Colourful India Self-Launched: Taj Mahal & Rajasthan (Delhi to Udaipur)

Start early to beat the heat. Take the Delhi Metro to Chandni Chowk and walk to Raj Ghat (Gandhi's memorial, free), then loop through Old Delhi: Red Fort (₹600 foreigner ticket, closed Mondays), Jama Masjid (₹300 camera fee, modest dress), and a chai stop in the lanes behind. Afternoon: Metro to JLN Stadium for Humayun's Tomb (₹600), then auto-rickshaw to Qutub Minar (₹600). Finish with a drive/walk past India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan at dusk. Book a half-day Old Delhi walking tour on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£12) if you want context without a private guide.

🚌Delhi Metro day card ~£1.50 plus 3-4 auto-rickshaws ~£4 total

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh (dorm £8-12, private £18-25)

• →Raj Ghat
• →Red Fort
• →Jama Masjid
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →India Gate & Rashtrapati Bhawan drive-past

Morning Gatimaan Express from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~1h50, book on IRCTC, £10-15 in AC chair car). Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse, then visit Agra Fort (£6) with an audio guide or a locally licensed guide hired at the gate (~£10). Late afternoon head to the Taj Mahal — the ticket is ₹1,300 for foreigners and includes the same-day Agra Fort discount; sunset light is softer and crowds thinner than midday. Eat dinner at a rooftop with a Taj view in Taj Ganj.

🚌Train Delhi-Agra ~£12; auto-rickshaws ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, Agra (private £18-25, dorm £10)

• →Gatimaan Express to Agra
• →Agra Fort
• →Taj Mahal at sunset

Pre-book the Taj Mahal sunrise entry (same ₹1,300 ticket, East Gate opens before dawn — arrive 30 min early for security). Return for breakfast and checkout. Take a bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri (~1h, ~£3-5), explore the Mughal ghost city and Diwan-i-Aam, Panch Mahal and Buland Darwaza (£6 combined). Continue by local bus or shared taxi from Fatehpur Sikri to Jaipur (~3h, ~£5) or hop back to Agra and take an evening train. Settle into a Jaipur hostel in the old city.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Agra–Fatehpur Sikri–Jaipur ~£10

🛏Hostel or haveli guesthouse in Jaipur old city (dorm £9-13, private £22-30)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Fatehpur Sikri & Panch Mahal
• →Transfer to Jaipur

Grab a local bus or ₹20 shared jeep to Amber Fort early (£6 ticket, audio guide £3; skip the elephant ride — ethically dubious and pricey). Walk down to Jal Mahal for photos. Afternoon: City Palace (£8) and Jantar Mantar (£3), then view Hawa Mahal from the Wind View Cafe terrace for free. Evening: wander Johari and Bapu Bazaar for block prints and gemstones, and eat pyaaz kachori and lassi at Rawat Mishthan Bhandar. Optional block-printing workshop in Sanganer (~£15 via GetYourGuide).

🚌Local bus + shared jeep + autos ~£5

🛏Hostel/haveli in Jaipur

• →Amber Fort
• →Jal Mahal
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Bazaar shopping

Morning train or AC bus Jaipur to Bikaner (~5-6h, train £4-8 / bus £5). Check into a guesthouse near the old town. Afternoon visit Junagarh Fort (£5) — one of Rajasthan's best-preserved forts and far quieter than Amber. Then take a local auto to the National Research Centre on Camel (£2) for camel-milk ice cream and a look at the herds. Evening thali at a local dhaba.

🚌Train/bus Jaipur–Bikaner ~£6; autos £3

🛏Guesthouse in Bikaner (private £15-22)

• →Train/bus to Bikaner
• →Junagarh Fort
• →Camel breeding farm

Long travel day: bus or train Bikaner to Jaisalmer (~6-7h road, ~£5-8; the train route is indirect so a Rajasthan State Road Transport bus or shared taxi is usually faster). Arrive late afternoon, check into a guesthouse inside or beside the fort walls, and watch sunset from the rooftop with a view of Sonar Quila. Book tomorrow's camel safari directly with a local operator (avoid commissions via your guesthouse if possible) or through Klook/GetYourGuide (~£30-40 for the camel ride plus overnight desert camp with dinner and folk music).

