Why Pushkar has no palace hotel
Our grandmother used to say that you don't go to Pushkar for a bed, you go for the bells. She was right about the bells. But after a dawn on the ghats and a morning in a crowded bazaar, a garden and a pool are no sin, and for most of our guests they are what makes Pushkar a pleasure.
A pilgrim town: Pushkar is one of the holiest places in India for Hindus, with one of the very few temples to Brahma, the creator.
- Town
- A Hindu pilgrim town around a sacred lake
- Famous for
- The Brahma Temple and the Kartik fair
- Old town
- Cars kept mostly to the edges
- Food rules
- Vegetarian, no alcohol, meat or eggs
- Royal guest houses, not palaces: kings from across Rajasthan built ghats and rest houses for their visits. Charming buildings, but none was made for grand living.
- So comfort lives outside: the polished stays are modern resorts in the countryside around town, among rose fields and low Aravalli hills.
- The lake keeps the soul: a few old buildings on the water give you the bells and the dawn rituals, with simpler comforts.
- Our usual advice: a resort for rest, the town with a guide at the right hours, and perhaps one night on the lake for the magic.
Three places to sleep, three kinds of Pushkar
On the lake, in the old town
- What you gain: the ghats at dawn from your window and the temples in your ears at night.
- What you give up: narrow approaches, small rooms, steep stairs and very few luxury comforts.
In the countryside around town
What you gain: birdsong, a pool, a spa and space to breathe, among fields and hills.
- What you give up: ten or fifteen minutes in a car each time you go into town.
- Who: most of our guests. It is the right balance for Pushkar.
Between Ajmer and Pushkar
- What you gain: easy reach of both the lake and the dargah in Ajmer.
- What you give up: a few more minutes on dawn drives into Pushkar.
The resorts outside town
The Westin Pushkar Resort and Spa
The place: a modern resort at the foot of the Aravalli hills on the edge of town, opened in 2017 as the first Westin in Rajasthan.
The feel: low buildings and villas in gardens around a large pool, with a spacious spa and the service of a global brand.
- Ask for: a villa rather than a standard room. Some villa categories have their own plunge pool.
- Who it suits: couples, families and anyone who wants reliable comfort after early mornings in the lanes.
- Not for: guests who want heritage. It feels modern rather than Rajasthani.
Ananta Spa and Resort
The place: a resort in the countryside at Leela Sevri, a few kilometres before Pushkar on the road from Ajmer, with the Aravallis behind it.
- The feel: quieter and more rural, with gardens, a pool and a spa.
- Who it suits: travellers who want to be truly out of town, and families who want space for children.
- Check first: it is popular for weddings, so we look at the calendar for your dates.
Pratap Mahal, an IHCL SeleQtions hotel
The place: part of the SeleQtions collection of the Taj group, among the hills on the Pushkar bypass near the village of Hokra.
- The feel: a pool, a spa and rooms in a traditional Rajasthani style.
- Who it suits: travellers who want the reassurance of the Taj group and plan to divide time between the dargah and the lake.
- Allow time: it is a little further from the ghats, so leave a few minutes earlier for dawn.
Bhanwar Singh Palace
The place: a newer hotel built in palace style, not a historic palace, with gardens, a pool and wide lawns.
- Who it suits: groups, wedding guests and families who enjoy space and some spectacle.
- Check first: it is one of the busiest wedding venues in the Pushkar area.
On the lake, for atmosphere over polish
Pushkar Palace
The house: an old palace building on the eastern shore of the lake, long run as a hotel, and said to have once belonged to the rulers of Kishangarh.
- The setting: its own steps down to the water, a garden courtyard and rooms with old furniture.
- The style: charming rather than grand, with relaxed service. Come for the setting, not five-star polish.
- Ask for: a room facing the lake. Sunrise over the ghats and Savitri hill from your window is the reason to stay.
Havelis and guest houses in the old town
What they are: old merchants' and priests' houses with courtyards, painted walls and rooftop terraces, now simple guest houses.
