Rajasthan in Depth: 22-Day Grand Tour of Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan's Palace Hotels

Arrive in Delhi

Land in Delhi and meet your TripRoutesIndia representative outside arrivals. Transfer privately to your hotel and spend the rest of the day recovering from the flight. We deliberately plan no sightseeing on day one: jet lag is real, and there is no reason to fight it on the day you need rest most.

Many long-haul flights reach Delhi late at night or in the small hours. We track your flight, so a delay makes no difference to your pickup. Your representative can point you to an ATM in the arrivals hall and help you set up a local SIM or eSIM, which makes the next three weeks much easier.

If you feel like stretching your legs, your hotel's gardens and pool are the place to start, or take an easy evening drive past India Gate, lit up after dark. For a first dinner, keep it gentle: dal, fresh rotis and a mild paneer dish are kind to a tired stomach. Drink bottled or filtered water only, and go to bed early. Tomorrow is a full day in the capital.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at Delhi airport and private transfer
• AfternoonRest and recover
• EveningOptional drive past India Gate

OvernightDelhi, 2 nights now and 2 at the end.

Old and New Delhi with your guide

Start in New Delhi while the morning is calm. Humayun's Tomb, finished around 1570, is the garden tomb that inspired the Taj Mahal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the 73-metre Qutub Minar, begun around 1200, is another. Drive along Kartavya Path past the President's House to India Gate.

After lunch, plunge into Old Delhi, the walled city of Shah Jahan. Climb the steps of the Jama Masjid, one of India's largest mosques, then ride a cycle-rickshaw through Chandni Chowk's impossibly narrow lanes to Khari Baoli, the great spice market, with its sacks of chillies, cardamom and turmeric.

For a quieter moment, add Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the Sikh temple whose community kitchen serves free meals to thousands of visitors daily.

Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees and shoes that slip off: they come off at the Jama Masjid and the gurudwara, where heads are also covered (scarves are provided). The Red Fort is closed on Mondays, so your guide plans around it. Old Delhi is the place to try street food with your guide, from stuffed parathas to hot jalebis.

• MorningHumayun's Tomb, the Qutub Minar and India Gate
• AfternoonJama Masjid, Chandni Chowk by cycle-rickshaw and the spice market
• EveningFree

OvernightDelhi.

Akbar's tomb and the Taj Mahal at sunset

Drive to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway. Just before the city, stop at Sikandra to see the tomb of Emperor Akbar in its vast walled garden, where blackbuck graze and langur monkeys play on the gateways. Completed by his son Jahangir in the early 1600s, its great southern gate, with bold inlaid marble patterns and four white minarets, points the way towards the Taj Mahal a generation later.

Check in to the Oberoi Amarvilas, where every room looks out at the Taj Mahal, 600 metres away. Rest, then visit the Taj Mahal in the late afternoon with your guide, as the marble shifts through golden-hour colours. Built between 1632 and 1653 by Shah Jahan in memory of Mumtaz Mahal, it is India's most famous building. Look closely at the flowers inlaid in semi-precious stone and at the Quranic calligraphy around the arches, which is lettered larger as it rises so that it looks even from the ground.

Bring only a small bag, and remember that the Taj Mahal is closed every Friday. Watch the sun set from your balcony or the hotel's terrace bar, and try petha, Agra's translucent candied pumpkin sweet.

• MorningDrive to Agra via Akbar's tomb at Sikandra
• Late afternoonThe Taj Mahal with your guide
• EveningTaj views from the hotel

OvernightAgra, 1 night.

Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and the road to Jaipur

If the light is good, return to the Taj Mahal at sunrise, a short walk from the hotel; the gates open about 30 minutes before sunrise and the early crowds are much thinner. After breakfast, explore Agra Fort, the red sandstone citadel where Shah Jahan was confined by his son Aurangzeb and spent his last years looking out at the Taj from the marble pavilion of the Musamman Burj.

