Rajasthan earns its nickname — the Land of Kings is a run of walled cities, hilltop forts and lakeside palaces built by Rajput dynasties over five centuries. This route covers three of the best: Jaipur’s pink-washed old city and Amber Fort, Jodhpur’s blue lanes under the ramparts of Mehrangarh, and Udaipur, the lake city, where the City Palace looks out over Pichola at sunset. Real hotels, real drivers, real prices — no guesswork required.
Day 1
Arrive in Jaipur, the Pink City
Land in Rajasthan’s capital and settle into the old walled city before an evening of Rajasthani food, folk dance and puppetry just outside town.
🚗 Private Airport Transfer — Jaipur Airport (JAI) to the Old City
~30–40 minutes · About $35 USD for 2 people
A fixed-price private car meets you at arrivals and drives the 13 km into the Pink City — faster and less hassle than haggling with a prepaid-taxi counter after a long flight.
Savaari Car Rentals · +91 80 4242 4242 · savaari.com
🛎️ Check-In — Alsisar Haveli
From $112 USD / night, for 2 people
A 36-room 4-star heritage haveli on Sansar Chandra Road, built around a courtyard with an outdoor pool, five minutes by car from Jantar Mantar and well inside the old walled city.
Alsisar Haveli · +91 141 236 8290 · alsisarhaveli.com
🍽️ Dinner & Folk Show — Chokhi Dhani Village Resort
~3 hours incl. transfer · Est. $15–20 USD / person
A recreated Rajasthani village on the edge of the city with puppet shows, folk dancers, camel and bullock-cart rides, and an unlimited traditional thali dinner — a touristy but genuinely fun first-night introduction to the region.
Day 2
Amber Fort, City Palace & the Old City
A full day inside Jaipur’s two great sandstone-and-marble monuments, plus the observatory and the pink facade everyone comes to photograph.
🏰 Amber Fort, City Palace, Hawa Mahal & Jantar Mantar — Composite Ticket
2-day validity · About $18 USD / person
One ticket covers admission to five of Jaipur’s major monuments, including the hilltop Amber Fort with its Sheesh Mahal mirror hall and the 18th-century Jantar Mantar observatory. Buy it at the first site you visit.
📷 Private Full-Day Sightseeing by Car — Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal & City Palace
~7–8 hours · About $40 USD / person
An air-conditioned car and English-speaking driver-guide for the day, working the crowds at Amber Fort early before looping back through the pink-washed old city to the Hawa Mahal and City Palace.
GetYourGuide · getyourguide.com
🍽️ Dinner — Peacock Rooftop Restaurant, Hotel Pearl Palace
Est. $12–18 USD / person
On your own — a long-running budget-boutique rooftop known for its Amber Fort-adjacent views and thali menu; arrive before sunset for a table on the edge.
🛎️ Overnight — Alsisar Haveli
From $112 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night at the same haveli.
Alsisar Haveli · +91 141 236 8290 · alsisarhaveli.com
Day 3
Transfer to Jodhpur, the Blue City
A half-day drive west across the Thar Desert’s edge, trading Jaipur’s pink sandstone for Jodhpur’s indigo-washed old town under Mehrangarh Fort.
🚗 Private Car Transfer — Jaipur to Jodhpur
~4–5 hours · About $45 USD / person
A private air-conditioned car direct from your Jaipur hotel to Jodhpur, with stops as needed — the fastest way to cover the roughly 335 km without switching between train and taxi.
Balaji Forex Tours & Travels, via GetYourGuide · getyourguide.com
🛎️ Check-In — Pal Haveli
From $123 USD / night, for 2 people
A family-run heritage haveli on Gulab Sagar, steps from the Clock Tower and Sardar Market, with a rooftop restaurant looking straight up at Mehrangarh Fort.
Pal Haveli · +91 291 263 8344 · palhaveli.com
🛍️ Evening — Clock Tower & Sardar Market
~1.5 hours, self-guided · Free
On your own — a short walk from the haveli into Jodhpur’s spice, textile and silverware stalls around the 1912 clock tower, busiest and coolest after the day’s heat breaks.
