How to read these times
On a clear winter morning, the road from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer can feel like it belongs only to you. On a wedding night in November, the same road can be full of brass bands and horses.
Approximate and rounded: every time on this page is, and real drive times vary.
What changes them: the hour you leave, traffic out of the city, roadworks, festivals, weddings, cattle on the road, fog in winter and how often you stop.
Facts to know
- Times
- Approximate and rounded
- Distances
- Rounded, vary by route
- Assumes
- Private car, no long stops
- Five-hour drive
- Seven-hour day with stops
- New expressways: they have shortened some routes in recent years, and others are being built, so a journey can be quicker than our figure, or slower.
- Distances: rounded to the nearest sensible figure, and they change slightly with the route your driver takes.
- The assumptions: a private car with an experienced chauffeur, a comfortable pace and no long stops. These are the times we plan with, consistent with our destination guides.
- We add the stops: lunch, a stepwell, a temple, a village market or a fort on the way.
- How we plan the road: our guide to getting around Rajasthan.
- The alternatives: our pages on airports and flights and trains in Rajasthan.
Local tip
A five-hour drive with two good stops becomes a seven-hour day, and that is often the best day of the trip.
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur
The Golden Triangle is the most driven circuit in India. The roads are good, and the stops between the cities are what most visitors miss.
Facts to know
- Delhi to Jaipur
- About 280 km, 4-5 hours
- Delhi to Agra
- About 230 km, 3-4 hours
- Agra to Jaipur
- About 240 km, around 4 hours
- Agra to Bharatpur
- About 56 km, an hour
- Delhi to Bharatpur
- About 190 km, 4-5 hours
- Bharatpur to Jaipur
- About 185 km, 3.5-4 hours
Delhi to Jaipur
The figures: about 280 kilometres, usually four to five hours, sometimes less on the new expressway.
- The slow part: often getting out of Delhi and Gurugram, so we leave early or after the morning rush.
- Breaks: Neemrana Fort Palace and Samode make good stops, and fast trains are an alternative.
- More: our journal on the Delhi to Jaipur expressway.
Delhi to Agra
By road: about 230 kilometres, three to four hours on the Yamuna Expressway.
- By train: the Gatimaan Express does it in under two hours.
- On the way: Mathura and Vrindavan lie close to the route, about an hour short of Agra.
Agra to Jaipur
The figures: about 240 kilometres, around four hours.
- Fatehpur Sikri: Fatehpur Sikri is about an hour west of Agra on this road, and Bharatpur a little beyond it.
- The stop most people miss: the Abhaneri stepwell, about two hours short of Jaipur, which almost everyone else drives past.
- The route explained: our journal on Agra to Jaipur via Abhaneri.
Agra to Bharatpur
The figures: about 56 kilometres, roughly an hour, with Fatehpur Sikri about half an hour short of Bharatpur.
- From Delhi: about 190 kilometres, four to five hours.
- On to Jaipur: about 185 kilometres, three and a half to four hours.
Short drives from Jaipur
Jaipur sits in the middle of a ring of forts, stepwells, lakes and painted towns. Most are a morning's drive away.
Facts to know
- Amer
- About 11 km, 20-30 minutes early
- Samode
- About 40 km, an hour
- Abhaneri
- About 95 km, two hours
- Sambhar Lake
- 70-80 km, 1.5-2 hours
- Bhangarh
- 85-90 km, 2.5 hours
- Pushkar
- About 150 km, three hours
Jaipur to Amer
- Close by: about 11 kilometres north of the walled city.
- Timing matters: twenty to thirty minutes in the early morning, twice that by late morning. Leave early. See Amer.
Jaipur to Samode
- The figures: about 40 kilometres, roughly an hour through Chomu, longer in the morning rush.
- Onward: about three hours from Samode to Mandawa.
Jaipur to Abhaneri
- The figures: about 95 kilometres east, usually around two hours along the Agra road and a short village road.
- Allow: at least ninety minutes at the stepwell.
