North Western India
Jan 25th, 2006 | 12:01 PM
#1
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North Western India
I am looking to allocate approximately one week of our trip to North Western India. I don't have time to visit all the places I wish to see so I was wondering which of the following you would do if you had a week. Out of a score of 10 how would you rate the following towns and immediate vicinities.
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Thanks for any help in advance.
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Thanks for any help in advance.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 03:48 PM
#2
Joined: Aug 2003
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Skip Udaipur. It is pretty, but that is all. I spent three days at the Udaivilas. The hotel was nice and it was a good rest after two weeks of traveling, but it would be the one place I would have skipped. After a morning at the lake palace, there is nothing else to see and there isn't a decent retaurant outside the hotels. It is like every other pretty lake town.
Jaipur is great (great shopping and restaurants), I loved Jodhpur and although I didn't go there, I hear that Jaisalmer is simply wonderful.
You could do Jaipur,Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in a week. If you only want to do two, I'd do Jaipur and Jaisalmer.
Jaipur is great (great shopping and restaurants), I loved Jodhpur and although I didn't go there, I hear that Jaisalmer is simply wonderful.
You could do Jaipur,Jodhpur and Jaisalmer in a week. If you only want to do two, I'd do Jaipur and Jaisalmer.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 08:40 PM
#4
Joined: Dec 2003
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This is a hard question as it is always a matter of personal taste -- it depends on what you like/the kind of experience that you want to have. We visited all of the cities that you list on our recent trip, so we'll give you our perspective.
A week is not very long in Rajasthan given the distances between cities. From our perspective, the "real" Rajasthan was what we saw driving between the cities -- if you just go to the cities, you'll miss a huge part of what is special and interesting. To get a real feel, we'd suggest flying to Jaipur (ideally on Jet, as Indian Airlines/Alliance Air flight is harrowing) and then spend time driving from Jaipur to Jodhpur (about 6 hours) and Jodhpur to Udaipur (about 6 hours with a stop at the Jain temples at Ranakpur - a highlight of Rajasthan). The drive between Jodhpur and Udaipur was extremely interesting -- varied terrain and fascinating people scenes along the road. You can then fly on Jet (great airline) either to Delhi or Mumbai and on to your next destination.
Jaipur is bustling, the fort at Jodhpur is more striking than Amer Fort near Jaipur (in our opinion) and a "must see", Jaisalmer is too far to go if you have only a week (the area is interesting, but the town itself we found touristy). Udaipur is peaceful and a nice place for a relaxing day on/by the lake (or a drive in the countryside around).
Unless you are a die-hard shopper and enjoy shopping primarily with other tourists, we'd recommend skipping the shopping in Rajasthan in favor of driving around and getting a feel for the area. You can get the same things in Delhi (often for less money). Our recommendation would be to spend your time immersed in the culture of Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur since you only have a week. Have a great trip!
A week is not very long in Rajasthan given the distances between cities. From our perspective, the "real" Rajasthan was what we saw driving between the cities -- if you just go to the cities, you'll miss a huge part of what is special and interesting. To get a real feel, we'd suggest flying to Jaipur (ideally on Jet, as Indian Airlines/Alliance Air flight is harrowing) and then spend time driving from Jaipur to Jodhpur (about 6 hours) and Jodhpur to Udaipur (about 6 hours with a stop at the Jain temples at Ranakpur - a highlight of Rajasthan). The drive between Jodhpur and Udaipur was extremely interesting -- varied terrain and fascinating people scenes along the road. You can then fly on Jet (great airline) either to Delhi or Mumbai and on to your next destination.
Jaipur is bustling, the fort at Jodhpur is more striking than Amer Fort near Jaipur (in our opinion) and a "must see", Jaisalmer is too far to go if you have only a week (the area is interesting, but the town itself we found touristy). Udaipur is peaceful and a nice place for a relaxing day on/by the lake (or a drive in the countryside around).
Unless you are a die-hard shopper and enjoy shopping primarily with other tourists, we'd recommend skipping the shopping in Rajasthan in favor of driving around and getting a feel for the area. You can get the same things in Delhi (often for less money). Our recommendation would be to spend your time immersed in the culture of Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur since you only have a week. Have a great trip!
Jan 27th, 2006 | 04:58 AM
#6
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I agree completly that these things are a matter of personal taste. But that is one of the things I like about Forums like this. It attracts many people with very different tastes!
Funny enough your opinions and difference of opinions are very similiar to what I was already tossing around in my head!
