How we move our guests
A spread-out state: Jaipur is in the east, Jaisalmer in the far west, Udaipur in the south and Bikaner in the north.
What that means in practice: drives of four to six hours between bases, broken by a temple, a stepwell or a long lunch in a village fort.
- Classic circuit
- Well over 2,000 km
- Typical drive
- Four to six hours between bases
- Nights per base
- Two or three
- Backbone
- Private car and chauffeur
- Long, empty legs
- A flight or fast train
- The backbone: a private car and a chauffeur who stays with you from the first day to the last.
- When we skip the road: where a drive would take most of a day and offer little on the way, we use a flight or a fast train instead.
- Another way altogether: a week on a luxury train.
- Timing: we leave after breakfast or after lunch, and arrive in time to see the fort turn gold or sit by the lake as the lamps come on.
By car, with your own chauffeur
Why a private chauffeur
The person you see most: the chauffeur is who you will spend the most time with in Rajasthan.
Stop when you want: for a photograph of a turbaned shepherd, a chai at a roadside stall, a detour to a stepwell or a nap.
- No logistics: your luggage stays in the car between hotels, the car waits outside each sight, and you never find a taxi or negotiate a fare.
- The safest way: our drivers are professionals who know the routes and the habits of the traffic.
- In full: our private chauffeur journeys page explains the service.
The car
What we use: clean, well-maintained, air-conditioned cars with plenty of room for luggage, usually a large saloon or a spacious multi-purpose vehicle.
- For bigger groups: larger vehicles, sometimes with a second car for luggage.
- Always on board: bottled water, tissues and a phone charger.
- Clean stops: your driver knows which roadside stops have clean washrooms.
The chauffeur
Language and experience: good working English, the roads of Rajasthan by heart, and years of looking after international guests.
- Driver, not guide: at the monuments he hands you to a licensed local guide in each city.
- Where he stays: hotels in India provide accommodation and meals for drivers, so your chauffeur stays wherever you stay.
- Best tip-off: very often the best source of honest advice on where to eat on the road.
The roads
Much improved: the long legs between the big cities are now mostly on good, wide highways.
- The expressway: the Delhi to Mumbai expressway has shortened some journeys in the east of the state.
- Off the highways: narrower roads shared with tractors, camels, cows, goats and village buses, which is half the fun and the reason we never rush.
- After dark: we avoid long drives where we can, because unlit vehicles and wandering animals are harder to see.
Why we don't suggest self-drive
Years to learn: driving in India has rules that are rarely written down.
- A poor holiday choice: insurance, unfamiliar road habits and the sheer concentration required. We feel the same about hiring motorbikes or scooters.
- Enjoy the view: let someone who grew up on these roads do the driving.
Drive times between the main cities
Delhi to Jaipur: about four to five hours, sometimes less on the new expressway.
Delhi to Agra: about three to four hours on the Yamuna Expressway.
Agra to Jaipur: about four hours, with a stop at the Abhaneri stepwell and sometimes Fatehpur Sikri on the way.
- Delhi to Jaipur
- About four to five hours
- Jaipur to Jodhpur
- About five to six hours
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
- About five hours
- Jodhpur to Udaipur
- About five to six hours
- Jaipur to Ranthambore
- About three and a half hours
- Jaipur to Ranthambore: about three and a half hours.
- Jaipur to Pushkar: about three hours, around 150 kilometres.
- Jaipur to Jodhpur: about five to six hours, often via Ajmer and Pushkar.
- Jaipur to Udaipur: about six hours by road, or an hour by air.
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer: about five hours, through Marwar's farming villages.
- Jodhpur to Bikaner: about four to five hours, via Nagaur or Khimsar.
- Jaisalmer to Bikaner: about five to six hours.
- Jodhpur to Udaipur: about five to six hours, best broken at the Jain temple of Ranakpur.
- From Udaipur: about two hours to Chittorgarh, two and a half to Kumbhalgarh, three to Jawai, and three and a half to four to Mount Abu.
- Bikaner to the Shekhawati towns: about three hours, a good route on to Jaipur or Delhi.
- More legs: our guide to road distances and drive times, and notes on the roads from Jaipur to Udaipur and Jodhpur to Jaisalmer.
By air
- International gateway
- Indira Gandhi International, Delhi
- Regular airports
- Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur
- Udaipur airport
- Dabok, about 22 km east
- Jaisalmer
- Seasonal winter flights
- Smaller airports
- Bikaner, Kishangarh
Getting to Rajasthan
Delhi first: most international guests fly into Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, with the widest choice of long-haul flights.
- Jaipur: its international airport has direct flights to several Gulf cities as well as across India.
- Other doors: some guests fly in through Mumbai or Ahmedabad and begin in Udaipur.
- The options: our guide to airports and flights for Rajasthan.
Airports within Rajasthan
Regular flights: Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur have domestic flights to Delhi, Mumbai and other cities.