Jaipur to Sambhar Lake
- The figures: about 70 to 80 kilometres west, an hour and a half to two hours depending on traffic.
- Combine it: with Kishangarh on the way towards Ajmer. See Sambhar Lake.
Jaipur to Bhangarh, Alwar and Sariska
Bhangarh: roughly 85 to 90 kilometres, about two and a half hours through farmland and the Aravalli hills.
- Alwar: about 150 kilometres, around three hours.
- Sariska: two and a half to three hours.
- From Delhi: Alwar is also about 150 kilometres and three hours or a little more, and Sariska about four.
Jaipur to Ajmer, Kishangarh and Pushkar
Kishangarh: roughly 100 kilometres, under two hours.
- Ajmer: about 135 kilometres, around two and a half hours.
- Pushkar: about 150 kilometres, usually about three hours, just 15 kilometres beyond Ajmer over the Nag Pahar ridge.
The long roads out of Jaipur
From Jaipur, the roads fan out: south to the tigers, west to the desert and south-west to the lakes.
Facts to know
- Ranthambore
- About 180 km, 3.5 hours
- Jodhpur
- About 340 km, 5-6 hours
- Udaipur
- About 400 km, six hours
- Bundi or Kota
- About four hours
- Bikaner
- Five to six hours
- Jhalawar
- About six hours
Jaipur to Ranthambore
The figures: about 180 kilometres, three to four hours, usually around three and a half.
- Arrive by lunchtime: so your first afternoon safari isn't spent recovering from the road.
- From elsewhere: five to six hours from Agra and a long six to seven from Delhi, so most guests come via Jaipur or by train. See Ranthambore.
Jaipur to Jodhpur
The figures: about 340 kilometres, five to six hours.
- Two easy days: we break it at Ajmer and Pushkar, or overnight in Pushkar.
- The stops: our journal on the Jaipur to Jodhpur route.
Jaipur to Udaipur
The figures: about 400 kilometres, around six hours by road, or an hour by air.
- Break it: on a longer journey, with a night in Bundi, Chittorgarh, Pushkar or Deogarh, which is five to six hours from Jaipur and about three from Udaipur.
- Compare the options: our journal on Jaipur to Udaipur by road.
Jaipur to Bundi and Kota
Bundi: about four hours on a good highway through farmland. See Bundi.
- Kota: about four hours too, and forty minutes from Bundi.
- Jhalawar: about an hour and a half beyond Kota, a long day of about six hours from Jaipur.
Jaipur to Bikaner
- The figures: five to six hours, often broken in Shekhawati.
- The road: Bikaner sits far to the north-west, and the road passes through the painted towns and the millet country.
Shekhawati and the north
The painted towns lie close together, an easy morning's drive apart, and the roads between them pass village wells, cenotaphs and fields of millet and mustard.
Facts to know
- Jaipur to Nawalgarh
- About 140 km, three hours
- Jaipur to Mandawa
- About 170 km, four hours
- Delhi to Mandawa
- Five to six hours
- Mandawa to Fatehpur
- About 20 km
- Mandawa to Bikaner
- 3.5-4 hours
- Tal Chhapar
- About 1.5 hours from Churu
Jaipur to the painted towns
Nawalgarh: about 140 kilometres, roughly three hours via Chomu and Sikar.
- Fatehpur: about 170 kilometres, around three and a half hours.
- Mandawa: about 170 kilometres, roughly four hours.
- Alsisar: about 195 kilometres, around four hours.
Delhi to Shekhawati
Mandawa, Nawalgarh and Alsisar: each about five to six hours from Delhi through Haryana and Jhunjhunu.
- Fatehpur: six to seven hours.
- A break: we often stop at Neemrana.
Between the towns
- From Mandawa: about 20 kilometres to Fatehpur, about 30 to Nawalgarh, and about an hour each to Alsisar or Churu.
- Churu to Tal Chhapar: about an hour and a half.
Shekhawati to Bikaner
Mandawa: three and a half to four hours to Bikaner.
- Fatehpur: about 170 kilometres, three and a half hours.