Drive west and stop at Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's 16th-century capital, built in the 1570s and abandoned within a few decades. It is one of the most atmospheric and least crowded major sites on the circuit. Walk through the five-storey Panch Mahal, the Diwan-i-Khas with its single carved central pillar, and the great mosque behind the Buland Darwaza, a gateway about 54 metres high. Inside the courtyard, the white marble tomb of the Sufi saint Salim Chishti has carved stone screens where visitors tie threads as they make a wish.

Arrive in Jaipur in the late afternoon and check in to Rambagh Palace, the former residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur, with peacocks on the lawns and the Polo Bar for a sundowner.

• SunriseOptional second visit to the Taj Mahal
• MorningAgra Fort
• AfternoonFatehpur Sikri and the drive to Jaipur

OvernightJaipur, 3 nights at Rambagh Palace now and 2 nights at the Oberoi Rajvilas later.

Amber Fort and the Pink City

Drive out early to Amber Fort, the hilltop palace of the Kachwaha rulers and part of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Walk through its courtyards to the Sheesh Mahal, the Hall of Mirrors, where a single candle once lit the whole room. We take you up by jeep, not by elephant. On the way back, stop at the Jal Mahal and the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell.

In the afternoon, explore the walled city founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727. See the City Palace, still home to the former royal family; the Jantar Mantar, his astronomical observatory and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and the honeycomb façade of the Hawa Mahal, built in 1799 so royal women could watch street life unseen.

End in the bazaars, for block-printed cotton, jewellery and blue pottery. Your guide knows which workshops sell genuine crafts.

• MorningAmber Fort, the Jal Mahal and Panna Meena ka Kund
• AfternoonCity Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal
• EveningOld city bazaars

OvernightJaipur.

Hawa Mahal, Jaigarh Fort and a free afternoon

A gentler morning. Start at the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds, built in 1799. Its pink honeycomb facade, with hundreds of small latticed windows, catches the early sun beautifully, so it is worth arriving soon after opening. See it from the inside too, climbing its narrow ramps to the upper screens where royal women once watched processions in the street below without being seen.

Then drive up to Jaigarh Fort, on the ridge above Amber and linked to it by long fortified walls. It is home to the Jaivana, one of the largest cannons on wheels in the world, cast here in the early 18th century, and has wide views across the Aravalli hills and the lake below Amber.

The afternoon is yours. Many guests take a Rajasthani cooking class, go back to the bazaars for blue pottery and gemstones, or simply enjoy Rambagh's gardens and spa. In the old city, Johari Bazaar is the place for jewellery and Bapu Bazaar for block-printed textiles and embroidered mojari slippers. Try a pyaaz kachori, Jaipur's spiced onion pastry, and a cold lassi.

• MorningHawa Mahal and Jaigarh Fort
• AfternoonFree; cooking class, shopping or the spa

OvernightJaipur.

Across Rajasthan to the Blue City

Drive west across Rajasthan as the green fields around Jaipur give way to drier, more open country. Stop on the way at the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, one of South Asia's most revered Sufi shrines, where pilgrims of every faith bring roses and embroidered cloths to the saint's tomb. Shoes come off at the entrance and heads must be covered; scarves are sold at the stalls outside. Thursday evenings are especially busy, often with qawwali singing.

If you would rather keep the day quieter, stop instead at the ghats of Pushkar for tea by the lake. You return to Pushkar for two nights later in the trip.

Arrive in Jodhpur in the late afternoon at Umaid Bhawan Palace, built between 1929 and 1943 from golden sandstone in an Art Deco style and one of the largest private residences in the world. It is still partly home to the Jodhpur royal family; the rest is run as a Taj hotel.

Watch the sunset from the palace terraces, with Mehrangarh Fort glowing across the city.

• DayDrive from Jaipur to Jodhpur
• AfternoonCheck in at Umaid Bhawan Palace
• SunsetOn the palace terraces

OvernightJodhpur, 2 nights, at Umaid Bhawan Palace.

