A fortnight in one minute
Two weeks is enough for a full first journey: the Taj, Jaipur, a real chance of a tiger, a small painted town, the lakes and the blue city.
But you still choose: the desert and the south rarely fit together in fourteen nights without long road days.
- Shape
- One arc, never doubling back
- Stops
- Six or seven, two nights or more in most
- Drives
- Mostly three to four hours
- Slow mornings
- One every three or four days
- The big choice
- Tigers and Bundi, or the desert
- Three nights in two places: usually Jaipur and Udaipur, where there is most to see and the most pleasure in staying still.
- Two long days, not five: our sample route has two days of five to six hours' driving, each broken by a great monument.
- Fly in one end, out the other: into Delhi and out of Jodhpur, for example, so the line never bends back.
What a fortnight buys you
Time to arrive: a first night in Delhi to sleep off the flight, instead of a long drive on day one.
Both empires: the Mughal chapter in Delhi and Agra, then the Rajput kingdoms, so the history makes sense in order.
- A second morning: in Jaipur and Udaipur you see the famous sights on day one and the city on day two.
- A small town: Bundi, with its murals, stepwells and quiet blue lanes, which most visitors drive straight past.
- Rest without guilt: an afternoon by the pool in Udaipur no longer costs you a sight.
- A proper ending: a last morning at Mehrangarh in Jodhpur, rather than a rush to the airport.
Two great fortnights
The Taj, tigers and the lakes
The route: one night in Delhi, one in Agra, three in Jaipur, two at Ranthambore, two in Bundi, three in Udaipur and two in Jodhpur.
- The arc: north-east to west in one line, from the Taj at sunrise to Mehrangarh at the end.
- Best for: first-timers who want the Taj Mahal, palaces and a real chance of a wild tiger.
The desert fortnight
The change: swap Bundi and one Udaipur night for two nights in Jaisalmer and one in a desert camp.
- The trade: you gain the golden fort and a night under the Thar sky, and you lose Bundi's quiet and one slow day by the lake.
- With one more night: our signature Royal Rajputana runs Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur over fifteen nights.
Our sample fortnight, at a glance
Day 1: Delhi
- Arrive: we meet you inside the airport and drive you to a calm hotel.
- Late afternoon: Humayun's Tomb and the gardens of Sunder Nursery as the light softens on the red sandstone.
Days 2 and 3: Old Delhi, then Agra and the Taj
Day 2: the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk by cycle rickshaw, then the fast train to Agra in under two hours, and Mehtab Bagh at sunset.
- Day 3: the Taj Mahal at sunrise, then about four hours to Jaipur, via Fatehpur Sikri or the stepwell at Abhaneri.
- Never on a Friday: the Taj is closed to sightseers that day, so we plan your Agra night around it.
Days 4 to 6: Jaipur
The walled city: Hawa Mahal at sunrise, the bazaars as they open, the City Palace and Jantar Mantar.
- Amber: the fort at opening, then Nahargarh at sunset.
- A slow morning: with a block-printing family in Bagru or Sanganer, then about three and a half hours south to the forest.
Days 7 and 8: Ranthambore, then Bundi
- Four safaris over two nights: dawn and afternoon drives, with the mist lifting off Padam Talao. Sightings are never certain.
- On to Bundi: after a last morning drive, about three hours to the painted town.
Days 9 and 10: Bundi, then Chittorgarh and Udaipur
- Bundi: the Chitrashala murals, Raniji ki Baori and sunset at Sukh Mahal, where Kipling stayed.
- The long day: about three hours to Chittorgarh, a guided morning on its plateau, then about two hours to Udaipur.
Days 11 and 12: Udaipur
- The palace and the lake: the City Palace at opening, a private boat on Lake Pichola in the last light.
- A gentle day: Saheliyon ki Bari, a painter's studio or the temples of Eklingji and Nathdwara, with the pool in between.
