Rajasthan Heritage: Delhi to Jodhpur, Udaipur, Pushkar, Jaipur & Agra (Self-Launched)

Land at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express metro (Blue Line interchange at New Delhi station) or an Uber/Ola for roughly £3–4 to Paharganj or Mandi House, where most Delhi hostels and guesthouses cluster. Grab an Indian SIM/eSIM at the airport or a Jio/Airtel store (passport + photo), withdraw rupees from an ATM, then keep day one gentle: a walk through Connaught Place, an early thali dinner and an early night. If you want a soft landing, pre-book a half-day guided Old Delhi walk on GetYourGuide for tomorrow evening instead of a full day.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£2 or Uber ~£3–4

🛏Hostel dorm or private room in a Paharganj/Mandi House guesthouse (e.g. Madpackers or Zostel Delhi), £10–18

• →Arrival setup: SIM card, cash, metro card
• →Connaught Place wander
• →Optional evening food walk in Paharganj

Do the loop yourself with the metro and cheap autos. Start early at Qutub Minar (ASI ticket bookable online, ~£6 for foreigners), then Humayun's Tomb (same ticket site) and the lotus-shaped Bahá'í House of Worship (Lotus Temple, free, closed Mondays). Metro to Central Secretariat to drive/walk past Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate. Afternoon: Old Delhi — Raj Ghat, Jama Masjid (£2, modest dress, shoes off), the drive-past of the Red Fort exterior, then a cycle-rickshaw loop through Chandni Chowk's spice and silver lanes (£2–3, agree the price first). Optional: hire a licensed local guide at Humayun's Tomb or Jama Masjid for ~£10 for a couple of hours.

🚌Delhi Metro day of rides ~£2 + autos/rickshaws ~£4

🛏Same Delhi guesthouse, £10–18

• →Qutub Minar
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Lotus Temple
• →India Gate & Rashtrapati Bhavan drive-past
• →Raj Ghat
• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk cycle-rickshaw & spice market

Take a morning or overnight train from Delhi to Jodhpur (Mandore or Jodhpur Junction) — the 1AC/2AC sleeper on the Mandore Express runs overnight and saves a hotel night; book on IRCTC in advance, ~£15–22 in 2AC. Check into a guesthouse in the old blue-washed lanes below the fort. Spend the afternoon at Mehrangarh Fort (£6 including audio guide, one of India's best), then Jaswant Thada's marble cenotaphs (£2), the small Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (£3), Umaid Bhawan Palace museum (£3) and the Clock Tower/Sardar Market for mirchi vada and lassi. Sunset from the fort walls or the rooftop of your guesthouse.

🚌Sleeper train Delhi–Jodhpur 2AC ~£15–22; autos around town ~£4

🛏Jodhpur old-city guesthouse (e.g. Haveli/Hostel in Navchokiya), £12–20

• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
• →Umaid Bhawan Palace museum
• →Clock Tower & Sardar Market
• →Blue-city lane walk

This is the one leg where a private transfer pays off: a shared or private taxi from Jodhpur to Udaipur via Ranakpur is ~£35–50 for the car (shareable if you find others at your guesthouse). Alternatively take a bus Jodhpur–Udaipur (~£5–7, 6 hrs) and divert to Ranakpur by local jeep/taxi (~£15 return from Sadri junction). Ranakpur's Chaumukha Jain Temple — 1,444 carved marble pillars — costs £2 and is worth the detour; keep shoulders and knees covered and no leather. Arrive Udaipur by evening and settle into a lakeside guesthouse near Lal Ghat or Hanuman Ghat.

🚌Shared/private taxi Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur ~£35–50 per car (or bus + local jeep ~£15)

🛏Udaipur lakeside guesthouse (Lal Ghat/Hanuman Ghat), £12–20

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple
• →Arrival in Udaipur, lakeside sunset

Buy a combined City Palace ticket (£6–8, includes the Crystal Gallery) and wander the lake-facing courtyards, then Jagdish Temple (free), Saheliyon ki Bari (£1.50) and Fateh Sagar Lake. Take the Ropeway up to Karni Mata for the classic lake panorama (£1.50), then a shared or private boat ride on Lake Pichola at sunset (~£5–8; the public boat from Rameshwar Ghat is cheapest). Evening: the Dharohar folk dance and music show in Bagore ki Haveli's courtyard — tickets ~£2.50 and sell out, so buy on the day at the door or via Klook. Dinner at Ambrai Ghat's steps or a rooftop thali.

🚌Walking + autos ~£3

🛏Same Udaipur guesthouse, £12–20

• →City Palace & Crystal Gallery
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Saheliyon ki Bari
• →Karni Mata ropeway
• →Lake Pichola boat ride
• →Dharohar Dance Show at Bagore ki Haveli
• →Ambrai Ghat sunset

Break the long transfer with a stop at Chittorgarh, Rajasthan's largest fort and the site of its most famous last stand. Take an early bus Udaipur–Chittorgarh (~£2.50, 2 hrs), drop your bag at the bus stand cloakroom, then hire an auto up to the fort (£4 return) and walk or take a shared jeep between the gates: Rana Kumbha Palace, Kumbha Shyam Temple, the Tower of Victory (Vijay Stambh, £2 fort entry), Meerabai Temple, the Tower of Fame, Padmini Palace and the museum. Then a bus or shared taxi on to Ajmer (~£2.50) and a local bus/tuk-tuk the last 30 min to Pushkar (~£1). Stay near the lake; Pushkar is vegetarian and alcohol-free.

