Classic Rajasthan & the Taj Mahal: Self-Launched 10-Day Circuit

Land at Indira Gandhi International and take the Airport Express metro (≈£1.80) or a prepaid Uber/Ola (≈£5–7) to a guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Pick up an Airtel or Jio tourist SIM at the airport arrivals hall (≈£5 for 30 days data), activate UPI if you can (foreign cards work on some apps now), and register on IRCTC so you can book trains for later in the trip. Keep the evening gentle: a thali in Karol Bagh and an early night. Ask your guesthouse to arrange a licensed guide for tomorrow if you want one (≈£15 for a half-day Old Delhi walk).

🚌Airport Express metro ≈£1.80, or Ola/Uber ≈£5–7 from IGI

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh (double ≈£15–22)

• →Airport Express metro into the city
• →Tourist SIM card (Airtel/Jio)
• →IRCTC account setup for train bookings
• →Evening thali in Karol Bagh

Start at Jama Masjid (free entry, ≈£1.50 camera fee, shoes off) then walk or cycle-rickshaw the Chandni Chowk lanes for breakfast — parathas at Paranthe Wali Gali or sweets at a halwai. Metro to Raj Ghat (free, Gandhi's cremation site), then a rickshaw to Humayun's Tomb (≈£5 foreigners) and the Qutub Minar complex (≈£5). If time allows, drive past Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament on the way to Nizamuddin station. Take an evening train to Agra — the Gatimaan Express or a Shatabdi, 1h50–2h, ≈£6–12 in AC chair, booked in advance on IRCTC. Check into a guesthouse in Taj Ganj with a rooftop view of the mausoleum.

🚌Delhi metro + rickshaws ≈£4; Delhi–Agra AC chair train ≈£6–12

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop Taj view (double ≈£14–20)

• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk food walk
• →Raj Ghat
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →Drive past Rashtrapati Bhavan & Parliament
• →Evening train to Agra

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online the night before (≈£10 foreigners, closed Fridays) and be at the East Gate for opening around sunrise — the light and the near-empty causeway are the whole point. Two to three hours is plenty; a licensed guide at the gate runs ≈£10–15 and is worth it once. Back for breakfast, then Agra Fort (≈£5) and, if you're moving fast, Itimad-ud-Daulah ('Baby Taj'). Leave mid-afternoon: either the train to Jaipur via a stop at Abhaneri stepwell is awkward independently, so the practical option is a direct train or bus to Jaipur (≈£4–8, 4–5h) and save Abhaneri for a detour if you're hiring a car for a day. Alternatively take a shared taxi to Abhaneri first (≈£12–15 for the car, 1.5h) and continue to Jaipur from there. Evening arrival, check into a guesthouse inside the old city walls.

🚌Tuk-tuks in Agra ≈£3; Agra–Jaipur train ≈£4–8 (or private car via Abhaneri ≈£30 split)

🛏Old City Jaipur guesthouse or haveli (double ≈£16–26)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise (pre-booked online)
• →Agra Fort
• →Optional: Itimad-ud-Daulah
• →Transfer to Jaipur

Take a local bus or Ola to Amber Fort (≈£1.50 or ≈£3) and arrive by 8am — entry ≈£5.50, and skip the elephant rides (welfare concerns and long queues); walk up or take a jeep. On the way back stop at Jal Mahal for the water-palace photo, then Hawa Mahal (≈£2.50 to climb, free from the street). After lunch do the City Palace (≈£8), Jantar Mantar (≈£2.50) and a self-guided walk out through Tripolia Gate into the bazaars — Bangles Street (Maniharon ka Rasta) and the flower market near Ramchandra Ji Temple. A half-day licensed guide for the old city is ≈£12. Eat at a rooftop in the old city and try pyaaz kachori from Rawat.

🚌Local bus/Ola to Amber ≈£3 round trip; walking + rickshaws ≈£3

🛏Old City Jaipur guesthouse or haveli (double ≈£16–26)

• →Amber Fort (walk or jeep, skip elephant rides)
• →Jal Mahal photo stop
• →Hawa Mahal
• →City Palace Museum
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Old city bazaar walk via Tripolia Gate, Bangles Street & Ramchandra Ji Temple

Chittorgarh is genuinely awkward by public transport, so the pragmatic self-launched move is a shared or private car for the day (≈£30–40 for the vehicle, split if you can find people at your guesthouse) — Jaipur to Chittorgarh is ≈3h, then on to Udaipur another ≈2h. Otherwise take the morning train or a Volvo bus Jaipur–Udaipur (≈£6–10, 6–7h) and skip the fort; Chittorgarh can be reached separately by train from Udaipur if you give it a full day. Chittorgarh Fort entry is ≈£3.50 plus a shared jeep up the hill. Arrive Udaipur in the evening and stay near Lake Pichola or Lal Ghat — book a haveli with a rooftop before you arrive.

