Road Trip from Delhi to Udaipur (via Jaipur)

After almost a year of working from home and facing too much of 2020, we decided to utilize our Winter break.

Thanks to our company, we get a Christmas to New Year winter shutdown. No work, no office, no meetings. Only holiday-ing and family time!

Last year we went on Road Trip to Gujarat and travelled approximately 3300km in round trip.

This time, due to Covid situation, we decided to keep simple. We travelled to Jaipur-Udaipur from Delhi. That was almost 1600km round trip.

Also, Rajasthan was under night curfew, so we could not head out as much we would have liked to. Still, we made up for most of our time, roaming and exploring!!

This is a long post, If you wish, you can directly head to the summary here: Trip Summary

Day 1

We started from Delhi (actually Noida), on 24th, around 8 am. We reached Jaipur at around 2. We had shortlisted out hotels, but hadn’t booked them.
I wanted to stay at ITC Rajputana, but it was all booked. Also they prefer online bookings from MakemyTrip, Goibibo etc.
Just for information, ITC is closely located to the railway station and almost at the city center. Everything else is located far away from here.

So we headed towards tonk road and stayed at Radisson Blu. The check-in was a pain, apparently because their network was down. Again, they prefer online bookings! Strange. But the staff was patient & courteous.

We settled and relaxed at the hotel, then headed to Chokhi Dhani. All these things were semi-planned. Chokhi Dhani is hardly 15 minutes drive from the hotel. It opens at 5 pm, and operates till 11pm. We were worried due to the Night Curfew scenes in Jaipur.

Chokhi Dhani

It is surreal. That is all that you should know. It is a great experience. No photographs, no blogs can really justify what experience they provide.

We entered at around 6pm. The cost is 750 per person. It is built on a huge property and I would suggest that you explore as much as you can.
I don’t want to spill the beans for you, but read on if you want to know more:
Link.

We were welcomed with a warm drink. It was Rabdi, but super tasty.
Then there were tea and pakoda stalls, which were chargeable. There was puppet show going on, some dance and music, there were bonfires everywhere surrounded with wooden couches (takhat) .

You can get henna tattoo (Mehendi) for free, elephant and camel rides at minimal charges.

Then there is boating option, a temple, Haldighati battle scene, Padmavati Johar scene , everything very beautiful. The lights are very dim, so your camera might not click good pictures.

There are also stalls for games and shopping.

The best part was feeding the cows. Yes, there are many cows in the shed, and fodder kept nearby. You can pick it up and feed the cows.

After taking a full round, we went towards the dining hall. We were ahead of time, so there was no waiting. It is better to sit for dinner by 7.30. Else, you will have to wait for at least 40 minutes.
You sit on the ground (cushions), and food is served to you by staff. There are around 16 items, which change seasonally. I could not finish my single serving in one hour. Surprisingly my husband did.

We roamed around for some more time and then left the venue at around 10pm. The city was obvoiulsly shut down, but we did not face any challenges heading back to hotel!

Suggestions:
1. From what I have heard, weekends are usually packed, so plan accordingly
2. It opens at 5pm, so enter as early as you can. Sit for dinner by 7.30pm
3. Carry a camera/phone which shoots good in low light

Day 2

The next day we had good breakfast at the hotel. We checked out from the hotel and checked in to Royal Orchid, just opposite Radisson, as Radisson was all booked for that day.

We checked in there and headed towards Hawa Mahal. Again, from what I have heard, there is a long waiting. But thanks to less tourists, we entered almost immediately.

One important thing here is that Jaipur has a 2 day Composite Pass for various public attractions. You can purchase it if you wish to visit all the places. Else buy individual tickets.

Hawa Mahal is a beautiful monument, though there is not much to do. Climb up to the top, click pictures, enjoy architecture and move out to the main market for some shopping!

We headed directly to Amer Palace (or Amber Palace) which is the best tourist spot in Jaipur. My husband has been there 4-5 times and isn’t bored yet!

Note: You can take the front stairs of the fort, or drive from behind the fort to Fort’s parking. It is a steep narrow way to the top.

I too found it stupendous. The huge fort, palaces, gallery, all were worth visitng. We enjoyed our time there. Next is Nahargarh Fort & Jaigarh Fort. We missed both of these, for next time. I really loved Jaipur and would want to visit again.

On way to our hotel, we stopped at Jal Mahal. It is closed for visitors but you can shop and get pictures on the lake side. The market is quite cheap and worth shopping. Due to the curfew, we could not spend much time here.

Later we devoured some delicious snacks at Muhammadi Palace, in Chandpole. Sadly, St. Andrews church, which is hardly 100 mtr from here, was closed for visitors on Christmas day.

