Udaipur to Jodhpur bus 🚌 Backpacking Rajasthan, North India on a budget

Hi there!

So if you’re thinking about taking a bus from Udaipur and Jodhpur, that means that you can follow this 2 week Rajasthan itinerary!

And stay at the best hostels in Rajasthan.

It includes a 3-day Udaipur itinerary and a 2-day Jodhpur itinerary, as well as a one day trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.

I arrived in Rajasthan by going from Mumbai to Udaipur by overnight bus. Then I went from Udaipur to Jodhpur by bus, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer by train, and Jaisalmer to Jaipur by train.

I also did a day trip from Udaipur to Chittorgarh by bus.

From Jaipur, you can fly south to Goa, and then go from Goa to Kerala for one week in Kerala!

Look for ideas on how to spend one month in South India!

Okay, so…

How to get from Udaipur to Jodhpur by bus when you’re backpacking north India?!

RAJASTHAN MAP

First, get yourself oriented with Rajasthan!

Take a look at the Rajasthan map.

How long does it take to get from Udaipur to Jodhpur?

By road in a private car or taxi, it’ll likely take around 5 hours to get from Udaipur to Jodhpur.

By bus, you can add in a little extra time.

So, is taking a bus in India really THAT bad?!

Well, this IS India, so keep your expectations in check.

But really, no, it’s not that bad.

Taking the bus can be an easy and convenient way to get you from point A to point B.

And in this case, that means many buses to get you from Udaipur to Jodhpur, or from Jodhpur to Udaipur.

What are the Udaipur to Jodhpur bus timings?

With the distance between Udaipur and Jodhpur being relatively short, it means that there are tons of government buses that run on this route.

This means that you can likely just show up to the Udaipur bus station, head to the office of the station master and ask about when the next bus is, and then get on the next bus that shows up.

You probably won’t have to wait too long.

Why you may not want to take a government bus

The main thing that might be an issue with taking government buses with unreserved seats though, especially when you’re traveling with luggage, is that, well, seats are not reserved.

This isn’t a problem IF you are taking a bus that originates in the city that you’ll be boarding the bus.

That’s because it most likely means that you will definitely get a seat.

But if you’re getting on a bus that’s coming from another city and is passing through Udaipur to pick you up, it means that there could be a full bus.

The most important thing that means for you is that you might not get a seat. You’ll probably be able to store your luggage at the front of the bus no problem, but it could mean that you’ll be standing for the whole ride.

You probably won’t like that.

I’m not sure if the buses that run between Udaipur and Jodhpur originate in Udaipur or not.

My guess would be that buses DO start in Udaipur, but…

If you don’t really feel like taking the risk of potentially standing on a crowded bus for 6 hours, there’s a better option.

(Well, you could also ask your Udaipur hostel or guesthouse – there’s a good chance they will know!)

Book a bus ticket from Udaipur to Jodhpur (with a more comfortable seat)

You can find private buses that run along this route too.

The thing that makes this nice is that you can reserve a seat.

Now once again, this is India, so just because it’s “private” doesn’t mean you should increase your expectations all that much.

The bus I took had the option for both regular seats and sleeper seats, and I went for the sleeper seat.

This meant that I had space on the bus to spread out and get comfortable.

It was GREAT. (Okay, as great as a bus ride in India can be.)

I took a rickshaw to get to the starting point of the bus ride in Udaipur.

The bus ride itself was a pretty uneventful ride.

There was a stop for a break on the way.

There are toilets at these rest areas.

The bathroom breaks during bus rides are something that you REALLY should have low expectations for. And there’s a good chance they will be squat toilets.

Also, another thing to note as a difference between local government buses and privates buses is that the normal government buses generally won’t have these 10 to 15-minute breaks.

How to book a bus ticket

I searched for bus tickets from Udaipur to Jodhpur through the redbus website, and I also booked the bus ticket through redbus too.

I don’t know if things have changed with redbus, but when I used it, it required an Indian mobile number to book tickets.

You generally don’t need to book bus tickets too far in advance, so this is something you can do when you get to India.

So in the case that you’re not getting an Indian mobile number when you arrive in India, you can ask a guesthouse that you’re staying at if you can use their number to make the booking.

A bus ticket for Udaipur to Jodhpur will probably cost around 300-500 rupees (less than US$10, likely around $5). So it will be around that price for Jodhpur to Udaipur by bus too.

And in the case that you DO find the bus you were looking for sold out, government buses still can make for a good alternative!

Okay, so now that you (hopefully) feel more comfortable about traveling from Udaipur to Jodhpur…

What to do when you’re there?!

Top 3 things to do in Udaipur

1. Visit City Palace

2. Go for a boat ride to an island palace

3. Eat at a restaurant with lake views

See more of the best places to visit in Udaipur in 3 days.

Top 3 things to do in Jodhpur

1. Get lost on the blue streets of the blue city

2. Visit the Jodhpur fort

3. Watch kids stepwell jumping

See more of the best places to visit in Jodhpur in 2 days.

HAPPY UDAIPUR TO JODHPUR BUS RIDE!

How to spend 2 weeks in Rajasthan

• 3 days in Udaipur (city of lakes)
  • Day trip from Udaipur to Chittorgarh Fort
• 2 days in Jodhpur (blue city)
• 3 days in Jaisalmer (golden city)
  • Thar desert (camel safari)
• 3 days in Jaipur (pink city)
• 1 day in Agra
  • Taj Mahal visit