Most Rajasthan tours we plan start with the same question from guests in London, New York or Melbourne: how many days do we actually need? The honest answer is that Rajasthan is the size of a small European country, the forts and palaces are spread hundreds of kilometres apart, and every extra city costs you a day on the road. So the length of your trip decides the route far more than your wish list does.

We have been planning private tours from our office in Jaipur since 2005. Below are the three lengths we are asked about most, built from the day-by-day routes we actually run, with the drive times from our own tour sheets. One of them is our clear favourite, and we say why.

Rajasthan tours at a glance

All three routes start and finish in Delhi, because that is where the long-haul flights land. Non-stop flights from London Heathrow to Delhi take roughly nine to ten and a half hours depending on the airline. Our India visa guide for US, UK and EU travellers explains the e-Visa, which you apply for online at least four days before you arrive.

  • 7 days: Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Two nights in Jaipur, the rest in Delhi and Agra.
  • 10 to 11 days: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Jodhpur. The classic loop.
  • 13 to 14 days: the same loop plus Jaisalmer and the Thar Desert.

Seven days: a taste, not a tour

A week is enough for the Golden Triangle, and that is all it is. Our 6-night Golden Triangle tour follows the shape most short trips take: Old Delhi on day two, then about 200 km and four hours to Agra; a sunrise at the Taj Mahal; then 250 km to Jaipur, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri and the stepwell at Abhaneri, which takes about five hours. Day five is Amber Fort, the City Palace, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar. Day six is the 250 km, five-hour drive back to Delhi.

That is a good trip. But Jaipur is the only part of Rajasthan you will see, and you will see it for a single full day. If you can stretch to nine days, we'd suggest one change. Our Golden Triangle with Udaipur tour adds two nights in Udaipur and flies you back to Delhi at the end, so you finish at the lakes rather than on the motorway. Our 7-day Golden Triangle itinerary goes through the short version in more detail.

Ten days: the route we recommend first

If you ask us which of the Rajasthan tours to book for a first visit, this is the one. The 10-night Best of Rajasthan with Agra keeps the Golden Triangle start and then turns west into the Rajasthan most people picture.

How the days run

Days one to five are the same as the short trip: arrival, Delhi, Agra, the drive to Jaipur and a full day in the Pink City. Then the route opens up.

Day 6, Jaipur to Udaipur (about 450 km, nine hours). This is the longest day of the tour, and we won't pretend otherwise. You stop at the Dargah of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer and at Pushkar's lake and Brahma temple, have lunch in Pushkar, then carry on to Udaipur for the evening.

Day 7, Udaipur. The City Palace, Rajasthan's largest, and the lakes. Our article on Udaipur's lakes, palaces and where to stay covers the town itself.

Day 8, Udaipur to Jodhpur via Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur (about 300 km, six hours). This is our favourite driving day in the state. Kumbhalgarh's outer wall runs for roughly 36 km over the Aravalli hills, and the fort is one of the six Hill Forts of Rajasthan listed by UNESCO in 2013. The carved Jain temple at Ranakpur comes next.

Day 9, Jodhpur. Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada in the morning, then the afternoon in a Bishnoi village with a jeep safari and a night in a rustic hut.

Day 10, fly Jodhpur to Delhi. The non-stop flight takes a little over an hour, against a full day by road, and leaves the afternoon free for Humayun's Tomb and India Gate before your flight home the next day.

Why it works

Ten days gives you three very different Rajasthans: Jaipur's bazaars, Udaipur's lakes and the desert edge at Jodhpur. Only one day is really long in the car, and the flight at the end means you never drive back across the state. A good driver also changes how those days feel. As Michael from Luxembourg City wrote in his TripAdvisor review in February 2026, "A special thanks to my driver, Dhara, who took wonderful care of me and navigated the lively chaos of Indian traffic with calm confidence." More of what guests say is on our reviews page.

The weak spot is that Pushkar only gets a lunch stop. If the town interests you, read our guide to Pushkar beyond the camel fair and ask us to add a night there; it also breaks up that nine-hour day.

Fourteen days: when Jaisalmer earns its place

Two weeks lets you reach the Thar Desert without rushing everything else. The 12-night Best of Rajasthan with Agra and Jaisalmer follows the ten-day loop to Jodhpur, then adds:

Day 10, Jodhpur to Jaisalmer (about 300 km, six hours), with a stop at the carved temples of Osian on the way. Day 11 is the sandstone fort, which people still live inside, the havelis and Gadisar Lake, then an afternoon drive of about 50 km to the dunes at Khuri for a sunset camel ride. Day 12 is the flight to Delhi.

Jaisalmer is the one city on this list that feels genuinely remote. But be aware of one practical catch. Jaisalmer's airport has run on a seasonal timetable in recent years: last winter Air India flew Delhi to Jaisalmer from late October 2025 to the end of March 2026, and civil flights were then suspended for the summer. Outside that window, getting back to Delhi means a long drive or a train, so this route belongs between late October and March.

David and Carolyn Lamper from Manchester spent 13 nights touring Rajasthan with Agra in February, and David's Google review is mostly about the man behind the wheel: "Our driver, Anand, was the true hero of our trip. Navigating India's chaotic traffic requires a special kind of skill, and Anand made us feel safe and relaxed every step of the way." With two weeks you have time to let your driver show you the lunch stops and back roads, not just the monuments.

If you have more than two weeks, our field-tested 15-day Rajasthan itinerary adds Bikaner and the painted towns of Shekhawati.

What we advise against

We regularly talk guests out of one plan: squeezing Jaisalmer into ten days. On paper it is only one more city. In practice it adds two days, with about 300 km and six hours of road each way from Jodhpur, and something else has to go, usually Udaipur or the Kumbhalgarh day. You end up seeing Rajasthan through the windscreen. If you have ten days, do the classic loop well; save the desert for a trip of two weeks or a second visit.

We'd also steer you away from Rajasthan tours in May and June, when the desert cities are at their hottest. Our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan explains why October to March is the main season.

How the private car fits in

Every route above is planned with your own car and driver, who stays with you from the Delhi airport pick-up to the last drop-off. You can see the vehicles we use on our car rental services page, and our explainer on the private car with driver in India covers how it works day to day. You can browse all our Rajasthan tour itineraries, or read our overview of Rajasthan's main destinations before you decide.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Rajasthan?

Ten to eleven days is the length we recommend for a first visit. It covers Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur plus Agra, with only one very long driving day. Seven days only reaches Jaipur; fourteen adds Jaisalmer and the desert.

Can these routes start somewhere other than Delhi?

Usually, yes. Because every tour is private, we can often start in Jaipur or end in Udaipur or Jodhpur if your flights suit it. Delhi is simply where most international flights from the UK, US and Australia arrive.

Is the nine-hour drive from Jaipur to Udaipur really necessary?

Not if you add a night. The nine hours include stops in Ajmer and Pushkar; sleeping in Pushkar splits the drive in two and gives you an evening by the lake.

When should we book a two-week Rajasthan tour with Jaisalmer?

Plan it between late October and March. That is the cooler season, and it is also when Jaisalmer has had direct flights to Delhi in recent winters.

Tell us how many days you have and what matters most to you, and we will suggest the route that fits. Send us your dates through our enquiry form and someone from the Jaipur office will reply with a draft itinerary.