Photo: Roshan kumar Photomylife, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Five days around Holi, the spring festival of colors, in two Rajasthan cities: a lake, a royal bonfire and a morning of colors in Udaipur, a rest afternoon to wash and recover, then the forts and bazaars of Jaipur.
A March full moon, by the lunar calendar. Dates change every year, so check ahead for the one you are going.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
A gentle first day on the water. A city of lakes, palaces and old lanes, best met slowly. Walk the lake edge in the afternoon and spend the evening at a haveli of folk art, with Holi still to come.
The big lake at the heart of Udaipur, with the City Palace rising from its east shore and a pair of island palaces out on the water. The ghats along the old town are the place to sit and watch the light change.
Go when Late afternoon, as the light softens on the palace walls.
Local tip Sit on a ghat rather than rushing from one viewpoint to the next. A boat ride is optional, and the steps can be slippery, so go slowly.
Sweet, milky tea simmered with ginger, cardamom and crushed spice, poured into a small clay or glass cup at a stall near the lake. A restful way to spend the late afternoon.
Local tip Ask for it with less sugar if you like. A clay cup is thrown away after use, and the stall will take it back.
An eighteenth century mansion on the lake, with many small rooms, mirror work and a courtyard. Folk music and dance are usually shown here in the evening, but check ahead on times, especially around Holi.
Go when Early evening, with the show times checked first.
Local tip Walk the rooms before the performance starts. Seats are limited, so check ahead, and keep your voice low during the dances.
A set meal on a metal tray with lentils, vegetable curries, flatbread and a sweet, built around the foods of this region: gram flour dishes, ghee and spices that suit a dry land. Small family places near the lake serve it.
Local tip Tell the staff about any allergy first, since many dishes use ghee, nuts and gram flour. Eat with your right hand if you want to eat the local way.
A slow day in the city, ending with the fire. Holika Dahan is the bonfire the evening before Holi, and in Udaipur the Mewar royal family lights one at the City Palace with a short procession and rituals. Public viewing may be limited, so check ahead and plan a plain alternative.
A light morning plate of flattened rice with onion, peanut and curry leaf, followed by crisp, syrup-soaked jalebi. A street breakfast across much of Rajasthan.
Local tip The jalebi is fried fresh, so eat it hot. Ask for the poha without peanuts if you have an allergy.
A garden of fountains, lotus pools, marble elephants and shaded paths, made in the eighteenth century for the women of the royal court. Quiet and green before the city fills with festival crowds.
Go when Morning, when the garden is cool and quiet.
Local tip Follow the shaded paths past each fountain in turn. The water may not run on every day, so go for the garden itself.
A second lake north of the old town, with a long walkway along its dam and low hills around it. A breezy pause before the palace and the fire.
Go when Midday for the breeze, or later for a walk along the water.
Local tip Walk a stretch of the dam and turn back when you have had enough. Street snacks along the shore are a local habit.
A baked wheat ball broken and soaked in ghee, eaten with spiced lentils and a sweet crumble. The classic Rajasthani meal, simple and filling.
Local tip It is rich, so take a small portion at midday. Tell the staff about any dairy allergy, since ghee is used generously.
A huge palace of balconies, courtyards and towers on the shore of Lake Pichola, still partly the home of the Mewar royal family. Rooms and courtyards can be visited as a museum, but the palace may change its hours around a festival, so check ahead.
Go when Morning or early afternoon, before the evening gathers.
Local tip Walk upward through the courtyards first, then the rooms with painted glass and mirrors. Check ahead on the day before Holi, when the palace may close early for the evening.
A sweet fried dumpling stuffed with milk solids, coconut and dried fruit, made at home and in sweet shops in the days before Holi. A taste of the festival itself.
Local tip It is very sweet and rich. Many shops pack a small box, so ask for a piece or two to share.
Manek Chowk is the main courtyard of the City Palace. At dusk on the evening before Holi, the Mewar family usually holds a royal Holika Dahan here, with a procession, priests, music and a bonfire. Details, timing and who may attend change every year, so check ahead. Local bonfires also burn in the lanes and squares of the town, and the one nearest your hotel is a good second choice.
Go when Dusk on the evening before Holi, with the date and the rules checked first.
Local tip Keep back from the fire, stay with your group and expect crowds. Ask before you photograph the family or the priests. If you cannot get in, a bonfire in a nearby lane is just as true to the night.
Eat early at a place near where you are staying, on a plate of rice, lentils and vegetables. Streets are crowded around the fire, and a light supper keeps the evening easy.
Local tip Choose a place near your hotel so that you can walk back before the crowds. Eat before the fire rather than after.
The day of colors. Streets and ghats fill with color, water, drums and music in the morning, and it quiets down in the afternoon. Plan a short morning, then a long rest, then a calm late afternoon. Expect shops and many places to be closed, so eat where you are staying.
A chilled milk drink made with almonds, fennel, cardamom, pepper and rose, the drink of Holi. Some versions are made with bhang, a cannabis paste. Ask for the plain kind unless you know what you want.
Local tip Bhang is strong and can hit hard and late. If a stranger offers a glass, check what it contains, and never drink and drive.
The big temple of Vishnu, up a steep flight of steps in the old town, and the lanes around it. On Holi morning the nearby streets are a lively place to see people playing with color, and the temple itself keeps its own rhythm, so check ahead on whether it is open to visitors. Use a hotel celebration as the gentler option.