- Churu: about 190 kilometres, roughly three and a half hours.
- Tal Chhapar: about 130 kilometres, a little over two hours.
Marwar and the Thar
The desert roads are long, straight and almost empty. They are also where we see the most camels, the most blackbuck and the best sunsets of the whole journey.
Facts to know
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
- About 285 km, five hours
- Jodhpur to Bikaner
- Four to five hours
- Jaisalmer to Bikaner
- Five to six hours
- Jodhpur to Rohet
- About 40 km
- Jodhpur to Osian
- About 69 km
- Jaisalmer to Khuri
- About 45 km, an hour
Jodhpur to Jaisalmer
The figures: about 285 kilometres, around five hours through Marwar's farming villages and the scrub country past Pokaran.
- Timing: we arrive in the late afternoon, as the fort turns gold.
- Split it at Manvar: Jodhpur to Manvar is about 110 kilometres, two hours, and Manvar to Jaisalmer about 175, three hours.
- The route: our journal on the Jodhpur to Jaisalmer route.
Jodhpur to Bikaner
- The figures: four to five hours, via Nagaur and the Karni Mata temple at Deshnoke, or via Khimsar.
- The legs: Jodhpur to Khimsar about two hours, Khimsar to Nagaur about 42 kilometres and under an hour, Nagaur to Bikaner two to two and a half hours.
Jaisalmer to Bikaner
- The figures: five to six hours to the north-east.
- The third side: of the desert triangle of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner.
Short drives from Jodhpur
Rohet: about 40 kilometres south, under an hour.
Short drives from Jaisalmer
Sam and Khuri: each about an hour, Khuri about 45 kilometres south-west.
- Kuldhara: about eighteen kilometres out, on the way.
- Barmer: about three hours south, and about four from Jodhpur.
- Carry identity documents: the roads west lead towards border areas, and checkpoints may ask for them.
Mewar, Godwar and the south
This is hill country: the Aravallis rise, the roads wind and the drives take a little longer than the maps suggest, which is no hardship at all.
Facts to know
- Udaipur to Jodhpur
- Five to six hours
- Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh
- About 85 km, 2.5 hours
- Udaipur to Chittorgarh
- About two hours
- Udaipur to Nathdwara
- About 48 km, an hour
- Udaipur to Jawai
- About three hours
- Udaipur to Ahmedabad
- Four to five hours
Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur
The figures: five to six hours of driving, longer with the temple stop, on one of the most beautiful roads in Rajasthan.
- Kumbhalgarh: about 85 kilometres from Udaipur, roughly two and a half hours through the hills.
- Onward: Kumbhalgarh to Ranakpur about an hour, and Jodhpur about four hours from Kumbhalgarh via Ranakpur.
- The stops: our journal on Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur.
Udaipur to Chittorgarh
- The figures: about two hours east by expressway.
- On to Hadoti: Chittorgarh to Bundi is about three hours north-east, a natural stop between Udaipur and Hadoti. See Chittorgarh.
Udaipur to Nathdwara and Deogarh
Nathdwara: about 48 kilometres north, roughly an hour, with the Eklingji temple on the way.
- Deogarh: about 140 kilometres, around three hours.
- Beyond: Ajmer and Pushkar are about three hours past Deogarh.
Udaipur to Narlai and Jawai
Narlai: about two and a half hours.
- Jawai: about three, a little more with a stop at Ranakpur.
- From Jodhpur: both are about the same distance. Narlai and Jawai are about an hour apart.
Udaipur to Mount Abu
The figures: three and a half to four hours.
- The last stretch: a ghat road of about forty-five minutes up the hill from Abu Road.
- On to Jawai: about two and a half hours from Mount Abu.
Udaipur to the southern districts and Gujarat
Dungarpur: about 110 kilometres, two to two and a half hours.
- Banswara: about 160 kilometres, three and a half to four hours through the hills.
- Ahmedabad: four to five hours, and Mount Abu to Ahmedabad about the same.
Beyond Rajasthan
Some neighbours are a drive away. Others are firmly a flight.
