Essence of Rajasthan & Pushkar Camel Fair — Self-Launched

Land at Indira Gandhi International, take the Airport Express metro to New Delhi station (~£1.20) or a prepaid taxi (~£4-5) and check into a guesthouse in Paharganj or a hostel in Hauz Khas. Grab a cheap thali, sort a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£4 for a month's data) and pre-book your onward trains on IRCTC — Udaipur and the Jodhpur/Pushkar legs sell out around fair week, so book now if you can. Evening walk around Connaught Place.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.20 or prepaid taxi ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj or hostel in Hauz Khas, ~£12

• →Airport transfer to Paharganj
• →Local SIM card set-up
• →Pre-book IRCTC train tickets for the next 10 days
• →Evening stroll around Connaught Place

Do the guide's Old Delhi circuit yourself: metro to Chawri Bazaar, walk to Jama Masjid (free entry, ~£2 to climb the minaret), then a cycle rickshaw (~£1.50) through Chandni Chowk's lanes for parathas at Paranthe Wali Gali and jalebi. Afternoon: metro to Humayun's Tomb (~£5), Qutub Minar (~£5) and a drive-past of India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan. Optional sound-and-light show at Red Fort in the evening (~£3). A half-day Old Delhi food walk on GetYourGuide is ~£15-20 if you want the street-food history explained.

🚌Delhi Metro day of rides ~£3, cycle rickshaw ~£1.50

🛏Guesthouse in Paharganj or hostel in Hauz Khas, ~£12

• →Jama Masjid and minaret climb
• →Cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk
• →Street-food crawl (parathas, chaat, jalebi)
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →India Gate and Raj Ghat

Morning free for Raj Ghat or a slow café breakfast. Check out and store bags, then take the afternoon/evening train from Delhi to Udaipur (e.g. Mewar Express, ~12-13 hrs, sleeper class ~£4-6, 3AC ~£12-15) or a cheap IndiGo flight (~£35-45) if you'd rather save a day. If you fly, you get the evening free for a sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola (~£6-8 from Rameshwar Ghat) — worth doing today so tomorrow stays relaxed.

🚌Delhi–Udaipur train sleeper ~£5 / 3AC ~£14 (or flight ~£40)

🛏Overnight train (3AC) or guesthouse in Udaipur's Lal Ghat, ~£12

• →Raj Ghat
• →Overnight train or short flight to Udaipur
• →Optional sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola

Self-guided day around the old city: City Palace complex and Crystal Gallery (~£8 combined), Jagdish Temple (free), and the quirky Vintage Car Museum (~£3.50) in the afternoon. Wander to Saheliyon Ki Bari gardens (~£1.50) and the Bharatiya Lok Kala folk-art museum (~£1.50). Finish with a cheap rooftop dinner over the lake — Lal Ghat has plenty of £4-6 thalis. A local guide for the City Palace can be arranged on the spot for ~£10-12 if you want the Rajput history.

🚌Walking plus auto-rickshaw hops ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Lal Ghat, Udaipur, ~£12

• →City Palace and Crystal Gallery
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Saheliyon Ki Bari
• →Vintage Car Museum
• →Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum
• →Rooftop dinner over Lake Pichola

Take a morning bus or shared jeep from Udaipur toward Jodhpur with a stop at the Ranakpur Jain Temples (~£1.50 entry, ~3 hrs each way from Udaipur). Easiest DIY option: a shared taxi/Sumo on the Udaipur–Jodhpur road that drops at Ranakpur junction (~£6-8), then a local bus the remaining 90 minutes (~£1.50). Alternatively the direct Udaipur–Jodhpur bus is ~£5-6 and skips Ranakpur — take it if you're short on time. Evening in Jodhpur's Clock Tower Market for mirchi vada and mawa kachori (~£2).

🚌Shared taxi + local bus via Ranakpur ~£8-10

🛏Guesthouse in Jodhpur's blue old city, ~£13

• →Ranakpur Jain Temples
• →Clock Tower Market food crawl
• →Sardar Market browsing

Walk up to Mehrangarh Fort early (entry with audio guide ~£6) before the heat, then Jaswant Thada (~£1.50) and Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum (~£3). Afternoon for the blue-lane photo walk below the fort and a rooftop lassi. Overnight bus or shared taxi to Pushkar/Ajmer tonight or early tomorrow — during fair week book ahead. Sleeper bus Jodhpur–Ajmer is ~£6-8; a shared taxi is ~£10-12 per seat.