We will include Jaipur and Jodhpur, that seems certain. But the question still seems to be whether to head North to Jaisalmer or South to Udaipur.
It is interesting that you mention that Jaisalmer was found to be touristy. The main reason I was considering heading there was due to its relative remoteness from the golden triange and since it is a bit of a long trip to get there, I figured fewer tourists. If that is not the case, then there goes my main reason! On the other hand, some people on IM swear by the place!!
It seems from your posts that Udaipur is a more relaxed city with maybe not so many "sights". More of a place to recharge the batteries and sit by a pool for a couple of days.
It was mentioned to fly Jet Airlines if possible as opposed to Indian Airlines(they do seem rather unpopular don't they!!). We have seen some very good prices with Air Deccan to Jaipur. Any first-hand experiences with that airline?
Funny enough your opinions and difference of opinions are very similiar to what I was already tossing around in my head!
We will include Jaipur and Jodhpur, that seems certain. But the question still seems to be whether to head North to Jaisalmer or South to Udaipur.
It is interesting that you mention that Jaisalmer was found to be touristy. The main reason I was considering heading there was due to its relative remoteness from the golden triange and since it is a bit of a long trip to get there, I figured fewer tourists. If that is not the case, then there goes my main reason! On the other hand, some people on IM swear by the place!!
It seems from your posts that Udaipur is a more relaxed city with maybe not so many "sights". More of a place to recharge the batteries and sit by a pool for a couple of days.
It was mentioned to fly Jet Airlines if possible as opposed to Indian Airlines(they do seem rather unpopular don't they!!). We have seen some very good prices with Air Deccan to Jaipur. Any first-hand experiences with that airline?
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Jan 27th, 2006 | 06:23 AM
#8
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Hello Mincepie, just wondering what parts do you agree with concerning the previous posts? Does that mean you enjoyed Udaipur, or found Jaisalmer touristy? Or are you commenting only on airlines? Sorry, I am just not clear on it.
Jan 27th, 2006 | 08:39 PM
#9
Joined: Jan 2006
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How opinions vary......
Flying to Jaipur seems to me to be a complete waste of time and money, how long does it take to get to the airport, check in, wait for the flight, get to Jaipur, then get from the airport? then consider that the Shatabdi Express only takes 4 hours and it starts from New Delhi station, right next to Paharganj.
But I wouldn't suggest the Shatabdi either; you've only got a week, so daytime travel must be kept to a minimum.
Driving from place to place with the time constraints you have, is a bit like being in a mobile zoo, you don't have the time to get out and explore, the distances are huge, the average speed is slow, and you must drive in daylight hours, when you consider how few daylight hours you have at your disposal, it seems a shame to waste them on driving around.
You haven’t got long enough to get a feel for Rajasthan, even if you did, I would argue that the back of a car isn't the place to get this feel.
If you really want to get a feel for the place, stay with a family for a week, I did this in Gujarat, in a village not listed on most maps, it was one of the highlights of my life.
Back to your Itinerary.........
Jaipur = 8 (gets a bad reputation, but the city has more to offer than some of the city's overrated tourist attractions, I doubt you'll find this out with your limited time and suggest leaving Jaipur out, even if this means missing out on Jasvilas, one of the best mid-range hotels I've ever stayed in.)
Jodhpur = 9 (often overlooked, but wandering around the winding streets, then looking at the fort, then playing cricket with the locals with no hassle, I wish I'd had more time)
Jaisalmer = 9.5 (touristy, but for good reason, don’t miss it, it sometimes seems like there are more tourists because the place is small, but I doubt it gets a tenth of the tourists Jaipur gets)
Udaipur = 8 (relaxing, touristy, overrated, the main problem I found were the other tourists, I felt like I was in the middle of a social workers convention, so many tourists pretending to understand the harsh conditions the locals were having to tolerate, these locals probably had as much money as the tourists, but it's still a nice place to relax.)
Now, you don't mention Agra, or your next destination after the week, come to think of it, you don't mention Delhi, if you can give me more details I will give you complete train info from and a suggested itinerary, but I need to know the following: -
Day of arrival in NW India, and from where?
Day of departure from area, to where?
I am not a travel agent, as you will know as you've checked out IM.
Flying to Jaipur seems to me to be a complete waste of time and money, how long does it take to get to the airport, check in, wait for the flight, get to Jaipur, then get from the airport? then consider that the Shatabdi Express only takes 4 hours and it starts from New Delhi station, right next to Paharganj.
