Please help with our 8-day itinerary for Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Nov 15, 2012 6:00 PM Last Post By: Mallikka
jump to
Please help with our 8-day itinerary for Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan
We have hired a car and driver for a period of eight days and our plan is to start in Delhi and visit Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri, and Agra, returning to Delhi on our last day. So:- Day 1 Thursday: full-day touring in Delhi, overnight in Delhi
- Day 2 Friday: in AM drive from Delhi to ___________
- Day 3: ??
- Day 4: ??
- Day 5: ??
- Day 6: ??
- Day 7: ??
- Day 8 Thursday: in PM drive from ____ returning to Delhi that evening
So here's where I would greatly appreciate some help.
(1) Can you help me decide the high-level itinerary for Days 2-8. i.e. what our driving route should be and our overnight stops as I want to book our hotels in advance. Ideally, we'd like to stay in Ajmer, Pushkar, Jaipur and/or Agra.
(2) What are your recommendations for stops in each of these cities, or along the way? I have read the guidebooks from cover to cover so what I am really seeking at insights from those who have been there. Obviously the Taj Mahal, the Amber Fort, Jaipur City Palace and Jantar Mantar are on our list ... but what else?
Many thanks in advance for any insights or experiences you can share.
3
We just went to Rajsthan for 9 days in October 2012. We hired a private car to go around Rajsthan as well. I could share our itinerary as follows;Day 1: Arrive Delhi - Red Fort and Jama Masjid
Day 2: Agra - Agra Fort
Day 3: Taj Mahal - Fathepur Sikri - Jaipur
Day 4: Amber Fort - Hawa Mahal - Jaipur City Palace - Jantar Mantar - Bapu Bazaar
Day 5: Anokhi Farm - Jodhpur
Day 6: Mehrangarh Fort - Udaipur
Day 7: Jagdish Temple - Udaipur city palace - Pichola Lake Cruise - Dharohar Performance
Day 8: fly back from Udaipur to Delhi
Day 9: fly from Delhi to Bangkok
We didn't go to Ajmer or Pushkar, but we really loved Jodhpur and Udaipur so much, so it is worth a visit.
You should spare a lot of time on road. Google Map told us it takes 3 hours from Agra to Jaipur, but in reality, it took us 6 hours.
Some rough idea about how long to spend time in each destination;
- Taj Mahal: we went there at 6.00am and finished our slow detailed walking at 10am. You could do faster though, but at least 3 hours to appreciate this 7 wonders
- Amber Fort: We spent half day (8.30am - 1.00pm) there. It's such a marvellous place and it's huge!
- Fatehpur Sikri: you could spare maybe 3 hours there as there are 2 parts of Masjid and Palace.
Have a great trip! India is incredible indeed!
5
wanvipap, thanks so much for your response. Boy, I thought my planned itinerary was ambitious ... you sure managed to get a lot into 9 days. I think we will give Jodhpur and Udaipur a skip on this trip -- we also wanted to see Jaiselmer, so we'll just have to do the rest of Rajasthan another time. Appreciate the insights on how you used your time at each city ... that is what I am trying to figure out so that I can determine where our night stops are.7
Friday, the Taj Mahal is closed. If you leave Delhi in the late afternoon, then travelling to Agra from Delhi on day 2 is advantageous. Else Agra can be visited on day 7.You could also consider not staying overnight in Agra.
I would for the moment suggest the following:
Day 1 - Delhi
Day 2 - Drive to Jaipur
Day 3 - Jaipur
Day 4 - Drive to Pushkar/Ajmer
Day 5 - Pushkar/Ajmer
Day 6 - Drive from Pushkar to Bharatpur
Day 7 - Bharatpur (Fatehpur Sikri can be done today as well)
Day 8 - Drive to Agra from Bharatpur via Fatehpur Sikri, Agra sightseeing, drive to Delhi late evening - Agra to Delhi section can be done by Shatabdi train as well, to give you an experience of train travel in India. It leaves Agra at 20:30, reaching Delhi around 22:30. Dinner is served on the train.
