I recently came home from one of the best trips of my life. There. I said it. And all you’ll need to follow along is this 3-week Rajasthan itinerary.
I went on a group tour to India with Joker, a Belgian travel agency (website only available in Dutch and French).
Related: 10 tips for your first group tour
The tour comprised just over three weeks travelling around India’s most popular region among travellers: Rajasthan.
And now, I’m here to share the joy and give you the information you need for a kick-ass road trip through this region. Ladies, gentlemen and non-binary folk: this is the perfect 3-week Rajasthan itinerary.
Note: I won’t tell you exactly when to go where on your Rajasthan road trip. It’s very difficult – if not impossible – to completely plan a trip to India beforehand.
What I will do in this post, however, is this:
Skip ahead if you want to:
Before we get started, take a look at this video I made to get a feel of what India is actually like.
There are many reasons why you should consider a trip to India’s crown jewel region. Here are just a few of them.
Thanks to Rajasthan’s fascinating history of wealthy royals and architectural legacy, impressive palaces, forts and temples are spread throughout the region, each one more breathtaking than the last.
Among the Indian population, Rajasthan is known as one of the most traditional and religious areas of the country. That explains the many energetic festivals that occur throughout the year. Diwali, Holi, Teej … The list goes on and on.
And while Rajasthan is frequented by travellers for its history and culture, an afternoon strolling through the big city bazaars can’t be missing from your Rajasthan itinerary. Pottery, clothing, souvenirs, jewellery or spices: whatever it is you’re looking for, you can find it in the bazaars.
Last, but definitely not least: the state of Rajasthan is often remembered for its exciting wildlife encounters. National parks, which were originally used as hunting grounds for the state’s rulers, are sprinkled through Rajasthan and now serve and wildlife sanctuaries.
The perfect Rajasthan road trip starts in Jaipur, the state’s mighty capital city.
Also known as the Pink City for the many shades of pink, red and amber that are present in the fortified city centre, Jaipur was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
What to do in Jaipur:
How long to stay in Jaipur: Four days in the capital of Rajasthan is an absolute minimum to see everything the city has to offer.
How to get from Jaipur to Jaisalmer: Take the night train from Jaipur Railway Station to Jaisalmer Railway Station. Book tickets on the Indian Railway’s official website.
After catching the sleeper train from Jaipur, you’ll arrive at Rajasthan’s Golden City, Jaisalmer.
This city is located at the heart of the Thar Desert and is known for the yellow sandstone that is used in many of its buildings, including the impressive Jaisalmer Fort.
What to do in Jaisalmer:
How long to stay in Jaisalmer: Three days and three nights, including one night in the desert, is plenty to discover Jaisalmer in all of its glory.
How to get from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur: Take a regular, direct train from Jaisalmer Railway Station to Jodhpur Junction. Book tickets on the Indian Railway’s official website.
After your adventurous desert safari in Jaisalmer, it’s time to head back to big city life.
Jodhpur is Rajasthan’s second biggest city. It’s known among travellers as the Blue City and among Indian residents as the Sun City. Must be worth a visit, right?
What to do in Jodhpur:
How long to stay in Jodhpur: Anywhere between two and four days should suffice, counting on a full day to explore the Fort and everything around it.
How to get from Jodhpur to Udaipur: Take an early bus to Udaipur, preferably one that leaves Jodhpur before 6 am. The journey to Udaipur should take 4 to 5 hours.
With nicknames such as ‘the City of Lakes’ and ‘the Venice of the East’, it’s no wonder that British explorer James Tod called Udaipur ‘the most romantic spot on the continent of India‘.
You’ll soon find out for yourself why Udaipur has such a strong reputation among travellers.
What to do in Udaipur:
How long to stay in Udaipur: Including the night at Krishna Ranch, you should stay in Udaipur anywhere from three to five days.
How to get from Udaipur to Agra: Take the sleeper train from Udaipur City to Agra Cannt. Book tickets on the Indian Railway’s official website.
I know, I know. Agra is not located in Rajasthan. So, technically, I lied by calling this a Rajasthan itinerary.
You’ll forgive me once you feast your eyes on the Taj Mahal. Trust me.
What to do in Agra:
How long to stay in Agra: No longer than two days. Preferably, you’ll visit Agra Fort and the Baby Taj in the afternoon, then spend the night in Agra and visit the Taj early the following morning.
How to get from Agra to Delhi: Take a regular train from Agra Cantt to one of the many train stations in Delhi. This is a short trip that should only take about two hours. Book tickets on the Indian Railway’s official website.
I’m not going to lie to you: you’re only spending one night here to avoid having to take the dreadful journey from Agra to Rishikesh.
But don’t worry: you’ll come back to Delhi in a few days and your Rajasthan road trip will end there.
So find a nice place to stay the night and wake up refreshed for an early train to Haridwar. (Ask your hostel to arrange a taxi from Haridwar to Rishikesh, because most trains don’t stop at Rishikesh)
Again: Rishikesh is not located in Rajasthan, but since you’ve already gone to Agra, you might as well pass by Rishikesh.
Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret.
Yoga Capital of the World, Gateway to the Himalayas, …
Cool nicknames, so it’s got to be worth exploring. You get it.
