Best places to visit in Rajasthan
49 curated destinations in Rajasthan, each with its honest season window: when to go, when it is merely fine, and when to stay away.
When to visit Rajasthan
Curated places in Rajasthan that are in peak season, by month. Tap a month for the whole country.
January, February, November and December put the most of Rajasthan in peak season. June the fewest, with 0.
All 49 destinations in Rajasthan
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Abhaneri (Chand Baori)
Rajasthan
3500 steps of ninth century geometry down a 13 storey well
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Ajmer
Rajasthan
Dargah of Moinuddin Chishti, qawwali nights and Ana Sagar
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Alwar
Rajasthan
Bala Qila ridge fort, palace cenotaphs and Siliserh lake
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Balotra & Tilwara
Rajasthan
Luni-river print town and the Mallinath horse and cattle fair
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Banswara (Mahi Backwaters)
Rajasthan
Hundred islands of the Mahi backwaters in tribal Vagad
Peak: Aug to Oct
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Barmer
Rajasthan
Thar frontier town of hand block prints and Kiradu ruins
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Bhainsrorgarh
Rajasthan
A lived-in 1740s fort on a rock spur over the Chambal
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Bhangarh & Ajabgarh
Rajasthan
Abandoned 16th-century town the ASI locks at sunset
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Bharatpur (Keoladeo National Park)
Rajasthan
India's top bird sanctuary, best seen by bicycle
Peak: Dec to Feb
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Bikaner
Rajasthan
Remote desert city of camels and forts
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Bundi
Rajasthan
Sleepy stepwell town, more fairytale than crowded
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Chittorgarh
Rajasthan
India's largest hill fort, steeped in siege history
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Deogarh (Devgarh)
Rajasthan
Aravalli plateau town of frescoes above the Raghosagar lake
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Deshnoke (Karni Mata Temple)
Rajasthan
Marble temple where 25,000 rats are fed as sacred kabas
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Dungarpur
Rajasthan
Juna Mahal's seven floors of frescoes above a Vagad town
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Garadia Mahadev (Chambal Gorge)
Rajasthan
Horseshoe bend of the Chambal from a clifftop temple
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Hanumangarh (Bhatner & Kalibangan)
Rajasthan
Bhatner fort and the Harappan mounds of Kalibangan
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Jaipur
Rajasthan
Pink City gateway to Rajasthan's forts and bazaars
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Jaisalmer
Rajasthan
Golden fort rising from the Thar dunes
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Jaisamand (Dhebar Lake)
Rajasthan
17th century dam lake with marble ghats and island Bhil villages
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Jawai Bandh (Bera)
Rajasthan
Leopards on granite hills above an Aravalli reservoir
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Jhalawar (Gagron & Jhalrapatan)
Rajasthan
Water fort at Gagron and the temple town of Jhalrapatan
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Jodhpur
Rajasthan
Indigo lanes stacked under Mehrangarh's 120 m clifftop fort
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Karauli
Rajasthan
Red sandstone city palace and the Kaila Devi pilgrim road
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Khejarla
Rajasthan
Red sandstone Rajput fort in a potters' village east of Jodhpur
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Khichan (Demoiselle Cranes)
Rajasthan
Village that feeds 20,000 demoiselle cranes each winter
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Khuri (Desert National Park)
Rajasthan
Mud and thatch dune village on the Desert National Park edge
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kiradu Temples
Rajasthan
Ruined 11th-century Solanki temples alone in the Thar
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kishangarh
Rajasthan
Bani Thani miniatures, Phool Mahal and a marble slurry desert
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kolayat
Rajasthan
Kapil Muni's ghats on a temple lake in the open Thar
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kuchaman (Kuchaman Fort)
Rajasthan
Rock cut fort on a lone hill above the Marwar salt plain
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Kumbhalgarh
Rajasthan
Fort behind the world's second-longest wall
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Mandawa (Shekhawati)
Rajasthan
Open-air gallery of frescoed merchant havelis
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Menal (Falls & Temples)
Rajasthan
Monsoon waterfall plunging into a gorge by 11th century temples
Peak: Jul to Sep
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Merta City
Rajasthan
Meera Bai's Marwar town of bhajans and a ruined fort mound
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Mount Abu
Rajasthan
Rajasthan's only hill station, oasis from the heat
Peak: Mar to May
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Nagaur
Rajasthan
Ahhichatragarh fort's restored frescoes and water gardens
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Nawalgarh (Shekhawati)
Rajasthan
Shekhawati's densest painted havelis and two real museums
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Neemrana
Rajasthan
15th-century fort turned zipline weekend escape
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Osian (Osiyan)
Rajasthan
8th-century Jain and Hindu temples in a Thar oasis
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Pushkar
Rajasthan
Holy lake town, Rajasthan's backpacker capital
Peak: Oct to Feb
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Ramgarh Crater (Bhand Deva)
Rajasthan
Meteorite crater ring with a tenth century temple inside it
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Ranakpur
Rajasthan
Forest-valley home to a landmark Jain temple
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Ranthambore
Rajasthan
Rajasthan's best shot at a wild tiger sighting
Peak: Dec to Apr
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Sambhar Lake (Phulera)
Rajasthan
India's largest inland salt lake, flamingos on a white pan
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Sariska Tiger Reserve
Rajasthan
Former royal hunting ground, now a tiger reserve
Peak: Dec to Feb
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Sitamata Sanctuary (Dhariawad)
Rajasthan
Teak and mahua forest with Rajasthan's only flying squirrels
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Tal Chhapar
Rajasthan
Flat saline grassland packed with blackbuck and raptors
Peak: Nov to Feb
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Udaipur
Rajasthan
City of Lakes: palaces and postcard sunsets
Peak: Nov to Feb
By theme in Rajasthan
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Rajasthan?
Across the 49 curated destinations in Rajasthan, January, February, November and December are the months with the most places in peak season. June has the fewest, at 0.
How many places are worth visiting in Rajasthan?
This catalogue lists 49 in Rajasthan, chosen for the landscape or the heritage rather than for size. Plain cities are deliberately left out unless the trip is the heritage itself. The strongest themes here are offbeat (37), heritage (34), culture (12), desert (12) and lakes (10).
What kind of places are in Rajasthan?
37 offbeat, 34 heritage, 12 culture, 12 desert and 10 lakes. Every entry carries its own peak, shoulder and avoid months, so nothing is recommended in a month it should not be.
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