Backpacking Rajasthan India itinerary 👑 2 weeks in Rajasthan 🐪 North India travel blog

Hi there!

Rajasthan is in North India!

Kerala is in South India. Go after Rajasthan! 😄

So you’re looking at planning your backpacking trip to Rajasthan for your first trip to India, and you’re trying to figure out your North India itinerary, where to go, and how many days to spend in each city.

2 weeks is a good amount of time to get a feel for a few different cities in Rajasthan and to get an introduction to travel in India.

Below is a mini Rajasthan travel guide and ideas for backpacking Rajasthan and how exactly to plan out your days in Udaipur (city of lakes), Jaipur (pink city), Jodhpur (blue city), Jaisalmer (golden city), and the Thar Desert (camel safari).

It also includes one more place not in Rajasthan, Agra to see the Taj Mahal, as it can be a perfect part of your Rajasthan itinerary.

This guide also includes ideas on your route, as well as how you can get around from place to place by public transportation in Rajasthan.

For example by bus, local train, overnight train, or even overnight sleeper bus to arrive in Rajasthan.

And if you’re traveling around North India alone, you may also like staying at the best hostels in Rajasthan when you’re in India on a budget.

Oh and hey!

More for the rest of India!

Kerala is in South India and a perfect spot to go after chaotic Rajasthan. 😉

If you need some chill time, Kerala is perfect!

So also be sure to see how to spend your days in other parts of India with this Kerala itinerary, a perfect follow-up to 2 weeks in Rajasthan when you have 3 weeks or one month in India! 

If you do make your way to the south, be sure to see ideas for a one month South India itinerary.

Now…

Rajasthan itinerary when backpacking North India

First, the quick list of the must-visit places for backpacking Rajasthan.

Then, a more detailed look into how you can fit ALL of these places into your 2 week North India itinerary.

7 best places to visit in Rajasthan in 2 weeks

1. Udaipur (City of Lakes)

2. Jodhpur (Blue City)

3. Jaislamer (Golden City)

4. Thar Desert

5. Jaipur (Pink City)

6. Chittorgarh

7. Kumbhalgarh

PLUS: Agra (Taj Mahal)

The Taj Mahal isn’t located in Rajasthan, but it’s convenient to get to when you’re spending time in this part of north India.

So it only makes sense to add as a part of your Rajasthan tour!

Along with Jaipur and Delhi, Agra makes up what is known as the Golden Triangle of India.

MAP of Rajasthan route

For the visual, see the map below or explore it in Google Maps!

So…

How to put these cities into a 2 week Rajasthan itinerary?

This list of how many days to spend in each city is just a guideline.

You may want to add in an extra day here or there as a rest day or in order to dedicate a full day to travel, even if it takes just a few hours to get between places.

Adding in some rest can be a good idea to help to prevent you from experiencing getting exhausted from travel and constantly being on-the-go!

Now…

Some more details on how to further plan your 2 weeks in Rajasthan to see if you’ll want to follow this itinerary for your trip to North India!

Best places for backpacking 2 weeks in Rajasthan

• 3 days in Udaipur
• Day trips from Udaipur
• 2 days in Jodhpur
• 3 days in Jaisalmer
  • Overnight camel safari in Thar Desert
• 3 days in Jaipur
• Day trip to Agra from Jaipur

Getting around Rajasthan by bus and train

• Mumbai to Udaipur by overnight bus | Delhi to Udaipur
• Udaipur to Jodhpur by bus
• Jodhpur to Jaisalmer by local passenger train
• Jaisalmer to Jaipur by overnight train
• Jaipur to Agra by train

Getting to Rajasthan: Mumbai to Udaipur by overnight sleeper bus

I traveled from Mumbai to Rajasthan via an overnight sleeper bus (see what that’s like with photos), arriving in Udaipur.

Mumbai to Udaipur isn’t as popular of a route, and that means your options are more limited than travel between shorter distances.

Still, there are a number of options. Taking an overnight bus from Mumbai to Udaipur is one of them. I liked the timing of the bus so I decided to go with the overnight sleeper bus.

Overall the journey was quite fine. I used redbus to search for tickets and book my bus ticket to Udaipur.

There are also limited trains that go direct from Mumbai to Udaipur. This may be a good option if you are planning ahead, although personally I didn’t like the timings as much as the overnight bus. I like using trainman to look at train timings.

It’s also possible to fly from Mumbai to Udaipur. This would be the quickest.

Delhi to Udaipur

If it’s your first trip to India, you may also consider starting your India trip from Udaipur, rather than Delhi.

Delhi is often said to be overwhelming for first-time visitors to India. You can decrease that overwhelm by starting off in a slightly less chaotic Indian city.

Your international flight would get into Delhi, and then you can find domestic flights from Delhi to Udaipur. With having to make a domestic connection upon stepping foot into India, this may seem slightly exhausting. But you still may find it to be worth it to start your trip off in Udaipur.

