Rajasthan Heritage Haveli and Boutique Hotel Tour

Your chauffeur will be waiting in the arrivals hall at Indira Gandhi International Airport holding a name board, whatever the hour your flight lands. After a quick introduction and a bottle of cold water, the drive into the city takes forty-five minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Your first hotel has been picked to set the tone for the fortnight ahead: a property with heritage bones, where the lobby feels like a drawing room and the staff greet you by name. Check-in is arranged in advance, and a short welcome meeting goes over the route, the timings for the coming days and any special requests you may have about meals, rest days or photography stops along the way.

If you arrive early enough, a gentle evening outing works well after a long flight. Lodhi Garden is a quiet place to stretch your legs among fifteenth-century tombs of the Sayyid and Lodi rulers, with joggers, families and parakeets for company. Dinner can be close by in Khan Market or Lodhi Colony, where several restaurants serve good North Indian food without fuss. Your chauffeur will share his mobile number so you can reach him at any time during the tour, and he will confirm the next morning's pickup before leaving. Use the rest of the evening to settle in, adjust to the time difference and get a full night of sleep. 

Overnight stay in Delhi.

Old Delhi was once a city of grand courtyard homes, and this morning's walk with a local guide focuses on what survives of them. Starting near the Jama Masjid, you enter the lanes of Chandni Chowk on foot and cycle rickshaw, stopping at Haveli Dharampura, a carefully restored mansion that shows how a wealthy family lived in Shahjahanabad. Nearby, the Naughara cluster on Kinari Bazaar holds nine painted Jain houses with carved doorways, and Gali Qasim Jan leads to the modest home of the poet Mirza Ghalib. Breakfast-sized snacks at Paranthe Wali Gali or a plate of jalebi near the old Dariba Kalan silver lane keep you going through the morning.

After lunch, the afternoon shifts to New Delhi and the Mughal and colonial layers of the capital. Humayun's Tomb, set in a walled charbagh garden, is the clearest model for the Taj Mahal and is especially lovely in late afternoon light. Your guide can then take you past India Gate, Kartavya Path and the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the drive back. If the day falls on a Monday, the Red Fort stays closed, so the order of visits is adjusted to keep the itinerary smooth. Evening is at leisure for packing, since tomorrow you leave the capital for the painted towns of Shekhawati and two nights in a restored merchant haveli. 

Overnight stay in Delhi.

Leave Delhi after breakfast and head west through Haryana toward the semi-desert region of Shekhawati. The drive passes mustard fields in winter, roadside dhabas and small market towns, with a tea break near Rewari or Jhunjhunu as you prefer. Your chauffeur knows the road well and will time the stops so you reach Mandawa in the early afternoon. The town was founded as a trading post on the old caravan route, and its Marwari merchant families grew rich in Calcutta and Bombay, then poured their money back into ornate homes here. Your hotel for the next two nights is one of those homes, converted into a boutique haveli with painted walls and shaded inner courtyards.

After a rest and a late lunch, a local guide walks you through the lanes of Mandawa. The Murmuria haveli has murals that show trains, motor cars and even a portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru on horseback, painted when these images were new and exciting. The Goenka double haveli and the Chokhani double haveli face each other across a lane, and the Jhunjhunwala haveli has a small room covered in gold leaf. Toward sunset, climb to the terrace of the old fort, which overlooks the rooftops and sand-coloured fields beyond. Dinner is served in the courtyard of your haveli, often with Rajasthani dishes like ker sangri and bajra roti. 

Overnight stay in Mandawa.

Shekhawati is often called an open-air art gallery, and today you see why on a full-day excursion with your guide. Drive first to Nawalgarh, about forty minutes away, where the Poddar Haveli Museum has been restored with fresh colour so you can see how the frescoes looked when they were finished. The rooms include displays of costumes, musical instruments and miniature models of Rajasthani forts. Nearby, the Morarka haveli has kept much of its original painting, with scenes from the Ramayana, European ladies in hats and early aeroplanes. Walk through the Nawalgarh bazaar afterwards, where you can buy hand-dyed bandhani cloth and brass utensils from shops that have stood for generations.

In the afternoon, continue to Fatehpur, about an hour's drive, to visit the Haveli Nadine Le Prince. A French artist bought and restored this mansion, and it now houses a gallery, an artist residency and a café in the courtyard. The contrast between the faded, untouched havelis on the street and the careful restoration inside gives you a clear sense of the work and patience needed to save these buildings. Return to Mandawa by late afternoon for some free time at your haveli. If you have energy left, ask the staff about the evening aarti at the small temples in town, which is a gentle and welcoming scene. 

Overnight stay in Mandawa.

After breakfast, the road heads northwest through Fatehpur and Sri Dungargarh into the desert country of Bikaner. Fields grow thinner, khejri trees dot the land, and camel carts become a regular sight. You arrive in time for lunch and check in to your hotel, a heritage property that was once a royal residence or a noble family's townhouse. Bikaner was founded by Rao Bika, a son of Jodhpur's founder Rao Jodha, and it grew wealthy on the caravan trade. The city has a different feel from the Shekhawati towns, with red sandstone instead of painted plaster and a much grander fort at its centre.