Mehrangarh Fort and the Blue City

Spend the morning at Mehrangarh Fort, founded by Rao Jodha in 1459 and one of the best-preserved and most dramatically sited forts in India, its walls rising straight out of a rocky hill high above the city. On the way up, look for the small handprints beside the Loha Pol gate, left by royal women of the past. Inside are the gilded Phool Mahal, the mirrored Sheesh Mahal and galleries of palanquins, elephant howdahs, weapons and miniature paintings, with views over the indigo-blue old town. The fort's audio guide is one of the best in India. Energetic travellers can add the zipline over the fort's lakes and walls.

Stop at Jaswant Thada, the white marble cenotaph below the fort built in 1899, then spend the afternoon walking the old city's lanes to the Clock Tower and Sardar Market, busy with spices, textiles and silverware. Jodhpur is known for its mirchi vada, a large chilli fritter, and its thick, creamy makhaniya lassi; your guide knows where to find good ones.

Back at Umaid Bhawan, see the palace museum and its collection of vintage cars and royal clocks.

• MorningMehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada
• AfternoonThe blue old city and the Clock Tower market
• EveningUmaid Bhawan's museum and vintage cars

OvernightJodhpur.

Into the Thar Desert to the Golden City

Drive deep into the Thar Desert towards Jaisalmer. The landscape thins dramatically along the way, with scrub, thorny khejri trees, small villages of round mud huts and herds of camels and goats; this is the most remote leg of the trip, and it feels like it. Nearer Jaisalmer, long lines of wind turbines appear on the horizon. The road is good and quiet, and your driver will stop for tea at a roadside dhaba, a simple and reliable chance to stretch your legs.

Jaisalmer grew rich on the camel caravans that crossed the desert between India and Central Asia, carrying spices, silk and opium, and its merchants spent their wealth on carved sandstone mansions. Check in to Suryagarh, a contemporary luxury hotel in the style of a desert fort, about 20 minutes outside town and widely considered the best in the region.

Enjoy the hotel's evening rituals, with folk music and lanterns in the courtyard. Desert evenings cool quickly from November to February, so keep a warm layer to hand.

• DayDrive from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, with an optional stop at Pokaran
• EveningCheck in at Suryagarh

OvernightJaisalmer, 2 nights at Suryagarh and 1 night in a desert camp.

The living fort and the merchant havelis

Walk up into Jaisalmer Fort, built in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal and one of the few living forts in the world: several thousand people still live and work inside its walls. Explore its lanes, the Raj Mahal palace and a cluster of intricately carved Jain temples from the 12th to 16th centuries. The Jain temples usually open to visitors only in the morning, and leather items such as belts and bags must be left outside. The lanes are narrow and stepped, so wear comfortable shoes.

In the old town below, visit the havelis built by the city's merchant families. Patwon ki Haveli is a group of five mansions with stone screens so fine they look like lace; Nathmal ki Haveli was carved by two brothers, each working on one half. Look up at Salim Singh ki Haveli, whose top floor flares out under a curved roof said to resemble a peacock.

Finish at Gadisar Lake, lined with small temples and shrines, as the late sun turns the city gold.

• MorningJaisalmer Fort, its palace and Jain temples
• AfternoonPatwon ki Haveli and Nathmal ki Haveli
• Late afternoonGadisar Lake

OvernightJaisalmer.

Camel safari and a night in a desert camp

Enjoy a free morning at Suryagarh. If you would like to explore, visit Kuldhara, the village of the Paliwal Brahmins said to have been abandoned overnight about two centuries ago. Its roofless stone houses and empty lanes are quiet, and the legend of a curse placed on the village as its people left is still told locally.

In the afternoon, transfer to the Sam sand dunes for a camel safari as the sun sets over the desert. The ride is short and gentle, usually about an hour; lean back as the camel stands up and kneels down. Wear closed shoes and sunglasses, and bring a scarf against blown sand. If you would rather not ride, a jeep can take you to the dunes instead.

