Rajasthan & Taj Mahal: The Self-Launched 18-Day Circuit

Land at Indira Gandhi International (T3), pick up an e-SIM or local Airtel/Jio SIM at the airport, and take the Airport Express metro (₹60–110, ~20 min) or a prepaid taxi (~₹600–800) to your stay in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Spend the afternoon gently: walk Connaught Place, sort out train tickets at the reservation counter or on IRCTC, and get an early night. Don't over-schedule day one — jet lag plus Delhi noise is a lot.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1, or prepaid taxi ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Paharganj/Karol Bagh (~£14 dorm or £22 private)

• →Airport Express metro to city
• →Connaught Place wander
• →Book onward train tickets on IRCTC

Build your own guided day: hire a licensed local guide for a half day (~₹1,500–2,000 / £15–20) or use the Hop-On Hop-Off / metro plus audio guides. Start early at Jama Masjid (₹300 camera/entry fees), take a cycle rickshaw through Chandni Chowk's spice market (£2–3), drive past the Red Fort, then cross to Raj Ghat, India Gate and a drive-by of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Afternoon: Humayun's Tomb (£5), Qutub Minar (£5) and Lotus Temple (free, closed Mondays). Book a cheap Delhi street-food walk on GetYourGuide if you want the foodie angle (~£18–25).

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£2 plus autos ~£4

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Paharganj/Karol Bagh

• →Jama Masjid & Chandni Chowk rickshaw ride
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Qutub Minar
• →Lotus Temple
• →India Gate & Raj Ghat
• →Optional GetYourGuide Old Delhi food walk

Take the morning Gatimaan Express or Vande Bharat from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~1h50, £8–12 booked online; book a few days ahead). Drop bags at a guesthouse in Taj Ganj — waking up to the mausoleum out your window is the budget-traveller win. Afternoon: Agra Fort (£6, hire a guide at the gate ~£8), then Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb (£4) and Mehtab Bagh (£4) for sunset Taj views across the Yamuna. Sunsets here are free of the sunrise crush.

🚌Train Delhi–Agra ~£10; autos ~£4

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop Taj view (~£18–25 private)

• →Vande Bharat train to Agra
• →Agra Fort guided visit
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset Taj view

Pre-book the Taj Mahal ticket online (~£6, plus £3 for the main mausoleum) for the 6am sunrise slot — enter via the East Gate, queue early. Back for breakfast, then a shared taxi or local bus to Fatehpur Sikri (~1h, £3–5 bus / £15 shared cab) to see Buland Darwaza, the Tomb of Salim Chisti, Diwan-e-Khas and Panch Mahal (£6, plus the £1 battery car). Continue to Jaipur by bus (~4h, £4) or train from Fatehpur Sikri/Agra (~£4). Overnight in the old city near Hawa Mahal.

🚌Bus Agra–Fatehpur Sikri–Jaipur ~£8 total

🛏Jaipur old-city guesthouse or hostel (~£12 dorm / £22 private)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise entry
• →Fatehpur Sikri day stop
• →Tomb of Salim Chisti
• →Buland Darwaza & Panch Mahal

Take a local bus or shared auto (£1) to Amber Fort early to beat the crowds — entry £6. Skip the elephant rides (ethically contested and pricey); a jeep or just walking up is fine. Then City Palace (£8), Jantar Mantar (£3) and Hawa Mahal (£1 or free from the café opposite). Shared autos and the Jaipur metro keep the day cheap. Optional evening: Nahargarh Fort for sunset over the city (£2 entry), or a GetYourGuide block-printing or cooking class (£15–25).

🚌Local bus/auto ~£4

🛏Jaipur old-city guesthouse or hostel

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace & Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Optional Nahargarh Fort sunset

Head north-east by bus via Sikar or Jhunjhunu (~4–4.5h, £4–6; shared taxis also run). Mandawa is a small Shekhawati town of merchant havelis covered in frescoes. Wander independently with a map from your guesthouse, or hire a local guide for a couple of hours (£8–10) — you'll see the Gulab Rai Ladia and Murmuria havelis, the fort and the stepwells. Quiet, atmospheric, and a total contrast to the tourist circuit.