Facts to know
- Agra to Gwalior
- About two hours
- Gwalior to Orchha
- About three hours
- Orchha to Khajuraho
- Four to five hours
- Ahmedabad to Bhuj
- Six to seven hours
- Varanasi
- Always a flight
Agra to Gwalior, Orchha and Khajuraho
Agra to Gwalior: about two hours by road.
- Gwalior to Orchha: about three hours, via Datia.
- Orchha to Khajuraho: four to five hours through Bundelkhand villages. See Orchha.
- From Jaipur: Gwalior is six to seven hours via Bharatpur, so the Gatimaan Express to Gwalior and Jhansi is often easier.
Varanasi
- Too far to drive: Khajuraho to Varanasi is a full day's drive, and Rajasthan to Varanasi is far too far, so we fly.
- Read more: the Varanasi guide.
Kutch
- By road: Ahmedabad to Bhuj is six to seven hours, and the White Rann about two hours north of Bhuj.
- From Rajasthan: we usually fly via Mumbai, or drive in stages via Mount Abu and Ahmedabad.
The roads today, and how they are changing
When our parents drove to Jodhpur, the road was a single lane with a camel cart around every bend. Today much of it is a smooth four-lane highway, and the map keeps changing.
Much improved: Rajasthan's main highways have been widened and resurfaced a great deal over the past two decades.
New expressways: the Delhi to Mumbai Expressway passes through eastern Rajasthan, the Yamuna Expressway links Delhi and Agra, and more corridors are being built.
Facts to know
- Main highways
- Widened over two decades
- Expressways
- Delhi to Mumbai, Yamuna
- Last kilometres
- Narrow, sometimes unpaved
- Hill roads
- Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur, Mount Abu
- Why we say 'sometimes less': a new stretch can open and take an hour off a route, while roadworks on another can add one.
- Off the highways: the last kilometres to a village fort, a desert camp or a stepwell are often narrow, sometimes unpaved, and shared with goats and tractors.
- In the Aravallis: around Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Mount Abu, the roads climb in tight bends. They are slow, and also where the countryside is most beautiful.
- The right car and driver: vehicles that cope comfortably with these roads, and drivers who know each one in every season.
- Checked every day: we confirm routes and times when we plan, your chauffeur checks the day's road before you set out, and we adjust when a new road or roadworks change things.
Who you will share the road with
A Rajasthani highway is a moving village. Part of the pleasure of a drive is watching it go by.
Painted trucks: decorated with flowers and slogans, alongside overloaded jeeps and motorbikes carrying whole families.
Farm traffic: tractors pulling trailers of fodder, camel carts, and herds of goats and sheep on their way to grazing.
- The cows: they believe, correctly, that the road belongs to them.
- Wedding season: from about November to February you will pass brass bands, horses with grooms in turbans and processions that take the whole width of a village street.
- Horns: used constantly, not in anger but to say 'I am here'.
- Overtaking: an art. Drivers flash headlights to warn or to claim the road. It looks chaotic and mostly works, because everyone expects it.
- A calm driver: your chauffeur drives carefully, and our drivers are chosen for that. If anything ever makes you uneasy, say so, and they will slow down.
- Why we don't drive after dark: cattle rest on warm tarmac at night, and camels and nilgai antelope cross without warning in the desert and the farmland.
Where we stop on the way
We judge a drive by its stops. The right lunch and one good surprise can make a five-hour road the best day of the week.
Heritage hotels for lunch
- A courtyard lunch: many old forts and havelis along the main roads serve lunch to travellers, a far better break than a highway restaurant.
- Booked ahead: we know which ones serve good food and have clean washrooms.
Dhabas and highway restaurants
- What they are: dhabas are roadside eateries that feed truck drivers and travellers, and the good ones serve excellent dal, roti and chai.
- Only the trusted ones: with clean kitchens and washrooms. Our food guide explains how we eat safely on the road.
Stepwells, temples and chhatris
- Twenty-minute stops: a stepwell half-hidden by a village, a painted temple, the cenotaphs of a forgotten ruler.
