Grand Escapades’ Budget Guide To Rajasthan

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

In the streets of Bundi, Rajasthan

Type Of Travel

The 3 trips to Rajasthan were quite different, and this shows in the budget spent:

• During the first 2 trips, 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 (classic Flashpacking trip). This trip could definitely 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).
• The third trip, I was traveling with my 77 year old father and 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.

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.

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.

Drinks & Going Out

As everywhere, drinks add-up quickly, especially if you take anything else than beer…

Tours & Activities

Do not underestimate these expenses! Entrance fees always come for locals and for foreigners. It added approx. 7 Euro per person per day to our budget. But this is also what you come for, to visit all the sights!

Transport

Trains in India are not only cheap, they are the most efficient way to travel from one city to the other. On the 13 trains I took, none had more than 15 minutes delay. Besides being a very efficient and comfortable way to discover India, trains is also a very social one! I learned so much just by chatting with our Indian travel companions… I must add there that I always travelled in the highest available class available (first AC or second AC). These classes must be booked in advance, which can be done very conveniently (the registering can be challenging) through an online reservation system.

Also worth considering is chartering a car between cities if you have points of interest in between, like Fatehpur Sikri & Abhenari between Agra & Jaipur or Kumbalgarh & Ranakpur between Udaipur & Jodhpur. A taxi will normally cost you 7 to 8 Ruppies per kilometer (do not forget to calculate the way back, though), including waiting time…

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… What really tempted us were miniature paintings and plates with inlay-work done from semi-precious stone. What kept us from buying those was that we had not the slightest clue of what a realistic price or these things was.

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.