Rajasthan, Varanasi & Amritsar — Self-Launched 18-Day India Circuit

Land at Indira Gandhi International, take the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station (~£1.50) or a prepaid taxi (~£3), and check into a guesthouse in Paharganj or a hostel in Hauz Khas. Spend the afternoon gently: a walk down Chandni Chowk's spice lanes and a plate of parathas in the Paranthe Wali Gali. Grab a local SIM/eSIM and set up UPI or just carry cash. Sort your onward train to Mandawa/Delhi Cantt for tomorrow if you haven't pre-booked.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£1.50; metro/auto-rickshaw around town ~£1-2

🛏Paharganj guesthouse or Hauz Khas hostel (dorm ~£6, private ~£14)

• →Chandni Chowk walk
• →Paranthe Wali Gali street food
• →Set up SIM and IRCTC train booking

Do the classic Delhi circuit yourself: Humayun's Tomb at opening (cheapest and quietest early), then the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (small camera fee), Raj Ghat and India Gate. Use the metro between stops — it's fast, cheap and air-conditioned. Skip the private guide and use a free walking tour or a GetYourGuide old-city food walk (~£12-18) if you want context. Evening: Lodhi Garden or a rooftop dinner in Paharganj.

🚌Delhi Metro day of rides ~£2; autos ~£4

🛏Paharganj guesthouse or Hauz Khas hostel

• →Humayun's Tomb (~£5)
• →Red Fort (~£5)
• →Jama Masjid
• →Optional old-city food walk (~£15)

Take an early train or bus towards Jhunjhunu/Nawalgarh (Delhi–Jhunjhunu trains run overnight or early morning; alternatively a Rajasthan State Road Transport bus from Kashmiri Gate, ~5-6 hrs, ~£5), then a shared jeep or auto the last 30 km to Mandawa (~£2). Check into a small heritage haveli guesthouse. Spend the afternoon wandering Mandawa's frescoed merchant mansions on foot — the town is tiny and the havelis are free or carry a token £1 entry. Nawalgarh and Dundlod are a short auto ride away if you want more.

🚌Bus/train Delhi to Jhunjhunu ~£5; shared jeep to Mandawa ~£2

🛏Heritage haveli guesthouse in Mandawa (~£12-16)

• →Mandawa haveli walk
• →Optional Nawalgarh/Dundlod frescoes by auto (~£4)

Bus or shared taxi south to Bikaner (~4 hrs, ~£4-6). Drop bags and head to Junagarh Fort, a superb intact Rajput fort with a good audio guide (~£6 with audio) — this is your substitute for the guided tour. Then the Har Mandir temple and, if time allows, the rat temple at Deshnoke by local bus (~£1) or the Camel Research Farm. Evening thali in the old town near Kote Gate.

🚌Bus Mandawa–Bikaner ~£5; local autos ~£2

🛏Guesthouse near Junagarh Fort (~£10-14)

• →Junagarh Fort with audio guide (~£6)
• →Har Mandir temple
• →Optional Deshnoke rat temple by local bus

A long travel day: bus or shared taxi Bikaner–Jaisalmer takes 5-6 hours (~£6-8); there's also a slow train via Jodhpur if you prefer rail. Arrive by late afternoon, check into a guesthouse inside or beside the fort walls, and watch sunset from the fort ramparts or Gadisar Lake for free. Book tomorrow's camel safari direct with a local operator or via GetYourGuide rather than through a hotel commission.

🚌Bus Bikaner–Jaisalmer ~£7; autos ~£2

🛏Guesthouse inside Jaisalmer Fort (~£10-15)

• →Sunset at Gadisar Lake
• →Book desert safari direct

Morning exploring the living Golden Fort: Jain temples inside the walls (~£3 combined ticket), the palace museum (~£5), and the havelis — Patwon ki Haveli and Nathmal ki Haveli (~£2 each). Wander the bazaars for mirror-work textiles. Mid-afternoon, head out on an independent camel safari to the Sam or Khuri dunes: half-day camel plus jeep plus dinner is roughly £20-28 booked locally or on GetYourGuide. Back in town by nightfall or sleep in the desert in a basic camp tent.

