Historical Rajasthan — Self-Launched

Land at IGI Airport and take the Airport Express Metro (approx £1.20) to New Delhi station, then walk or grab a 10-minute auto to Paharganj or the quieter Majnu ka Tila area. Get an Indian eSIM (£8-12), draw cash (ATMs around Connaught Place are reliable) and pick up a rechargeable Delhi Metro card. Evening wander around Connaught Place for dinner — a thali or chole bhature sets you back £2-4. Sort your onward Delhi–Jaipur train on IRCTC tonight.

🚌Airport Express Metro ~£1.20; auto rickshaw ~£1.50

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Paharganj (£7-12)

• →Airport Express Metro into the city
• →Connaught Place evening walk and street food

Book the Old Delhi food and heritage walk on GetYourGuide or Klook (approx £15-25) or DIY it: start at Jama Masjid (free, small camera fee), walk the lanes of Chandni Chowk for parathas and jalebi, and take a cycle rickshaw through the Khari Baoli spice market (£2-3, agree the price first). Afternoon: metro to Qutub Minar (£3.50 foreigner ticket) and Humayun's Tomb (£3.50). Finish at Raj Ghat (free), drive-past India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan on the way back — or walk the Rajpath/Kartavya Path on foot. The Lotus Temple (free) is doable if you have energy.

🚌Delhi Metro day pass ~£2.50; rickshaws £3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Paharganj (£7-12)

• →Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk street food walk
• →Qutub Minar
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Raj Ghat and Kartavya Path
• →Lotus Temple (optional)

Take the 6am or 10:35 Shatabdi/Double Decker train from New Delhi to Jaipur (approx £4-7 for second sitting chair car, 4.5-5.5 hours) — book on IRCTC a few days ahead. On the way you pass Rewari, where the heritage rail museum the original tour stops at is located; if you're keen, hop off at Rewari for an hour (it's a short auto ride from the station, ~£1) and continue on a later passenger train. Otherwise head straight to Jaipur, check into a Zostel or heritage haveli near MI Road, and spend the evening at Nahargarh Fort for sunset views over the city (£2 entry + £3 auto up).

🚌Delhi–Jaipur train ~£6; autos £3

🛏Zostel Jaipur dorm or budget haveli near MI Road (£8-15)

• →Delhi–Jaipur train journey
• →Rewari rail museum stop (optional)
• →Sunset at Nahargarh Fort

Take a local bus or shared auto to Amber Fort (£1) and be there for the 8am opening to beat the crowds and the heat — the composite ticket covering Amber, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh, Jaigarh, Albert Hall and more costs ~£5 and is excellent value. Descend, then visit City Palace (£9) and Jantar Mantar (£3.50) in the old town. Drive-bys of Jal Mahal and Hawa Mahal are free from the roadside; step inside Hawa Mahal for £3 if the light is good. Birla Temple is free and a nice sunset stop. Elephant rides are ethically contested — take the jeep (£8) instead.

🚌Local bus/shared auto to Amber ~£1; autos £4

🛏Zostel Jaipur dorm or budget haveli (£8-15)

• →Amber Fort (jeep up, ~£8)
• →Composite monument ticket
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal and Jal Mahal
• →Birla Temple

Catch a bus or the train from Jaipur to Ajmer (train ~£1.50, 2 hours; bus £1.80). In Ajmer, visit the Dargah Sharif of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (free, modest dress, leave shoes at the gate; small donation expected) and the Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra mosque nearby. Then a local bus or shared auto 30 minutes over Nag Pahar to Pushkar (£0.70). Check into a lakeside guesthouse and spend the late afternoon doing the temple circuit on foot — Brahma Temple (the only major one in the world), Rangji, Varah, Apteshwar and a walk up to Savitri Temple for sunset. Beware of 'priests' demanding money at the ghats.