In the afternoon, your guide takes you to Junagarh Fort, which unlike most Rajasthani forts was built on flat ground rather than a hilltop. Inside, the Anup Mahal has red and gold lacquer work, the Badal Mahal is painted with blue clouds and falling rain, and the Phool Mahal is lined with mirror and glass. A small gallery holds a First World War biplane gifted to Maharaja Ganga Singh. Late in the day, walk through the old city to the Rampuria havelis, whose carved red sandstone facades glow in the late light. Stop for a cone of Bikaneri bhujia or a glass of kesar milk in the old market before returning to your hotel for dinner. 

Overnight stay in Bikaner.

This morning starts at Deshnoke, about thirty kilometres south of Bikaner, where the Karni Mata temple has silver doors carved by local artisans and thousands of rats, called kabbas, that are treated as sacred. Seeing a white rat is considered especially lucky. The temple is busy with pilgrims, and your guide will explain the legends and customs so the visit feels respectful rather than strange. Remove your shoes at the entrance and bring socks if you prefer. Back in Bikaner, visit the Bhandasar Jain temple, a fifteenth-century shrine known for its painted pillars, gold leaf work and a local story that its foundation was laid with ghee instead of water.

In the afternoon, drive to the National Research Centre on Camel, a short distance outside the city, which opens to visitors in the afternoon. Here you can see different camel breeds, learn how they are bred and trained, and taste camel milk ice cream or a cup of camel milk tea at the small café. The best time to arrive is close to sunset, when the herds return from grazing in the open desert. Evening is free at your hotel. Many heritage properties in Bikaner have a terrace or rooftop for a quiet drink, and the staff can arrange a private dinner by the pool or in a candle-lit courtyard. 

Overnight stay in Bikaner.

Leave Bikaner after breakfast and drive south through Nagaur district, a stretch of open desert scrub where you may spot blackbuck and nilgai near the road. Khimsar is a small village with a large sixteenth-century fort at its edge, built by the Karamsot Rathores and later expanded with a zenana wing and an outer courtyard. Part of the fort is now a heritage hotel, and staying here gives you the rare chance to walk its ramparts at dawn and dusk with almost no one else around. Check in by lunchtime and take a rest during the warmest part of the day, perhaps by the pool set in the old fort gardens.

Late in the afternoon, an open jeep takes you to the sand dunes a short drive from the fort, where low, rolling dunes and a small village create a quiet desert scene. Sit on the sand with a cup of tea and watch the light turn golden over the scrub. On the way back, your driver can stop at a village home where the women still shape clay pots and grind millet by hand, if the family is at home and happy to welcome visitors. Dinner tonight is often served on the fort terrace, with folk musicians from the area singing Marwari songs by firelight. The night sky here is clear and dark, ideal for stargazing. 

Overnight stay in Khimsar.

After a slow breakfast on the fort lawns, the short drive to Jodhpur takes about two hours, so you arrive with most of the day ahead of you. Your hotel in Jodhpur is a boutique haveli in or near the old blue city, close enough to walk to the Clock Tower and the lanes below the fort. Check in, freshen up, and then set out with your guide for a slow walk through Brahmpuri, the neighbourhood where many houses are painted in the indigo shade that gives Jodhpur its nickname. The walk ends near the Toorji ka Jhalra, an eighteenth-century stepwell that has been cleaned and restored and is now a popular place to sit and watch local life.

Lunch can be at one of the cafés overlooking the stepwell, or your guide can lead you to a local favourite for mirchi vada and pyaaz kachori. In the afternoon, spend some time at Sardar Market around the Clock Tower, where spice traders, bangle sellers and textile shops crowd the old square. For a sweet finish, try the makhaniya lassi at Shri Mishrilal, a small shop just inside the market gate that has served the same thick saffron lassi for decades. As evening falls, return to your haveli and watch the fort light up from the rooftop. 

Overnight stay in Jodhpur.

Mehrangarh Fort sits on a rocky ridge a hundred and twenty metres above the city, and today begins with a guided visit through its seven gates. At Loha Pol you will see the small handprints left by royal widows, and inside the palace rooms the Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal and Sheesh Mahal show how the Rathore rulers lived and held court. The fort museum has one of the best collections of palanquins, howdahs, arms and miniature paintings in India. The audio guide is excellent, but your local guide adds family stories and details about the fort's history that are not on any recorded track.

Below the fort, Jaswant Thada is a white marble cenotaph built for Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, with thin marble panels that glow when the sun shines through them. The garden terraces give a fine view back to the fort walls. After lunch, visit the Umaid Bhawan Palace museum, part of a twentieth-century Art Deco palace still home to the royal family, where you can see vintage cars, clocks and photographs. Late afternoon is free for shopping at the antique and furniture stores on the road to the palace. Dinner at your haveli, perhaps with laal maas or a vegetarian thali. 

Overnight stay in Jodhpur.