Day 3 : Jaipur to Udaipur

Next day, we had lovely breakfast at the hotel. We checked out for Udaipur. We visited Birla temple and Moti Doongri temple in Jaipur.
Birla temple closes at 12 pm and re-opens at 3pm. You can read more about it here.

After that we took around half and hour de-route to have Paan at a very famous shop: Annu Mobile Parlor, Mansarovar. Check out there google reviews!
Then we left Jaipur for Udaipur.

Udaipur is around 400 km from Jaipur. Though the roads are good, but most part is only two lane. We had difficulty in driving as there are many trucks plying on the route. There we very few eating options though there are many small dhabas. On the route, 50 km before Udaipur, there is a small town called Nathdwara. We did not know about it, but it famous for temple and Shiva statue. You can plan a day visit from Udaipur.

We reached Udaipur, very late and had little difficulty in finding Hotels. There are few options near Sukhadia Circle. We stayed nearby in Amantra Comfort Hotel. It is a good one for transit stay. We had dinner at the hotel, which was quite tasty.

Day 4: Udaipur

Next day we checked out, visited Fatehsagar Lake, which is nearby and headed to Karni Mata Temple. The temple is located at hill top. You can choose to go on foot or by Rope Car. For Rope car, there is a long waiting of 45-60 minutes.
Tip 1: Carry some snacks and water.
Tip 2: Get your return token as soon as you reach at top and then visit the temple. It will save you some time.

Next on our list was City Palace. The ticket is quite expensive, but the gallery and palace is pretty. So it is a one time visit. We had to pay INR 350 for car parking inside the palace. You can choose to park outside. It is at a walking distance.

You may take the guide, if you want to know about the palace. But if you want to ‘explore’ the palace, do not take the guide. They take you around way too fast.

It took us more than an hour to complete the palace visit. Then there is Jagmandir and Lake ride, which was closed due to private event. It is again, expensive. We sat there for sunset and headed back to the city!!

There are many roadside stalls near Lake Fateh Sagar. It is a street food market. We stopped there, hogged some Maggi and Pasta. We also almost lost our car as we had parked on roadside. But turned out it was blocked by another car and not stolen!!

We finalized Radisson Blu & checked in. It is very near to Lake Fateh Sagar. After quick brush up, we went pool side for Folk Show. Then we left the hotel in search of dinner [We hardly sit in the hotel]. Luckily we got some Kebabs and Chicken from a ‘closed outlet’ (night curfew), which we ate in the parking lot!!
We later went to hotel terrace which had beautiful setting for dinner.

PS: I missed mention of Lake Pichola, which is quite beautiful & has some tourist spots around, which we did not cover.

Other place that we could not go to try egg delicacies is Chetak Circle. Do visit, if possible.

Day 5 : Udaipur to Jaipur

Given time & budget, you can plan Jodhpur from Udaipur too. We decided to head back to Delhi via Jaipur.

We reached Jaipur late, checked in to The Fern Ecotel Hotel. It is pretty and comfortable! The next day we had to leave for Delhi. But we had not done much shopping.

So we packed up and visited Johari Bajar, which is Jewellery Market and Bapu Bazar which is handicraft and textile market. We bought some souvenirs and and had the best Falooda at Ramchandra Kulfi Bhandar. Please do not miss this!

Due to protests on Delhi border, we decided to take a different route via Bharatpur and Expressway. There are not many restaurants on the route, except for some on Yamuna Expressway. The toll is also high, but the route is good enough.

We reach home by 8pm!

Trip Summary

Places to Visit In Jaipur: Chokhi Dhani Village, Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jaigarh Fort, Jantar Mantar, Jal Mahal, Birla Temple, Moti Doongri

Places to Visit in Udaipur: Fateh Sagar Lake, Lake Pichhola, Karni Mata Temple (Rope way), City Palace, Sahelio ki bari, Jag Mandir, Monsoon Palace, Jagadish Temple

Delhi to Jaipur: Stay at Radisson Blu
Visit Chokhi Dhani Village (avoid weekends)
Next Day check in to Royal Orchid
Visit Hawa Mahal, Amer Fort, Jal Mahal, Birla temple, Moti Doongri.
Enjoy Paan at Annu Mobile Paan Bhandar
Leave for Udaipur, Check in at transit hotel
Visit Fateh Sagar Lake, Lake Pichhola, Karni Mata Temple & ropeway, City Palace
Eat nearby Fatehsagar lake at evening
Check-in at Radisson Blu
Leave for Jaipur. Stay at The Fern Ecotel.
Next day, shop at Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazar near Hawa Mahal
Do not miss Ramchandra Kulfi Bhandar
Leave for Delhi!

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