India's Best Golden Triangle with Wildlife and Royal Castle Stay — Self-Launched

Arrive at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (~£1.50) or a prepaid taxi (~£5-6). Base yourself in Paharganj or Karol Bagh for cheap guesthouses. In the afternoon do the classic monuments loop yourself: start at Raj Ghat (free), then Old Delhi's Red Fort (£5 for foreigners) and Jama Masjid (£1, shoes off, women need a cover-up), hop a cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk for street food (paranthe wali gali), then take the metro to Humayun's Tomb (£5) and Qutub Minar (£5). Finish with a drive-past of Rashtrapati Bhawan and India Gate at sunset. Buy the ASI combined ticket if you'll hit several monuments. Note: the operator's Day 1 includes breakfast — do your own (chole bhature for ~£1).

🚌Airport Express Metro + Delhi Metro day pass (~£2.50), cycle rickshaw in Old Delhi (~£3)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh, twin room (~£16/night)

• →Raj Ghat
• →Red Fort
• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk street food walk
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →India Gate at sunset

Book a morning Gatimaan Express or Shatabdi Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin/New Delhi to Agra Cantt in advance on IRCTC (book early — ~£7-9 in AC Chair Car, 1h50m). Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse, then walk Agra's quieter side: Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj, ~£3) across the river and Mehtab Bagh (£3) for the classic sunset view of the Taj's rear profile from the Yamuna's far bank. Evening thali in Taj Ganj for ~£3. Pick up your Taj Mahal ticket online (ASI site, £6.50) for tomorrow's sunrise slot.

🚌Gatimaan Express Delhi–Agra (~£8), auto-rickshaw hops (~£3)

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj with rooftop Taj view (~£15/night)

• →Itmad-ud-Daulah
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset viewpoint
• →Yamuna riverside walk

Be at the East Gate for opening (30 min before sunrise — the East Gate queue is shorter). Two to three hours inside the Taj (£6.50, plus £1.50 for the mausoleum platform). Then Agra Fort (£5) — hire a local guide at the gate for ~£8 or use an audio guide. Quick lunch, then take the afternoon train to Sawai Madhopur (change at Kota or take a direct service if running; ~£5-7, 4-5 hrs) — this mirrors the operator's Day 3 but you do the Taj yourself and travel by rail. Arrive Sawai Madhopur, check into a guesthouse near the park gate.

🚌Auto to Taj (£2), train Agra–Sawai Madhopur (~£6), shared auto from station (~£1.50)

🛏Guesthouse near Ranthambore park entrance (~£18/night)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Local guide (optional, pay at gate)

Book both canter safaris yourself in advance on the official Rajasthan Forest Department portal (forest.rajasthan.gov.in) — a 6-seat canter share is ~£30-35 per person per safari including jeep/guide fee, or ~£55-60 for a full canter if you team up with other travellers at your guesthouse. Morning safari 6:30am, afternoon safari 2:30pm; between them climb to Ranthambore Fort (free, ~1hr each way) and swim-adjacent viewpoints over the park lakes. Lunch at the guesthouse. Bring layers — mornings are cold Nov-Feb.

🚌Canter safaris arranged by your guesthouse pickup (included in safari fee)

🛏Same Ranthambore guesthouse (~£18/night)

• →Morning canter safari
• →Afternoon canter safari
• →Ranthambore Fort hike

Take a shared taxi or local bus from Sawai Madhopur to Dausa/Talabgaon (~£4-6, 2-2.5 hrs) and stay one night at Castle Talabgaon or a nearby heritage haveli — book direct by email/phone rather than through the tour, roughly £30-40 for a double. Two notes from past travellers: the castle is remote with little to do, and the 'village safari' camel-cart ride can feel voyeuristic. A better alternative is a guided walk with a local fixer to the village well and fields, or an afternoon at Abhaneri's Chand Baori stepwell (a short taxi away, ~£8) which is genuinely spectacular. Evening dinner at the castle.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Sawai Madhopur–Talabgaon (~£5), local taxi to Abhaneri (~£8)

🛏Heritage castle/haveli near Talabgaon (~£35/night, book direct)

• →Castle Talabgaon stay
• →Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri (optional swap for camel ride)
• →Village walk

Bus or shared taxi to Jaipur (~£4, 2.5 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal. Afternoon: Birla Temple (free, white marble, peaceful) and Albert Hall Museum (£2.50, excellent Rajasthani artefacts — closed some Mondays). Then wander Johari and Bapu Bazaars for block prints and juttis, and catch the sunset from Nahargarh Fort's Padao restaurant terrace (~£1 entry + chai). Dinner at a rooftop thali place, ~£4.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Talabgaon–Jaipur (~£4), local autos (~£4)

🛏Old-city guesthouse near Hawa Mahal (~£18/night)

• →Birla Temple
• →Albert Hall Museum
• →Johari & Bapu Bazaar
• →Nahargarh sunset

Take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort early (~£1 + £1 entry... realistically £5 entry for foreigners). Skip the operator's jeep and walk up the ramp or take the public jeep share (~£2) — the walk is 15 minutes and lovely. Pre-book a Jaipur 'Amber Fort + old city' guided half-day on GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£20-25 if you want context, or use the on-site audio guide (£3). Then City Palace (£8), Hawa Mahal (£1, best from the café opposite), and Jantar Mantar (£3) with its giant sundials. Optional evening Rajasthani folk dance and dinner at Chokhi Dhani (~£12).

🚌Local bus/auto to Amber (~£2), city autos (~£4)

🛏Same Jaipur guesthouse (~£18/night)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Optional Chokhi Dhani folk village

Morning free for last shopping or a lassi at Lassiwala. Take a double-decker or Shatabdi train Jaipur–New Delhi (~£5-8, 4.5-5 hrs) or an AC sleeper bus (~£6). From New Delhi station take the Airport Express Metro to IGI (~£1.50) for your onward flight, or grab a prepaid taxi (~£5). If your flight is late, stash bags at the station cloakroom (~£1).

🚌Jaipur–New Delhi train (~£7), Airport Express Metro (~£1.50)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last-minute bazaar shopping
• →Lassiwala