The drive from Jodhpur to Deogarh heads southeast through Pali and into the hills of the Aravalli range, a pleasant change from the flat desert of the past week. The road passes through small farming towns, and your chauffeur can stop at a roadside dhaba for chai and fresh samosas along the way. Deogarh, sometimes written Devgarh, was one of the sixteen major estates of the Mewar kingdom, ruled by the Rawat family who served the Maharanas of Udaipur. The seventeenth-century palace that rises above the town is still owned by the same family and has been turned into a boutique heritage hotel where you will spend the next two nights.

After checking in and a relaxed lunch, spend the afternoon with a walk through the old town of Deogarh. The palace walls hold some fine examples of the Deogarh school of miniature painting, a local style known for its hunting scenes, court gatherings and lively colour. Ask the hotel to arrange a visit to a painter who still practises this art in town. Toward sunset, walk to the shore of Raghosagar lake, where a small island holds a cenotaph and a garden. The evening is quiet and peaceful, with dinner served on the palace terrace overlooking the town lights. 

Overnight stay in Deogarh.

Today brings one of the most charming outings of the tour. Your chauffeur drives you to Kamblighat station, about forty minutes from Deogarh, to board the metre-gauge train that winds down through the Aravalli hills to Phulad. The line crosses old stone bridges and passes through two tunnels on its way down the ghat, often with langur monkeys on the tracks and local villagers sharing the coaches. The ride takes about two hours and is slow enough to lean out of the window for photos. Your car meets you at Phulad station for the drive back to Deogarh, with a lunch stop at a village dhaba on the way.

In the afternoon, visit the Anjaneshwar Mahadev temple, a cave shrine carved into a rocky hillside near Deogarh, with a small stream and a peaceful setting. Then walk through the nearby villages, where Rabari herders in red turbans move their goats and sheep across the fields and farmers tend wheat, mustard or maize depending on the season. The palace staff can arrange a short jeep drive to a hilltop for sunset over the Aravallis. The evening is free to enjoy the hotel at leisure, perhaps with a swim, a spa treatment or a quiet drink on the terrace. 

Overnight stay in Deogarh.

The final road transfer of the tour takes you south through the green hills of Mewar to Udaipur, often called the City of Lakes. On the way you can stop at Eklingji, a cluster of carved temples dedicated to the family deity of the Mewar rulers, and Nagda, a quieter site nearby with the fine Sas Bahu temples beside a lake. Arrive in Udaipur by early afternoon and check in to your hotel, a heritage property near Lake Pichola that was once a noble family's haveli. Many rooms overlook the water, and the rooftop restaurant gives a broad view across to the City Palace and the Lake Palace.

After a rest, walk with your guide to the Jagdish Temple, a seventeenth-century Indo-Aryan temple with carved elephants, musicians and dancers covering its outer walls. Continue down the steps to Gangaur Ghat, where women wash clothes and families gather on the stone steps at dusk. At seven in the evening, the Dharohar folk dance show begins inside Bagore ki Haveli, a restored eighteenth-century mansion on the ghat. The performance includes puppetry, the Gorbandh dance and the famous pot dance in which a woman balances several pots on her head. Dinner tonight is at a lakeside rooftop restaurant. 

Overnight stay in Udaipur.

Begin the morning at the City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, built over four centuries by successive Maharanas. Your guide leads you through the Mor Chowk with its peacock mosaics in blue glass, the Badi Mahal garden built on a natural rock, and the Zenana Mahal where the royal women lived. The museum also has a fine collection of crystal objects, but entry to the crystal gallery is a separate ticket. From the palace terraces you can see the whole of Lake Pichola, with the Lake Palace floating on the water and the ghats crowded with temples along the shore.

After lunch, visit Saheliyon ki Bari, an eighteenth-century garden with fountains, lotus pools and marble elephants, built for the royal ladies and their companions. Late in the afternoon, take a boat ride on Lake Pichola from the City Palace jetty, with a stop at Jagmandir island where you can walk among the gardens and courtyards. The sunset view of the palace and the old city from the water is a fitting finish to the fortnight. Spend the rest of the evening browsing the miniature painting shops near the Jagdish Temple or enjoying a farewell dinner at your haveli. 

Overnight stay in Udaipur.

Enjoy a relaxed breakfast with a final view of the lake, then check out of your haveli at the time agreed with your chauffeur the evening before. Depending on your flight time, there may be a chance for a last walk along the ghats or a visit to the Vintage Car Museum near the Garden Hotel, where the royal family's collection of Rolls-Royces, Cadillacs and a Mercedes is kept in excellent condition. Your chauffeur drives you to Maharana Pratap Airport, about forty minutes from the old city, for your domestic flight to Delhi, and helps with your bags until the check-in counter.

At Delhi airport, our local representative is waiting to assist with your onward arrangements. If your international departure is late at night, a day room can be arranged on request so you can rest and freshen up before the long flight home. Otherwise, you are transferred directly to the international terminal in time for check-in. Our team will stay in touch until you are safely on your way, and we always welcome feedback on the havelis, hotels and guides you met during the tour. We hope this fortnight of courtyards, frescoes and fort walls stays with you, and we would be glad to welcome you back to Rajasthan again soon.