Udaipur: Maharana Pratap Airport is at Dabok, about 22 kilometres east of the city.
- Jodhpur: the airport is only a few kilometres from the centre.
- Jaisalmer: seasonal flights in the winter months, and closed to civil flights for much of the summer, so we confirm schedules each season.
- Bikaner and Kishangarh: smaller airports with limited flights. Kishangarh is near Ajmer and Pushkar.
When we use a flight
Long legs with little on the way: Jaipur to Udaipur, Udaipur to Delhi at the end of a journey, or Jaisalmer back to Delhi.
- Not always faster: direct routes within Rajasthan are limited, and many flights connect through Delhi or Mumbai.
- We compare: road and air for every journey.
At Indian airports
Ticket and photo ID: only passengers with both may enter the terminal, so your driver says goodbye at the door.
- Security: thorough, with long queues at busy times, so we allow good time.
- Baggage: domestic airlines often allow less checked baggage than international flights, and power banks travel in hand luggage. See our packing guide.
Helicopters and charters
- For time or celebration: a private helicopter or small aircraft can link palaces, wildlife lodges and desert camps in an hour or two.
- Planned well ahead: weight limits, weather and permissions all apply. See our helicopter and charter journeys.
By train
- Delhi to Jaipur
- A little over four hours
- Delhi to Agra
- Under two hours on the Gatimaan
- Delhi to Sawai Madhopur
- Around five hours
- Day-train class
- Executive class
- Jaipur to Udaipur
- Faster by air or road
Fast day trains
Often better than the road: India's fast daytime trains can be quicker and more relaxing, and seen from a comfortable seat the station is a joy.
Delhi to Jaipur and Agra: Shatabdi and Vande Bharat services link Delhi with Jaipur and Agra, taking a little over four hours to Jaipur.
- Ajmer: Shatabdi trains have run between Delhi, Jaipur and Ajmer for years.
- The Gatimaan Express: connects Delhi and Agra in under two hours.
- For Ranthambore: fast trains from Delhi reach Sawai Madhopur for Ranthambore in around five hours.
- At your seat: meals and tea are usually served.
- Jaipur to Udaipur: trains exist but are slower than the road on most services, so we fly or drive.
Classes and comfort
Day trains: we book the executive class, with wider reclining seats.
First-class AC overnight: lockable cabins of two or four berths.
- Second-class AC overnight: open berths with curtains.
- An adventure, not a luxury: we suggest overnight trains only to guests who want that experience.
- To the desert: trains connect Jaisalmer with Jodhpur, Jaipur and Delhi, including overnight services.
How we arrange train travel
Tickets: we book them, issued in your name with your passport details.
- Met at both ends: our team is there, and your chauffeur drives your luggage to the next hotel, so you travel with a small bag.
- On the platform: a licensed porter or one of our team helps you to the right coach. Stations can be crowded and confusing.
- Read more: our guide to trains in Rajasthan and our note on train or car.
The luxury trains
The Palace on Wheels: launched in 1982 by Rajasthan's tourism corporation with Indian Railways, it runs a week-long loop from Delhi through the royal cities.
The Maharajas' Express: run by IRCTC since 2010, with several itineraries of a few nights or a week.
- Palace on Wheels
- Launched 1982, a week-long loop from Delhi
- Maharajas' Express
- Run by IRCTC since 2010
- Season
- Cooler months, roughly autumn to spring
- Departures
- Change yearly, ask us to confirm
- How the days work: both combine nights on board with guided days at the forts and palaces.
- Who it suits: travellers who want to unpack once and let someone else handle every transfer.
- The trade-offs: less flexible than a road journey, days follow the train's timetable, and cabins are compact.
- Combine it: many guests add a few nights in a palace hotel or wildlife lodge before or after.
- Compare them: our luxury trains guide.
Inside the old cities
On foot
The best way: our heritage walks are some of the most loved mornings of any journey.
- Go early: before the traffic and the heat, in comfortable shoes, watching for motorbikes in the lanes.
- Only on foot: Jaisalmer's fort, Jodhpur's blue city and Bundi's lanes can only really be seen this way.
Auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws
The taxi of urban India: the three-wheeled auto is noisy, quick and great fun for short trips.
- Electric rickshaws: now common in many old cities too.
- Fares: agree before you get in, or let your guide do it.
- In Jodhpur: an auto is the easiest way through the blue lanes below Mehrangarh.
Cycle rickshaws
Where: the narrowest bazaars of Jaipur and Old Delhi.
- Why: slow, quiet and perfect for photographs.
- Tip well: it is a fair living for the men who pedal them.
Boats
Udaipur's main road: Lake Pichola. The Taj Lake Palace is reached only by boat.
- The loveliest hour: an evening cruise towards Jag Mandir.
- Private boats: we also arrange them on Fateh Sagar. Read about a boat on Lake Pichola.
Ride-hailing apps
- Where they work: app-based taxis operate in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and other cities.
