Why twelve days is the length we recommend most
With ten days you have to choose between the great cities. With twelve you can take in all four, and still give the two that most reward slowness, Jaipur and Udaipur, three nights each.
A diamond of four cities: the great cities of Rajasthan sit roughly at the corners of a diamond, each the capital of a different ruling house.
Jaipur: in the east, closest to Delhi, and pink.
- Nights
- Eleven
- Pace
- Balanced, three nights at each end
- Best months
- October to March
- Good for
- First-timers who want all four great cities
- Starts
- Jaipur airport
- Ends
- Udaipur airport
- Jodhpur: in the middle, on the edge of the Thar, with the indigo of its old city.
- Jaisalmer: far out in the west, deep in the desert, gold with sandstone.
- Udaipur: in the south among the Aravalli hills, with white palaces against the water.
- The trick is the road back: Jaisalmer to Udaipur is a full day and more by car, and nobody should spend their holiday like that.
- So we break it at Rohet: a village fort about 40 kilometres south of Jodhpur, held by the same family since 1622, where Bruce Chatwin worked on The Songlines.
- The next morning: ride, walk to a Bishnoi village or simply swim, then drive on through the hills, stopping at the marble temple of Ranakpur.
- Rajasthan's story, in order: the Kachwahas in their planned eighteenth-century city, the Rathore country of Marwar, the Bhati kingdom of the Thar, and finally the Sisodias of Mewar, who never bowed to Akbar.
- Every bed is part of the story: palaces, a merchant's dream of a fort hotel, a country house with horses and a lake palace.
Twelve days, as we would plan them
- Jaipur to Kishangarh
- About two hours
- Kishangarh to Jodhpur
- About four hours
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
- About five hours
- Jaisalmer to Rohet
- About six hours
- Rohet to Ranakpur
- About three hours
- Ranakpur to Udaipur
- About two and a half hours
Days 1 to 3: Jaipur, slowly
Arrival: we meet you at Jaipur airport and take you to your hotel. Keep the first evening quiet: tea on the lawn, an early dinner, a long sleep.
Day two at dawn: walk the walled city with a guide who grew up inside it, and watch the sun reach the windows of Hawa Mahal.
The bazaars waking: chai on a rooftop, then follow the shutters lifting, from the flower sellers to the brass beaters to the jewellers of Johari Bazaar.
- Before lunch: the Jantar Mantar and the City Palace.
- Evening at Galtaji: the temple of sacred tanks in a gorge east of the city, when pilgrims bathe and the light turns the rock gold.
- Day three, at opening: Amber Fort, its courtyards and the Sheesh Mahal before the crowds.
- Also in Amer: the stepwell of Panna Meena ka Kund and the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing.
- Afternoon: an hour or two with a block-printing family at Sanganer or Bagru.
- Last light: on the ridge at Nahargarh as the city lights come on.
Day 4: To Jodhpur, by way of Kishangarh
About two hours to Kishangarh: a small Rathore kingdom whose court painters made the famous Bani Thani portraits around 1750.
The paintings: long, curving eyes and dreamy lakeside landscapes.
- Stops: Gundolav lake and the Phool Mahal, and if you're curious, the marble market, one of the biggest in India.
- About four hours more: west across the farmland of Marwar to Jodhpur, arriving in the late afternoon when Mehrangarh glows red on its cliff.
- Dinner: on a terrace facing the floodlit walls.
Day 5: Jodhpur, the fort and the blue lanes
Mehrangarh at opening time: before the groups. Rao Jodha founded it in 1459.
The galleries: palanquins, howdahs, turbans and paintings, among the best kept in India.
- Down through the blue lanes: past the stepwell of Toorji ka Jhalra, for lunch.
- Late afternoon: sit a while at Jaswant Thada, the white marble memorial below the fort.
- Dusk: the clock tower and Sardar Market for mirchi bada, the fat green chilli fried in batter, and saffron-scented makhaniya lassi.
