Incredible Rajasthan & the Taj Mahal: Self-Launched 15-Day Circuit

Land at Delhi Airport and take the Airport Express metro (about £2, 20 mins) to New Delhi station, then walk or grab a short auto-rickshaw into Paharganj or nearby Karol Bagh. Check into a budget hotel or hostel, sort a local SIM (Airtel/Jio, ~£5 for a month with data), and pick up an IRCTC account + UPI setup if you can. Spend the evening gently: wander Main Bazaar, eat a thali at a neighbourhood dhaba, and get an early night before the sightseeing begins.

🚌Airport Express metro ~£2 + auto-rickshaw ~£1.50

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Paharganj (~£14)

• →Airport Express metro into the city
• →Main Bazaar wander
• →Local SIM setup

Do the Delhi big five yourself using the metro and short autos. Start at Jama Masjid (entry ~£0.50, camera fee extra), then take a cycle-rickshaw loop through Chandni Chowk's spice lanes (~£3, agree the price first). Metro to Qutub Minar (£1 entry), then back north for Humayun's Tomb (£3), Raj Ghat (free) and the Lotus Temple (free, closed Mondays). Finish with a drive-past of India Gate and the government district — an auto will do it for a few pounds. Skip the costly guided version; a GetYourGuide Old Delhi food walk (~£18) is a good optional add if you want the street-food deep dive.

🚌Delhi Metro day of rides ~£2 + rickshaw/auto ~£6

🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel in Paharganj (~£14)

• →Jama Masjid
• →Chandni Chowk cycle-rickshaw ride
• →Qutub Minar
• →Humayun's Tomb
• →Raj Ghat & Lotus Temple
• →India Gate drive-past

Catch an early train or bus toward Jhunjhunu/Sikar (e.g. Delhi–Sikar trains, ~£3–5, 5–6 hrs), then a shared jeep or local bus the last stretch to Mandawa (~£2). Check into a small haveli guesthouse. Spend the afternoon on foot: Mandawa's painted havelis (Gulab Rai Ladia, Hanuman Prasad Goenka), the fort, and the rambling bazaars where you can buy Shekhawati miniatures and textiles. The whole town is walkable and atmospheric at golden hour.

🚌Train/bus Delhi–Sikar ~£4 + shared jeep to Mandawa ~£2

🛏Haveli guesthouse in Mandawa (~£12)

• →Painted havelis walk
• →Mandawa Fort
• →Shekhawati bazaar shopping

Bus or shared jeep back to Sikar/Jhunjhunu, then a train or bus on to Bikaner (~£4–6, 4–5 hrs). Drop bags at a guesthouse near the old town and head to Junagarh Fort — the audio guide (~£1) is genuinely good, entry ~£4. If time allows, take a local auto out to Lalgarh Palace museum and the Camel Research Farm on the Jodhpur road (entry ~£1, best late afternoon when the camels come in). Bikaner is famous for bhujia and kachori — eat both.

🚌Bus + train Mandawa–Bikaner ~£6 + local autos ~£4

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in Bikaner (~£14)

• →Junagarh Fort with audio guide
• →Lalgarh Palace museum
• →National Research Centre on Camel
• →Bikaneri street snacks

Take a morning train or bus to Jaisalmer (~£5–7, 5–6 hrs). Check into a haveli guesthouse inside or just outside the fort walls — the sandstone city is best seen on foot. Afternoon wander through the lanes of the old city, Patwon ki Haveli's exterior, and the bazaars for mirror-work textiles and leather. Book a camel safari for tomorrow directly with a local operator (or via GetYourGuide) — desert camps range from ~£20 basic to ~£45 with better tents and dinner.

🚌Train/bus Bikaner–Jaisalmer ~£6

🛏Haveli guesthouse in Jaisalmer (~£13)

• →Old city lanes walk
• →Bazaar shopping
• →Book camel safari

Morning at Jaisalmer Fort — the living fort's Jain temples (~£1) and palace museum (~£3) are worth the climb, and the audio guide helps. Auto out to Bada Bagh's royal cenotaphs (~£1, gorgeous at any hour) and Gadsisar Lake. Late afternoon your safari jeep picks you up: an hour's drive to Sam Sand Dunes, a camel ride into the dunes, sunset, then dinner and Rajasthani folk music at the desert camp. Basic camps run ~£20 including transport, camel and dinner; upgrade to a Swiss tent for ~£45.

🚌Auto-rickshaw sightseeing ~£5 + safari jeep included in camp price

🛏Desert camp at Sam Sand Dunes (~£20 incl. dinner)

• →Jaisalmer Fort & Jain temples
• →Bada Bagh cenotaphs
• →Gadsisar Lake
• →Camel ride & sunset at Sam Sand Dunes
• →Folk music at desert camp

Return from the desert mid-morning and take the train or bus to Jodhpur (~£5, 5–6 hrs) — the bus is often quicker and cheaper. Check into a guesthouse in the old blue-washed lanes below the fort. Late afternoon: Jaswant Thada's marble cenotaphs (~£1) and Kaylana Lake if you have the energy. Save Mehrangarh and Umaid Bhawan for tomorrow, and eat at a rooftop with the fort lit up above you.

🚌Bus Jaisalmer–Jodhpur ~£5 + autos ~£4

🛏Guesthouse in old Jodhpur (~£14)

• →Jaswant Thada
• →Old city blue lanes wander
• →Rooftop dinner with fort views

Be at Mehrangarh for opening (entry ~£7 with audio guide) — it's the best fort in Rajasthan and deserves two hours. Then visit Umaid Bhawan Palace's museum (~£1.50) before taking an afternoon bus toward Udaipur. Break the journey at Ranakpur (buses on the Jodhpur–Udaipur route can drop you; otherwise a shared jeep for ~£8) to see the astonishing 1,444-pillared Jain temple (entry ~£2, open noon–5pm for tourists). Continue on to Udaipur by evening bus (~£3), arriving around 8–9pm.

