Probably you have come to this article looking for information on essential places to visit in India and more specifically what to see in Jodhpur Rajasthan.
Before I continue talking about India, I want you to close your eyes and mentally go back to your childhood.
Remember one of those Saturday mornings where you sat on the couch with a Cola Cao and your faded velvet pajamas (ugly as a devil).
You turned on the TV (1 or 2) and … Chas! A new chapter of your favorite drawings was beginning: the Smurfs.
How did you imagine the town of Smurfs as a child? Did you know where it was located in the world?
I imagined it blue and full of “sacred creatures”. You also not?
Well, I have to tell you several things:
- 1st: Smurfland could well be in India and be called Jodhpur.
- 2nd: Jodhpur could well be the town of Papa Smurf because it is blue, very blue.
- 3rd: Jodhpur is also full of “sacred creatures” (known as cows) that poop left and right.
Let’s leave the childhood memories and focus on your trip to India.
Jodhpur is known as the blue town of India (for the hue in which much of its houses are painted) and is one of the TOP destinations if you are going to visit the north and west of the Hindu country.
Do you want to know a little more about the blue city? Well, let’s go to the mess.
Where is Jodhpur?
Jodhpur is located in the state of Rajasthan or Rajasthan, northwest India, in one of the most tourist areas of the country.
If you are traveling to India for the first time, you will probably end up visiting: Delhi (the capital), Agra (to see the Taj Mahal) and the Rajasthan region.
Within the Rajasthan area, the most important cities are Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer.
Reading these little words of the devil you don’t need to gargle in the morning, eh!
Jaaaaaa Jooooo Juuuuuu purrrr, purrr, purrr.
Before you are hoarse, I warn you that all of them are pronounced with “Y”. 😅
How to get to Jodhpur?
Jodhpur, as I have explained to you before, is one of the cities that are always visited on a tour of Rajasthan.
Most of the travellers who go to India for free land in the capital, Delhi, and from there begin the route.
This route is usually done, almost always, by train.
India has a huge rail network and most of the cities are connected by this means of transport.
Traveling by train in India is an experience in itself, I would even say that you do not know India if you have not travelled by train.
Grab train tickets online get to travel India and other adventures that can live when you ride in one of them, I speak in this article.
Here comes the important thing, the rail connections from Jodhpur with the rest of the cities that you probably want to visit:
- Delhi-Jodhpur: 2 daily trains with a duration of 12 and a half hours approx.
- Jaipur-Jodhpur: 5 trains daily with a duration of 5 and a half hours approx.
- Agra-Jodhpur: 2 daily trains with a duration of 11 hours approx.
- Jaisalmer-Jodhpur: 2 trains daily with a duration of 6 hours approx.
Udaipur has no rail connection to Jodhpur in either direction.
The best way to get between the two is the bus (7 hours approx.) Or a taxi.
A taxi between both cities can cost you around € 40-50.
We took a taxi to do the tour and we took the opportunity to visit the Ranakpur temple which is a real past.
How many days to be in Jodhpur?
Does everyone ask when preparing a trip to an unknown destination, how many days to dedicate to each city?
The answer to this question is very subjective because everything depends on the tastes of each one.
As you are reading this blog and the one who writes is a servant, I am going to give you MY opinion that may be different from that of other travel bloggers or yours.
My answer is:
- If you go with time to spare: 1 day and a half or 2.
- If you go with the “paleo ass”: 1 day.
Must-see attractions in Jodhpur
Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort is the star attraction of Jodhpur, the main reason to visit this city.
If you are nervous looking for info to find out where in the city it is located… tranquil, you don’t need any map.
The fort stands on a hill and can be seen from all over Jodhpur.
I’m going to go through the history of the fort, of maharajas and blah, blah, blah since within 2 minutes you would have forgotten absolutely everything.
Instead, I leave you a link to the WIKI in case you are a big fan of kings, years and numbers.
What do you need to know about the fortress?
- To get to it, you have to go up a hill on your feet or you can do it in a tuk-tuk for an alternative route.
- It has 7 access doors and on your journey, you will go through 4 of them.
- With the ticket, they give you an audio guide! which explains the whole story.
- You have to leave your Passport or a deposit in the audio guides’ post, in exchange for which, they will give you a piece of paper that you will have to deliver at the exit to recover your money or passport. Better leave money, never lose sight of your passport.
- Hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- From the fort, you have the best views of the blue city.
- The tour of the fort lasts about 2 hours.
- You are going to be amazed. The fort is an authentic past.
Tour the old town
The second attraction of Jodhpur is to visit the old town and its blue houses.
In the world, there are more charming towns with blue color, one of them is Chefchaouen or Chefchaouen, in Morocco.
You may be wondering why painting the houses in indigo blue.
According to Wiki, there are two reasons:
- The blue color was used to paint the house of the Brahmans (priests) and over time, the rest of the castes, also took this custom. You know, as I see, as I want.
- They painted the houses sky blue because they believed that this color kept mosquitoes away and kept the freshness inside.
Today, they will most likely continue to do so for “money, money”, as this peculiarity attracts tourists like honey to flies.
For whatever reason, take the camera to battery power because you can not stop shooting.
Jaswant Thada
The Jaswant Thada Mausoleum, built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in the 19th century to honor his deceased father.
The Mausoleum is known as the Taj Mahal of Jodhpur … what guys! They seem from Bilbao!
The place is cute, yes, but from there to compare it with the Taj … ahem, a little freaked out.
The opening hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Umaid Bhawan Palace
When you are on top of the Mehrangarh fort and look at the horizon, three thoughts will come to your mind :
- 1st. “What colorrrrrr“
- 2nd. “How cool is the view from here with all the houses painted blue.”
- 3rd. “What the heck is that mega, macro building seen in the distance?”
That piece of the building is the Umaid Bhawan Palace, owned by a member of royalty who still lives there.
Most of the palace has been converted into a hotel and belongs to the Taj hotel chain, therefore visits are not accepted.
The only part that can be visited is the museum where photos and watches are exhibited.
To get here, you will need the friendly services of a tuk-tuk or autorickshaw, since it is 3 km from the city center.
In my opinion, the visit is not worth it.
Clock Tower and Sardar Market
You will come across this market and this square 900 times during your stay in Jodhpur since it is the nerve center of the city, come on, the heart of the town.
In itself, there is nothing special.
The amazing thing is to sit and contemplate the daily life of its countrymen and the bustle generated by cows, motorcycles, people, dogs, tourists and other flora and fauna.
Dinner with a view at the Indique restaurant
If you go outside and want to have a “Romantic Dinner“, reserve a table for dinner at the Indique restaurant, located on the terrace of the Pal Haveli hotel.
It is usually cool because it appears on Lonely Planet.
The food is not amazing but the views of the illuminated Mehrangarh Fort are spectacular.
If you want to take a trip through India and see other cities, take a look at these articles:
Taj Mahal, don’t go this day or crazy.
Varanasi, the city of the dead
10 sensations you will experience in India
Jaisalmer: the desert city
Darjeeling: between mountains of tea and 8 miles.
Udaipur: the most romantic city in India
How to buy train tickets online in India?
How to remove visa for India?
Useful data to finish
Mind you, something you can NEVER miss if you travel for free is travel insurance.
Yes, I have also travelled in the past insane thinking that nothing would ever happen to me but … “it happens to those who walk.” This is like vaccines, please take insurance, the one that angers you the most but always carries one. If you book it from here, you have a 5% discount for being a reader of this blog.
Jodhpur hotels.
Check out the flights to Delhi.