Go when Holi morning, in the lanes outside, or on another day for the temple itself.
Local tip Take off your shoes before the steps and cover shoulders and knees. Wear old clothes, keep your phone in a waterproof pouch, and never throw color at someone who has not agreed.
Many hotels and guesthouses lay on a Holi meal for guests, with snacks and sweets served after the colors. The easiest way to eat on a day when many shops are closed.
Local tip Ask your hotel the evening before about food on the day, since many cafes and shops may be shut.
A quiet field of white marble cenotaphs, the memorials of the rulers of Mewar, a little east of the city. Calm and uncrowded, a good place to stretch your legs after the morning once you have washed and rested.
Go when Late afternoon, once the Holi crowds have thinned.
Local tip Walk among the white pavilions and read the carved names. The ground is dusty, so wear shoes you can brush clean.
Soft lentil dumplings soaked in yoghurt and topped with tamarind, mint and spice, a cooling snack made for a warm day of festivals.
Local tip It is cold and sour. Eat it at a place you trust, since yoghurt and chutney left in the sun are a risk.
A hilltop palace on a ridge above the city, also called Sajjangarh, with a long view over the lakes. A calm place to end the day at sunset, if the road is open and the haze allows.
Go when Late afternoon, around sunset (about 6:43 PM), though haze can dim the sky.
Local tip It is a drive up a hill road, so go by taxi, and check ahead that the road is open. Take a layer for the breeze on top.
After a day of colors, a simple meal of dal, rice and vegetables eaten early. Rest, water and an early night suit the day.
Local tip Drink plenty of water, and do not try anything new tonight.
A travel day. Jaipur is a long way from Udaipur, and the way depends on whether you fly, take a train or go by road, so check ahead on all three and book early. Plan to arrive by the afternoon, and keep the evening to the old city, where color may still linger on walls and clothes.
A griddle-cooked flatbread stuffed with spiced potato, eaten with yoghurt, butter and pickle. A hearty breakfast before a long travel day.
Local tip Eat it hot. Ask for less chili if you are sensitive to spice.
The Palace of the Winds, a pink sandstone front of hundreds of small windows, built so the women of the court could watch the street unseen. See it from the street first, and from a cafe across the way if you want the view.
Go when Late afternoon, when the sandstone turns warm.
Local tip The front looks over a busy road, so look from the pavement or a cafe and watch the traffic. The inside is a narrow stair, so go in only if the crowds are small.
A flaky fried pastry stuffed with spiced onion, a snack that Jaipur shops sell all morning. Eat it hot, with a chutney, standing at the counter.
Local tip It is fried and spicy. A glass of chai or lassi helps it go down.
The old jewelers' street, a long market of gem and jewelry shops, textile and lac bangle stalls, behind arched fronts. Busy and loud, and best on foot without a plan. Many shops may be shut after a festival, so check ahead.
Go when Evening, when the lanes are lit and the heat has eased.
Local tip Walk slowly and keep your bag in front of you. Look at a few shops before you buy anything, and ask a shopkeeper before you photograph a stall or a person.
A sweet pastry parcel filled with milk solids and sealed with a clove, a Jaipur sweet, after a slow walk through the bazaar.
Local tip The clove is part of the seal, so take it out before you eat. Tea from a stall nearby completes it.
A last day in the Pink City. Go out to Amber Fort early, while the air is cool, then come back to the royal quarter for the palace and the observatory. Leave time for the airport or the station, and drop the last stop if the clock runs short.
A round, flaky pastry filled with sweet milk solids and nuts and dipped in sugar syrup. A Jaipur sweet to take before the fort.
Local tip It is rich and sweet, so one is plenty. Tell the staff about any nut allergy.
A fort-palace of sandstone and marble on a hill above a lake, with courtyards, a hall of mirrors and a long ramp up from the road. Go early, before the heat and the crowds, and wear shoes with grip.
Go when First thing in the morning, before the heat and the tour groups.
Local tip Walk up the ramp if you can, and take water and a hat. The stone steps are worn, so wear shoes with grip.
Simple restaurants near Amber serve a plate of lentils, vegetable curries, flatbread and sweets, to be eaten after the climb.
Local tip Order a few dishes to share and ask about spice. Tell the staff about any allergy.
The royal quarter of the old city, a group of courtyards, gates and halls, still partly the home of the royal family. Look at the carved gates and the quiet courtyards.
Go when Midday, as a cooler indoor stop.
Local tip Look for the pair of tall silver urns and the carved peacock gate. Check ahead on which courtyards are open.
An open-air observatory of huge stone instruments, built in the eighteenth century to read the sun, moon and stars. Strange shapes, and easy to walk through in under an hour.
Go when Late morning or afternoon, when the shadows work.
Local tip Walk among the instruments and read the labels. The big sundial reads the time closely, and a guide helps if you want to follow how it works.
Thick, sweet, cool yoghurt drink served in a small clay cup, sometimes topped with cream. A good last taste of Jaipur before the road.
Local tip Drink it where the stall is busy and the clay cups are fresh. The cup is thrown away after use.
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, January to February and November to December are the most comfortable months for walking around Udaipur. This plan is built for early March, which is a good month. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
It covers 5 days in Udaipur, planned for early March. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 0.5 to 11.9 kilometers between its stops, and 25.2 kilometers in all across 5 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
8 days in Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur and UdaipurAbout 50 km awayAn easy add-on
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