Rajasthan Solo: Delhi, Jaipur, Bundi, Ranthambore & the Taj

Land at Terminal 3 and use the official prepaid taxi desk or the Airport Express Metro to New Delhi station — ignore anyone inside arrivals claiming your transfer has broken down. Check into a guesthouse in Paharganj (budget, atmospheric) or Karol Bagh (calmer). In the late afternoon, join a small-group Indian cooking class booked on GetYourGuide or Klook in central Delhi (~£18-25), which covers a handful of dishes plus dinner. It's an easy, sociable way to meet other travellers on night one.

🚌Pre-booked airport transfer or Delhi Metro Airport Express (~£1.50); metro/tuk-tuk around town (£1-2)

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse, twin/private room (~£15)

• →Airport transfer to hotel
• →Evening Indian cooking class & dinner (GetYourGuide/Klook)

Start early to beat the heat and crowds: walk the Rajpath from India Gate towards Rashtrapati Bhavan, then detour to Agrasen ki Baoli stepwell (free, open from sunrise). Breakfast on a South Indian plate — dosa, idli and chutneys — at a local joint like Saravana Bhavan (~£1.50). In the afternoon take the metro to Chawri Bazaar and wander Old Delhi: Kinnari Bazaar for silver and textiles, Jama Masjid (₹500-600 camera fee, modest dress required), and finish at Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, where volunteers serve free langar meals — cover your head and leave shoes at the counter.

🚌Metro (£0.50-1 per ride), cycle rickshaw in Old Delhi (~£1.50)

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse (~£15)

• →Rajpath & India Gate walk
• →Agrasen ki Baoli stepwell
• →South Indian breakfast
• →Old Delhi bazaar walk
• →Jama Masjid
• →Bangla Sahib Gurdwara

Take a morning train from New Delhi to Jaipur Junction — book on IRCTC at least a few days ahead, or check the foreign-tourist quota at the station. En route or on arrival, book a block-printing workshop with a local women's cooperative or artisan studio in Sanganer or Bagru (arrange via your guesthouse, ~£8-10), which usually ends with chai and pakoras. In the late afternoon, catch a shared auto or Ola to Amber Fort and see the illuminated courtyards before the day-trippers leave; the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell is a 10-minute walk away and free. Dinner in the old city — try a thali at a rooftop restaurant (~£5).

🚌Delhi–Jaipur train (e.g. Ajmer Shatabdi or Double Decker, ~5 hrs, ~£8-12) or Volvo bus (~£7)

🛏Jaipur guesthouse in the old city near Hawa Mahal (~£16)

• →Delhi–Jaipur train
• →Sanganer/Bagru block-printing workshop
• →Amber Fort (late entry)
• →Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell

Do the Pink City on foot and by auto: City Palace museum (~£7), Jantar Mantar observatory (~£2.50), the Hawa Mahal facade from a rooftop café across the street (free with a coffee), and the Johari and Bapu bazaars for textiles and gemstones. In the afternoon join a Jhalana Leopard Safari — book directly with the Rajasthan Forest Department online or through a local operator (~£20-25 per person shared jeep, roughly 2.5 hrs). It's the best-value big-cat experience of the trip; evening slots are quieter.

🚌Walking, auto-rickshaw (£1-2), pre-booked shared safari jeep

🛏Jaipur guesthouse in the old city (~£16)

• →City Palace Museum
• →Jantar Mantar
• →Hawa Mahal & Jaipur bazaars
• →Jhalana Leopard Safari

A choose-your-own day. Hire a bicycle (£3-5) or join a neighbourhood cycle tour (~£12-15 including a lassi stop) to ride the pink-washed lanes early morning. Alternatively take an auto to Galtaji (Monkey Temple) to see the spring-fed tanks and pilgrims (~£2 entry). Choose one big optional: a sunrise hot-air balloon flight over Jaipur is spectacular but pricey (~£200-260, book direct with Sky Waltz — cheaper than the operator's $325 add-on). In the evening hunt down a café reviving old Rajput recipes, or just have a slow afternoon and a craft beer.

🚌Cycle hire (~£3), auto-rickshaw (£1-3)

🛏Jaipur guesthouse in the old city (~£16)

• →Optional cycle tour of the Pink City
• →Galtaji (Monkey Temple)
• →Optional Jaipur hot-air balloon flight
• →Cafe-hopping

If you opted for the balloon, go at dawn, then travel south on a morning train to Kota and take a shared taxi or bus the last 35 km to Bundi. Bundi is everything Jaipur isn't — a small, crumbling, canal-side town with almost no group traffic. Drop bags and climb to Bundi Garh Palace (~£2.50 entry) for its Chitrashala murals; a local guide at the gate will offer a 1-2 hour tour for ~£6-8. Wander down through the blue-washed old town, past the Raniji ki Baori stepwell, and eat in one of the small rooftop restaurants.