- Honest view: some are lovely, most are basic by luxury standards, with small rooms, steep stairs and limited hot water in winter.
- When we use them: for a single night, for guests who ask for the experience and understand the trade-off.
What every lakeside room shares
Noise: bells before dawn and loudspeakers on festival nights.
- Rules: strictly vegetarian, no alcohol, no eggs.
- Our advice: one night is wonderful for most guests. A second can be one too many. We tell you honestly which you are.
Luxury camps at the camel fair
What a good camp has: large tents on raised floors, proper beds, attached bathrooms with hot water, heaters and a dining tent with fresh vegetarian food.
What a poor one has: crowded rows of small tents with shared facilities. The word luxury is used freely at fair time.
- When
- Kartik, around October or November
- Peak
- The days leading to Kartik Purnima, the full moon
- Book
- Many months ahead
- Nights
- Cold, so check the heating
- How we choose: distance to the fairground on foot, noise from loudspeakers and generators, the bathrooms, the heating and a record of keeping promises.
- Why we don't print names: camps change from year to year, so we recommend them season by season.
- Dates: the fair follows the lunar calendar. We confirm the dates each year. See our Pushkar Camel Fair page and the Pushkar Camel Fair journey.
- More on camps: our page on luxury desert camps shows what a good camp should feel like.
Palaces within reach of Pushkar
Kishangarh, about an hour away
- Why: the old capital of a small Rathore kingdom, famous for its miniature paintings, with a lake palace run as a hotel by its former ruling family.
- Practical: the closest stay to Kishangarh Airport, useful for a first or last night.
Jaipur, about three hours away
- Why: some of the finest palace hotels in India, among them Rambagh Palace, once the home of the Jaipur royal family.
- Our usual pairing: palace nights in Jaipur, then two nights at a resort in Pushkar.
Samode, on the way from Jaipur
- Why: a fortified palace in the Aravalli hills north of Jaipur, for guests who want one more night of royal Rajasthan.
- More: read about Samode Palace.
Food, drink and the rules of a holy town
Inside the town: food is strictly vegetarian, and eggs and alcohol are not permitted. Lakeside hotels follow this completely.
At the resorts: some outside the town limits have their own arrangements. If wine matters, tell us and we will check for your season. See alcohol and dry days.
- In town
- Vegetarian, no alcohol, no eggs
- Outside town
- Some resorts have their own arrangements within the law
- Jain food
- Widely available if you ask ahead
- Try
- Malpua, dal baati churma, a good thali
- Respect: never bring alcohol, meat or eggs into the old town.
- Jain cooking: many kitchens prepare food without onion, garlic or root vegetables if asked in advance.
- Local dishes: ask for malpua, sweet fried pancakes soaked in syrup, or dal baati churma. Our food of Pushkar guide explains what to order.
Pushkar from your hotel
The lake and its ghats at dawn
- What: pilgrims bathing, priests at prayer and the first light on the white temples.
- How: our guide meets you at the edge of the old town and walks you to a quiet ghat.
The Brahma Temple
- Why: one of the very few temples in India to Brahma, the creator.
- How: shoes off, cameras away inside. Read our temple etiquette guide.
The Savitri Temple at sunrise
- What: the hilltop temple to Brahma's consort, with the whole town and lake below.
- How: a steep climb on foot, or the ropeway when it runs.
Ajmer Sharif Dargah
- What: the shrine of the Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, about fifteen kilometres away.
- When: the evening qawwali is worth the short drive.
Getting between your hotel and the lake
The last stretch: your driver drops you at the nearest point and you walk a few minutes into the lanes.
From the resorts: usually ten to fifteen minutes by car. From the Ajmer road or the bypass, a little longer.
- Festival days: on the full moon of Kartik and the busiest fair days, roads into town are restricted, and we may walk further.
- The rhythm: in before dawn, out for breakfast, back in the late afternoon, out after the aarti.