🚌Bus Bikaner–Jaisalmer ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in Jaisalmer (private £15-25)

• →Scenic road transfer across the Thar Desert
• →Sunset over Jaisalmer Fort
• →Book camel safari

Morning on foot: Jaisalmer Fort (free to enter, ₹250 for the palace museum), the exquisite Patwon Ki Haveli (£3) and Salim Singh Ki Haveli (£2), and Gadi Sagar Lake with its temples and ghats. After lunch, an afternoon jeep/camel transfer to Sam Sand Dunes (~40 min, included in most safari packages). Ride camels into the dunes for sunset, then overnight at a desert camp with dinner, Rajasthani folk music and a fire under the stars. Budget tents are basic but atmospheric.

🚌Shared jeep to dunes included in safari

🛏Desert camp at Sam Sand Dunes (included in safari package, ~£30-40 all-in)

• →Jaisalmer Fort (Sonar Quila)
• →Patwon Ki Haveli
• →Salim Singh Ki Haveli
• →Gadi Sagar Lake
• →Camel safari at Sam Sand Dunes
• →Desert camp overnight

Return to Jaisalmer after breakfast and take the bus or train to Jodhpur (~5-6h, ~£5). Optional stop at Osian's Jain temples en route if you hire a shared taxi. Arrive and head straight for Mehrangarh Fort (£6, plus zip line ~£12 if you fancy it) for the palaces and ramparts, then Jaswant Thada (£2) in the late light. Wander the indigo lanes of Navchokiya below the fort at golden hour — the classic Blue City photo spot.

🚌Bus/train Jaisalmer–Jodhpur ~£6; autos £3

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Jodhpur old city (dorm £8-12, private £18-25)

• →Transfer to Jodhpur
• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Blue City old town walk

Hire a shared taxi or take a bus to Ranakpur (~2h, ~£4-8) to see the extraordinary 15th-century Jain temple with its 1,444 carved marble pillars (£2, camera fee extra, knees/shoulders covered). Continue by bus or shared taxi through the Aravalli hills to Udaipur (~2-3h, ~£4). Check into a guesthouse in the old city with a lake view, and spend the evening on the Ambrai Ghat or a rooftop watching the sun set behind the Lake Palace.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur ~£10

🛏Guesthouse in Udaipur old city (private £18-28, dorm £10)

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple
• →Aravalli hill drive
• →Sunset over Lake Pichola

Morning at the City Palace complex (£6), including the Crystal Gallery if it appeals. Stop at Saheliyon-ki-Bari (£1) and the Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal folk art museum (£1.50) for costumes, puppets and a puppet show. Take a short miniature-painting class at a local art school in the old city (~£10-15, often walk-in). At sunset, join a shared boat ride on Lake Pichola (£5-7) past the Lake Palace and Jag Mandir — book at Rameshwar Ghat or via GetYourGuide.

🚌Walking + autos ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in Udaipur old city

• →City Palace Udaipur
• →Saheliyon-ki-Bari
• →Folk Art Museum / puppet show
• →Miniature painting class
• →Lake Pichola boat ride

Slow breakfast lakeside, a last wander through the Hathi Pol craft shops, then onward travel. Udaipur has direct flights to Delhi and Mumbai (£35-60) and an overnight train to Delhi (£10-18) or Ahmedabad for onward connections. If you have time, extend with a bus to Mount Abu (~4h) or push on to Bundi and Pushkar.

🚌Auto to airport/train station ~£3

🛏None (departure day)

• →Old city shopping
• →Departure transfer