Why this fortnight runs the way it does
Three wishes: most first-time visitors want the Taj Mahal, the palaces of Rajasthan and, if they can manage it, a wild tiger. In a fortnight you can have all three without rushing.
A single arc: from Delhi in the north-east to Jodhpur in the west. It never doubles back and never asks you to sit in a car for more than about five hours.
The Mughal chapter: Delhi and Agra were the emperors' capitals, and the Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan between about 1632 and 1653, is the high point of their architecture.
- Shape
- One arc, Delhi north-east to Jodhpur west
- Longest drive
- About five hours
- Taj built
- About 1632 to 1653
- Jaipur laid out
- 1727
- Bundi
- Hadoti, the old kingdom of the Hada Chauhans
- Into Rajput country: Jaipur is the Kachwaha capital, laid out in 1727 by an astronomer-king.
- Why the worlds blend: Jaipur's rulers were the Mughals' closest Rajput allies, which shows in its palaces.
- South to the forest: Ranthambore, once a hunting ground of the Jaipur maharajas and now one of the best places in India to see wild tigers.
- The quiet surprise: two nights in Bundi, in Hadoti. Few visitors reach it, its palace holds some of the finest murals in Rajasthan, and its lanes are blue and quiet.
- The last week, Mewar and Marwar: on the way to Udaipur you climb Chittorgarh, the old capital of Mewar, then spend three nights by Lake Pichola.
- The finale: across the Aravallis past the marble temple at Ranakpur to Jodhpur, where Mehrangarh rises from its cliff above the blue city.
- Home: from Jodhpur's airport, a short flight connects you to Delhi.
Fourteen nights, day by day
- Nights
- Fourteen
- Pace
- Two or three nights almost everywhere
- Best months
- October to March
- Good for
- First-timers who want the Taj, tigers and palaces
- Starts
- Delhi (DEL)
- Ends
- Jodhpur (JDH)
Day 1: Arrive in Delhi
Met inside the airport: at Indira Gandhi International, and driven to a calm hotel in Lutyens' Delhi.
An early landing: sleep late.
- Late afternoon: walk through Humayun's Tomb and the gardens of Sunder Nursery as the light softens on the red sandstone.
- The Taj's ancestor: the tomb was finished in the early 1570s, and its garden plan and double dome point the way to the Taj.
- On a Thursday: end at the Nizamuddin shrine for the evening qawwali.
- Dinner: at your hotel, early.
Days 2 and 3: Old Delhi, then Agra and the Taj at sunrise
Old Delhi early: the Jama Masjid, then Chandni Chowk by cycle rickshaw with a guide, eating as you go.
To Agra: late in the morning, the fast train takes under two hours, or the Yamuna Expressway about three to four.
- Afternoon: after a rest, Itimad-ud-Daulah, the Baby Taj, in the soft light.
- Sunset: cross to Mehtab Bagh with the Taj across the river.
- Day 3 at sunrise: enter the Taj Mahal with your guide and stay until the crowds arrive.
- On to Jaipur: about four hours after breakfast, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's abandoned red city about an hour west of Agra, or at the deep stepwell of Abhaneri. You reach Jaipur by early evening.
- Never on a Friday: the Taj is closed to sightseers, so this part of the plan must avoid it.
Days 4 and 5: Jaipur, the old city and Amber
Day 4, the walled city: Hawa Mahal at sunrise, then the bazaars as they open with a guide who grew up in them, stopping for pyaaz kachori and lassi.
Afternoon: after lunch and a rest, the private tour of the royal apartments at the City Palace.
- While the shadows are sharp: finish at the Jantar Mantar.
- Day 5 at opening: Amber Fort. Walk the ramparts or take a jeep, because we don't book elephant rides, and see the Sheesh Mahal before the crowds.
- Old Amer: the stepwell and the temples, then rest.
- Sunset on the ridge: Jaigarh and Nahargarh, then dinner in a haveli courtyard with folk musicians.
Day 6: A slow morning in Jaipur, then south to Ranthambore
Block printing: a morning with a printing family in Bagru or Sanganer, printing a length of cloth yourself.
- South: after an early lunch, about three and a half hours to Ranthambore.