Day 6: West into the Thar
The direct road: about five hours past Marwar's farming villages, Pokaran and the scrub country, where khejri trees stand alone in the fields and camels graze along the verges.
Arrive late afternoon: in time to watch the fort turn gold from Vyas Chhatri.
- The northern way, in winter: via the eighth-century temples of Osian and the village of Khichan near Phalodi.
- The cranes: thousands of demoiselle cranes fly in from Central Asia each year to be fed by the villagers.
- The cost: it adds a couple of hours, and it is one of the strangest and loveliest sights in the desert.
Day 7: Jaisalmer, the living fort
Sunrise: at Gadisar Lake.
Then up into Jaisalmer Fort as it wakes: founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal of the Bhatis, one of the very few forts in the world where thousands of people still live.
- Morning worship: visit the Jain temples, then climb the royal palace for the view across the town to the desert.
- Afternoon: after lunch and a rest, walk the merchant lanes to Patwon ki Haveli and Nathmal ki Haveli, with its stone elephants at the door.
- Sunset on the sand: the dunes at Sam or the quieter sands of Khuri.
- A private dinner on a dune: with a fire and a Manganiyar singer, then back to your hotel under the stars.
Day 8: Back east to Rohet
The longest drive: about six hours, so we leave after an early breakfast.
On the way out: Bada Bagh, the royal cenotaphs on their ridge, in soft morning light.
- Lunch on the road: then on past Jodhpur to Rohet.
- Late afternoon at Rohet Garh: a family fort on the edge of a lake. Tea on the terrace and a swim.
- Dinner stories: the estate, its Marwari horses and the writers who stayed before you, among them William Dalrymple, who began City of Djinns at the same desk Chatwin used.
Day 9: Bishnoi villages, Ranakpur and the road into Mewar
At dawn: ride out on a Marwari horse or take a jeep to the Bishnoi villages around Rohet.
Why the deer stay close: blackbuck and chinkara graze near the houses because the Bishnois have protected them since the fifteenth century.
- About three hours to Ranakpur: where the fifteenth-century Chaumukha temple stands on 1,444 marble pillars, by tradition no two alike.
- Unhurried: two hours at the temple, then a thali lunch in the valley.
- About two and a half hours on to Udaipur: arriving in the early evening, as the City Palace lights come on across the lake.
Days 10 and 11: Udaipur, the lake city
Day ten, at opening: walk into the City Palace and climb straight to the upper courtyards.
Below the palace: the Jagdish Temple and the painters' lanes.
- Last hour of light: a private boat on Lake Pichola, past Jag Mandir and the white walls of the Lake Palace.
- Evening: the Dharohar folk dances at Bagore ki Haveli.
- Day eleven is for doing very little: the fountains of Saheliyon ki Bari, a cooking class, or a day at your hotel.
- Sunset: drive up to the Monsoon Palace above the lakes, then a last dinner on a rooftop facing the lit City Palace.
Day 12: Fly home
- To the airport: at Dabok, about 22 kilometres from the city, for your flight to Delhi or Mumbai and onward.
- Late flight: we keep your room for the day.
Where you'll stay on the loop
- Jaipur
- Rambagh Palace or The Oberoi Rajvilas
- Jodhpur
- Umaid Bhawan Palace, finished in 1943
- Jaisalmer
- Suryagarh or The Serai
- Rohet
- Rohet Garh, a hotel since 1990
- Udaipur
- Lake Palace, Udaivilas, The Leela or Raffles
Jaipur
Grand and royal: Rambagh Palace.
Calm: The Oberoi Rajvilas.
- Mughal gardens: Jai Mahal Palace, an eighteenth-century palace.
- A hilltop warrior fort: Alila Fort Bishangarh, an hour and a half from the city.
- Also on our list: The Leela Palace and The Raj Palace. Our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur helps you choose.
Jodhpur
Umaid Bhawan Palace: the grand choice, an Art Deco palace finished in 1943, where the royal family still lives in one wing.