Then settle in to a luxury desert camp, with private tents and en-suite bathrooms, for dinner, folk music and a night under a sky full of stars, far from city lights. Dinner is usually Rajasthani: dal baati churma and ker sangri, a tangy dish of desert beans and berries. The musicians are often Manganiyar or Langa singers from the region. Guests often say this is the night they talk about most when they get home.

• MorningFree, or a visit to Kuldhara
• SunsetCamel safari on the Sam dunes
• EveningDinner, music and stargazing at the desert camp

OvernightLuxury desert camp on the Sam dunes.

Fly to Udaipur and the Taj Lake Palace

Wake early to see the sun come up over the dunes, with tea outside your tent, before returning to Jaisalmer for your flight towards Udaipur. Jaisalmer's flights are limited and seasonal, so you usually connect via Jodhpur, Delhi or Jaipur. We recommend flying at this point in the trip rather than the very long drive. Your car and driver go ahead by road and meet you in Udaipur.

Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II of Mewar, and its lakes, white palaces and green Aravalli hills feel very different from the desert you have just left. At the Lake Pichola jetty, a private boat carries you to the Taj Lake Palace, the 18th-century white marble summer palace of the Maharanas of Mewar, built on Jag Niwas island and now one of the world's most photographed hotels.

Spend the evening on the palace terraces as the lit City Palace reflects in the lake. After a long travel day, an early dinner at the hotel is the easiest choice.

• DayFlights from Jaisalmer to Udaipur
• AfternoonPrivate boat to the Taj Lake Palace
• EveningFree at the palace

OvernightUdaipur, 3 nights, at the Taj Lake Palace.

The City Palace and Lake Pichola

Explore the City Palace, Rajasthan's largest palace complex, built by the Maharanas of Mewar over four centuries from 1559. Arrive at opening time to beat the tour groups. Highlights include the Mor Chowk, a courtyard of glass-mosaic peacocks, painted rooms, mirror-work chambers and the Crystal Gallery, filled with crystal furniture ordered from England in 1877 and never used. From the upper balconies you look down over Lake Pichola to your own hotel. Walk on to the 17th-century Jagdish Temple, a few minutes away, with its carved elephants on the steps.

Lunch on a lakeside rooftop: try gatte ki sabzi, gram-flour dumplings in a yoghurt curry, or a Mewari thali.

In the late afternoon, take a private boat across Lake Pichola at golden hour, past the bathing ghats to Jag Mandir, the island palace where the young prince Khurram, later Shah Jahan, is said to have sheltered in the 1620s. Past guests consistently rate it one of the most beautiful moments of the whole trip.

The evening is free at the Lake Palace. If you have energy, the folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli on Gangaur Ghat is a lively hour.

• MorningCity Palace and the Crystal Gallery
• MiddayLunch and the old city lanes
• Late afternoonBoat ride on Lake Pichola to Jag Mandir
• EveningFree

OvernightUdaipur.

A free day, or Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur

A deliberately open day. If you would like an excursion, drive into the Aravalli hills to Kumbhalgarh Fort, built by Rana Kumbha in the 15th century and the birthplace of Maharana Pratap. Its walls run for about 36 km, among the longest in the world, and with Chittorgarh and Jaisalmer it is one of the UNESCO-listed Hill Forts of Rajasthan. The climb to the top palace is steep but short, with huge views over the hills.

Continue to the Jain temple at Ranakpur, built in the 15th century from pale marble, with 1,444 carved pillars, no two said to be alike. Non-Jain visitors may enter Ranakpur from noon to 5 pm. Cover shoulders and knees, and leave leather belts, bags and shoes in the car. It is a long but rewarding day, of about nine hours, with a simple vegetarian lunch near the temple.

Otherwise, stay closer to home. Take a cooking class, walk the old city lanes, visit the Saheliyon ki Bari garden with its fountains and lotus pools, or drive up to the Monsoon Palace at Sajjangarh for sunset over the lakes. Or simply enjoy the Lake Palace's spa and terraces.

