Self-Launched Luxury Rajasthan: Delhi to Jaisalmer Forts & Palaces Circuit

Land at Indira Gandhi International, pick up an Indian eSIM or Airtel SIM at the airport (about £8 for 28 days of data), and take the Airport Express metro (₹60, ~£0.60) to New Delhi station, or a prepaid taxi (~£4) to your stay in Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Settle in, grab a thali dinner and get an early night.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£0.60 or prepaid taxi ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Paharganj, ~£9

• →Airport transfer and SIM card
• →Evening wander in Paharganj bazaar

Do the same full-day Delhi circuit independently. Start at Qutub Minar (₹35), then Humayun's Tomb (₹35), the Lotus Temple (free, closed Mondays) and Raj Ghat (free). In the afternoon head to Old Delhi: Jama Masjid (free, ₹25 for camera), a cycle-rickshaw spin through Chandni Chowk spice market (~£2 negotiate hard) and a drive-past of the Red Fort and India Gate. A licensed local guide for half a day can be arranged via GetYourGuide for ~£15 if you want the commentary.

🚌Delhi Metro day card ~£1 plus rickshaws ~£3

🛏Same Paharganj guesthouse, ~£9

• →Qutub Minar entry
• →Humayun's Tomb entry
• →Lotus Temple visit
• →Chandni Chowk rickshaw ride
• →Jama Masjid

Take a morning chair-car on the Gatimaan Express or a Shatabdi from Hazrat Nizamuddin to Agra Cantt (~1h50, £4–8). Drop bags at a Taj Ganj guesthouse with a rooftop view, then take an auto to Sikandra to see Akbar's Tomb (~£1), and spend the afternoon inside Agra Fort (₹40) — Moti Masjid, Jahangir Palace and the Diwan-i-Khas. Finish at Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb, the 'Baby Taj' (₹30). Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online tonight for tomorrow's sunrise slot (₹1,050).

🚌Shatabdi/Gatimaan train ~£6, autos ~£3

🛏Taj Ganj rooftop guesthouse, ~£10

• →Sikandra (Akbar's Tomb)
• →Agra Fort self-guided with audio guide
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb

Be at the East Gate before dawn — sunrise tickets are cheapest and least crowded. Spend 2 hours inside, then check out and take a bus or shared taxi to Fatehpur Sikri (~1h, £2 by bus). Explore the Buland Darwaza, Panch Mahal, Diwan-e-Khas and the Tomb of Salim Chisti (₹50). From Fatehpur Sikri, hop a Rajasthan state bus or the afternoon train onward to Jaipur (~3.5h, £3–6). Stay in a budget haveli inside the old city pink walls.

🚌Bus/train Agra–Fatehpur Sikri–Jaipur ~£7 total

🛏Old City budget haveli, Jaipur, ~£11

• →Sunrise Taj Mahal entry
• →Fatehpur Sikri complex
• →Optional Mehtab Bagh sunset view (₹30)

Take a local bus or shared auto (£1) up to Amber Fort and skip the elephant ride — the jeep ride or the walk up is cheaper and kinder. Fort entry ₹200. Come down and see Jal Mahal from the road, then in the afternoon do the City Palace (₹200) and Jantar Mantar (₹200) in the old town, and drive past Hawa Mahal (free from the street). If you have energy, hike or auto up to Nahargarh Fort for sunset over the city (₹50).

🚌Local bus and autos ~£3

🛏Old City budget haveli, ~£11

• →Amber Fort entry
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal photo stop
• →Optional Nahargarh Fort sunset

Take a train or state bus from Jaipur toward Ajmer and then onwards to Deogarh (~3-4h total, £4). Check into a village guesthouse or a room near Deogarh Mahal rather than the palace hotel itself. In the afternoon, arrange a village walk or a short jeep trip with a local operator (£12–15) to see rural Rajasthani life; several guesthouses host folk music and dance in the evening for guests for a small fee.

🚌Train/bus Jaipur–Deogarh ~£4

🛏Deogarh village guesthouse, ~£13

• →Deogarh Mahal exterior and village walk
• →Evening Rajasthani folk music/dance with guesthouse

Bus or shared jeep to Chittorgarh (~3h, £4). Drop bags near the bus stand and head up to Chittorgarh Fort (£3 by auto up the hill, ₹40 entry). Walk the ramparts to Rana Kumbha Palace, the Victory Tower, Meerabai Temple, Padmini's Palace and the Tower of Fame — a good local guide at the gate costs around £8 and makes the history come alive. Visit the museum if time allows.

🚌Bus Deogarh–Chittorgarh ~£4, auto up fort ~£3

🛏Budget hotel near Chittorgarh bus stand, ~£10

• →Chittorgarh Fort entry and walk
• →Local guide at the fort
• →Fort museum

A short 2-hour bus or train hop to Udaipur (£2–3). Check into a lakeside guesthouse in the Lal Ghat area (a budget alternative to the luxury havelis) and take an easy first afternoon: sunset at Ambrai Ghat, a wander around Jagdish Temple and the ghats. If you want the optional Eklingji and Nagda temples detour, hire a taxi or an Ola out-and-back for around £15 split between you.

🚌Bus/train Chittorgarh–Udaipur ~£3

🛏Lal Ghat lakeside guesthouse, Udaipur, ~£11

• →Ambrai Ghat sunset
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Optional Eklingji and Nagda temples taxi

Do the full Udaipur day on foot. City Palace (₹300) and Bagore Ki Haveli (₹100, plus an evening dance show for ₹150). Visit Saheliyon ki Bari (₹50) and Shilpgram (₹50) on the edge of town, then take a shared boat on Lake Pichola at sunset (~£5) rather than a private one. Skip the vintage car museum if you're on a budget; it's ₹400. Take the ropeway up to Karni Mata for the view (£3).