🚌Jaipur–Kota train (~4.5 hrs, ~£4-6) then shared auto/taxi to Bundi (~£8-12 split); or direct bus ~6 hrs (~£5)

🛏Bundi guesthouse near the palace (~£12)

• →Jaipur–Kota train & transfer to Bundi
• →Bundi Garh Palace & Chitrashala murals
• →Old town orientation walk

Book a morning Chambal River boat safari directly in town (arrange the night before; ~£20-30 per person shared boat) and float downstream looking for gharials, mugger crocodiles, river skimmers and, if you're lucky, the rare Ganges river dolphin. Afternoons are free: visit Raniji ki Baori (Queen's stepwell, ~£1) and the 84 Pillared Cenotaph, both remarkable and almost empty. For something different, take a local bus or hired scooter to Thikarda village (~30 min) for the traditional pottery workshops.

🚌Shared auto to Chambal (~£5), local walking in town

🛏Bundi guesthouse (~£12)

• →Chambal River boat safari
• →Raniji ki Baori stepwell
• →84 Pillared Cenotaph
• →Optional Thikarda pottery village

Travel from Bundi to Sawai Madhopur (Ranthambore's gateway) by bus via Kota or a shared taxi. Book your safaris before you arrive — the online Rajasthan Forest Department portal opens 90 days out and sells out fast; a reliable local operator near the station can also secure permits. Use the afternoon to climb Ranthambore Fort with a local guide (~£8-10) — it's free to enter on foot and gives you the reserve's best views from the ramparts at golden hour, with langurs and maybe a sloth bear on the way down.

🚌Bus or shared taxi Kota–Sawai Madhopur (~3-4 hrs, ~£5-8)

🛏Guesthouse near Sawai Madhopur town (~£18)

• →Bundi–Sawai Madhopur transport
• →Ranthambore Fort sunset visit

A full day in the park with a morning and an afternoon game drive in a shared canter or gypsy (each ~£22-28 per person including permit, guide and vehicle — book both in advance). Zones 2, 3 and 4 have the best waterholes and tiger sighting odds; zones are allocated by lottery so take what you get. Bring binoculars, a hat, water and a packed lunch — food inside the park is limited. Between drives, nap, eat and swap photos back at the guesthouse.

🚌Canter (shared safari vehicle) pick-up from guesthouse, included in permit fee

🛏Guesthouse near Sawai Madhopur town (~£18)

• →Morning Ranthambore safari
• →Afternoon Ranthambore safari

Take a morning train to Agra Fort station, stopping (or breaking the journey by taxi, ~£15 split) at Abhaneri to descend into Chand Baori, the 3,500-step stepwell — a 15-minute detour off the Jaipur–Agra highway that remains quietly uncrowded. Arrive Agra in the afternoon and visit Agra Fort (~£7) before it closes. Stay in Taj Ganj so you can walk to the Taj at dawn — book your e-ticket online in advance (the entry fee is ~£12-13 plus a small monument fee).

🚌Train Sawai Madhopur–Agra Fort (~5-6 hrs, ~£7-10); local taxi to Abhaneri (~£15 split)

🛏Taj Ganj guesthouse with rooftop Taj view (~£18)

• →Train to Agra
• →Chand Baori stepwell at Abhaneri
• →Agra Fort

Be at the East Gate before opening for the sunrise slot — the marble turns pink and orange as the light climbs, and the first hour is the quietest. Allow three hours total, and keep the ticket for the Agra Fort if you're visiting the same day (skip it if you already went). Afterwards catch an afternoon train back to Delhi and finish with a farewell thali or a rooftop dinner in Karol Bagh with the people you've met along the way.

🚌Train Agra Cantt–New Delhi (~2.5 hrs, ~£6-10) or bus (~£5)

🛏Paharganj or Karol Bagh guesthouse (~£15)

• →Sunrise at the Taj Mahal
• →Agra–Delhi train
• →Farewell dinner in Delhi

Depart anytime. The Airport Express runs from New Delhi station to Terminal 3 in around 20 minutes for under £2 — smoother and cheaper than a taxi. If your flight is late, spend the morning at Lodhi Garden or Humayun's Tomb (~£6) with your bag stored at the guesthouse.

🚌Delhi Metro Airport Express or prepaid taxi (~£1.50-3)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport transfer
• →Optional morning sightseeing