🚌Bus Udaipur–Chittorgarh ~£2.50 + fort auto ~£4 + bus Chittorgarh–Ajmer ~£2.50 + local to Pushkar ~£1

🛏Pushkar guesthouse near the lake, £10–16

• →Chittorgarh Fort
• →Rana Kumbha Palace
• →Vijay Stambh (Tower of Victory)
• →Padmini Palace
• →Meerabai & Kumbha Shyam temples
• →Fort museum

Sunrise walk around Pushkar Lake's 52 ghats (note: no photography of bathing, and politely decline the 'flower offering' scam — a pushy priest demanding money for a blessing), then the rare Brahma Temple and the small Mahadev, Varah and Rangji temples. Climb or ropeway to Savitri Temple (£1.50) for the valley view. Afternoon: local bus to Ajmer (~£0.50) for the Dargah Sharif of Moinuddin Chishti (free; secure shoes, cover your head, no photos of the shrine — tip the qawwali singers if you like) and the beautiful Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque (£1). Back to Pushkar by evening for the bazaar and a rooftop dinner.

🚌Local buses Pushkar–Ajmer return ~£1 + autos ~£3

🛏Same Pushkar guesthouse, £10–16

• →Pushkar Lake ghats at sunrise
• →Brahma Temple
• →Savitri Temple & ropeway
• →Varah/Rangji temples
• →Ajmer Dargah Sharif
• →Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra

Morning bus or shared taxi Pushkar–Jaipur (~£3–5, 3 hrs). Base yourself in the old city near Hawa Mahal or in Bani Park. Book an Ola/Uber out to Amber Fort (£3) — take the £6 composite ticket (Amber + Jantar Mantar + City Palace + Hawa Mahal over two days, excellent value) — and choose a jeep (£8, shareable) or the free walk up rather than an elephant ride for ethical reasons. On the way back stop at Jal Mahal for the photo and drive past Hawa Mahal. If time allows, add Nahargarh Fort for sunset (£3 plus a taxi up) — the view over the pink city is superb.

🚌Bus Pushkar–Jaipur ~£3–5; Ola/Uber around Jaipur ~£6

🛏Jaipur old-city guesthouse or hostel (Bani Park/old city), £12–20

• →Amber Fort & jeep/walk up
• →Jal Mahal photo stop
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Optional Nahargarh Fort sunset

Use the second half of your composite ticket: City Palace (extra £3–5 for the private wings if you fancy it) and the astonishing Jantar Mantar observatory, then Birla Temple (free, white marble, evening aarti is lovely). Fill the afternoon with Johari and Bapu bazaars for block prints and mojari shoes. Take a late bus or overnight train to Agra — the Jaipur–Agra Vande Bharat/Marudhar Express runs in about 4 hrs (~£8–12 in CC/3AC); alternatively a sleeper bus ~£6. Book on IRCTC or 12Go. Agra hotels are cheap and plentiful near the Taj's east gate (Taj Ganj).

🚌Ola/Uber in Jaipur ~£4; train Jaipur–Agra ~£8–12

🛏Agra guesthouse in Taj Ganj, £12–18

• →Jaipur City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Birla Temple
• →Johari/Bapu bazaar shopping

Get to the Taj at opening (sunrise, ~6am) to dodge crowds and heat — buy the ticket online in advance (£11, plus £2 for the main mausoleum; closed Fridays) and note the 500m no-vehicle zone, so allow time from Taj Ganj. Then Agra Fort (£6, includes Moti Masjid, Jahangir's Palace, Diwan-I-Aam and Diwan-I-Khas) and Itmad-ud-Daulah's 'Baby Taj' (£3) across the river. In the late afternoon take a local bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri (£2 each way, 1 hr) for the abandoned Mughal capital and the Tomb of Salim Chisti, Buland Darwaza and Panch Mahal (£6 entry). If Fatehpur feels too tight, swap it for Mehtab Bagh's riverside Taj sunset (£2) and Sikandra (Akbar's Tomb, £3).

🚌Autos in Agra ~£5; bus Fatehpur Sikri return ~£4

🛏Same Taj Ganj guesthouse, £12–18

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj)
• →Fatehpur Sikri & Salim Chisti tomb
• →Optional Mehtab Bagh sunset / Sikandra

Morning train back to Delhi — the Gatimaan Express covers Agra to Hazrat Nizamuddin in about 80 minutes (~£10–14) — or a comfortable bus (~£5). If your flight is late, leave bags at the station cloakroom or your guesthouse and use the time for a last Jama Masjid kebab lunch or the National Museum (£5). Airport Express or Uber to IGI Airport for departure. If you're extending, Bundi, Ranthambore tiger safaris and Varanasi are all easy add-ons from here.

🚌Gatimaan Express Agra–Delhi ~£10–14 + Airport Express ~£2

🛏None included (departure day)

• →Road-trip back to Delhi
• →Optional National Museum or last-bazaar shopping