Budget Guide To Rajasthan (Updated)

Elephant and Rickshaws at Sardar Market, Jodhpur

One Of The Cheapest Places To Splurge A Little Or Upgrade Your Travel Style…

Type Of Travel

The 4 trips to Rajasthan were really different from one another, and this actually also shows in the budget spent:

• During the first 2 trips (2012 & 2013), with limited time at hand (each time 12 days) and India being a rather cheap country, I opted against traveling low budget. Instead, I frequented “mid-range” hotels or Havelis and pleasant local restaurants. This trip could definitely have be done a lot cheaper than spending 44 and 48 Euros per person per day (this amount does not include the international flight or the visa fees).
• For the last 2 trips (2015 & 2023), I went for the “upper mid-range” type of travel to ensure a nice level of comfort and enhance the mobility: nice Havelis or small Boutique hotels, nice restaurants, at times a car with driver… The budget almost doubled, not surprisingly.

Itinerary & Time Of The Visit

In April 2012 I had my first brush with India, to be precise eastern Rajasthan: for eleven days I gazed at the most incredible Moghul architecture in Agra and Jaipur. I also threw in a bit of wildlife by visiting Ranthambhore National Park. When I returned in March 2013, I headed for the southwest of Rajasthan for twelve days, to marvel at these impressive forts & palaces in Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Chittorgarh and last but not least Pushkar & Ajmer. Delhi was my hub during both trips.

In March 2015, I returned to Rajasthan for one month, and made an extensive loop through this area of India: Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Pushkar, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kumbalgarh, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner & Nawalgarh. I ended the trip in Amritsar to marvel at the Golden Temple.

In March 2023, I went for the highlights: Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, plus Mathura & Vrindavan for the Holi Festival of Colors.

Global Budget

Hostels & Hotels

Outside of Delhi, an average of 30 to 40 Euros per night was the rule. Comfortable guesthouses with air conditioning or beautiful Havelis, former homes of noblemen, make all the difference and offer a welcome retreat after long walks through India’s hectic cities…

Restaurants & Food

There I splurged and sampled delicious meals three times at day, mainly at my hotels, because the other restaurants – if there were any – did not come close in quality.

Tours & Activities

Do not underestimate these expenses! Entrance fees always come for locals and for foreigners, and prices have skyrocketed in the last years. It added approx. 12 Euro per person per day to our budget. But this is what you come for, to visit all the sights!

Transport

In 2012, 2013 & 2015, I traveled a lot by train, and that was a great experience!

In 2023, we decided to fly twice to save time or to charter cars. Not very environment friendly, true, but it also enabled us to save significant amounts of time… Note that car-prices are not per person but for the car…

Splurge At Reasonable Costs?

You could spend tons of money in India! Staying in one of the former palaces of a Maharaja can be done for a few hundred dollars a night! Take home some beautiful handicrafts, carpets, jewelry, colorful Indian style clothes, saris, scarves…

Reduce Costs?

I did not try to reduce the budget in any way, so I will not be the best source for budget traveling in India… But yes, you can travel a lot cheaper than I did and still tremendously enjoy your visit.