🚌State/private bus ~£5

🛏Heritage guesthouse in a haveli (~£20 private)

• →Bus to Shekhawati region
• →Self-guided haveli fresco walk
• →Mandawa Fort

Bus or shared taxi to Bikaner (~4h, £5). Afternoon in the walled city: Junagarh Fort (£6, excellent audio guide included) with its palaces and courtyards, Lalgarh Palace (£3), and the ornate Bhandasar Jain Temple (free). Late afternoon, take a local auto to the National Research Centre on Camel (£3 entry) for a short camel ride (£4) — or do it at sunset on the dunes near Jaisalmer instead. Bikaner's bhujia and kachori breakfasts are legendary.

🚌Bus Mandawa–Bikaner ~£5; autos ~£5

🛏Bikaner guesthouse (~£18 private)

• →Junagarh Fort
• →Lalgarh Palace
• →Bhandasar Jain Temple
• →Camel Breeding Farm visit & short ride

Morning bus to Jaisalmer (~5–6h, £5–7) — long but scenic. Check into the old city, then head out for a sunset camel ride on the Sam or Khuri dunes (book direct at any Jaisalmer agency or your guesthouse, £12–18 with jeep transfer) followed by dinner at a desert camp with traditional Kalbeliya dance and music (many camps include dinner in the camel package; standalone cultural dinner shows ~£8–12). You can sleep in a budget desert camp (~£25) or return to town — town is cheaper and warmer.

🚌Bus Bikaner–Jaisalmer ~£6; jeep to dunes included in camel ride

🛏Budget desert camp (~£25) or old-city guesthouse (~£15)

• →Bus to Jaisalmer
• →Sunset camel ride on the dunes
• →Desert camp dinner with Rajasthani folk dance

Explore the living Jaisalmer Fort independently — the Jain temples inside (£2) and the Laxminath Temple, then Patwon-ki-Haveli (£2) and Salim Singh-ki-Haveli (£1.50), the Thar Heritage Museum (£1.50), Gadisar Lake and the Silk Route art shops. A local guide for a half day costs £8–12 if you want the history unpacked. Sunset from the fort ramparts or the Vyas Chhatri cenotaphs (£1.50) is the classic shot. Optional overnight in the dunes for the full desert experience.

🚌Walking + autos ~£3

🛏Old-city guesthouse (~£15 private)

• →Jaisalmer Fort & Jain temples
• →Patwon-ki-Haveli
• →Thar Heritage Museum
• →Gadisar Lake & Vyas Chhatri sunset

Train or bus to Jodhpur (~5h, train £3–5 / bus £4). Dump bags in the old city near the fort and head up to Mehrangarh (£6 including audio guide — one of India's best), then Jaswant Thada (£2) and the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (£3). Catch sunset at the Clock Tower spice market — try a makhaniya lassi and pyaaz kachori. Umaid Bhawan Palace is worth a look at the museum (£2) if time allows. Stay in a rooftop guesthouse inside the blue lanes.

🚌Train Jaisalmer–Jodhpur ~£4; autos ~£4

🛏Blue-city rooftop guesthouse (~£16 private)

• →Train/bus to Jodhpur
• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
• →Clock Tower market

This is the trickiest transport day — no direct train. Take an early bus/train to Falna or hire a shared taxi via Ranakpur (~6–7h total, £12–18). Ranakpur's Jain temples are astonishing: 1,444 carved marble pillars, entry £2 (cameras extra). Then continue up to Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station (~£4 bus from the Ranakpur junction). Cool nights, pine trees and a very different Rajasthan.

🚌Shared taxi + bus ~£16

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, Mount Abu (~£18)

• →Shared taxi/bus via Falna
• →Ranakpur Jain Temples
• →Climb to Mount Abu hill station

Start at the Dilwara Jain Temples (£1.50, no photos, mornings are quietest) — arguably the finest marble carving in India. Then local bus or auto to Achalgarh Fort and the Arbuda Devi and Shri Raghunathji temples, up to Guru Shikhar (the highest point in Rajasthan, £1.50, superb views), and finish with a boat on Nakki Lake (£3) and the sunset viewpoint above town. Easy, cool, unhurried day.

