Udaipur: The Oberoi Udaivilas, The Leela or the Lake Palace
The Oberoi Udaivilas: spreads across gardens on the western shore of Pichola, and its staff are famously attentive.
- The Leela Palace Udaipur: beside it, with grand lake-view rooms.
- Taj Lake Palace: unforgettable but reached only by boat, which matters for anyone unsteady on their feet.
- Fateh Prakash Palace: inside the City Palace complex, so you can walk the courtyards after the visitors have gone.
Jodhpur: Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace: the perfect last stop for three generations.
- Its story: built between 1929 and 1943 for Maharaja Umaid Singh, a royal home and a hotel at once, with Art Deco interiors, gardens and views to the fort.
- Everyone under one dome: children explore and grandparents sit on the terraces.
- Greener and quieter: Bal Samand Lake Palace, a summer palace above its own lake.
Taking over a whole house
For larger groups: we can sometimes reserve a whole wing, a cluster of villas or even a small heritage property outright.
- Village forts: Rohet Garh near Jodhpur and Deogarh Mahal in Mewar are still run by their families, and a stay feels like being guests at a cousin's house.
- The options: our palace hotels page explains them.
Birthdays, anniversaries and family milestones
Rajasthan knows how to celebrate: its palaces were built for feasts, weddings and processions, and their staff still do it beautifully.
A milestone birthday: dinner on a palace terrace with folk musicians, and a cake made by the hotel's pastry chef.
- Turban tying: at our turban-tying evening each person learns to wind a Rajasthani safa. It always ends in laughter and the best group photograph of the trip.
- An anniversary: a boat on Pichola at sunset with the whole family aboard, followed by dinner on Jag Mandir, is hard to beat.
- Vow renewals: simple ceremonies with a priest, marigold garlands and a few words in Hindi and English, in palace courtyards or by the lake.
- Mehndi: women of the family often love a mehndi session the afternoon before, when henna artists draw patterns on hands and feet as they would before a Rajasthani wedding.
- Finding your roots: some families come to reconnect with Rajasthan, perhaps a grandparent born in Jodhpur or a great-grandfather who traded from Shekhawati.
- A homecoming with care: we help find a family haveli or village and arrange a visit. Our guides know how to ask questions in the right way and how to make an emotional homecoming feel private.
When to go
October to March: warm days and cool nights, which suit older travellers and young children alike.
December and January: chilly mornings, so pack warm layers for early boats and fort visits.
February and early March: our favourite weeks for multi-generation travel. The weather is gentle, the light soft and the Christmas crowds have gone.
- Best
- October to March
- Our favourite
- February and early March
- Coldest mornings
- December and January
- Busiest
- Christmas and New Year
- Too hot
- April and May, often above 40°C
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan.
- Diwali: in October or November, it lights every bazaar and ghat with lamps, the week we'd choose for a family who wants Rajasthan at its most joyful.
- Holi: in February or March, colourful and loud. We arrange a private family celebration in a courtyard for those who prefer to play away from the street crowds.
- Makar Sankranti: in January, kites fill Jaipur's sky.
- Christmas and New Year: popular because of school holidays, but the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year, and the best suites go months ahead.
- April and May: too hot for most grandparents and small children, often above 40°C.
- The monsoon: from July to September, green and quiet in Udaipur, but humid, and some days are lost to rain.
Make it yours: other shapes for a family
A shorter week
- Seven or eight nights: drop Jodhpur and fly home from Udaipur.
- The ready-made version: our Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur journey is that shape, and it still allows four nights by the lakes.
With the Taj Mahal
A lifetime's wish: many grandparents have waited a lifetime to see the Taj.
- Add a night: in Agra between Delhi and Jaipur, reached in under two hours by fast train.
- At sunrise: when the marble is pink and the crowds are thin.
- Train, not road: the fast train is easier for older travellers.
With tigers
- If the children are set on a tiger: add two or three nights at Ranthambore, three to four hours from Jaipur.
- Rest or ride: grandparents who don't want a dawn jeep ride can rest at the lodge, and the whole family can share an evening safari.
With younger, more active children
- More action: our family adventure journey adds ziplines, dunes, leopards and the great wall of Kumbhalgarh.
- A blend: we can keep the long stays for grandparents while the others add an adventure or two.
Large family gatherings
Twenty or more: a single base works better than a moving circuit.
- For example: a week in Udaipur with day trips, a celebration dinner at a palace and a few nights at a heritage hotel taken over entirely.
- More ideas: our family journeys page.
How we look after you
A private chauffeur: for the whole journey, and a second vehicle on the days the family splits, so nobody waits.
Local guides: in every city, and two guides when ages and interests differ, one for history and one for the children.
- Delhi to Jaipur
- 4 to 5 hours, or a little over 4 by train
- Jaipur to Udaipur
- About an hour by air
- Udaipur to Jodhpur
- 5 to 6 hours, via Ranakpur
- Jaipur to Ranthambore
- 3 to 4 hours
- Delhi to Agra
- Under 2 hours by fast train
- Airports: meetings inside the arrivals hall, help with every bag, and porters at each hotel.
- Flights and fast trains: where they spare long roads, including the hour-long flight from Jaipur to Udaipur.
- Mobility: wheelchairs, helpers and step-free routes arranged where we can, and honest advice where we can't.
- Rooms: booked side by side or connecting, ground-floor rooms requested where needed, and dietary needs passed to every kitchen.
- Your planner on WhatsApp: throughout, rearranging a day when someone is tired, and knowing the doctors in each city.
- No prices here: no two families are alike. We quote after one conversation about who is coming and what each of you hopes for.
Who will love this journey, and who might not
Three generations: families with a mix of ages and energy levels, from grandparents in their seventies or eighties to children of any age.
Milestones and reunions: it is perfect for celebrations, and for families gathering from different countries.
- Grandparents with a wish: those who want to show their grandchildren something they love.
- Palace people: those who prefer palaces to boutique hotels, and value a long lunch and an empty afternoon as much as a famous monument.
- Less suited: to families who want adventure every day, or are happy to move every night or two.
- Mostly energetic children: choose our family adventure in Rajasthan, with more activity and more moves.
- Grandparents and adult children only: if they want the desert, our Royal Rajputana journey is a fine choice at an unhurried pace.
- Serious mobility needs: talk to us first, so we can be honest about what is possible.
What we tell families before they travel
Agree the must-sees: settle the one or two things each person most wants to see before you leave. We plan around those first.
Share the pace: let the grandparents set it in the mornings and the children set it in the afternoons.
- Pack: light layers and a warm shawl for winter mornings, and comfortable shoes with good grip for polished fort floors.
- Medicines: bring them in their original packaging, with a copy of prescriptions, and enough for a few extra days.
- Temples: cover shoulders and knees, and expect to take shoes off often. A pair of socks helps on hot stone.
- Say khamma ghani: the Rajasthani greeting, to staff and guides. Grandmothers in particular are greeted with great warmth in Rajasthan.
- One photograph in each city: of everyone together. Ask your guide, who will know the best spot.