🚌Bus Jodhpur–Ranakpur–Udaipur ~£10 + autos ~£4

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola, Udaipur (~£15)

• →Mehrangarh Fort
• →Umaid Bhawan Palace museum
• →Ranakpur Jain Temple

Walkable day around the lake. City Palace complex (~£4) first thing, then Jagdish Temple just below it, then a stroll through the ghats and Lal Ghat. Cycle-rickshaw out to Saheliyon-ki-Bari (~£1) and Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace (~£2.50, best at sunset). Finish with a shared boat ride on Lake Pichola at golden hour (~£5, book at the jetty near City Palace) to see the island palaces. Grab dinner at a rooftop in Gangaur Ghat.

🚌Walking + cycle-rickshaw ~£4

🛏Guesthouse near Lake Pichola, Udaipur (~£15)

• →City Palace
• →Jagdish Temple
• →Saheliyon-ki-Bari
• →Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace
• →Lake Pichola boat ride

Morning bus from Udaipur to Ajmer (~£4, 5 hrs), then a quick auto to the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti — remove shoes, cover your head, and be ready for touts; entry is free but a qawwali tip is customary. Local bus or shared jeep the 30 mins to Pushkar (~£0.50). Check in, then roam the ghats: Brahma Temple (~£1), Pushkar Lake's 52 ghats, and the bazaars. Sunset from Savitri Temple's hilltop (ropeway ~£1.50) or a café rooftop.

🚌Bus Udaipur–Ajmer ~£4 + local bus to Pushkar ~£0.50 + autos ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Pushkar (~£11)

• →Ajmer Sharif Dargah
• →Brahma Temple
• →Pushkar Lake ghats
• →Savitri Temple sunset

Morning at the market and ghats, then a bus to Jaipur (~£3, 3 hrs). Drop bags in a guesthouse in the old pink city near Hawa Mahal. Take a local bus or auto out to Galta Ji (the Monkey Temple) — entry by donation, go early to avoid heat. In the evening, book the Amber Fort light-and-sound show online or at the gate (~£2), which brings the fort's history to life, then eat at a thali house in the old city.

🚌Bus Pushkar–Jaipur ~£3 + local bus/auto ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in old Jaipur (~£15)

• →Galta Ji Monkey Temple
• →Amber Fort light & sound show
• →Old city wander

Get to Amber Fort at opening (entry ~£6 with audio; budget option is the local bus and skip the elephant ride — rides are ~£10 and ethically contested, and the walk up is 15 minutes). Back in the city: City Palace (~£8), Jantar Mantar (~£3) and Hawa Mahal (view from the street café opposite, ~£1 to climb). Afternoon for bazaar browsing — Johari Bazaar for jewellery, Bapu Bazaar for textiles. A GetYourGuide Jaipur heritage walk (~£12) is a good optional extra.

🚌Local bus + autos ~£6

🛏Guesthouse in old Jaipur (~£15)

• →Amber Fort
• →City Palace
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal
• →Bazaar shopping in Johari & Bapu Bazaar

Take an early bus or train from Jaipur toward Agra (~£4–6, 5 hrs). If going by bus, hop off at Fatehpur Sikri for two hours: the abandoned Mughal capital (~£6 entry), Panch Mahal, Jama Masjid and the cenotaph of Salim Chisti. A shared auto or bus covers the last 40 mins into Agra (~£1.50). Check into a guesthouse in Taj Ganj with a rooftop facing the mausoleum, buy your Taj Mahal ticket online in advance (ASI site, ~£12 with the main mausoleum), and go to bed early for sunrise.

🚌Bus Jaipur–Fatehpur Sikri–Agra ~£7 + auto ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, Agra (~£14)

• →Fatehpur Sikri
• →Panch Mahal
• →Jama Masjid & Salim Chisti cenotaph

Be at the East Gate before 5:30am — the sunrise ticket (~£12) is the single best-spent money of the trip. Two to three hours inside, then walk or auto to Agra Fort (~£6). Afternoon covers the quieter Mughal sites: Itmad-ud-Daulah (Baby Taj, ~£3), Mehtab Bagh's riverbank view of the Taj (~£3), Chini ka Rauza and Ram Bagh (both cheap/free). Return to the rooftop for sunset over the dome and a proper dinner.

🚌Walking + autos ~£5

🛏Guesthouse in Taj Ganj, Agra (~£14)

• →Taj Mahal at sunrise
• →Agra Fort
• →Itmad-ud-Daulah
• →Mehtab Bagh sunset view
• →Chini ka Rauza & Ram Bagh

Slow breakfast, then a morning train back to Delhi (Gatimaan Express ~£8, 100 mins; or a bus ~£4, 4 hrs). If your flight is late afternoon or evening, leave bags at the station cloakroom and squeeze in one last stop — Lodhi Gardens or Nizamuddin's Humayun's Tomb again — before the Airport Express to IGI. If you're flying out early, consider staying a final night near Paharganj (~£14).

🚌Train Agra–Delhi ~£8 + Airport Express ~£2 + autos ~£3

🛏None (or final night ~£14 if needed)

• →Gatimaan Express to Delhi
• →Last-minute Delhi sightseeing or bazaar shopping