Day 4
Mehrangarh Fort & the Blue City
Jodhpur’s single unmissable sight in the morning, then the royal family’s Art Deco palace-turned-museum in the afternoon.
🏰 Mehrangarh Fort & Blue City Private Guided Tour
~5 hours · About $45 USD / person
A guide walks you through Mehrangarh’s courtyards and the mirrored Sheesh Mahal, then down into the blue-painted lanes below the ramparts, finishing at Jaswant Thada, the white marble royal cenotaph.
GetYourGuide · getyourguide.com
🚘 Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum
~1 hour · About $4 USD / person
One of the world’s largest private residences, completed in 1943 — part is still a Taj hotel and part is the current royal family’s home, but the museum wing of vintage cars and Art Deco interiors is open to visitors.
🍽️ Dinner — Indique Restaurant & Bar, Pal Haveli
Est. $15–25 USD / person
The haveli’s own rooftop restaurant, with Mehrangarh Fort floodlit directly overhead after dark — no need to book elsewhere.
Pal Haveli · +91 291 263 8344 · palhaveli.com
🛎️ Overnight — Pal Haveli
From $123 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night at the same haveli.
Pal Haveli · +91 291 263 8344 · palhaveli.com
Day 5
Transfer to Udaipur via Kumbhalgarh & Ranakpur
The longest drive of the trip, broken up by two of Rajasthan’s best stops along the way — a fort with a wall nearly as long as the Great Wall of China, and one of India’s most intricately carved temples.
🚗 Private Transfer — Jodhpur to Udaipur via Ranakpur & Kumbhalgarh Fort
~8–10 hours incl. stops · About $44 USD / person
A private car with stops at the 15th-century marble Ranakpur Jain Temple, famous for its 1,444 carved pillars, and Kumbhalgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage hill fort ringed by a 36 km wall, before continuing on to Udaipur.
GetYourGuide · getyourguide.com
🛎️ Check-In — Jagat Niwas Palace
From $74 USD / night, for 2 people
A 17th-century haveli-turned-hotel on Lal Ghat, right on Lake Pichola with the Jagdish Temple around the corner — ask for a lake-view room facing the water.
Jagat Niwas Palace · +91 11 4242 3100 · heritagehotelsofindia.com
Day 6
City Palace & Sunset on Lake Pichola
Udaipur’s two headline sights in one day — the largest royal palace complex in Rajasthan, then the lake it looks out over.
🏰 City Palace Udaipur
~2 hours · About $14.50 USD / person
A sprawling complex of courtyards, museums and mirrored halls built up over nearly 400 years by successive Maharanas, with the best views of Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace from its upper terraces.
⛵ Lake Pichola Sunset Boat Ride
~1 hour · About $8.50 USD / person
A covered boat departs from the Rameshwar Ghat jetty at the City Palace, circling past Jag Mandir island and the Taj Lake Palace as the light turns gold over the ghats.
Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) · City Palace jetty
🍽️ Dinner — Ambrai Restaurant, Amet Haveli
Est. $20–30 USD / person
On your own — open-air lakeside tables directly across the water from the City Palace and Lake Palace, lit up after dark. Book ahead for a front-row table.
🛎️ Overnight — Jagat Niwas Palace
From $74 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night at the same lakeside haveli.
Jagat Niwas Palace · +91 11 4242 3100 · heritagehotelsofindia.com
Day 7
Depart from Udaipur Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR)
A slow final morning by the lake before a short transfer out to the airport for the flight home.
🛕 Free Morning — Jagdish Temple & the Ghats
~1 hour, self-guided · Free (small donation at the temple)
On your own — the 17th-century Jagdish Temple is a two-minute walk from the haveli, and the ghats along Lake Pichola make for a quiet last coffee before checkout.
🚗 Private Airport Transfer — Udaipur City to Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR)
~30 minutes · About $20 USD for 2 people
The airport sits about 22 km southeast of the old city; the hotel can arrange a car directly, or book ahead through the same driver network used earlier in the trip.
Savaari Car Rentals · +91 80 4242 4242 · savaari.com
Download your itinerary here
Leave a Reply