🚌Auto-rickshaws around town ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Jodhpur, ~£13

• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum
• →Blue city photo walk

Travel to Ajmer by bus or shared taxi, then a 30-minute local bus or auto to Pushkar (~£1). Note: during fair week accommodation in Pushkar is scarce and inflated — many travellers base in Ajmer (~£12-15) and shuttle in, which is the budget-smart move. Spend the day at the Pushkar Camel Fair: camel trading, turban-tying and moustache competitions, folk music, ferris wheels. Fair entry is free; a camel ride is ~£3-5, and a hot-air balloon flight over the fair (booked ahead) is ~£120-150 if you want the splurge. Sunset at the ghats.

🚌Jodhpur–Ajmer bus/shared taxi ~£8, Ajmer–Pushkar local bus ~£1

🛏Guesthouse/tent camp in Pushkar or guesthouse in Ajmer, ~£15

• →Pushkar Camel Fair
• →Camel trading and folk performances
• →Optional camel ride ~£4
• →Sunset at Pushkar Lake ghats

Early Brahma Temple and a walk around Pushkar Lake and its 52 ghats, then bus to Ajmer and a train or bus on to Jaipur (~£4-6, 2.5-3 hrs). Check into a hostel in the old city near Badi Choupad or Hathroi. Evening bazaar wander through Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar for block-print fabrics, jewellery and pottery — haggle hard, start at half the asking price.

🚌Pushkar–Ajmer local bus ~£1 + Ajmer–Jaipur train ~£4

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Jaipur old city, ~£12

• →Brahma Temple
• →Pushkar Lake ghats walk
• →Johari and Bapu Bazaar shopping

Local bus No. 5 or an auto to Amber Fort (~£1.50 bus / ~£4 auto); entry ~£6, or take the jeep up the ramp for ~£4 shared. Skip the elephant rides. Afternoon: Hawa Mahal (free from the street, ~£2 inside), City Palace and Museum (~£8) and Jantar Mantar (~£3). A combined Jaipur composite ticket (~£12) covers most of these plus Amber and saves a few pounds — buy it at the first site. GetYourGuide does a half-day Amber + old city guided tour for ~£20-25 if you want the stories.

🚌Local bus and auto-rickshaws ~£5

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Jaipur old city, ~£12

• →Amber Fort via local bus and jeep
• →Hawa Mahal
• →City Palace and Museum
• →Jantar Mantar

This is the hardest day to DIY, but it's doable. Take an early bus or shared taxi Jaipur–Abhaneri for Chand Baori stepwell (~£3-5, entry ~£2), then a local bus/shared jeep to Sikri (~£1.50), explore Fatehpur Sikri complex (~£6, plus Buland Darwaza, Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chishti and Panch Mahal), then a bus the final 40 minutes to Agra (~£1.50). Alternative that's much simpler: a shared day-transfer taxi on this exact route is ~£25-35 per seat — worth it if you're travelling as two or more. Evening: cheap Mughlai dinner and early night for sunrise at the Taj.

🚌Local buses/shared jeeps via Abhaneri and Fatehpur Sikri ~£10-12

🛏Guesthouse in Agra's Taj Ganj, ~£11

• →Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri
• →Fatehpur Sikri: Buland Darwaza, Jama Masjid, Tomb of Salim Chishti, Panch Mahal

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online the day before (~£11, plus ~£2 for the main mausoleum). Get in the queue at the East Gate by 5:45am for sunrise — it's worth the alarm. Then Agra Fort (~£6) and, if you have energy, Sikandra/Tomb of Akbar (~£3) by battery van (~£1.50). Afternoon train or bus Agra–Delhi (~£2-4, 2-3 hrs) and a final night in Paharganj or Hauz Khas.

🚌Battery van ~£1.50 + Agra–Delhi train ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Delhi, ~£12

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Sikandra (Tomb of Akbar)
• →Battery van ride

Last-minute shopping in Janpath or Dilli Haat, a final dosa breakfast, and the Airport Express metro out to IGI. If your flight is late, the National Museum (~£1.50) or Lodhi Gardens (free) fills a few hours nicely.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.20

🛏None (departure day)

• →Janpath or Dilli Haat shopping
• →Optional National Museum or Lodhi Gardens
• →Airport transfer