🚌Auto to safari point ~£3; safari jeep included

🛏Fort guesthouse or basic desert camp (~£10-18)

• →Golden Fort and Jain temples (~£8 total)
• →Patwon ki Haveli (~£2)
• →Camel safari with dune sunset (~£22)

Bus or shared taxi Jaisalmer–Jodhpur, ~5 hrs (~£7), or the morning train. In Jodhpur, check into a guesthouse in the blue old town below the fort. Afternoon at Mehrangarh Fort — the audio guide is excellent and included in the ~£7 entry — then Jaswant Thada's marble cenotaphs (~£2) and Umaid Public Gardens. Finish with sunset over the blue rooftops from a rooftop café and a makhaniya lassi at Shri Mishrilal.

🚌Bus Jaisalmer–Jodhpur ~£7; autos ~£3

🛏Old-town guesthouse with fort views (~£11-16)

• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide (~£7)
• →Jaswant Thada (~£2)
• →Blue city walk and rooftop sunset

Take a bus or shared taxi towards Udaipur and break the journey at Ranakpur (~3 hrs from Jodhpur) to see the stunning 15th-century Chaumukha Temple with its 1,444 carved pillars — free entry, small camera fee. Independent travellers usually take a local bus to Sadri and a shared jeep up to the temple (~£4 total), or hire a car for the day (~£30-35 split between two). Continue on to Udaipur, arriving evening. Check into a guesthouse near Lake Pichola.

🚌Bus/shared taxi Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur ~£10-14

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola (~£12-18)

• →Ranakpur Chaumukha Temple (free, camera fee ~£1)
• →Sunset at Ambrai Ghat

Morning at the City Palace complex (~£8 with the crystal gallery), then Jagdish Temple next door (free). Afternoon at Saheliyon ki Bari gardens (~£1) and a slow walk around Fatehsagar Lake. Skip the folk museum entry and instead catch a free or low-cost evening Rajasthani folk dance at Bagore ki Haveli (~£3, 7pm show). Eat dinner on a rooftop facing the Lake Palace.

🚌Walking plus autos ~£4

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola

• →City Palace (~£8)
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Bagore ki Haveli folk show (~£3)
• →Saheliyon ki Bari (~£1)

Travel day. The overnight or daytime train Udaipur–Jaipur takes about 6-7 hours (~£5-10 in sleeper or chair car); buses are similar but slower. Book on IRCTC well ahead. Arrive Jaipur, settle into a guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal, and spend the evening in Johari and Bapu Bazaars. If you have energy, Chokhi Dhani-style village dinners are touristy — a local Rajasthani thali in town is better value at ~£4.

🚌Train Udaipur–Jaipur ~£8; autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse near Hawa Mahal (~£11-17)

• →Johari and Bapu Bazaar wander
• →Rajasthani thali dinner

Get to Amber Fort early (local bus #5 or auto ~£2; entry ~£6 with the Sheesh Mahal inside). Walk down to Jal Mahal and stop at Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell. Back in the city: City Palace (~£8), Jantar Mantar (~£3), Ram Niwas Gardens and a photo stop at Hawa Mahal (the façade is free from the street; ~£3 to go in). A full-day auto-rickshaw hire is ~£12 and covers everything.

🚌Full-day auto hire ~£12

🛏Old-city guesthouse near Hawa Mahal

• →Amber Fort (~£6)
• →City Palace (~£8)
• →Jantar Mantar (~£3)
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Panna Meena ka Kund

Catch an early bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri (~3 hrs, ~£5), explore the abandoned Mughal capital and Jama Masjid with the Tomb of Salim Chishti and Panch Mahal (~£6 combined), then continue by bus to Agra (~2 hrs, ~£3). Arrive afternoon: visit Agra Fort (~£6) and Mehtab Bagh across the river for sunset views of the Taj. Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance for tomorrow's sunrise slot (~£13).