- RAAS Jodhpur: in the old city, right beneath the fort.
- Bal Samand Lake Palace: a red sandstone summer palace above its lake on the road to Mandore, quieter and greener.
Jaisalmer
Suryagarh: about thirteen kilometres out on the Sam road, a modern fort in the old yellow stone around courtyards and a pool. Our first choice for families.
- The Serai: SUJAN's tented camp on private desert off the Jodhpur road, the one for couples.
- To sleep on the dunes: we can turn the second Jaisalmer night into a camp at Sam or Khuri. Our guide to luxury desert camps explains how we choose.
Rohet
Rohet Garh: a hotel since 1990, still run by the family who have held the estate for four centuries.
- What to expect: a courtyard pool, stables, lake views and dinners where the family may join you.
- Its sister, Mihir Garh: stands alone among the sand and scrub a short drive away, with large suites and a strong sense of the desert.
Udaipur
The Oberoi Udaivilas: for gardens and service.
Taj Lake Palace: for the island itself.
- The Leela Palace: for grand lake-view rooms.
- Raffles Udaipur: on its island in Udai Sagar, for seclusion.
- A quieter ending in the hills: RAAS Devigarh, an eighteenth-century hill palace at Delwara, about 30 kilometres north.
The four road days, and how we make them easy
Jaipur to Jodhpur: about six hours of driving in all, broken neatly in two at Kishangarh.
Kishangarh, properly: most travellers see only the marble showrooms along the highway. We take you into the old town, to the lake and the palace where the Bani Thani paintings were made.
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer: about five hours on a good road, and the landscape is the reason to drive it. You watch the farmland thin and the desert begin.
- Jaipur to Jodhpur
- About six hours, split at Kishangarh
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
- About five hours
- Jaisalmer to Rohet
- About six hours
- Without Rohet
- More than nine hours to Udaipur
- Rohet to Udaipur
- Via Ranakpur, through the Aravallis
- Stops on the desert road: tea at a roadside dhaba your driver knows and, if you like, a potter's or weaver's village.
- The winter detour: the longer road via Osian and the cranes of Khichan is a day you'll talk about for years.
- Jaisalmer back to Rohet: the long one, about six hours, and the price of the desert. The hardest stretch falls in the morning, with a long lunch stop, and you arrive in time to swim before sunset.
- Rohet to Udaipur via Ranakpur: the most beautiful drive in Rajasthan, through Bishnoi country, then the Aravallis, then the green valleys of Mewar.
- Read more: our route guide on Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur, and our road distances and drive times page for every leg.
- Prefer to drive less: see the alternatives under Make it yours, below.
Twelve evenings, and the music in them
Jaipur, rooftops and courtyards: dinner in a haveli with folk musicians, or a short performance of kathputli, the string puppets whose painted wooden faces have told the stories of Rajput heroes for generations.
Or simply your hotel lawns: as the peacocks settle and the city's temple bells carry over the walls.
Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, the Manganiyars: hereditary Muslim musicians who for centuries sang for Hindu Rajput patron families at births, weddings and deaths.
- The kamaicha: a bowed string instrument with a round belly of goatskin.
- The khartal: two pairs of wooden clappers that a good player makes sound like galloping horses.
- What they sing: in a Jaisalmer courtyard or by a fire on the dunes, songs of desert lovers, of rain that never comes and of kings long gone. Our page on the Manganiyar singers tells their story.
- Rohet, the quietest evening: a long dinner in the courtyard or on the terrace, the family's stories of the estate and its horses, and a sky with no city lights at all.
- Udaipur, evenings on the water: the boat at sunset, the folk dances at Bagore ki Haveli, and a last rooftop dinner as the City Palace is lit, one window at a time, across the lake.
- Two evenings kept free: after a long day on the road, sometimes the best luxury is room service and an early night.
When to go
October: warm, bright and green after the rains.
Folk music at Mehrangarh: the Rajasthan International Folk Festival fills the fort around the full moon of Sharad Purnima.