What to do in Rishikesh:
How long to stay in Rishikesh: Assuming you want to unwind and relax after two weeks of non-stop exploring, three to four days in Rishikesh is ideal to do everything listed above at a calm pace.
How to get from Rishikesh to Delhi: Take a regular train from Haridwar Junction to one of Delhi’s train stations. Book tickets on the Indian Railway’s official website.
Since it’s quite likely that your flight will depart from Indira Gandhi International Airport, it makes sense for the last stop on your Rajasthan road trip to be Delhi. (Although, again, Delhi is technically not a part of Rajasthan)
What to do in Delhi:
How long to stay in Delhi: In a city that over 15 million people call home, you could spend a lifetime and still not see it all. However, for the purposes of this road trip, two to three days should suffice.
Now that you have the perfect Rajasthan itinerary at your feet, there’s nothing stopping you from the trip of a lifetime.
Plan your Rajasthan road trip:
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With over 3.5 million inhabitants, Berlin is one of the biggest cities in Europe. Besides heavy traffic and a very well-thought-out public transport system, that means that there is a lot to do here. The reasons why you should visit Berlin will quickly become clear if you keep reading. This is my three-day, off-the-beaten-path Berlin itinerary for solo travellers.
Note: this post will be something between ‘what I did in Berlin’ and ‘what you should do in Berlin’. That being said, if I recommend a hostel, a restaurant, a café or an activity, it’s because I enjoyed it there. But it’s also because that’s what I did. Feel free to use this Berlin itinerary as a starting point and make your own travel itinerary according to your wants and needs.
I was in Berlin in February 2019, from Monday until Friday. However, I didn’t really get to do any things worth mentioning on Monday or on Friday because of my flight times. For that reason, I’m only including three full days in this itinerary.
This 3-day Berlin itinerary will give you a good idea of what to do in Berlin and what you can expect on a trip to the German capital.
Visiting Berlin off-the-beaten-path doesn’t mean that you can’t visit popular tourist attractions. It just means that you don’t want to spend your entire trip looking at them.
If you’re like me, you’re not fundamentally against popular attractions. You don’t stay away from the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Dam Square in Amsterdam just because many people visit them. After all, there’s a reason why tourist attractions are so popular.
So, since these attractions are still appealing, even when thousands of people lay eyes upon them every day, we’re going to cram the most important sights of Berlin into one day.
Day 1: Morning
After settling into Berlin, you’re going to check out a guided tour of Berlin during the wars of the 20th century.
Day 1: Afternoon
Now it’s time for the bare Berlin essentials. DDR Museum, Bebelplatz, Gendarmenmarkt, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Brandenburger Tor and Reichstag Building. It’s going to be a busy afternoon.
Note: I didn’t include Checkpoint Charlie in this day (or anywhere else in this Berlin itinerary) because I personally believe it’s not worth a visit. It’s become too much of a tourist trap recently and it’s supposedly really underwhelming.
I told you to get up early, right? You’ll see why that is if you just keep reading. But let me tell you: it’ll be worth it.
Day 2: Morning
This morning, your main project is to visit the abandoned children’s hospital Kinderkrankenhaus Weißensee. You might think “But why would I want to visit a place like that?” and the answer is simple. Street art.
Related: Why I decided to visit an abandoned children’s hospital
Day 2: Afternoon
The next things you should be looking forward to are a free alternative walking tour, guided by locals, and an exhibition about the human body.
The last day of this Berlin itinerary will have you exploring some famous abandoned sites in Berlin, as well as checking out an iconic remainder of the Cold War and an indoor street food market.
Day 3: Morning
Day 3: Afternoon
This is the end of my 3-day solo Berlin itinerary. Hopefully, it’s given you some ideas for things to do in Berlin ‘off the beaten track’, because the German capital is more than just Checkpoint Charlie and Brandenburger Tor.
However, a Berlin itinerary is not the only thing I’m giving you in this post. Although you could stop reading right now if you wanted to. I won’t be offended – and I’d likely never find out anyway.
How expensive is a city trip to Berlin? How long should I save up for this trip?
Luckily for you, I kept track of literally all my expenses while I was in Berlin. So, this is not only a Berlin itinerary, but it also gives you an answer to the question “Is Berlin expensive?”
Honestly, it is quite expensive, but Berlin prices tend to be very similar to any other major western European city.
Note: I used an app called Tripcoin to keep track of my expenses. My flight to Berlin touched down at 2:30 pm on Monday and my flight back home departed in Berlin at 11:05 am.
This is everything I spent that had anything to do with my trip to Berlin.
I know this might sound like a lot, but for a 5-day solo city trip to a big city in western Europe, I’d say it could have been a lot worse.
If you want to splurge on a nice hotel and a fancy restaurant, be my guest. If you want to spend as little money as possible, be my guest. The point of travelling solo is that you can do whatever the hell you want to, so I’m not going to sit here and tell you how much money you should spend in Berlin.
I’m just giving you this information so that you can decide for yourself.
There — now you know why Berlin has become one of my favourite cities to spend time alone in Europe.
Have you ever been to Berlin? What did you think of it?
If you haven’t gone to Berlin, would you consider going there? Why (not)?
Thanks for reading!
-S
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