Cycling Through Rajasthan — Self-Launched

Land at IGI Airport, take the Airport Express metro (~£1.50) or a prepaid taxi (~£5) into Paharganj or Karol Bagh. Settle into a budget guesthouse and, if you want a bike for the Delhi morning, arrange it today — Delhi's cycle-hire scene is thin, so most travellers hire a mountain bike from a Paharganj cycle shop (~£8-10/day) or simply rent a city bike via the Delhi Bike Share app. Otherwise pick up your bike in Jodhpur tomorrow. Eat a proper North Indian dinner near Connaught Place (~£4) and sleep off the flight.

🚌Airport Express metro or prepaid taxi from IGI

🛏Budget guesthouse in Paharganj or Karol Bagh (~£12-18)

• →Bike hire and fitting
• →Evening walk around Connaught Place
• →Welcome thali dinner

Head out at 6am for a self-guided 20-25km ride down the Rajpath from India Gate past Rashtrapati Bhavan, then into the lanes of Old Delhi. Several Delhi outfits run fixed-price dawn cycle tours (~£20-28) if you'd rather have a guide — otherwise ride solo and stop at Jama Masjid, Raj Ghat and the Chandni Chowk spice market on foot. Afternoon: metro to New Delhi station and board the overnight train to Jodhpur (Mandore Express or similar, 3AC ~£15-20, booked on IRCTC a few weeks ahead).

🚌Overnight train Delhi–Jodhpur, 3AC ~£15-20

🛏Overnight train, 3AC sleeper

• →Dawn cycle Rajpath and India Gate
• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk on foot
• →Raj Ghat memorial

Arrive early, check into a guesthouse in the old city (the lanes below Mehrangarh are far better located and cheaper than the out-of-town resorts). Pick up a hire mountain bike for the Rajasthan legs — Jodhpur and Udaipur both have shops renting MTBs at ~£8-12/day, and many guesthouses can arrange one. Ride an easy 15-20km afternoon loop out to Mandore Gardens and back, then walk up into Mehrangarh Fort (£5 entry, audio guide £2) and wander the blue-washed lanes and Sadar Bazaar. Sunset from the fort ramparts is free.

🚌Hired mountain bike; auto-rickshaw for luggage ~£2

🛏Old-city guesthouse with rooftop, Jodhpur (~£14)

• →Afternoon cycle to Mandore Gardens
• →Mehrangarh Fort and museum
• →Sadar Bazaar and blue city lanes

Take an early state bus or shared taxi from Jodhpur to Ranakpur (~3.5hrs, bus ~£4, shared taxi ~£8). The 15th-century Adinath temple with its 1,444 carved marble pillars is the day's highlight (£3 entry, no photos of the deities). Hire a bike in Ranakpur village if you want to do the Aravalli stretch — or, easier, ride the flatter 30-40km backroad section into the hills and take a bus for the rest. Continue to Udaipur by bus (~2.5hrs, ~£3). Check into a guesthouse near Lake Pichola.

🚌State bus/shared taxi Jodhpur–Ranakpur ~£4-8; bus Ranakpur–Udaipur ~£3

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola, Udaipur (~£16)

• →Ranakpur Jain Temple
• →Aravalli foothills backroad cycling
• →Roadside Hindu temple stop

Ride a 25-30km loop out past Fateh Sagar Lake and Badi Lake into the Aravalli foothills — quiet tarmac, village chai stops, great views back over the city. Afternoon: City Palace (combined ticket ~£6 with Crystal Gallery), then a sunset boat on Lake Pichola (~£8). Evening rooftop dinner overlooking the lake (~£5). If you want a guide, Udaipur has half-day guided cycle tours from ~£22.

🚌Hired bike; walking in the old city

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola, Udaipur (~£16)

• →Fateh Sagar and Badi Lake cycle loop
• →City Palace and Crystal Gallery
• →Sunset boat on Lake Pichola

Bus or shared taxi to Iswal (~45min, ~£3), then ride the quiet backroads 35-40km to Kumbhalgarh. Base yourself in a small family guesthouse or homestay near the fort (~£15-20). Late afternoon, walk or cycle the 5km uphill to Kumbhalgarh Fort (£3 entry) — its 36km wall is second only to the Great Wall. Time it for sunset, then descend before dark.

🚌Bus to Iswal ~£3; 35-40km ride to Kumbhalgarh

🛏Guesthouse/homestay near Kumbhalgarh Fort (~£18)

• →Backroad cycling through Aravalli villages
• →Kumbhalgarh Fort and ramparts walk

Ride 40-50km of rural backroads north towards the Pushkar road, then transfer the remaining distance by bus from the nearest highway junction (~£4-6). Pushkar is small, walkable and full of cheap guesthouses (~£12-16). Circumambulate the holy lake at dusk, climb Savitri Temple for sunset (or take the ropeway, ~£1), and eat at one of the rooftop cafes on the bazaar road. Pushkar is strictly vegetarian and alcohol-free.

