27 places worth the journey
Rajasthan's great attractions.
Hill forts and royal palaces, carved merchant mansions, tiger reserves and bird sanctuaries, and the fairs and festivals that bring the desert to life.
Forts & palaces
JaipurAmber Fort
A honey-coloured fort-palace on the hills above Maota Lake, and the finest introduction to Rajput architecture.
JaipurJaigarh Fort
The rugged military fort on Cheel ka Teela, the Hill of Eagles, built to protect Amber Fort below.
JaipurCity Palace Jaipur
The royal palace at the heart of the Pink City, still home to Jaipur's former royal family.
UdaipurCity Palace Udaipur
A vast palace of balconies, towers and courtyards rising above Lake Pichola, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan.
UdaipurLake Palace Udaipur
A white marble palace that seems to float on Lake Pichola, built as a royal summer retreat.
JodhpurMehrangarh Fort
A colossal fort rising from a sheer rock above the blue city, home to one of India's finest palace museums.
JodhpurUmaid Bhawan Palace
The last great palace built in India: an Art Deco landmark on Chittar Hill, part royal home, part hotel and part museum.
BikanerJunagarh Fort
A fort built on the plains rather than a hill, with some of Rajasthan's most richly painted palace rooms inside.
BikanerLalgarh Palace
A red sandstone palace of carved lattices and arcades, built for Bikaner's great modernising Maharaja.
ChittorgarhChittorgarh Fort
India's largest fort, spread across a 180-metre hill, and the most powerful symbol of Rajput honour and sacrifice.
ChittorgarhPadmini Palace
A small white palace beside a lotus pool, inseparable from the most famous legend of Chittorgarh.
JaisalmerJaisalmer Fort (Sonar Qila)
A golden sandstone citadel rising from the Thar, and one of the few forts in the world where people still live inside the walls.
BundiTaragarh Fort
The Star Fort, a wild and atmospheric 14th-century fortress on the hills above Bundi's blue houses.
AlwarVinay Vilas Mahal (City Palace Alwar)
Alwar's City Palace, an 18th-century blend of Rajput and Mughal styles set against the Aravalli hills.
Havelis & architecture
Wildlife & nature
RanthamboreRanthambore National Park
Dry forest, lakes and ancient ruins make Ranthambore one of the best places in India to see wild tigers.
AlwarSariska Tiger Reserve
Wooded valleys and rocky hills in the Aravallis, close to Delhi and Jaipur, where tigers have made a remarkable return.
BharatpurKeoladeo National Park
A UNESCO-listed wetland near Agra and one of the finest bird sanctuaries in Asia, explored by cycle-rickshaw or on foot.
JaisalmerDesert National Park
A vast reserve of dunes, scrub and salt lakes in the Thar, home to the rare Great Indian Bustard.
Festivals & fairs
PushkarPushkar Camel Fair
Each autumn, thousands of camels, traders and pilgrims fill the dunes around Pushkar for one of the world's great fairs.
NagaurNagaur Cattle Fair
A winter fair of bullocks, camels and horses, and the turbaned traders who bring them across the desert.
BikanerBikaner Camel Festival
A January celebration of the ship of the desert, with decorated camels, folk music and fire dances.
JaisalmerJaisalmer Desert Festival
Three days of music, contests and camel races in the Golden City, ending with a full-moon night on the dunes.
JodhpurMarwar Festival
Two days of folk music and dance under the autumn full moon, in honour of the heroes of Marwar.
JaipurJaipur Kite Festival
On Makar Sankranti, all of Jaipur takes to the rooftops and the sky fills with thousands of kites.
JaipurJaipur Elephant Festival
Once a colourful parade of decorated elephants on the eve of Holi, and today a reminder of how Jaipur celebrates the festival of colours.