- Evening: settle in, meet your naturalist and sit by the fire.
- Rested for the forest: the safaris begin tomorrow.
Days 7 and 8: Four safaris, and on to Bundi
Day 7, two drives: one at dawn and one in the late afternoon, with a long rest at the lodge in between.
The early drive: best for tigers on the move and for mist lifting off Padam Talao and Rajbagh Talao.
- A change from the jeep: climb to Ranthambore Fort at midday, one of the UNESCO-listed hill forts of Rajasthan.
- Day 8: a final morning safari, then breakfast and a shower before about three hours to Bundi.
- First evening in Bundi: a walk through the blue lanes below the palace and dinner on a haveli rooftop facing the lit Garh Palace.
Day 9: Bundi's palace, murals and stepwells
Early to the Garh Palace: through the Hathi Pol with its stone elephants.
The Chitrashala: a morning in the Chitrashala, its walls covered in blue and green murals of Krishna, court life and the hunt.
- Higher still: Taragarh for the view, if you have the legs for it.
- The stepwell: after lunch and a rest, Raniji ki Baori, the carved stepwell built in 1699, and on to Nawal Sagar lake.
- Kipling's sunset: Sukh Mahal, the small summer palace on Jait Sagar where Rudyard Kipling stayed.
- A favourite day: quiet discoveries, and many guests tell us it was their favourite of the trip.
Day 10: Chittorgarh, and down to Udaipur
The longest day: so we start early, about three hours west to Chittorgarh, capital of Mewar until 1568 and the largest fort in India.
On the plateau: a late morning with a guide who tells the stories of its three great sieges with care.
- What you see: the Vijay Stambha, the palace of Padmini and the temple of the poet-princess Meera Bai. Lunch nearby.
- To Udaipur: about two hours by expressway, arriving in the late afternoon as the light turns gold on Lake Pichola.
- Too full: we add a night at Castle Bijaipur near Chittor and take one from Udaipur.
Days 11 and 12: Udaipur, the palace and the lake
Day 11 at opening: the City Palace, climbing to the upper courtyards before the tour groups, then down to the Jagdish Temple and Gangaur Ghat.
On the water: after a long rest, a private boat on Lake Pichola with a stop at Jag Mandir.
- Evening: the folk dance at Bagore ki Haveli.
- Day 12, gentle: the fountains of Saheliyon ki Bari, a miniature painter's studio and the vintage car collection, or the temples of Eklingji and Nathdwara to the north.
- Last Udaipur evening: an afternoon by the pool, the Monsoon Palace for sunset, and dinner on a rooftop facing the lit City Palace.
Day 13: Through the hills to Ranakpur and Jodhpur
Into the Aravallis: about two and a half hours after breakfast to Ranakpur.
- The temple: a fifteenth-century Jain temple to Adinath, a forest of 1,444 carved marble pillars, by tradition no two alike.
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees and leave all leather at the gate.
- On to Jodhpur: after lunch nearby, about three and a half hours, arriving as Mehrangarh glows above the city.
Day 14: Mehrangarh and the blue city
At opening: Mehrangarh, giving its palaces and museum the whole morning.
- Walk down: to Jaswant Thada, then rest.
- Late afternoon: Brahmpuri, the blue quarter, with a local guide, ending at the clock tower for mirchi bada and lassi as the lights come on.
- Last dinner: on a palace terrace.
Day 15: Depart from Jodhpur
- Close to town: Jodhpur Airport is only a few kilometres from the centre, with direct flights to Delhi for your connection home.
- A late flight: spend the morning at Toorji ka Jhalra, the restored stepwell in the old city, or among the cenotaphs at Mandore.
Where you'll stay
Delhi and Agra
The Imperial: The Imperial, opened in the 1930s as New Delhi was being built.
The Oberoi: The Oberoi, New Delhi, beside the golf course and close to Humayun's Tomb.
- The grandest: The Leela Palace New Delhi.
- Agra: The Oberoi Amarvilas stands about 600 metres from the Taj Mahal, and every room looks towards it.
- For families in Agra: the gardens of ITC Mughal give more space.
Jaipur
Royal history and lawns: Rambagh Palace.