Diwali: in October or November, the most beautiful week of the year in Jaipur.
- Season
- October to March
- Heart of it
- November to February
- Desert nights
- Close to freezing in December and January
- From April
- Often above 40°C in the desert
- Monsoon
- July to September, camps closed
- Pushkar Camel Fair: in some years the Pushkar Camel Fair falls in the same weeks, in the month of Kartik, an easy detour from the Jaipur to Jodhpur road.
- November to February: the heart of the season, warm days and cool nights. Pack a warm jacket for evenings on the dunes.
- Cranes at Khichan: these are their months.
- Busiest weeks: Christmas and New Year, which we book many months ahead.
- Kites and the desert: on 14 January Jaipur flies kites for Makar Sankranti, and in February Jaisalmer holds its Desert Festival.
- March: Holi and warmer days, and in some years Gangaur in Jaipur and Udaipur.
- From April: the desert grows very hot, so we would shorten the Jaisalmer stay or leave it out.
- The monsoon: Udaipur and Jaipur are green and quiet, but the desert camps are closed. Our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan goes month by month.
Make it yours
With less driving
- Drop Jaisalmer: give the nights to Jodhpur, Rohet and Udaipur, a gentler version of our Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur journey.
- Or finish in the desert: check whether winter flights from Jaisalmer suit your plans, and end there instead of in Udaipur.
With tigers
- Two nights at Ranthambore: about three and a half hours from Jaipur, before heading west.
- Fourteen nights in all: our two weeks in Rajasthan page shows how it fits.
With Delhi and the Taj
- Start in the north: two nights in Delhi and one in Agra.
- Then to Jaipur: via the stepwell at Abhaneri. Our Rajasthan with the Taj Mahal journey is built this way.
For families
What children love: the desert, the horses at Rohet, a boat on Pichola and a fort that is also a town.
- Hotels with pools and space: Suryagarh in Jaisalmer and Rohet Garh in Marwar, with the walking kept short.
- More ideas: our family journeys page.
For couples
- The romantic version: The Serai in Jaisalmer, a private dinner on the dunes, the Lake Palace in Udaipur and a rooftop dinner in Jaipur.
- For a honeymoon: see Honeymoon in Udaipur and Jaisalmer.
With three weeks
- The full circle: add Shekhawati's painted towns, Bikaner, the Godwar hills and Pushkar, and you have Rajasthan in three weeks.
How we look after you
One chauffeur, start to finish: we meet you at Jaipur airport, and the same private driver stays with you all the way to Udaipur, in a comfortable, air-conditioned car with water and a cool box.
From Rajasthan: our drivers know these roads, the clean stops and the good chai, and for many guests they are the person they miss most at the end.
- Arrival
- Met at Jaipur airport
- Driver
- Same chauffeur to Udaipur
- In the car
- Water and a cool box
- Guides
- Local guide in each city
- Prices
- Quoted after one conversation
- A local guide in each city: chosen for their knowledge and their company.
- No commission shopping: nobody will steer you into a showroom. For textiles, gems or paintings, we introduce you to the makers and families we trust.
- Your planner on WhatsApp: a change of plan, a tired afternoon, a dinner moved to a rooftop, all in one message.
- Bookings: flights in and out, plus any trains, extra flights or desert camps you add.
- No prices here: every journey is shaped to the people taking it, so we quote after one conversation. Start with Plan my journey.
Who will love it, and who should choose another journey
First-time visitors: who want all four of Rajasthan's great cities, including the desert, in one trip.
Lovers of variety: palaces, a living fort, a desert night, a country house and a lake.
- Anyone who wants rest: Jaipur and Udaipur each have three nights, and there is a full day with nothing planned.
- Not ideal if you dislike long drives: there are four road days, and two are close to six hours.
- If wildlife is a priority: choose Palaces and Tigers or our ten-day Rajasthan, which goes to Ranthambore.
- Only nine nights and you want the desert: choose Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, which ends on the dunes.
