Rajasthan Forts Circuit by Train: A 7-Day Itinerary

Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur between them hold some of the best fort architecture in India, and the rail links between them are good enough to skip internal flights and road transfers almost entirely. This plan covers all four in seven days, in the order that keeps backtracking to a minimum given the actual timetable.

Why this order

There's no direct train between Jodhpur and Udaipur, so a loop that goes Jaipur to Jodhpur to Jaisalmer and back through Jodhpur, changing at Ajmer for Udaipur, covers more ground with less doubling back than trying to visit Udaipur first. Jodhpur and Udaipur both have direct trains to Jaipur, which is why the circuit opens and closes there.

Day 1-2: Jaipur, the Pink City

Give Jaipur a full two days if this is your first stop; there's enough here to justify it. Amber Fort, on a hill above Maota Lake, is one of the best-preserved forts in the state and deserves a whole morning. Come back into the city for the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal, all within walking distance of each other in the old walled city. Evening two, take the Ranthambhore Express (12465), which leaves Jaipur at 16:50 and reaches Jodhpur at 21:40, in time for a late dinner. (The direct JP JU Express (22977) is a morning train, leaving Jaipur at 06:00 and reaching Jodhpur at 11:10, if you would rather travel on day three.)

Day 3: Jodhpur, the Blue City

Mehrangarh Fort dominates Jodhpur's skyline and is worth the entry fee for the audio tour alone, it goes into far more detail than a guidebook can. Walk down into the blue-washed lanes of the old city afterward, and catch sunset from one of the rooftop cafes below the fort walls looking back up at it.

Day 4-5: Jaisalmer, the Golden City

Take the morning SBIB JSM SUP Express (20492) from Jodhpur, which departs at 06:10 and reaches Jaisalmer by midday, roughly five and a half hours through increasingly bare desert scenery. Jaisalmer Fort is a living fort, people still live and trade inside its walls, which makes it a very different experience from Amber or Mehrangarh. Spend the afternoon in the fort and the havelis nearby, Patwon Ki Haveli especially. On day five, take an early desert excursion to the Sam sand dunes for a short camel ride and the open horizon, then catch the JSM SBIB SF Express (20491) back to Jodhpur in the afternoon, arriving by 21:00.

Day 6: the Jodhpur to Udaipur change at Ajmer

This is the one leg without a direct train. Take the JU INDB Express (14801) out of Jodhpur at 08:00, reaching Ajmer Jn by 12:30. That leaves a few hours before the afternoon connection, enough time for lunch and a look at the Dargah Sharif or Ana Sagar Lake near the station. Board the JP UDZ Superfast (12992) from Ajmer at 16:10, reaching Udaipur by 21:48. Total travel time including the layover is around fourteen hours, so treat this as a full travel day rather than trying to sightsee in Udaipur the same evening.

Day 7: Udaipur, the City of Lakes

Udaipur rewards a slower pace than the other three cities. Spend the morning in the City Palace complex overlooking Lake Pichola, then take a boat out to Jagmandir island in the afternoon. If your train isn't until evening, the Bagore Ki Haveli museum and the ghats around the lake fill an easy extra hour or two. Depart on the UDZ JP Superfast (12991), which leaves at 06:00 and reaches Jaipur by 13:40 if you're connecting onward from there, or take the afternoon UDZ JP Superfast (20994), which leaves Udaipur at 15:05 and reaches Jaipur at 22:25.

How many days per city, if you need to trim

• Jaipur: two days minimum, it has the most to see of the four.
• Jodhpur: one full day covers the fort and old city comfortably.
• Jaisalmer: two days if you want the dunes excursion, one if you only want the fort.
• Udaipur: one and a half to two days, it's the most relaxed of the circuit and worth lingering in.

Booking tips

Sleeper and 3A classes on these routes sell out well ahead of festival season and winter weekends, since this is one of the most popular tourist circuits in the country. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, and check each train's live running status on the morning of travel, desert routes in particular can run behind schedule in fog season during December and January.