- Calm and a spa: The Oberoi Rajvilas.
- Inside the walled city: Samode Haveli. Our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur compares them all.
Ranthambore
The Oberoi Vanyavilas: The Oberoi Vanyavilas has luxury tents in walled gardens and orchards.
- SUJAN Sher Bagh: SUJAN Sher Bagh is a classic tented camp with outstanding naturalists.
- Aman-i-Khas: Aman-i-Khas is small, quiet and beautifully simple.
- Season check: the camps keep a shorter season and close in the hottest and wettest months.
Bundi
No grand palace hotel: and we think that is right for it.
- Family-run havelis: the best rooms are below the palace. Haveli Braj Bhushanjee is the most established, with murals in its rooms and breakfast on the roof.
- Before you decide: read our page on the heritage havelis of Bundi.
Udaipur
- On the water: Taj Lake Palace on its island, The Oberoi Udaivilas on the western shore, or The Leela Palace Udaipur beside it.
- Inside the City Palace: Fateh Prakash Palace, home to the Durbar Hall and the Crystal Gallery.
Jodhpur
Umaid Bhawan Palace: Umaid Bhawan Palace, completed in 1943 and still part home to the former royal family, has some of the finest Art Deco interiors in Asia.
- RAAS Jodhpur: RAAS Jodhpur sits right under the walls of Mehrangarh in the old city.
- A fitting last chapter: either one.
Other ways to spend two weeks
With the desert instead of Bundi
The swap: Bundi and one Udaipur night for Jaisalmer and a desert camp.
- Our signature version: the Royal Rajputana runs Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur over fifteen nights.
- The pace: two nights at least in every city, and a camp beyond the last village.
The great forts
- For architecture lovers: twelve nights can take in Amber, Junagarh in Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Mehrangarh and Kumbhalgarh.
- Five great forts: some of Rajasthan's finest, with palace hotels at every stop.
Rajasthan and Kutch
- Across the Thar: from Jaisalmer and Barmer into Gujarat for the Little Rann, the palaces of Bhuj and the white salt desert at Dhordo.
- Who it suits: travellers who love textiles and wide horizons.
Rajasthan and Varanasi
- End on the Ganges: fly from Rajasthan to Varanasi.
- What you see: the evening aarti on the ghats and a dawn boat past the burning ghats and the temples.
Leopards and tigers
- Two big cats: add the granite hills of Jawai, where leopards rest on the rocks near Rabari villages, to Ranthambore's tigers.
- Palaces either side: in Jaipur and Udaipur.
Twelve nights instead
- Just out of reach: if two weeks is too long, our twelve-day plan drops Delhi, Agra and the tigers.
- Where the time goes: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, a village fort at Rohet and Udaipur.
When to go
October to March: warm, clear days and cool nights.
Cold dawns: December and January mornings are cold, especially in an open jeep and on the ramparts, so pack a warm layer, gloves and a hat.
- Best season
- October to March
- Our favourite
- February and early March
- Cold mornings
- December and January
- Hot
- April to June, often above 40°C
- Ranthambore core
- Closed about July to September
- Delhi in winter: fog and poor air are possible, one reason we keep your time there short.
- Our favourite weeks: February and early March, with comfortable days, good tiger sightings and soft light for photographs.
- April to June: hot, often above 40°C, and two weeks of heat is tiring even with pools and long rests, though tiger sightings are at their best.
- The monsoon: from about July to September Ranthambore's core zones close, so we remove the safaris and add Udaipur and Bundi at their greenest. Bundi's Kajli Teej falls in the rains.
- Choosing a month: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide and month pages such as Rajasthan in February.
Diwali and the Pushkar fair, October or November
Diwali: lights every bazaar on the route.
- The camel fair: in the same season the Pushkar Camel Fair gathers herders and their animals on the dunes around the holy lake.
- One extra night: we can add it between Jaipur and Bundi.
Makar Sankranti and the polo season, January
- Kites on 14 January: Jaipur flies them from every rooftop.
- Polo: winter is the polo season, and a match at the Rambagh ground with tea on the lawn afterwards is a very Jaipur afternoon.
Holi and Gangaur, February to April
- Holi: falls with the spring full moon, and in Udaipur the royal household lights its own bonfire the night before.