🚌Jaipur–Ajmer train ~£1.50; Ajmer–Pushkar bus ~£0.70

🛏Pushkar lakeside guesthouse or hostel (£8-14)

• →Ajmer Dargah Sharif
• →Adhai-Din-Ka-Jhonpra mosque
• →Brahma Temple and Pushkar ghats
• →Savitri Temple sunset walk

Morning free for the Pushkar Lake ghats and the morning aarti, then a bus to Ajmer and a train to Jodhpur (~£3-5, 4-5 hours) or a direct private/shared taxi (£35 split, 5 hours). Arrive late afternoon, check into a guesthouse in the old blue lanes below the fort, and wander the Clock Tower market for mirchi vada and makhani lassi (£1). Sunset from the rooftop of your guesthouse with the fort lit up is the classic Jodhpur moment.

🚌Pushkar/Ajmer–Jodhpur train ~£4; autos £3

🛏Old-city guesthouse near Clock Tower (£9-16)

• →Pushkar morning ghats
• →Clock Tower market and blue lanes wander
• →Rooftop fort views

Do Mehrangarh Fort at opening (£6 including audio guide — one of India's best), then Jaswant Thada (£1.50) and the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (£1.50) next door. Umaid Bhawan Palace museum is £3 if palaces are your thing. For the Ranakpur detour, take a morning bus to Ranakpur (£2, 2-2.5 hours) to see the extraordinary marble Jain temple (free/donation, camera fee) and then a shared jeep or local bus onward to Udaipur (£3-4, 3 hours) — this makes for a long but doable day, so start early. Alternatively book a private car Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur for £45-55 split between two. Arrive Udaipur and settle into a lakeside guesthouse.

🚌Bus to Ranakpur ~£2; shared jeep to Udaipur ~£3.50; autos £3

🛏Udaipur guesthouse in the old city near Lal Ghat (£9-16)

• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Jaswant Thada
• →Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park
• →Ranakpur Jain Temples

Book the Dharohar folk dance and music show at Bagore Ki Haveli directly at the door (£2-3, 7pm nightly) — arrive 30 minutes early for a front-row seat — and visit the haveli museum by day (£1.50). City Palace is £6 (combined ticket with the Crystal Gallery available). Walk to Jagdish Temple (free), Ambrai Ghat, and Saheliyon ki Bari (£1.50). Take a shared or private boat on Lake Pichola around sunset (£5-8) or the cheaper Fateh Sagar Lake option. Ride the Udaipur ropeway up to Karni Mata for sunset (£1.50). If you want the Eklingji and Nagda temples, a shared taxi from town is £12-15 for the half day.

🚌Walking city; autos £3; ropeway £1.50

🛏Udaipur guesthouse near Lal Ghat (£9-16)

• →City Palace
• →Bagore Ki Haveli museum and Dharohar show
• →Jagdish Temple and Ambrai Ghat
• →Lake Pichola sunset boat
• →Karni Mata ropeway
• →Saheliyon ki Bari

Take an early train or bus Udaipur to Chittorgarh (£2-4, 2-3 hours). Hire an auto for a 3-hour loop of the vast hilltop fort (£6-8 for the vehicle) to see Rana Kumbha Palace, Kumbha Shyam Temple, the Victory Tower (Vijay Stambh), Meerabai Temple, Padmini Palace and the museum — the fort entry is £2.50. Continue by train or bus to Bundi (£2-3, 3 hours, often via Kota) and check into a haveli in the old town. Evening on the rooftops of Bundi with its blue-washed houses — this is the Rajasthan the tour groups skip.

🚌Udaipur–Chittorgarh ~£3; Chittorgarh fort auto loop ~£7; Chittorgarh–Bundi ~£2.50

🛏Bundi old-town haveli (£8-14)

• →Chittorgarh Fort full circuit
• →Victory Tower and Padmini Palace
• →Bundi old-town rooftop evening

Spend the morning on Bundi's sights: Taragarh Fort (free, steep scramble), Garh Palace with its Chitrashala murals (£1), Raniji ki Baori stepwell (free), Sukh Mahal (£0.50), Nawal Sagar Lake and the 84-pillared cenotaph. Then take the train Bundi–Sawai Madhopur (~£1.50-3, 2-3 hours) or a shared taxi, and check into a guesthouse in Sawai Madhopur village. Tonight: book your safari online in advance via the official Rajasthan Forest Department portal (bookings open 90 days out and sell fast) — a canter safari is about £15-20 per person, a shared jeep £25-30.

