Rajasthan, Taj Mahal & Varanasi: Mumbai to Delhi Self-Launched

Land at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and take the prepaid taxi or app cab (Ola/Uber, roughly £4-6) to a hostel or guesthouse in Juhu or Bandra. Spend the evening walking Juhu Chowpatty, eating bhel puri and pav bhaji from the stalls, and getting a Mumbai Metro card sorted for the days ahead.

🚌Airport prepaid taxi / Ola app cab ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Juhu/Bandra (£10-16)

• →Juhu Chowpatty sunset walk
• →Street food crawl
• →Pick up local SIM/eSIM and Metro card

Do the classic Mumbai circuit independently. Start early at the Gateway of India, take the 9am ferry to Elephanta Caves (closed Mondays — check the day), and return for a self-guided walk past the Prince of Wales Museum (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya), Marine Drive and the Jain temple at Malabar Hill. Book a half-day walking tour on GetYourGuide if you want context, or use a cheap audio guide. Finish at the Gandhi Memorial (Mani Bhavan).

🚌Local trains and Metro ~£1.50; ferry ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Juhu/Bandra (£10-16)

• →Elephanta Caves ferry + entry (~£5 return ferry + £1 entry)
• →Gateway of India
• →Marine Drive / Chowpatty
• →Mani Bhavan Gandhi Museum
• →Optional GetYourGuide Mumbai walking tour ~£15

Take a morning budget flight from Mumbai to Udaipur (IndiGo/SpiceJet, ~£30-45 booked ahead). Check into a lakeside guesthouse in the old town and spend the afternoon acclimatising: walk to Ambrai Ghat for sunset over Lake Pichola and eat a thali on a rooftop. Optional day-trip to Eklingji and Nagda temples can be arranged with a local taxi (~£20) if you have energy.

🚌Flight ~£35; airport taxi ~£5

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Udaipur old town (£10-18)

• →Budget flight to Udaipur
• →Ambrai Ghat sunset
• →Old town wander

Self-guided day through Udaipur's highlights. City Palace complex in the morning (combined ticket ~£5), then Jagdish Temple, the vintage car museum, Saheliyon-ki-Bari and Fateh Sagar Lake. Late afternoon boat ride on Lake Pichola (~£3-5 from Rameshwar Ghat) and the hour-long Dharohar folk dance show at Bagore ki Haveli at 7pm (~£2 entry). A local guide for the City Palace can be hired at the gate for ~£8.

🚌Walking + auto-rickshaws ~£3

🛏Lakeside guesthouse, Udaipur old town (£10-18)

• →City Palace Udaipur
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Saheliyon-ki-Bari
• →Lake Pichola boat ride
• →Dharohar dance show at Bagore ki Haveli

Optional but recommended: break the journey at Chittorgarh Fort, one of India's largest hill forts. Take an early bus or shared taxi to Chittorgarh (~£4), explore the fort, Rana Kumbha Palace, Victory Tower and Padmini Palace (auto-rickshaw loop inside the fort ~£4), then continue by bus or train to Jaipur. Arrive late and settle into a guesthouse in the old city.

🚌Bus Udaipur–Chittorgarh ~£4; Chittorgarh–Jaipur bus/train ~£5-9

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Jaipur old city (£9-16)

• →Chittorgarh Fort
• →Rana Kumbha Palace
• →Vijay Stambh (Victory Tower)
• →Padmini Palace

Hire a scooter or use autos to see Jaipur independently. Get to Amber Fort early (arrive 8am to beat the crowds), take the jeep up rather than the elephant ride for ethical reasons (~£4), then the City Palace and Jantar Mantar (combined ~£8). Stroll past Hawa Mahal and Jal Mahal at golden hour. Optional Nahargarh Fort sunset viewpoint (~£2 entry, ~£4 auto each way). A licensed local guide at Amber costs ~£8-10.

🚌Autos/scooter hire ~£5

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Jaipur old city (£9-16)

• →Amber Fort + jeep ride
• →City Palace Jaipur
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Nahargarh Fort sunset (optional)

Take an early train or bus to Agra, but stop at Fatehpur Sikri en route — the easiest way is a shared jeep from Bharatpur or the direct tourist bus from Jaipur (~£8-10). Explore the Mughal ghost city, Salim Chisti's Tomb and Buland Darwaza (battery car ~£1). Continue to Agra and settle into a guesthouse near the Taj Mahal's east gate.