🚌Autos and walking ~£3

🛏Lal Ghat lakeside guesthouse, ~£11

• →City Palace
• →Bagore Ki Haveli and evening dance show
• →Lake Pichola shared boat ride
• →Karni Mata ropeway

Take a shared taxi or bus from Udaipur toward Ranakpur (~2h, £3) to see the extraordinary marble Jain temples (free/donation; ₹200 camera). Continue on to Kumbhalgarh (~1.5h, £3) and stay in a budget guesthouse outside the fort walls. In the late afternoon, walk or auto up to Kumbhalgarh Fort (₹40) and walk a stretch of the second-longest wall in the world — the sunset views over the Aravallis are the highlight of the day.

🚌Shared taxi/bus Udaipur–Ranakpur–Kumbhalgarh ~£6

🛏Kumbhalgarh budget guesthouse, ~£12

• →Ranakpur Jain Temples
• →Kumbhalgarh Fort wall walk at sunset

Bus or shared jeep to Jodhpur (~3h, £4). Check into a guesthouse in the blue-washed old town beneath Mehrangarh and spend the afternoon on a self-guided blue city walk. In the evening, if you want the optional Bishnoi village experience, book through a local operator in Jodhpur for £12–18 (community living, artisans and wildlife) — a fair-trade alternative to a big tour group.

🚌Bus Kumbhalgarh–Jodhpur ~£4

🛏Old town guesthouse, Jodhpur, ~£10

• →Blue city self-guided walk
• →Optional Bishnoi village tour

Spend the morning at Mehrangarh Fort (₹600 including audio guide — worth it). Walk down to Jaswant Thada (₹50) and Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (₹100). Later, see the exterior of Umaid Bhawan Palace (the museum is ₹100 if you're interested), then hit the Clock Tower and Sadar Market for street food. Balsamand Lake and Mandore Gardens are a short auto ride away (£2) if you have time before dinner.

🚌Autos ~£3

🛏Old town guesthouse, ~£10

• →Mehrangarh Fort with audio guide
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
• →Clock Tower market street food

Take the bus (about 5h, £6) or train to Jaisalmer, arriving by early afternoon. After checking in at a golden-city haveli guesthouse, book an afternoon desert camel safari direct with a Jaisalmer operator rather than through a group tour — a half-day camel ride plus dinner and Rajasthani dance in the Sam dunes runs about £18–22 including transfers. Come back for a rooftop dinner inside the fort walls.

🚌Bus Jodhpur–Jaisalmer ~£6

🛏Golden city haveli guesthouse, Jaisalmer, ~£10

• →Sam dunes afternoon camel safari
• →Desert dinner and Rajasthani dance performance

Walk Jaisalmer Fort (free to enter, levies for specific sites), then visit Patwon ki Haveli (₹100) and Salam Singh ki Haveli (₹50) for the iconic latticework balconies. The Thar Heritage Museum (₹50) and a wander around Gadisar Lake fill the afternoon; the Silk Route art galleries and temples are free to browse. A local guide for a 2-hour fort walk can be booked at the gate for £8–10.

🚌Walking and autos ~£2

🛏Golden city haveli guesthouse, ~£10

• →Jaisalmer Fort walk
• →Patwon ki Haveli
• →Salam Singh ki Haveli
• →Gadisar Lake

Catch the morning bus to Bikaner (~5h, £6). Check into a guesthouse near the old city and, in the afternoon, do a half-day independent city tour: Junagarh Fort (₹200, plus ₹150 camera), Lalgarh Palace (₹50) and the ornate Bhandasar Jain Temple (free). If you are there early enough, take a local jeep to the famous Karni Mata rat temple at Deshnoke (30km, ~£8 return split).

🚌Bus Jaisalmer–Bikaner ~£6; local jeep ~£8 optional

🛏Bikaner budget guesthouse, ~£9

• →Junagarh Fort
• →Lalgarh Palace
• →Bhandasar Jain Temple
• →Optional Karni Mata temple

Bus or train-hop to Mandawa in the Shekhawati region (~4h, £5). Mandawa's painted havelis are mostly free or tiny donations to walk between — a self-guided loop takes 2-3 hours: the Mandawa Fort, Gulab Rai Ladia Haveli, and the Goenka double haveli. Stay in a simple heritage-style guesthouse in town rather than the big castle hotel and enjoy a quiet night under the stars.

🚌Bus Bikaner–Mandawa ~£5

🛏Mandawa heritage-style guesthouse, ~£11

• →Mandawa painted haveli loop
• →Mandawa Fort exterior

Take the morning bus or a shared taxi to the nearest railhead, then a train back to Delhi (total ~5-6h, £7–9). If timing works, stop at the Rewari Rail Museum en route (₹50) — a quirky steam-locomotive collection only if you're on an early train. Arrive in Delhi in the evening and settle into a Karol Bagh guesthouse for your last night.

🚌Bus plus train Mandawa–Delhi ~£8

🛏Karol Bagh budget guesthouse, Delhi, ~£11

• →Optional Rewari Rail Museum stop

A final masala dosa breakfast and a bit of last-minute gift shopping — Dilli Haat or Janpath for textiles rather than the tourist-focused shops your guides might push. Then take the Airport Express Metro or a prepaid taxi to the airport for your flight home. Total spend works out around £1,180 excluding international flights — most of the £1,255 difference from the operator price is the private driver, guides and luxury hotels.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£0.60

🛏None (departure day)

• →Dilli Haat or Janpath shopping