Days 13 to 15: Ranakpur, Jodhpur and home
The hill road: about two and a half hours to Ranakpur and its 1,444 marble pillars, then about three and a half to Jodhpur.
- Day 14: Mehrangarh as the gates open, the blue lanes of Brahmpuri and the Clock Tower at dusk.
- Day 15: a short drive to Jodhpur airport for a flight to Delhi and home.
The rhythm we plan a fortnight by
Nobody sightsees after a long drive: every transfer day ends with a terrace or a gentle walk, never a monument.
A slow morning every third or fourth day: a late start in a Bundi haveli, a morning by the pool in Udaipur.
- Three nights where it matters: Jaipur and Udaipur, so there is time for the second morning and for laundry.
- One planned free afternoon: in Udaipur, for the painter, jeweller or temple you discover along the way.
- You can always say no: if you wake up and want to read on the roof all day, your guide will come back tomorrow.
The two long days, honestly
Both are broken by a great monument: three hours on Chittorgarh's plateau, two at the Ranakpur temple. The drive becomes a day out.
Leave early: we start after an early breakfast, so you arrive in daylight with time for tea.
- Bundi to Udaipur
- About five to six hours of driving, with Chittorgarh
- Udaipur to Jodhpur
- About five to six hours, with Ranakpur
- Other transfers
- Three to four hours each
- How to soften one
- A night at Castle Bijaipur near Chittor
- Split the first if you like: a night at Castle Bijaipur, a family-run castle about an hour from Chittorgarh, costs a night in Udaipur and halves the day.
- Or split the second: a night at Rawla Narlai or Rohet Garh shows you rural Rajasthan between the two cities.
- Drive times are guides: traffic, weddings and roadworks change them. See road distances and drive times.
How the country changes along the way
The plains around Delhi and Agra: flat, green and busy, the old heartland of the Mughals.
Dhundhar around Jaipur: farmland and low Aravalli ridges, with mustard turning fields yellow in January and February.
- The forest at Ranthambore: dry, tangled dhok trees that turn copper before the summer.
- Hadoti around Bundi: a plateau of black soil and small rivers, coriander country, white with flowers in February.
- Mewar around Chittorgarh and Udaipur: greener, steeper hills folding down to the lakes.
- Marwar towards Jodhpur: the land flattens and dries, and the khejri tree becomes the only shade for miles. Our Rajasthan travel guide explains the regions.
How to choose your fortnight
If you have seen the Taj: fly straight into Jaipur, give it a fourth night and add Samode or a third night at Ranthambore.
If dunes matter more than tigers: take the desert fortnight, with Jaisalmer and a camp.
- If architecture is your passion: twelve nights can take in five great forts. See the forts and palaces grand tour.
- If you love textiles: cross from the Thar into Gujarat with our Rajasthan and Kutch fortnight.
- If you want leopards too: add the granite hills of Jawai between Udaipur and Jodhpur.
- If you want the Ganges: end with a short flight to Varanasi. See Rajasthan and Varanasi.
Which fortnight of the year
October and November: clear skies after the monsoon, Diwali in the bazaars and the Pushkar fair, which we can add between Jaipur and Bundi with one night.
December and January: cold mornings in the jeep and on the ramparts, possible fog and poor air in Delhi, and kite day in Jaipur on 14 January.
- February and early March: our favourite weeks, with comfortable days, good tiger sightings and soft light.
- April to June: hot, often above 40°C. Tiger sightings are at their best, but two weeks of heat is tiring.
- July to September: Ranthambore's core zones close, so we remove the safaris and give Bundi and Udaipur more time at their greenest.
- Month by month: see our best time to visit Rajasthan and pages such as Rajasthan in February.
Seven beds in fourteen nights
Delhi and Agra: The Imperial in Delhi, and The Oberoi Amarvilas, about 600 metres from the Taj.
Jaipur: Rambagh Palace, The Oberoi Rajvilas or Samode Haveli inside the walls.