🚌Local bus and shared jeeps ~£5

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, Mount Abu

• →Dilwara Jain Temples
• →Achalgarh Fort & Arbuda Devi Temple
• →Guru Shikhar viewpoint
• →Nakki Lake boat ride & sunset point

Bus to Udaipur (~4–5h, £5; the direct bus is the easiest option). Arrive early afternoon, settle into a lakeside guesthouse in Lal Ghat, and walk the old town: Jagdish Temple, Ambrai Ghat at golden hour, and rooftop dinner looking at the City Palace across Lake Pichola. Optional: hire a scooter (£5/day) or share a taxi out to Eklingji and Nagda temples (25km, ~£15 return) if you're there early.

🚌Bus ~£5; autos ~£3

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Lal Ghat (~£18 private)

• →Bus to Udaipur
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Ambrai Ghat sunset
• →Optional Eklingji & Nagda temples

Buy the City Palace ticket (£6, museum + crystal gallery extra £3), then Saheliyon-ki-Bari (£2), Fateh Sagar Lake and the vintage car collection at the Garden Hotel (£3). Late afternoon, take a shared or private boat on Lake Pichola (£5–8) to Jagmandir, then catch the Dharohar folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli (£3, 7pm nightly — arrive early for front row). Skip the paid ropeway if you're watching your budget; the rooftop views from your guesthouse are free.

🚌Walking + autos ~£4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Lal Ghat

• →City Palace Udaipur
• →Saheliyon-ki-Bari
• →Vintage car museum
• →Lake Pichola boat ride
• →Dharohar dance show at Bagore ki Haveli

Bus or train to Chittorgarh (~2.5–3h, £3). Drop bags and take an auto up to the fort — this is India's largest fort, so hire an auto to run you between the gates and sites (£8–10 for a couple of hours) or a local guide (£10). See Rana Kumbha Palace, Kumbha Shyam Temple, the Victory Tower (Vijay Stambh), Meerabai Temple, the Tower of Fame and Padmini Palace, plus the museum. Wear sturdy shoes; the plateau is huge and hot.

🚌Bus ~£3; fort auto ~£9

🛏Simple budget hotel, Chittorgarh (~£15)

• →Bus/train to Chittorgarh
• →Chittorgarh Fort auto tour
• →Vijay Stambh & Padmini Palace
• →Rana Kumbha Palace

Bus or train to Ajmer (~4h, £4), then a local bus or auto (£1) up to Pushkar. Visit the Ajmer Dargah Sharif and the Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra mosque on the way through. In Pushkar, walk the ghats of Pushkar Lake at sunset (beware of the flower/priest scam — refuse politely), then see the Brahma Temple, Varah Temple and Rangji Temple. A climb to Savitri Temple for sunrise or sunset (£1.50 ropeway or 30 min of steps) is worth it.

🚌Train/bus + auto ~£6

🛏Pushkar guesthouse (~£15 private)

• →Train/bus to Ajmer
• →Ajmer Dargah Sharif
• →Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra
• →Pushkar Lake ghats
• →Brahma Temple
• →Savitri Temple hike or ropeway

Morning bus to Ajmer (~45 min, £1) then train to Delhi Sarai Rohilla or New Delhi station (~5.5–6.5h, £5–8). Book a sleeper for an overnight option if schedules suit. Evening back in Paharganj or Karol Bagh — last-minute shopping at Janpath or Dilli Haat for textiles and crafts, a final proper thali, and pack.

🚌Bus + train ~£8; metro/autos ~£3

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj (~£20 private)

• →Bus to Ajmer + train to Delhi
• →Janpath or Dilli Haat shopping
• →Final dinner in Delhi

Breakfast, then Airport Express metro to T3 for your flight. If you have a late departure, the National Museum (£5) or Lodhi Gardens (free) are good calm stops before the airport. Build 3 hours ahead of an international flight — Delhi traffic can be brutal, so the metro is your friend.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1

🛏—

• →Airport Express to T3
• →Optional National Museum or Lodhi Gardens