- Pointed out for you: by your guide or driver. Our stepwells page lists the best.
Village life
- On the desert roads: we often stop at a village where women are drawing water, or where a potter works in the shade.
- With respect: we ask first, we never stay long, and we never treat people as a sight.
Long drives with children and older travellers
Road days need a slightly different rhythm when there are small children or grandparents in the car.
Children cope well: better than adults expect, provided the drives are short and there is something at the end: a pool, a camel, a fort with cannon.
Short legs: we keep family drives under about four hours where we can, and plan a stop every ninety minutes.
Facts to know
- Family drives
- Under about four hours
- Stops
- Every ninety minutes
- Child seats
- Ask in advance
- Older travellers
- More stops, split legs
- Child seats: not standard in Indian touring cars, so ask in advance and we bring them.
- More ideas: our guide to travelling with children.
- Older travellers and bad backs: tell us, and we choose the most comfortable vehicle, plan more stops and split the longest legs.
- Rough rural stretches: a slower pace makes all the difference. Our accessible travel guide explains how we plan for limited mobility.
How we plan a drive day
The worst drive is one that starts late, runs through lunch and arrives in the dark. Our days are built the other way round.
Daylight only: highways at night carry slow trucks, unlit tractors and animals on the road, and the risk simply isn't worth it.
The shape of the day: leave after an early sightseeing morning and a good breakfast, drive through the middle of the day when the light is flat anyway, and arrive for tea.
Long legs: we split them with a night somewhere worth stopping.
Facts to know
- Most drives
- Under five hours
- After dark
- Never for long drives
- Leave
- After sightseeing and breakfast
- Arrive
- For tea and evening light
- In the car
- Water, tissues, sanitiser
- Stop when you like: for photographs, a stretch or a toilet.
- Clean stops planned: a heritage hotel for lunch, a highway restaurant we know, or a picnic packed by your hotel.
- Stops worth making: a stepwell, a temple, a village where the women are drawing water, a chai stall where the tea is boiled with ginger. Our private chauffeur journeys show it over two weeks.
- Seat belts: wear them in the back as well as the front. Ask your driver to slow down if you ever feel uncomfortable. They will.
- For the car: a scarf or shawl for air-conditioning and sun through the window, a hat for stops, and something to read.
- Documents: carry your passport or a copy, especially in the western desert and border districts.
- Winter fog: in December and January it can slow the roads around Delhi, Agra and the east, so we leave later on those days.
- Monsoon: a few rural roads flood or wash out, so we check routes the day before.
- Tolls and diversions: highway toll plazas, roadworks and diversions are part of the day. Your driver handles them.
Local tip
Motion sickness is common on the hill roads near Kumbhalgarh, Mount Abu and Ranakpur. Sit in front, and ask your driver to take the bends gently.
Three road journeys, drawn on a map
These are classic routes as we would actually drive them, with the hours and the stops.
The desert loop: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner
Jaipur to Jodhpur: via Pushkar, five to six hours of driving split over two days.
- Jodhpur to Jaisalmer: around five hours, with a night at Manvar if you like.
- Jaisalmer to Bikaner: five to six hours.
- Bikaner to Shekhawati: about three hours, and on to Jaipur or Delhi. Our desert triangle journey is built on this road.
The lakes and the hills: Udaipur to Jodhpur
Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh: two and a half hours, for a night below the fort.
- Kumbhalgarh to Ranakpur: about an hour, for the temple in the morning.
- Ranakpur to Narlai or Jawai: about an hour to an hour and a half, for a night or two.
- On to Jodhpur: about two and a half to three hours. Our Mewar and Marwar journey follows it.
The south-east: Jaipur, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Udaipur
Jaipur to Bundi: about four hours.
- Bundi to Chittorgarh: about three hours.
- Chittorgarh to Udaipur: about two hours.
- Three short days: in place of one long one, with three of the most rewarding stops in Rajasthan. Our offbeat Rajasthan journey uses this route.