Rajasthan travel guide: a first trip from Jaipur to Jaisalmer

Above the blue rooftops of Bundi, the palace clings to the hillside as if it had grown out of it, and Nawal Sagar lake reflects it at the foot of a small, half-submerged temple.

A small princely town between Jaipur and Udaipur, Bundi has a Garh Palace crowned by Taragarh Fort and, above all, the Chitrashala, a gallery covered in blue-green miniature murals in the Bundi style: scenes of Krishna, elephant processions, court gardens.

Spend half a day in the palace and the Chitrashala, then head down to the town's stepwells (baoris), including the carved stairs of Raniji ki Baori, and finish at the lake at sunset.

While Jaipur and Udaipur see coach after coach, Bundi is still a town where you walk the lanes alone: Rajasthan before mass tourism.

As you step through the great red sandstone gate, the Taj Mahal appears all at once at the end of the pool, whiter and larger than you imagined, its marble changing colour with the morning light.

Built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. It stands in Agra, in Uttar Pradesh, the natural gateway to a Rajasthan trip.

The visit follows the garden avenue to the marble platform, then into the mausoleum, where the couple's cenotaphs lie; allow 2-3 hours, and add Agra Fort the same day.

It's the only stop on the route outside Rajasthan, and the only one that justifies the flight to Delhi on its own.

From the road, the ochre ramparts of Amber Fort ripple along the ridges of the Aravalli hills, and the palace is reflected in Maota Lake before you've even started the climb.

The former capital of the Kachwaha rulers before Jaipur was founded, 11 km north of the city, Amber is one of the six Hill Forts of Rajasthan listed together by UNESCO in 2013.

You walk up from Jaleb Chowk, the main courtyard, then through the audience halls, the gardens and the Sheesh Mahal, the hall of mirrors whose walls sparkle by candlelight. Allow 2-3 hours.

It's the most spectacular fort on the route, and the only one where you feel both the fortress and the pleasure palace.

At sunset, the sandstone of Jaisalmer Fort turns the colour of honey, and the whole town seems carved from the desert sand around it.

Founded, according to tradition, in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, the fort is one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan listed by UNESCO in 2013. It's still inhabited: part of the old town's population lives within its walls, making it one of the country's rare living forts.

Wander its lanes for half a day, between the royal palace, the seven yellow sandstone Jain temples carved between the 12th and 16th centuries, and the ramparts; below, merchants' havelis such as Patwon ki Haveli extend the visit.

Unlike Amber or Mehrangarh, now museums, here you pass schoolchildren, cows and washing hung out to dry: the fort is a neighbourhood, not a set.

In the middle of the Jantar Mantar you wander between staircases leading nowhere, marble arcs and giant bowls: a sculpture garden that is in fact an instrument for measuring the sky.

Built between 1728 and 1734 by Maharaja Jai Singh II, founder of Jaipur, the observatory brings together around twenty stone and masonry instruments. It has been on the UNESCO list since 2010.

The centrepiece is the Samrat Yantra, a 27 m-high sundial whose shadow moves visibly and gives local time to within a few seconds. An hour is enough, provided you have someone to explain it.

It sits right next to the City Palace and the Hawa Mahal, so you can see all three in one morning.

On the old city's main avenue, the pink façade of the Hawa Mahal rises like a honeycomb over five storeys, pierced by hundreds of small latticed windows.

Built at the end of the 18th century, this "Palace of Winds" is little more than a façade: it let the women of the court watch street life and processions without being seen, while letting air through.

Inside, ramps take you up to the top floors to look down on the street through the jharokhas; the visit takes 30-45 minutes. The best view, though, is from outside.

It's the emblem of the "Pink City", and the only Jaipur monument you can enjoy without even going in.

In the Pritam Niwas Chowk courtyard, four painted gates, one for each season, display peacocks, lotuses and flowers in vivid colours: the most photographed image of the palace.

Home of the maharajas of Jaipur since the city was founded in the 18th century, the City Palace is still partly occupied by the royal family, who live in the Chandra Mahal. The walled city of Jaipur has been on the UNESCO list since 2019.

The visit takes in the costume and arms museum, the private audience hall with its two giant silver urns, then the inner courtyards; allow 1 h 30 to 2 hours.

Compared with the more military Amber Fort, the City Palace shows the court life of a dynasty still in place.

From Mehrangarh's ramparts, the city spreads out below like a carpet of blue cubes, and you can hear the horns and the calls of the Clock Tower market drifting up.

Set on a rocky spur above Jodhpur, this 15th-century fort was the seat of the Rathore rulers of Marwar. It's run by a family trust that has made it one of the best-kept museums in India.

The route leads from palace to palace, through halls of palanquins, arms and miniatures, the gilded Phool Mahal and the Sheesh Mahal; the audio guide makes the visit fascinating. Allow 2-3 hours.

If you do only one museum in Rajasthan, make it this one: the presentation is far better than in the other forts.

In the evening, the white façades of the City Palace light up one by one above Lake Pichola, and the Lake Palace seems to float in the middle of the water.

The capital of the rulers of Mewar, Udaipur grew up around artificial lakes. The City Palace lines up its pavilions along the east shore of Pichola; it houses a museum and still belongs to the royal family.

Visit the palace in the morning (about 2 hours), take a boat around the lake in the late afternoon, then dine on a rooftop in Lal Ghat or Gangaur Ghat facing the sunset.

After Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, Udaipur is where you slow down: greener, gentler, ideal for ending the trip.

As night falls, bells and chants rise from Pushkar's ghats, and pilgrims float oil lamps on the water of the lake.

A small holy town 15 km from Ajmer, Pushkar is one of Rajasthan's great Hindu pilgrimage sites, known for having one of the few temples dedicated to Brahma. Every year, in the month of Kartik, it hosts the Pushkar Fair, which peaks at the full moon, on 24 November 2026.

Walk around the lake, browse the main bazaar, and climb to the Savitri temple for the sunset view; a day and a night are enough.

After the bustle of Jaipur, it's the calmest and most spiritual stop on the route, where you see religious Rajasthan up close.

Past the last village the road ends in sand, and the Thar dunes roll to the horizon under a sky turning orange, then violet.

The Sam and Khuri dunes lie 40-45 km from Jaisalmer. Sam is the more developed, with many permanent camps; Khuri, further south, is quieter and more village-like.

Go in the late afternoon for a camel ride at sunset, dinner around the fire and a night in a camp or under the stars; back in Jaisalmer the next morning.

For many travellers it's the strongest experience of the trip, provided you pick the right spot.

In Ranthambore's dry forest, a single alarm call from a chital deer is enough to silence the whole jeep: somewhere, a tiger is on the move.

A former hunting ground of the maharajas of Jaipur, the park surrounds Ranthambore Fort, one of the six hill forts listed by UNESCO in 2013. It's one of the parks in India where you have the best chance of seeing a wild tiger.

Safaris last about 3 h 30, morning or afternoon, in a 6-seat jeep (Gypsy) or a 20-seat open truck (Canter), in a zone assigned at booking. Add the walk up to the fort between two safaris.

Halfway between Agra and Jaipur, two days of forest and silence make a real break between two noisy cities.