The following Udaipur itinerary doesn’t pack too much into your day, so you can have time to relax a bit. That too, on a lake or with calming lake views!

I like to use makemytrip to search for domestic flights in India.

3 days in Udaipur

Day 1 in Udaipur

• Jagdish Temple
• Bagore-ki-Haveli heritage museum
• Visit a ghat at Lake Pichola

Day 2 in Udaipur

• Tour of Udaipur City Palace
• Visit to hilltop palace (Monsoon Palace)

Day 3 in Udaipur

• Lake Pichola boat ride
• Walk around island Palace (Jagmandir Island)

Day trips from Udaipur

Stay 2 more days in Udaipur to a make a visit to UNESCO world heritage forts

• Day trip to Chittorgarh Fort
• Day trip to Kumbhalgarh Fort

More Udaipur itinerary planning tips

Rajasthan travel in pictures: Best places to visit in Udaipur in 3 days

1. Jagdish Temple

2. Bagore-ki-Haveli heritage museum

3. Ghat at Lake Pichola

4. Udaipur City Palace

5. Monsoon Palace

6. Lake Pichola

7. Jagmandir Island

Plan your trip to Udaipur

For more details on Udaipur itinerary planning, be sure to see this plan for 3 days in Udaipur.

Next up: Udaipur to Jodhpur by daytime bus

It’s pretty convenient to get from Udaipur to Jodhpur by bus.

I arrived in Jodhpur in the evening from Udaipur by taking a daytime private bus with a sleeper seat.

Having a sleeper seat meant more room to move around during the 6 hour bus ride.

There are tons of buses that run between Udaipur and Jodhpur.

Most that I found start in the early morning or late at night. I wanted to travel during the day and have a sleeper seat, and I ended up on a non-AC bus.

Overall it was a quite fine journey.

Like the Mumbai to Udaipur bus, I used redbus to check bus timings for Udaipur to Jodhpur, and it’s also how I booked my bus ticket to Jodhpur.

I would imagine there are also a good number of government buses on this route if you want to just show up at the bus stand the day you want to head to Jodhpur without booking ahead.

The guesthouse you’re staying at in Udaipur would be a good place to ask about this.

2 days in Jodhpur

Day 1 in Jodhpur

• Eat breakfast at the famous Jodhpur omelette shop
• Get lost on the blue streets of the blue city
• Visit to Mehrangarh Fort
• Visit to Jodhpur stepwell to watch local kids go stepwell jumping

Day 2 in Jodhpur

• Nature walk through Desert Rock Park
• Walk to hilltop temple
• Visit to the Taj Mahal of the Marwar

More Jodhpur itinerary planning tips

Rajasthan travel in pictures: Best places to visit in Jodhpur in 2 days

1. Blue streets of the Blue City

2. Mehrangarh Fort

3. Jodhpur stepwell

4. Desert Rock Park

5. Hilltop temple

6. Taj Mahal of the Marwar

Plan your trip to Jodhpur

For more details on Jodhpur itinerary planning, be sure to see this plan for 2 days in Jodhpur.

Next up: Jodhpur to Jaisalmer by local passenger train

I arrived in Jaisalmer by taking a daytime train from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer.

This was a local train in general class so you can just show up to the train station on the day of travel to buy a ticket.

For me, it seemed one of the more convenient options since traveling in general class means that it doesn’t require advance booking.

As a local passenger train, it took 8 hours to get to Jaisalmer.

There are other trains that are a shorter duration though if you want a shorter train ride.

General class on long distance trains can also be an option, but keep in mind that train travel in general in India can get crowded if you don’t have a reserved seat like 2AC or 3AC.

Since the local train I took originated in Jodhpur, I was able to get a seat.

Halfway to Jaisalmer or so, the train cleared out pretty well, and there was a lot of seat availability, including room to spread out.

To find what trains run from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, I searched for trains using trainman. I also did look at bus options using redbus, but I liked the train option better.

3 days in Jaisalmer

Day 1 in Jaisalmer

• Visit to a Jaisalmer haveli
• Sunset boat ride on Gadisar Lake

Day 2 in Jaisalmer (and desert)

Make a trip to the Thar Desert on an overnight camel safari tour from Jaisalmer.

• Sunset camel ride with overnight desert tour
• Campfire in the desert with Rajasthani cuisine
• Sleeping under the stars in the desert

Day 3 in Jaisalmer (and desert)

• Sunrise over the sand dunes
• Morning camel ride through the desert
• Visit to Jaisalmer Fort
• Get lost on the golden streets of the Golden City
• Visit a sunset point for iconic views

Rajasthan travel in pictures: Best places to visit in Jaisalmer in 3 days

1. Jaisalmer haveli

2. Gadisar Lake

3. Jaisalmer Fort

4. Sunset point

5. Golden streets of the Golden City

A little pink post-Holi. 😉

6. Thar Desert

Plan your trip to Jaisalmer

For more details on Jaisalmer itinerary planning, be sure to see this plan for 3 days in Jaisalmer.

