Rajasthan Holidays

Since the founding of Jaipur in 1727, its artisans and craftspeople have sold their respected creations and still use traditional methods to craft items today. Meet your local guide at Hawa Mahal, or ‘Palace of the Winds’, and walk through the bazaar as you chat to locals and try authentic street food. Taste freshly made pakora, samosa and traditional sweets and observe jewellers and silversmiths as they work at their craft.

Visit Udaipur's magnificent City Palace, the largest palace complex in India. Blending Mughal and Rajput influences, this intricate marble and granite structure overlooks Lake Pichola. Continue to the 17th-Century Jagdish temple, drive around Fatehsagar Lake and visit the Sahelion ki Bari – a beautiful 18th-Century garden adorned with fountains, marble elephants and a lotus pond.

Jodhpur, the second largest city in Rajasthan, is also known as the Blue City. As soon as you step into the streets, you will see lanes of beautiful indigo-blue painted houses that belong to the Brahmins, the elite priestly caste of Hinduism. On the way to Mehrangarh Fort which you’ll see located high on a hill above the city, a stop is made at Jaswant Thada, a royal cenotaph built in the later 19th century with white marble brought from the same quarry as that used for the Taj Mahal.

Head to the Mehrangarh Fort, founded by Maharaja Rao Jodha in the 15th century. This magnificent fortress was used as the private residence of the royal family. You enter through Jai Pol, meaning ‘Victory Gate,’ dedicated to the victory over the invading armies of Jaipur. After admiring some beautiful frescoes, walk through Fateh Pol where you can still see the cannonball marks from various attacks. Enter Shringar Chowk, a courtyard where the royal families were coronated. There’s a wonderful museum in which you can see all the elaborate howdahs (seats) that were fastened onto the maharaja’s elephants, made of silver, gold and delicate ivory work. The Flower Palace is another museum highlight with frescoes, miniatures and 24-carat gold leaf work.