🚌Bundi–Sawai Madhopur train ~£2; autos £3

🛏Sawai Madhopur guesthouse or budget resort (£10-18)

• →Taragarh Fort and Bundi Palace
• →Raniji ki Baori stepwell
• →Sukh Mahal and Nawal Sagar Lake
• →Book Ranthambore safari online

Double safari day: 6:30am morning canter or jeep into Ranthambore National Park and 2:30pm afternoon drive, both with forest-department guides. Two drives gives you far better tiger odds than one — the original tour builds in three for exactly this reason. Between drives, eat a long lunch, nap, and visit the 10th-century Ranthambore Fort on the park edge if you have time (included with park entry). Stay a second night to save moving.

🚌Shared jeep/canter transfers included in safari; autos £3

🛏Sawai Madhopur guesthouse or budget resort (£10-18)

• →Morning jungle safari
• →Afternoon jungle safari
• →Ranthambore Fort (optional)

Take a morning safari (zone allocation is random so a third drive genuinely increases your chance of a tiger sighting) and then treat the afternoon as downtime — pool, book swap, laundry. Alternatively, swap this day for a half-day at Bharatpur if you're ahead of schedule, taking the train Sawai Madhopur to Bharatpur (£2, 2.5 hours). Book your onward train to Bharatpur/Agra tonight for tomorrow morning.

🚌Safari transfer; autos £3

🛏Sawai Madhopur guesthouse or budget resort (£10-18)

• →Morning jungle safari
• →Rest and laundry afternoon
• →Book onward train

Train Sawai Madhopur to Bharatpur (£2, 2.5 hours), leave your bag at the station cloakroom, and walk 10 minutes to Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary (£5 entry). Cycle rickshaws inside the sanctuary are the classic way to birdwatch (£4-5 for 2-3 hours with a guide who knows every nest) — magical in winter when migratory birds are in. Then a bus or shared jeep to Fatehpur Sikri (£2-3, 45 min): the Mughal ghost city is £6, and the Buland Darwaza, Panch Mahal and Tomb of Salim Chisti are all within the walls. Continue by local bus to Agra (£1.50, 1.5 hours) and check into a guesthouse in Taj Ganj with a rooftop Taj view.

🚌Train to Bharatpur ~£2; rickshaw in sanctuary ~£4.50; bus Fatehpur Sikri ~£2.50; bus to Agra ~£1.50

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop view (£8-15)

• →Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary with cycle rickshaw guide
• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Bus to Agra

Pre-book your Taj Mahal ticket online (£12 including the mausoleum, or £11 for the main complex only) for the sunrise slot — gates open at sunrise and it's worth arriving 20 minutes early; security queues are long. Then walk back for breakfast and head to Agra Fort (£6.50), taking in Moti Masjid, Jahangir's Palace, the Octagonal Tower and Diwan-i-Khas. Cross the river to Mehtab Bagh (£3) in the afternoon for the classic reverse-view of the Taj, and see Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb (£3, the 'Baby Taj'). If you have time, Sikandra (Akbar's Tomb, £3) is on the way out of town. Evening train or bus back to Delhi — the Gatimaan Express is 1h40 and about £8-10 (book ahead), arriving at Hazrat Nizamuddin.

🚌Taj ticket ~£12; autos £4; Gatimaan Express Agra–Delhi ~£9

🛏Delhi hostel or guesthouse (£7-12)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Mehtab Bagh
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah's Tomb
• →Train to Delhi

Slow breakfast, last-minute shopping for spices, block prints or a kurta in Dilli Haat or Janpath (£10-15 budget), and a final auto to the Airport Express Metro for your flight. If your flight is late, the National Museum (£3) near Rajpath is a good air-conditioned way to kill a few hours and tie together everything you've seen — Mughal miniatures, Chola bronzes and the whole sweep of the subcontinent.

🚌Metro/auto to airport ~£2

🛏—

• →Last-minute shopping at Dilli Haat or Janpath
• →National Museum (optional)
• →Airport Express Metro