Rajasthan travel in pictures: Best things to do in the Thar Desert on an overnight camel safari tour from Jaisalmer

1. Sunset camel ride with overnight desert tour

2. Campfire in the desert with Rajasthani cuisine

3. Sleep under the stars in the desert

4. Watch the sunrise over the sand dunes

Plan your trip to the Thar Desert

For more details on what’s included in this kind of desert tour, be sure to see pictures from an overnight camel safari.

Next up: Jaisalmer to Jaipur by overnight train

The journey from Jaisalmer to Jaipur is a bit of a distance, so an overnight train can be one of the best options for this route.

I decided to take an overnight train from Jaisalmer to Jaipur in 3AC class.

This train originated in Jaisalmer at night and arrived in Jaipur the next day in the afternoon.

So while the duration was long, it didn’t feel as long since I was sleeping through some of the train ride. I was able to get a pretty decent night’s sleep.

Once again, I like to use trainman in order to see what my train options are for any given route. You can also take a look at redbus to see if any of the Jaisalmer to Jaipur bus options appeal to you.

3 days in Jaipur

Day 1 in Jaipur

It’s a royal palace day! The focus will be on palaces.

• City Palace
• Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace)
• Jal Mahal (Water Palace)
• Royal Gaitor tombs

Day 2 in Jaipur

This is another royal day! (Because a trip to Rajasthan wouldn’t be complete without lots of royalty.)

But this time, the focus is going to be on forts with amazing views. There are palaces to be visited at these forts as well.

• Amber Fort
• Jaigarh Fort
• Nahargarh Fort

Day 3 in Jaipur

This day is about shopping and temples for some more amazing views of Jaipur.

• Old City (Pink City street shopping)
• Monkey Temple
• Sun Temple (hilltop temple)

More Jaipur itinerary planning tips

Rajasthan travel in pictures: Best places to visit in Jaipur in 3 days

1. Jaipur City Palace

2. Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace)

3. Jal Mahal (Water Palace)

4. Royal Gaitor tombs

5. Amber Fort (and Amber Palace)

6. Jaigarh Fort

7. Nahargarh Fort

8. Old City

9. Monkey Temple

10. Sun Temple

Plan your trip to Jaipur

For more details on Jaipur itinerary planning, be sure to see this plan for 3 days in Jaipur.

Next up: Day trip to Agra from Jaipur by train

I did my day trip to Agra from Jaipur.

I got started at the Jaipur train station in the morning before sunrise, and I returned back to Jaipur past sunset.

I took a “nicer” train, the Jaipur to Agra Fort Shatabdi Express. Unfortunately, it seems like they have since discontinued this specific train, but there are still other train options.

There are 2 train stations in Agra, and the superfast express train that I was on went to the Agra Fort train station.

Making it a day trip to Agra, I found taking the train from the Agra Fort station to be convenient.

In planning my one day in Agra, I ended the day by making the last place to visit in Agra the fort! This meant the train station was pretty close by, about a 10 minute walk to end the day.

There are also buses between Jaipur and Agra.

If you end up doing a day trip to Agra, just be prepared to be out all day. But the good news is at the end of the day, you’ll get to return to familiar territory! And you are traveling with NO luggage!

Again, for train timings have a look at trainman, and for bus timings have a look at redbus.

One day in Agra

One day in Agra

• Taj Mahal
• Rooftop restaurant with views of Taj Mahal
• Mehtab Garden for views of Taj Mahal from back
• Agra Fort

More Agra itinerary planning tips

Golden Triangle in pictures: Best places to visit in Agra in one day

1. Taj Mahal

2. Rooftop restaurant

3. Mehtab Garden

4. Agra Fort

Plan your trip to Agra

For more details on Agra itinerary planning, be sure to see this plan for 1 day in Agra and these quick tips for visiting the Taj Mahal.

Where to next after Rajasthan?

KERALA! 😉

After traveling around Rajasthan for 2 weeks, you’ll likely be ready for a little bit of rest and relaxation surrounded by nature. So really, look to Goa or Kerala in South India for the next part of your India itinerary!

You can get from Rajasthan to Goa by flight, and then you can get from Goa to Kerala by making a few stops along the way.

And then you can use this one week Kerala itinerary as a guide!

Rajasthan to GOA

Rajasthan to KERALA

HAPPY RAJASTHAN ITINERARY PLANNING!

How to spend your days in Rajasthan

• 3 days in Udaipur
  • Day trip to Chittorgarh
• 2 days in Jodhpur
• 3 days in Jaisalmer
  • Overnight camel safari
• 3 days in Jaipur
• 1 days in Agra
  • Taj Mahal visit

How to spend one week in Kerala