FORTS & PALACES
India's history truly comes to life in technicolour in Rajasthan. Full of magnificent palaces, forts, bazaars and what-feels like a festival, every day. You can spend weeks (months) exploring Rajasthan!
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Tailor-made Rajasthan Forts & Palaces itinerary!
UDAIPUR
Dominated by the massive City Palace, overlooking Lake Pichola, Udaipur is a romantic city, once dubbed the ‘Venice of the East’. Picturesque havelis (traditional homes and guest houses), ghats (steps leading down to the lake) and temples line the lake front. Be sure to choose a hotel with a view of the lake…there are plenty to choose from here. Behind the city walls, lively bazaars make this an easy city to wander around. No visit to Udaipur is complete without a short lake cruise out to the Jag Mandir, an island palace with pretty organised gardens and marble chambers inlaid with stones. The City Palace complex is extensive and somewhat of a miniature kingdom encapsulating royal apartments, grand reception halls and courtyards. A highlight is the golden Moti Mahal room. It’s not to be missed.
JAIPUR
The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, does not disappoint. The famed ‘pink city’ is an old walled town, inside which a labyrinth of alleyways lead you to opulent bazaars, palaces and stunning historic buildings. There’s a lot to see and do in Jaipur, so you probably need at least three or four days to explore, but even longer would be good. Highlights include the breathtaking Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), the intricate wall of the zenana (women’s chambers) of the still-occupied, Jaipur City Palace and Museum (also worth visiting), the Jantar Mantar (an ancient astrological observatory) and the sprawling Amber Fort, just north of Jaipur.
JODHPUR
Deep in the Rajasthan desert, and (relatively) close to the Pakistan border, is the strategic overland trading post of Jodhpur. Known as the ‘Blue City’, it is said to be so named for the many blue houses inside the old city that were painted a pale shade of blue to keep the houses cooler in the sweltering summer months. Although, rumour has it that it is also due to the fact that many houses had a termite problem and a chemical in the blue paint, keeps the pests away! Either way, it’s a stunning vista, best enjoyed from the majestic Mehrangarh Fort that literally sits atop the city on an imposing rocky outcrop. Described by Rudyard Kipling as “the creation of angels, fairies and giants”, if you only see one fort in India, this is it…!
JAISALMER
The remote city of Jaisalmer is located in the Thar Desert and has been an important medieval trading centre and stop on the Caravan Route to Central Asia since the 1200s. It’s known as the “Golden City” due to its yellow sandstone architecture and like its other Rajasthan cousins, it is dominated by a large fort in the centre of the city that isn’t just a visitor attraction, but is a working city fort housing shops, hotels and ancient havelis (homes) where generations continue to live. The fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A strong Jain community is resident here and many Jain temples can be found. Jaisalmer is the perfect location to start a desert camel safari, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s hot in Jaisalmer, so best avoided in the hot summer months (May, June and July) when daily temperatures can top 50 degrees Celsius.
