Plan your Trip to Rajasthan

Winter months between November and February are the most popular time to visit Rajasthan – temperatures are cooler with winter sun, and visitors can enjoy festivals such as the Jaipur kite festival. Late March to June sees searing heat but offers great opportunities for viewing wildlife. 

Monsoon between July and September sees fewer crowds, off-peak prices, and much less rain than other parts of India, making it a good time to visit, too. 

Travel between Rajasthan’s cities and the rest of India is easy to do by train, and most of Rajasthan’s cities are well connected by railway. Buses are also useful for shorter distances or where there are no trains available. 

If you have a bit more time on your hands, Rajasthan is easy to explore with a privately hired car and driver, providing maximum flexibility. 

Get around Rajasthan’s cities by hailing a rickshaw (aka Tuk Tuk), an Uber, Ola (the Indian version of Uber) or jump on board Jaipur’s shiny city metro. 

It’s possible to enjoy Rajasthan on most budgets – with simple, budget private rooms going from around 900 rupees (US$12) per night up to the sky is the limit to stay at Rajasthan’s majestic palaces fit for a king. Enjoy simple thalis at roadside eateries, or dine out at some of Rajasthan’s finest restaurants and bars with the local who’s-who. 

Larger hotels and high end restaurants will accept credit cards, but Rajasthan is largely a cash economy. State Bank (SBI) ATM’s work well with foreign cards. Keep a back up if you’re travelling to smaller towns as ATM’s sometimes run out of cash. 

As with the rest of India, tap water is not safe to drink, but UV or Reverse Osmosis filtered water is fine. We use and trust Water to Go filter bottles which we travel with – buy one here. 

We recommend sticking to hot food, served from busy stalls or restaurants. There are plenty of places to eat that are used to foreigners who prefer their curries a little less spicy. 

Although Rajasthan is one of the most popular areas of India for foreign tourists to visit, it is culturally a relatively conservative part of India, especially outside of the big cities. Local women often cover their head and are not seen out much after dark in rural Rajasthan. We recommend female travellers dress conservatively and solo women avoid going out alone much after dark. 

Rajasthan has a predominantly desert climate, with relatively cool winters (it can get down to freezing at night in December/January) and sweltering summers. Rajasthan sees relatively little rain compared to the rest of India during monsoon. 

In winter (Nov-Feb) expect warm sunny days (with daytime temperatures around 15-25 degrees celsius) and cool evenings. Pack a light jacket or thick sweater as many of Rajasthan’s buildings are built for summer rather than winter.