• OptionFull-day excursion to Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur
• OrCooking class, old city walk, Saheliyon ki Bari or a day at the hotel
• SunsetOptional Monsoon Palace viewpoint

OvernightUdaipur.

North to the holy lake of Pushkar

Drive north to Pushkar, a small holy town built around a sacred lake, and a quieter, more contemplative stop after the grandeur of the past two weeks. The road climbs out of the green Aravalli hills of Mewar onto the open plains. If you would like a longer day, detour via Chittorgarh Fort, the vast hilltop citadel of Mewar's early rulers, with its carved 15th-century Tower of Victory; it adds about two hours.

The last stretch passes Ajmer and crosses the Nag Pahar, or Snake Mountain, which separates the city from Pushkar's valley. In legend, the lake formed where a lotus petal fell from the hand of Brahma, the creator. Around it are more than 50 bathing ghats and hundreds of small temples. Check in to your hotel overlooking the lake.

At sunset, walk down to the ghats as temple bells ring and pilgrims float lamps on the water. Shoes come off near the water's edge. Try a malpua, the syrupy fried pancake Pushkar is known for, from one of the sweet shops in the bazaar.

• DayDrive from Udaipur to Pushkar, with an optional stop at Chittorgarh Fort
• SunsetEvening prayers on the ghats

OvernightPushkar, 2 nights, at a heritage hotel overlooking the lake.

The ghats and the Brahma Temple

Spend a gentle day at the ghats of Pushkar Lake and the Brahma Temple, one of the very few temples in India dedicated to the creator god. Its red spire and the carved hamsa, the swan that is Brahma's mount, are easy to spot; shoes, leather items and cameras are usually left outside. Early morning is the best time on the ghats, when pilgrims bathe and the light is soft. The pace here is intentionally slow after two weeks of sightseeing.

Priests may offer you flowers for a blessing by the water. It is a paid puja; accept only if you want one, and a polite no is fine.

Browse the bazaar for silver jewellery, bright textiles and Pushkar's rose products, from rose water to gulkand, a sweet rose-petal preserve, as roses are grown in the fields around town. Sit in a rooftop café, or take the ropeway to the Savitri Temple for a view over the valley; walking up takes about an hour. Pushkar is a pilgrimage town, so it is vegetarian and alcohol-free.

• MorningThe ghats and the Brahma Temple
• AfternoonBazaar, cafés or the Savitri Temple viewpoint
• EveningBy the lake

OvernightPushkar.

Back to Jaipur

Drive back to Jaipur on a fast highway through Kishangarh, known for its marble yards and for the delicate Kishangarh school of miniature painting. It is a short drive, so there is no need to hurry over breakfast by the lake.

Check in to the Oberoi Rajvilas, a different style of Jaipur luxury from Rambagh: a fort-style resort set in 32 acres of gardens, with its own 280-year-old Shiva temple in the grounds.

The afternoon is free for any unfinished shopping, or for a second look at a sight you loved earlier in the trip. If you would like something new, visit the Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur's oldest museum, in an ornate Indo-Saracenic building, or the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in Amber, where you can watch block printers at work. Patrika Gate, with its painted arches, is a colourful stop for photographs, and Nahargarh Fort gives a sunset view over the whole city.

• MorningDrive to Jaipur
• AfternoonFree, with optional museums or a return to the bazaars
• SunsetOptional Nahargarh Fort viewpoint

OvernightJaipur, 2 nights, at the Oberoi Rajvilas.

Hot-air balloon and a day at leisure

If you would like, rise early for a hot-air balloon flight over the Aravalli hills, forts and villages around Jaipur as the sun comes up. Flights depend on the weather and run from roughly September to March. Pickup is usually before dawn and the flight itself lasts about an hour, drifting low over mustard fields, farmhouses and the walls of the old forts. Landings are often in a village field, where children come running to watch the balloon fold down. Wear layers, as mornings are cool.