- Rarely needed: some guests use them for an evening out, but with a chauffeur waiting most rarely do.
Camels, horses and jeeps
Desert arrivals: the last stretch to a camp may be by jeep or camel, and some guests ride Marwari horses between villages.
- National parks: safaris use open jeeps or larger canters run by the park.
- At the Taj: in Agra, only electric vehicles are allowed close to the gates.
Arrivals, transfers and the last few metres
Always met: whenever you arrive, by plane, train or car, someone from our team is at the exit with your name, helps with your bags and takes you to the car.
Delays: if your flight or train is late, we know, and we wait.
- By boat: the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur is reached by the hotel's own boat from a jetty on the shore.
- Hilltop forts: Amber and Mehrangarh are approached by steep ramps, and we use jeeps, lifts or golf carts where they exist rather than climbing in the heat.
- At the gate: at Jaisalmer's fort and in Bundi's old town, cars stop outside and porters carry your luggage the last stretch.
- Across the sand: desert camps are sometimes reached by jeep.
- Told in advance: we explain what each arrival involves, so you pack the right bag for the last few metres.
How we plan a route
A loop: most journeys begin in Delhi or Jaipur and move in a circle.
The classic route: Delhi to Jaipur, west to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, then south to Udaipur, often with a village fort between each, and home by air from Udaipur.
- Jodhpur to Udaipur
- Ranakpur temple
- Jaipur to Agra
- Abhaneri stepwell
- Jaipur to Jodhpur
- A village fort or Pushkar
- Driving day
- Four to six hours
- A week or less: one region and a single flight.
- More time: add Ranthambore, Bundi, Shekhawati or Bikaner where they fit the line of the journey, rather than forcing a detour.
- A highlight every day: we build a stop into every longer drive, so even travel days have one.
- Ideas: our journeys show routes from short escapes to three-week grand tours, and the best time to visit Rajasthan explains which suit which months.
Three travel days, the way we plan them
Jodhpur to Udaipur, by way of Ranakpur
Morning: leave Jodhpur after an unhurried breakfast and drive south through the farmland of Pali district, green with wheat in winter.
About three hours in: the road climbs into the Aravallis, and the marble Jain temple of Ranakpur appears in its wooded valley.
- Midday: visit when the temple opens to visitors, walk slowly among its carved pillars and have a simple lunch nearby.
- Afternoon: the road winds over the hills, and you reach Udaipur as the lake turns pink.
- With a night to spare: break the journey at Rawla Narlai or in Jawai for leopards.
Agra to Jaipur, by way of Fatehpur Sikri and Abhaneri
Early: a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, then breakfast.
About an hour west: Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's red sandstone city, before the midday sun.
- Afternoon: turn off the Jaipur road for Chand Baori at Abhaneri, where thousands of steps drop into the earth in perfect geometry.
- Evening: arrive in Jaipur. A full day, but every hour of it is worth seeing.
- More: our note on driving Agra to Jaipur via Abhaneri.
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, into the desert
Where Rajasthan changes: farmland gives way to scrub, then open desert.
- On the way: herds of goats and camels, lone khejri trees and the occasional blackbuck near Bishnoi villages.
- The road: good, with thin traffic.
- Our timing: leave after lunch to reach Jaisalmer in the late afternoon as the fort turns gold, or go straight to a camp in the dunes for sunset.
How the seasons change the roads
Winter fog: from December to January, thick morning fog sometimes settles over the plains around Delhi, Agra and the Shekhawati towns, slowing roads, trains and flights. We plan these legs for later in the morning.
The wedding season: auspicious dates cluster in the cool months, and processions with bands and horses fill the evening roads. Allow extra time, and enjoy the music.
- Festivals: on Holi, Diwali and the big fair days, the old cities are best on foot, and some roads close for processions. We plan to be in place the day before.
- Summer heat: from April to June we start drives early and stop for lunch in an air-conditioned hotel. Cars are kept cool, with water always on board.
- The monsoon: heavy showers can slow roads in the south and on hill roads to Kumbhalgarh and Mount Abu. Most rain comes in short bursts, and we wait them out with chai.
- Animals on the road: cows, camels, goats and dogs share every road, one more reason we never rush and avoid long drives at night.
Comfort on the road
A day bag in the car: water, a scarf, sunglasses, a warm layer, snacks and anything you might want on the way.
Washrooms: use the hotel's before you leave. On the road, your driver knows which restaurants and highway stops are clean.
- Car sickness: sit in the front, look at the horizon and ask your driver to slow down on winding hill roads, such as the climbs to Mount Abu and Kumbhalgarh.
- Chai at a dhaba: ask your driver to stop at a dhaba, a roadside restaurant. It is one of the small pleasures of Rajasthan.
- Your choice of mood: silence, music or a running commentary. Just say, and our drivers adapt.
- Limited mobility: we choose vehicles and routes with care. See accessible travel in Rajasthan.