- Ranthambore: a tented camp or lodge such as SUJAN Sher Bagh. The camps keep a shorter season.
- Bundi: a family-run heritage haveli below the palace. See Bundi's heritage havelis.
- Udaipur: Taj Lake Palace on its island, or The Oberoi Udaivilas on the shore.
- Jodhpur: Umaid Bhawan Palace on Chittar Hill, or RAAS Jodhpur under the walls of Mehrangarh.
Eating across a fortnight
Old Delhi: parathas and jalebis in the lanes of Chandni Chowk, eaten as you go with a guide who knows the stalls.
Agra: petha, the translucent sweet of the city, in more flavours than you thought possible.
- Jaipur: pyaaz kachori and lassi in the morning, and laal maas, the fiery red mutton curry, at night.
- Bundi: vegetarian Hadoti thalis in haveli kitchens, with dal baati and gatte ki sabzi.
- Udaipur: dal baati churma on a rooftop above the lake.
- Jodhpur: mirchi bada and makhaniya lassi at the Clock Tower. Our Rajasthani food guide explains every dish, and a cooking class in a haveli teaches you one.
Make it yours
For families: tigers, the cannon at Jaigarh, boats on Pichola and the zipline at Mehrangarh, with hotels that have pools. See family journeys.
For couples: a night at the Lake Palace, a private dinner on a terrace and a hot-air balloon over Amer at dawn in winter. See Rajasthan honeymoons.
- For several generations: vehicles with easy access, hotels with lifts and parallel plans. See multi-generation journeys.
- For repeat visitors: Shekhawati's painted towns instead of Agra, and Jawai instead of Ranthambore.
- With a village fort: a night at Rawla Narlai or Rohet Garh between Udaipur and Jodhpur.
- With more time: three weeks in Rajasthan fits the desert, the painted towns and the tigers together.
Fortnight mistakes we see
One night everywhere: packing every morning is tiring by day five. Two nights is our minimum outside Delhi and Agra.
Zigzagging: Jaipur to Jaisalmer to Udaipur to Agra looks fine on a list and costs days on the road.
- A Friday in Agra: the Taj Mahal is closed to sightseers, and the whole stop is lost.
- Too much in the first week: the second week is where the slow pleasures are. Save energy for it.
- Forgetting the season: tiger safaris in August or the desert in June both disappoint.
- No free time at all: the afternoon you leave empty is the one you will fill with the best surprise.
Before you book
Choose the route before the flights: then book international flights into Delhi and out of Jodhpur, or wherever your arc ends.
Check the Agra day: make sure your sunrise at the Taj is not on a Friday.
- Book safari permits early: the best months go fast, and we book as early as the rules allow.
- Read official travel advice: before booking and again before you fly. Our journal is Rajasthan safe? explains where to find it.
- Pack for two seasons: cold winter mornings, warm afternoons. See our packing guide.
- Tell us about mobility: forts have steep ramps, and we plan vehicles and shorter walks around them.
How we look after a fortnight
One planner for the whole journey: on WhatsApp throughout, who knows every hotel, guide and driver on your route.
Met inside the airport: and driven from Agra onwards by a private chauffeur who knows the clean stops on every road.
- Local guides in each city: licensed and known to us, and a naturalist on every safari.
- Trains, flights and permits: the fast train to Agra, safari permits and your flight home, all booked.
- No prices here: a fortnight can range from heritage havelis to the finest suites in India, so we quote after one conversation. Start with plan my journey.
Who a fortnight suits
First-time visitors to India: who want the Taj, Rajasthan's palaces and a real chance of a tiger in one trip.
Travellers who like small towns: Bundi between the famous names is what makes this route ours.
- People who want to end slowly: three nights on a lake and a last morning in the blue city.
- Not for desert dreamers on the sample route: choose the desert fortnight or the Royal Rajputana.
- Not for a week's holiday: if you have seven nights, our one week in Rajasthan keeps you to three cities, and our journal on ten days in Rajasthan shows the next step up.