🚌Train or bus Jaipur–Fatehpur Sikri–Agra ~£10 total

🛏Guesthouse, Taj Ganj area, Agra (£9-15)

• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Tomb of Salim Chisti
• →Buland Darwaza
• →Panch Mahal

Buy your Taj Mahal ticket online the night before (~£12 foreigners) and enter at sunrise from the east gate — the quietest hour. Then walk to Agra Fort (~£6), see Moti Masjid and Jahangir Palace, and finish at Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb (Baby Taj, ~£3) and Mehtab Bagh for the sunset view across the Yamuna. Optional local guide at the Taj ~£10.

🚌Autos ~£4

🛏Guesthouse, Taj Ganj area, Agra (£9-15)

• →Taj Mahal sunrise entry
• →Agra Fort
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view

A long transfer day. Take a train or bus from Agra towards Khajuraho (or a budget flight if you can find one), spend a couple of hours exploring the Khajuraho temple complex en route, then take a shared taxi or bus to Panna (~£4). Check into a forest lodge or basic guesthouse near the national park and arrange your safaris for tomorrow.

🚌Train/bus Agra–Khajuraho ~£8; shared taxi to Panna ~£4

🛏Budget forest lodge or guesthouse, Panna (£12-20)

• →Khajuraho temples (UNESCO)
• →Transfer to Panna

Book a shared jeep safari directly with your lodge or via the MP Forest Department (shared jeep ~£25-35 per person for a half-day, or a private jeep ~£60 for four people). Head out at dawn and again in the late afternoon — Panna is one of India's best tiger reserves and also has gharials and vultures. A naturalist guide is compulsory and included in the forest permit.

🚌Shared jeep safari

🛏Budget forest lodge or guesthouse, Panna (£12-20)

• →Morning game drive, Panna National Park
• →Afternoon safari

Make the long journey to Varanasi: shared taxi/bus to Khajuraho or Satna, then an overnight or afternoon train (Satna–Varanasi ~£6-10). Once in Varanasi, if time allows, walk or auto to Sarnath (~£3) to see the Dhamek Stupa, the archaeological museum and the Tibetan monastery. End the day at Dashashwamedh Ghat for the Ganga Aarti river ceremony at dusk — free, but arrive early and hire a boat for a better view (~£5).

🚌Shared taxi + train ~£12

🛏Guesthouse near the ghats (£10-18)

• →Sarnath stupa and museum
• →Dashashwamedh Ghat Ganga Aarti
• →Optional boat view of aarti

Book a dawn rowboat on the Ganges (~£6-8 shared, one of the trip's highlights) and watch the ghats wake up. Then walk the city's temples — Tulsi Manas, Durga Temple, Sankat Mochan and Vishwanath (the new Kashi Vishwanath complex is free) — and see Banaras Hindu University and Birla Mandir. Early evening train or overnight train to Delhi (sleeper ~£8, AC2 ~£16).

🚌Boat ~£7; overnight train Delhi ~£15

🛏Sleeper or AC2 train to Delhi

• →Sunrise Ganges boat ride
• →Tulsi Manas Temple
• →Durga Temple
• →Sankat Mochan
• →Kashi Vishwanath / Banaras Hindu University

Arrive Delhi and head to a hostel in Paharganj or Karol Bagh for a shower. Do a self-guided Delhi circuit: Qutub Minar (~£5), Humayun's Tomb (~£6), India Gate and the Raj Ghat memorial, the Jama Masjid (~£1), and a cycle-rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk spice market (~£3). Book a GetYourGuide Old Delhi food walk (~£20) if you want to try the best street food safely. Eat dinner at a local restaurant.

🚌Delhi Metro and autos ~£4

🛏Hostel, Paharganj or Karol Bagh (£8-14)

• →Qutub Minar
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →India Gate & Raj Ghat
• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk rickshaw ride
• →Optional Old Delhi food walk ~£20

Slow morning: visit the Lotus Temple (free, closed Mondays) or wander the Lodi Gardens, then head to the airport by Metro Airport Express or app cab (~£4). If your flight is late, use the free luggage storage at your hostel.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£2 or cab ~£5

• →Lotus Temple or Lodi Gardens
• →Last-minute shopping