The rest of the day is free. Many guests use it simply to enjoy Rajvilas: its spa, pool and gardens, and the quiet of the old temple in the grounds. After nearly three weeks on the road, an unhurried day is welcome.

If you would like an outing, drive to Bagru or Sanganer on the edge of the city, villages where families still print cloth by hand with carved wooden blocks and natural dyes, and try a block or two yourself. Or ask your guide for a short food walk in the old city in the late afternoon, for kachoris, ghewar and hot chai.

• DawnOptional hot-air balloon flight
• DayAt leisure at the resort
• OptionalBlock printing in Bagru or Sanganer, or an old city food walk

OvernightJaipur.

Back to Delhi

Drive back to Delhi after breakfast, arriving in the late afternoon. The route follows the main Jaipur to Delhi highway north through the last of the Aravalli hills and the busy industrial towns of Behror and Neemrana, then into Gurugram. Your driver will stop at a clean highway rest stop for coffee and lunch.

Traffic around Gurugram and south Delhi can be slow in the late afternoon, which is one reason we leave in good time. It is also a useful day to sort your luggage: if you have bought textiles, rugs or pottery along the way, your hotel can help you pack them securely, or ship larger pieces home.

The evening is free. If you want to get out, walk in Lodhi Garden among 15th-century tombs as Delhi's joggers do their evening laps, or have dinner in Khan Market, a small, upmarket shopping street with bookshops, cafés and restaurants. Otherwise, rest at the hotel after the drive.

• DayDrive from Jaipur to Delhi
• EveningFree, with an optional walk in Lodhi Garden

OvernightDelhi, 2 nights.

A free day in Delhi

A genuinely open day, with your car and driver available. Take a guided walk through Lutyens' Delhi, the grand colonial capital built in the 1920s and 1930s, with its broad avenues and sandstone government buildings; visit the National Museum for Indian sculpture, bronzes and miniature paintings, or the Crafts Museum; or shop at Dilli Haat for crafts from every Indian state, or at Khan Market for books and design. Note that many museums close on Mondays, as does the Red Fort.

If you missed it earlier, visit the Red Fort, Shah Jahan's palace citadel, or walk Mehrauli Archaeological Park near the Qutub Minar, a quiet woodland of ruined tombs and stepwells. Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi's best-known Sikh temple, serves a free communal meal to all visitors every day; cover your head and remove your shoes.

This buffer day also protects your flight home from any earlier delays on the road.

• DayFree, with optional architecture walk, museums, Red Fort or shopping

OvernightDelhi.

Last full day and a farewell dinner

A relaxed final day. Sleep in, book a spa treatment, or take a slow morning walk through Sunder Nursery, a restored Mughal-era garden beside Humayun's Tomb, with its lawns, fountains and small tombs among the trees. It is one of the calmest places in the city.

Use the afternoon for any last shopping. Janpath and Dilli Haat are good for scarves, cushion covers and small gifts; Khan Market for tea, spices and books on India. Check your airline's baggage allowance before you buy anything heavy, and leave time to repack.

Most guests close the trip with a private farewell dinner, a chance to look back over three weeks that by now feel like much more than 22 days. Ask us to reserve a table at one of Delhi's best Indian restaurants. Delhi is the home of Mughlai cooking, so this is the night for slow-cooked dal makhani, tandoori kebabs and butter chicken. Your representative will confirm tomorrow's pickup time with you in the evening.

• MorningFree, or a walk in Sunder Nursery
• AfternoonLast shopping and packing
• EveningFarewell dinner

OvernightDelhi.

Fly home from Delhi

Private transfer to Delhi's international airport for your departing flight, timed to your schedule. Most international flights leave from Terminal 3, and we suggest arriving about three hours before departure. Allow extra time in the morning and evening rush hours.

Keep your passport and a printed or digital copy of your ticket handy, as security staff check both before you can enter the terminal. If your flight leaves late at night, we can ask the hotel about a late check-out or a day room, subject to availability. Have a safe journey home.

• DepartureTransfer to Delhi airport