🚌40-50km ride plus state bus ~£4-6

🛏Guesthouse near Pushkar Lake (~£14)

• →Rural backroad cycling
• →Pushkar Lake ghats and Brahma Temple
• →Savitri Temple sunset

Ride out through desert backroads and small villages towards Rupnagar (35-45km), then bus from Rupnagar to Jaipur (~2.5hrs, ~£3). Alternatively, if you're feeling strong, extend to the Naraina railway crossing and take the train in. Jaipur's MI Road and old-city area has plenty of hostels and budget hotels from £12-20. Evening: walk to Hawa Mahal lit up at night, then dinner at a local thali house in the old city (~£4).

🚌Ride to Rupnagar; state bus Rupnagar–Jaipur ~£3

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Jaipur old city (~£16)

• →Desert village cycling
• →Hawa Mahal night view
• →Old city bazaar walk

Start early with a self-guided 12km heritage ride through the old city's narrow lanes and havelis out to Albert Hall, stopping at breakfast stalls. Then take a local bus or auto to Amber Fort (~£1 each way; combined Amber + Nahargarh ticket ~£6) — go at opening (8am) to beat the crowds. Afternoon: City Palace museum (~£5) and Jantar Mantar (~£2.50). Skip the operator-style craft demonstrations and buy directly from the bazaars on Johari and Bapu Bazaar instead.

🚌Bike plus local bus/auto to Amber ~£2 return

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Jaipur old city (~£16)

• →Dawn heritage cycle through old Jaipur
• →Amber Fort at opening
• →City Palace, Jantar Mantar and bazaars

Bus or shared taxi from Jaipur to Jamwa Ramgarh (~1.5hrs, ~£4), then ride the Aravalli foothill road ~40km to Sariska via Pratap Garh. Book a guided 4x4 game drive directly with the Sariska forest department or a local lodge — slots are at dawn and late afternoon, roughly £25-35 per person shared in a six-seater Gypsy. Stay in a guesthouse or lodge near the park gate (~£18-25).

🚌Bus to Jamwa Ramgarh ~£4; 40km ride to Sariska

🛏Guesthouse near Sariska park gate (~£22)

• →Aravalli foothill cycling
• →Afternoon 4x4 game drive in Sariska Tiger Reserve

Take the 6am game drive (£25-35 shared). Sariska's tiger population is small so sightings are a lottery, but leopards, sambar, nilgai and langurs are near-certain and the dry deciduous forest is beautiful. Rest through the heat of the day, then ride a short 14km loop to the surrounding villages in the late afternoon — the chai-stop conversations are the real reason to be here.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle; hired bike for village loop

🛏Guesthouse near Sariska park gate (~£22)

• →Dawn 4x4 game drive
• →Afternoon village cycle
• →Birdwatching around the park edges

Ride from your guesthouse to Muhwa (25-35km), then transfer by bus to Bharatpur (~4hrs with a change at Alwar or Dausa, ~£5-7). In the late afternoon, cycle or hire a bicycle at the gate to explore Keoladeo Ghana National Park (~£2 gate + ~£2 bike hire, guide optional ~£8). It's one of Asia's best wetland bird sanctuaries — painted storks, herons, eagles and, in winter, Siberian cranes. Sleep in a guesthouse near the gate (~£15).

🚌Ride to Muhwa; state bus via Alwar ~£5-7

🛏Guesthouse near Keoladeo gate, Bharatpur (~£15)

• →Keoladeo Ghana National Park by bicycle
• →Birdwatching with a local guide

Ride the backroads 30-40km from Bharatpur to Fatehpur Sikri (or take the early bus to the Sikri road and ride the last stretch). Explore Akbar's abandoned red-sandstone capital (£5, plus £2 for the Buland Darwaza and the Sufi shrine of Salim Chishti). Then a bus or shared taxi to Agra (~1.5hrs, ~£3). Get to the Taj in the last two hours before close for the softest light and thinnest crowds; the ticket is £12 and valid for one entry per day.

🚌40km ride to Fatehpur Sikri; bus to Agra ~£3

🛏Budget hotel in Taj Ganj, Agra (~£14)

• →Fatehpur Sikri and Salim Chishti shrine
• →Taj Mahal at sunset

Beat the heat and the crowds with an 8am Agra Fort visit (£6, audio guide £2) — the pearl mosque, Diwan-i-Aam and the view across to the Taj from Musamman Burj are the highlights. If you want a second Taj visit, sunrise tickets are the same price and the mausoleum chamber is far calmer then. Afternoon: Gatimaan Express or a Shatabdi-class train to Delhi (~£8-12, 2hrs). Stay in Paharganj (~£15) and eat a final dinner at a Karim's-style Mughlai spot (~£6).

🚌Train Agra–Delhi ~£8-12

🛏Budget guesthouse, Paharganj, Delhi (~£15)

• →Agra Fort and Musamman Burj
• →Optional sunrise Taj Mahal entry
• →Final Mughlai dinner

If your flight is late, take the metro to Qutab Minar (~£1 entry) or Humayun's Tomb — both are conveniently close to the airport side of the city. Airport Express metro back to IGI takes about 20 minutes. Return any hired bike in Delhi if you kept one.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£1.50

🛏—

• →Qutab Minar complex or Humayun's Tomb