- More: our guide to getting around Rajasthan explains how drivers and guides work together.
Which room to ask for
At the Westin: a villa rather than a standard room, and one with its own plunge pool if privacy is the priority.
On the lake: a room facing the water. A room at the back, onto the lane, loses everything that makes the lakeside worth it.
- At wedding venues: a room away from the lawns, and a check of the wedding calendar before you book.
- For the Savitri climb: a hotel with an easy early exit, so you are on the path before sunrise.
- In December and January: proper heating and plenty of hot water, especially at a camp or an old house.
- Limited mobility: a ground-floor room or villa close to the main buildings. See our accessible travel advice.
What money really buys in Pushkar
Time: a driver at the edge of the old town at five in the morning, a guide who knows which ghat will be quiet, and tea ready before sunrise.
Access: a genuine ritual with a priest our family has known for years, an introduction to a herder at the fair, a quiet rooftop for the aarti.
- Calm: after the bazaar and the ghats, a garden, a pool and a long afternoon sleep are the real luxuries here.
- Flexibility: we can move you from the lake to a resort after one night if the bells are too much, or hold rooms at both.
- Value across the trip: our guide to what a luxury Rajasthan journey costs explains how we balance a budget, often spending more on palace nights elsewhere.
Which stay suits which traveller
Couples: a villa at a resort for privacy, with one night on the lake if you want to wake to the bells. Keep affection discreet in town.
Families: a resort with a big pool and lawns. The Westin and Ananta both work well.
- Three generations: ground-floor rooms close to the main buildings, and no lakeside stairs for grandparents.
- Photographers: as close to the lake as comfort allows, and a camp near the fairground at fair time.
- Guests coming to rest: a resort with a real spa, treatments in the afternoons, and the town for dawn and dusk only.
- Not for: anyone who wants nightlife, a bar or a grand palace. Pushkar is a pilgrim town first.
How Pushkar fits our journeys
Sacred Rajasthan: our Sacred Rajasthan journey links Pushkar, Ajmer, Nathdwara and Ranakpur.
- The fair: our Pushkar Camel Fair journey is built around the camp nights.
- On the way west: a natural stop on the road from Jaipur to Jodhpur or Udaipur.
- More detail: our luxury hotels in Pushkar guide compares every room type, and the Pushkar itinerary shows how a stay unfolds.
How the seasons change the hotels
October to March: the best weather and the busiest hotels. Book early.
Fair week: the highest demand of the year, with minimum stays at some properties.
- Best months
- October to March
- Busiest
- Fair week in Kartik
- Wedding season
- Roughly November to February
- Hottest
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September, green hills
- Weddings: winter weekends can fill resorts with celebrations. We always check.
- April to June: very hot and quiet, when pools come into their own.
- Monsoon: the hills turn green and the lake refills. Calm and fresh.
- Month by month: see the best time to visit Pushkar.
Getting there
By road from Jaipur: about three hours, often with a stop at Kishangarh or Samode.
- Nearest airport
- Kishangarh, about an hour
- From Jaipur
- About three hours by road
- Nearest junction
- Ajmer, about fifteen kilometres
- Best arrival
- Afternoon, with the lake first at dusk
- By train: Ajmer is on the main line from Delhi and Jaipur.
- By air: Kishangarh Airport is about an hour away, with limited flights.
- On arrival: check in, rest, and see the lake for the first time at dusk.
What we tell friends before they stay
Two nights: one is rushed. Three suits the fair or a slow stay.
Check for weddings: Pushkar's resorts are popular venues.
- Ask us about the full moon: every full moon brings pilgrims, and Kartik Purnima brings huge crowds.
- Dress for a holy town: cover shoulders and knees, especially at the ghats.
- Refuse the flower sellers on the ghats: a so-called free puja often ends in a demand for money. Our guides arrange a genuine ritual with a priest we know.
- Don't photograph bathers: the ghats are places of prayer.