🚌Bus Jaipur–Fatehpur Sikri–Agra ~£8; autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj (~£10-16)

• →Fatehpur Sikri (~£6)
• →Agra Fort (~£6)
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset (~£3)
• →Pre-book Taj Mahal ticket (~£13)

Be at the East or West gate before dawn for sunrise at the Taj — genuinely worth the early alarm and far quieter than midday. Back for breakfast and checkout, then take an afternoon train Agra to Varanasi (the operator quotes 4-5 hours; realistic independent rail options run 8-12 hours overnight, ~£8-14 in sleeper/3AC — book early on IRCTC). Overnight on the train or arrive late and check into a ghat-side guesthouse.

🚌Train Agra–Varanasi ~£12; autos ~£3

🛏Sleeper train, then Varanasi guesthouse (~£10-15)

• →Sunrise Taj Mahal (~£13)
• →Optional Taj Ganj breakfast

Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges from Assi Ghat to Manikarnika (~£5-8 negotiated directly, or ~£12 via GetYourGuide with a guide) — the light and the bathing rituals are the highlight of the whole trip. Walk the ghats afterwards, taking in Harishchandra Ghat and the lanes behind Dashashwamedh. Afternoon: Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor and a lassi at Blue Lassi. At dusk, join the free Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat from the steps — arrive 45 minutes early for a seat, or pay ~£5 for a boat view.

🚌Walking; boat ~£6

🛏Ghat-side guesthouse (~£10-16)

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride (~£6)
• →Ghat walk: Manikarnika & Harishchandra
• →Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh
• →Blue Lassi

Morning free for Sarnath by local bus (~£1, entry ~£3) — where the Buddha gave his first sermon — or a slow breakfast on the ghats. Then an afternoon or overnight train back to Delhi (~£10-14, 8-12 hrs). If you take the overnight you save a night's accommodation. Rest up in Paharganj or near New Delhi station.

🚌Train Varanasi–Delhi ~£12; local bus to Sarnath ~£1

🛏Paharganj guesthouse or overnight train (~£8-14)

• →Sarnath and Dhamek Stupa (~£3)
• →Ghat morning walk

Take the daytime Shatabdi or Vande Bharat train Delhi to Amritsar (~5.5 hrs, ~£12-18 in chair car) — far more comfortable than the bus. Arrive evening and check into a guesthouse near the Golden Temple (or the free/very cheap SGPC guest rooms right by it, which book out). First view of the illuminated Harmandir Sahib at night is the moment to save for — go after dark when the crowds thin.

🚌Train Delhi–Amritsar ~£15; autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse near Golden Temple (~£10-16)

• →Night visit to the illuminated Golden Temple

Early morning at the Golden Temple for kirtan and a dip in the sarovar; cover your head and leave shoes at the free counter. Eat at the Guru Ka Langar, the world's largest free community kitchen — volunteers welcome. Walk five minutes to Jallianwala Bagh (free) and then the Partition Museum (~£3). Afternoon: the Wagah border ceremony by shared taxi or bus (~£6 return; check current timings) or the Gobindgarh Fort. Evening: Amritsari kulcha and fish at a dhaba near the temple.

🚌Shared taxi to Wagah ~£6; autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse near Golden Temple

• →Golden Temple and langar (free)
• →Jallianwala Bagh
• →Partition Museum (~£3)
• →Wagah border ceremony (~£6 transport)

Morning train or a cheap domestic flight back to Delhi (train ~£15, 5.5 hrs; IndiGo/SpiceJet flights often £30-45 if booked early). If your international flight is from Amritsar you can skip this and fly out directly. Leave buffer time at Delhi airport — Terminal 3 security can be slow, and an Air India/IndiGo connection from Amritsar lands at T1 or T3 depending on carrier.

🚌Train Amritsar–Delhi ~£15 or budget flight ~£35

🛏None — departure day

• →Last Golden Temple visit at dawn
• →Departure