- Gangaur: follows, with processions of women carrying the goddess in Jaipur and at Udaipur's Gangaur Ghat.
Make it yours
Without Delhi and Agra
Seen the Taj: fly straight into Jaipur and give it a fourth night.
- Then add: a night at Samode or a third in Ranthambore.
- The gain: a slow day without losing a sight.
With a village fort
Rawla Narlai: between Udaipur and Jodhpur, a night at Rawla Narlai, a seventeenth-century hunting lodge with dinner by a lamplit stepwell.
- Rohet Garh: or Rohet Garh, by its lake.
- Why: it breaks the drive and shows you rural Rajasthan.
For families
What children love: the tigers, the cannon at Jaigarh, the boats on Pichola and the zipline at Mehrangarh.
- What we change: hotels with pools and space, and every drive kept under four hours.
- How: our family journeys and family adventure show it.
For couples
Add: a night at the Lake Palace and a private dinner on a terrace in Jaipur.
- At dawn in winter: a hot-air balloon over Amer.
- In the forest: a dinner by the fire. Our honeymoon journeys collect more ideas.
For repeat visitors
Painted towns: replace Agra and Jaipur with Shekhawati.
- Leopards: replace Ranthambore with Jawai.
- Further: our offbeat Rajasthan journey shows how far this can go.
How we pace a fortnight
If you wake in Bundi and want to spend the day reading on the roof, your guide will be delighted to come back tomorrow. Our guests often tell us the day they cancelled was the one they remember best.
Rule one: nobody sightsees after a long drive. Every transfer day ends with an evening at the hotel or a gentle walk, never a monument.
- Delhi to Agra
- Under 2 hours by fast train
- Agra to Jaipur
- About 4 hours
- Jaipur to Ranthambore
- About 3.5 hours
- Ranthambore to Bundi
- About 3 hours
- Bundi to Udaipur
- About 5 hours via Chittorgarh
- Udaipur to Jodhpur
- About 6 hours via Ranakpur
- Rule two: every third or fourth day has a slow morning. The block-printing village in Jaipur, a late start in a Bundi haveli courtyard, a morning by the pool in Udaipur.
- Rule three: you can always say no, and your planner will move everything quietly.
- Two long days: Bundi to Udaipur via Chittorgarh, and Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur. Both are broken by a great monument, and the other transfers are three to four hours.
- Laundry: plan it for Jaipur and Udaipur, where you stay three nights and have time to wait for it.
- One warm layer: for dawn safaris and fort ramparts in winter, even if the afternoons are hot.
- A free afternoon in Udaipur: for the things you discover along the way, a painter, a jeweller, a temple you passed.
- Mobility: tell us early. Forts have steep ramps, and we plan lifts, vehicles and shorter walks around them.
How we look after you
One planner, start to finish: on WhatsApp throughout, who knows every hotel, guide and driver on your route personally.
The details you'd rather not watch: a temple's changed hours, a closed safari zone, a road blocked by a wedding procession. Usually you never hear about it, because the day has already been rearranged.
- Met inside Delhi airport: and from Agra onwards your private chauffeur drives you all the way to Jodhpur.
- The car: comfortable, with water, a cool towel and a driver who knows the clean stops on every road.
- Guides and naturalists: a licensed local guide in each city, and a naturalist on every Ranthambore safari.
- Trains and flights: we book the fast train to Agra and the flight home from Jodhpur.
- No published prices: a fortnight can range from heritage havelis to the finest suites in India. We quote after one conversation, once we know your dates and what matters to you.
- Next step: read about our private chauffeur journeys or plan my journey with us.
Who will love it, and who should choose a different journey
First time in India: you want the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan's palaces and a real chance of seeing a tiger in one trip.
A quiet town in the middle: you like the idea of somewhere like Bundi between the famous names.
- A slow finish: three nights on a lake and a last morning in the blue city.
- Dreaming of dunes: The Royal Rajputana includes Jaisalmer and a desert camp.
- Only a week: One week in Rajasthan keeps you to three cities.
- Desert, painted towns and tigers together: Three weeks in Rajasthan has room for all of it.