🚌Private/shared car via Chittorgarh ≈£30–40 per vehicle, or train/bus Jaipur–Udaipur ≈£6–10

🛏Lal Ghat / Lake Pichola haveli (double ≈£15–25)

• →Chittorgarh Fort with shared jeep up the hill
• →Evening walk around Lake Pichola

City Palace complex first thing (≈£6, plus the Crystal Gallery), then walk down to Jagdish Temple (free) and on to Saheliyon ki Bari (≈£1.50). Afternoon puppet show at Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal (≈£2–3 — check show times locally, they're usually afternoon). Book a sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola directly at the City Palace jetty (≈£8–12 for the standard 30-minute trip; private boats cost more). Dinner at Ambrai or a cheaper rooftop thali in Lal Ghat. Optional day trip if you have energy: Eklingji temple by local bus (≈£1, 45 min).

🚌Walking plus tuk-tuks ≈£3

🛏Lal Ghat / Lake Pichola haveli (double ≈£15–25)

• →City Palace
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Saheliyon ki Bari
• →Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandal puppet show
• →Sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola (book at jetty)

Ranakpur sits between Udaipur and Jodhpur with no useful public transport link — this is the one day where a private car (≈£40–50 for the vehicle, shareable) really is the best value versus wasting a day. Leave 7am, spend 1.5–2h at the temple (entry ≈£2 plus camera fee of roughly £2; no leather, shoulders and knees covered), lunch at a Rajasthani thali place nearby, and roll into Jodhpur by late afternoon (≈£8 bus alternative is possible but skips the temple). Settle into a guesthouse in the blue lanes below Mehrangarh. If you're keeping costs lean, take the direct bus Udaipur–Jodhpur (≈£6–8, 5–6h) and do the fort tomorrow.

🚌Private car Udaipur–Ranakpur–Jodhpur ≈£40–50 per vehicle (split), or bus ≈£6–8

🛏Blue-city guesthouse near the clock tower (double ≈£14–22)

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple
• →Roadside Rajasthani thali lunch
• →Evening in Jodhpur's blue lanes

Mehrangarh Fort opens at 9am — entry ≈£6 with audio guide, allow 2.5–3h; the ramparts view is the best in Rajasthan. Walk 15 minutes to Jaswant Thada (≈£1.50) for the marble cenotaphs, then hunt down makhaniya lassi near the clock tower and, if time permits, the Camel Breeding Farm on the Bikaner road is only worth it with your own wheels. Afternoon bus to Bikaner (≈£4–6, 5h, frequent on RSBTC/private operators) or a train (≈£3–6). Bikaner is quieter and cheaper than the big-name cities — stay near the old town.

🚌Walking + tuk-tuk ≈£2; bus Jodhpur–Bikaner ≈£4–6

🛏Bikaner heritage guesthouse near old town (double ≈£14–22)

• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Clock tower lassi stop
• →Bus to Bikaner

Junagarh Fort first thing (≈£4.50, closed on some public holidays — check ahead, allow 2h), then Lallgarh Palace (small entry fee) or the nearby Rampuria Havelis on foot. Midday catch a bus toward Mandawa (≈£3–5, 3–3.5h, usually with a change in Fatehpur or Jhunjhunu) or a shared jeep. Mandawa is tiny: check into a heritage haveli, then spend the late afternoon wandering the painted fresco havelis (Gulab Rai Ladia, Murmuria, Chokhani) — most are free with a tip, and a local guide is ≈£5. Sunset from the Char Chowk area rooftops. This is the itinerary's slow, atmospheric night — dinner at the haveli.

🚌Tuk-tuk in Bikaner ≈£2; bus Bikaner–Mandawa ≈£3–5

🛏Mandawa heritage haveli (double ≈£18–28)

• →Junagarh Fort
• →Lallgarh Palace / Rampuria Havelis
• →Painted havelis of Mandawa with local guide
• →Sunset from the old town rooftops

Morning walk round the havelis if you missed any at dusk, then bus to Jhunjhunu or Nawalgarh (≈£1) and a train or bus on to Delhi (≈£4–8, 4–5h total). If you'd rather not chain connections, a private car Mandawa–Delhi is ≈£45–55 and gets you in by early afternoon. Drop bags at a Delhi guesthouse or head straight to the airport — the Airport Express takes 20 minutes. If you have a late flight, Dilli Haat or the Lodhi Gardens make a good final stop.

🚌Bus + train Mandawa–Delhi ≈£5–9, or private car ≈£45–55

🛏—

• →Final haveli walk in Mandawa
• →Return transfer to Delhi
• →Airport Express to IGI if flying out