But I wouldn't suggest the Shatabdi either; you've only got a week, so daytime travel must be kept to a minimum.
Driving from place to place with the time constraints you have, is a bit like being in a mobile zoo, you don't have the time to get out and explore, the distances are huge, the average speed is slow, and you must drive in daylight hours, when you consider how few daylight hours you have at your disposal, it seems a shame to waste them on driving around.
You haven’t got long enough to get a feel for Rajasthan, even if you did, I would argue that the back of a car isn't the place to get this feel.
If you really want to get a feel for the place, stay with a family for a week, I did this in Gujarat, in a village not listed on most maps, it was one of the highlights of my life.
Back to your Itinerary.........
Jaipur = 8 (gets a bad reputation, but the city has more to offer than some of the city's overrated tourist attractions, I doubt you'll find this out with your limited time and suggest leaving Jaipur out, even if this means missing out on Jasvilas, one of the best mid-range hotels I've ever stayed in.)
Jodhpur = 9 (often overlooked, but wandering around the winding streets, then looking at the fort, then playing cricket with the locals with no hassle, I wish I'd had more time)
Jaisalmer = 9.5 (touristy, but for good reason, don’t miss it, it sometimes seems like there are more tourists because the place is small, but I doubt it gets a tenth of the tourists Jaipur gets)
Udaipur = 8 (relaxing, touristy, overrated, the main problem I found were the other tourists, I felt like I was in the middle of a social workers convention, so many tourists pretending to understand the harsh conditions the locals were having to tolerate, these locals probably had as much money as the tourists, but it's still a nice place to relax.)
Now, you don't mention Agra, or your next destination after the week, come to think of it, you don't mention Delhi, if you can give me more details I will give you complete train info from and a suggested itinerary, but I need to know the following: -
Day of arrival in NW India, and from where?
Day of departure from area, to where?
I am not a travel agent, as you will know as you've checked out IM.
Jan 29th, 2006 | 07:26 AM
#10
Joined: Jan 2003
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Greetings from an American in INDIA! I have been many times to all the cities you mention, and all are great places to visit in Rajasthan, so it is hard to put a exact ranking, as so much in India depends on the experinces you meet en route, the people, local color, and of course, what is are your interests, (pALACES, FORTS, museums, Temples, shopping, handicrafts, Bazaars, wildlife, etc, etc.)..And again, 6 days is not alot of time, distances are great so depending on how much you want to see you may want to combine car/driver with a domestic flight or two. Each of the cities mentioned are different, but all are intersting and worthy of a visit in their own right!. Personally, i am partial to both Jaipur and Jaisalmer, Jaipur being the capital of the region and filled with color, bazaars, history and a good energetci feel, plus great places to stay for all budgets and wonderful food! Be sure to get out and wander around the many local colorful markets in the Pink city too. I go by road all the time, and the road from dELHI TO jaipur IS one of the best in India, and will take you about 6 hours with stops. Definately drive as the road is good and you will be able to experince the change of scenery and appreciate your approach to the region with the Arravali Hills as the backdrop Personally, i have also really liked Udaipur, probably for the vry reason that it is somewhat peaceful, calming, sometimes a rarity in India. It also has alot of history attatched to the city, as the ruling family of Udaipur is one of the oldest family dynasties in the world. U can visit the museum/City palace and the crystall Gallery, REALLY beautiful. Also the LAKE Palace hotel is enchanting. Jodphur too has its great attratcions, the amazing fort and the markets and a fun city to wander around. And on top of my list is INCREDIBLE jaisalmer, a medieval city way out in the desert. The thing is, is is a very long journey to get there and do not think to recco it for a week time as so much travel is involved. To get to jaisalmer the route is generally via JODPHUR, so u can perhaps do Jodphur and Jaisalmer in your timeframe, and cover the distance by a combo of driving and train..and u can even fly to JODPHUR from Delhi or JAIPUR..many ways to work the equation. u CAN ALSO TRY TO Squeeze JAIPUR, Jodphur, and then Jaisalmer, but it will be rushed, and alot of traveling...by the way, if you go to JAISALMER,,i think Jaisalmer is worthy of at least three days and should include a mini-camel Safari, can even do a half day!. Feel free to drop me a line. I am constantly in/out of all these destinations and happy to help!. one idea, is there anyway you can allocate more time to this region, and visit all? take care, [email protected]
