Must see places in Jodhpur on a “two days backpacking” trip (INR 1800)

What if you can stand and experience blue above your head and below your feet? Abhi are you talking about a view from a beach where there are blue sky and an ocean? No, I am not!! Have you heard about the blue city in India? Or have you heard about Sun City, a city which is Gateway to Thar? Oops, enough of questions!! I am talking about the second largest city in the state of Rajasthan “Jodhpur”. You’ll have your list of “must see places in Jodhpur” and still not be satisfied.

Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur at night

Standing at Pachetia hill and gazing at the blue sky above and an almost 360-degree view of blue houses in the city below will make you feel like “Wow”. When I saw it, all I could do was to stand there still, breath and smile. To explore the Blue City which is famous for its lakes, fort, rich heritage, dance, culture, shopping, and delicious food, lakhs of tourists set their foot to the land of Jodhpur every year.

View of Jodhpur City from Chamundamata Ji Temple

Abhi why don’t to you tell your readers about the crazy welcome you received this time in the city? Ahh!! Yeah. Ok so every time my travel experiences are very different, and this time it was crazy. I was welcomed by a hell lot of dogs. You find it funny? Right? Just thinking about that, I am shivering right now!! Let me put this up a little later.

Market at Clock tower Jodhpur

How to reach Jodhpur from major Indian cities?

The cheapest and the most convenient way to reach Jodhpur is via railways. Jodhpur is directly connected to major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur, Bangalore etc. by railways. If you find the frequency of trains to be less till Jodhpur, you can take a train till Jaipur and from there a bus or a train to reach Jodhpur. For train bookings, visit IRCTC.

For those who prefer road journey over railways, you can opt for a bus. Jodhpur is directly connected to major India cities via roadways. For bus booking, visit Redbus/MakeMyTrip/Paytm.

Jodhpur railway station

How to get around Jodhpur

A city can be best explored by walking and since most of the spots of tourist interest in Jodhpur (Mehrangarh Fort, Ghanta Ghar, Toorji Ka Jhalra, Pachetia Hill, and Jaswant Thada) aren’t too far apart, so strolling around to explore them will be a great option. Ola bikes/cars can be used for few places which are little far (like Umaid Bhawan Palace).

Also, you can hire an Activa/motorcycle. There are various online bike rentals services like RenTrip and JodhpurBikes, so compare the rates and choose accordingly. I covered the town mostly on foot, so didn’t take any bike on rent.

View of Jodhpur from Mehrangarh Fort

My journey to Jodhpur

Are you scared of dogs? Before my visit to Jodhpur, I never was but probably now I am. Abhi were you bitten by a dog? OH thank God, I wasn’t. It was an early morning in Jodhpur with still an hour left for the sunrise. I wanted to experience the sunrise from Mehrangarh Fort and hence was on the way to it, passing through the small streets of Jodhpur.

With a big backpack, I seemed to be a stranger to dogs and they were barking to their loudest. 1-2-3-4-5 and their count kept on increasing with each passing street and finally I was encircled by a kennel of dogs with all of them barking at me. For the time in my life, I was dead scared of dogs. Thankfully somehow saving myself from them, I reached a temple, and from there a local guy walked along with me all the way to the Fort. All the efforts were worth it as I was blessed with stunning views of the sunrise.

Sunrise view from Mehrangarh Fort Parking

So let me put forward my itinerary of how I explored the beautiful town of Jodhpur in 2 days:

Day 1 – Mehrangarh Fort – Singhoria Hill – Jaswant Thada – Toorji Ka Jhalra – Ghanta Ghar – Tripoliya Bazar Road – Padamsar & Ranisar Talab – Pachetia Hill

Is it possible to cover all these places in a day’s time? Yes, absolutely it is. All these places are close to each other and if you start your day early, you can very easily cover them in a day’s time.

Day 1 itinerary Jodhpur

• Mehrangarh Fort:

You can kick start your journey to Jodhpur by witnessing the breathtaking sunrise from the parking of the Mehrangarh Fort. It is one of the largest forts in India. Looking at the architecture of the Fort will leave you spellbound. Make sure you enter as soon as the fort opens as it gets very crowded in the later part of the day.

The architecture of Mehrangarh Fort

Don’t forget to visit the Chamunda Mataji Temple which is located at one end of the Fort. I am not going much into details about the Fort; you may refer Wikipedia for the same.

Timings:  9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Entry Fees: Indian Nationals:  INR 100, Foreign Nationals: INR 600

Chamunda Mata Temple Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur

Mehrangarh Fort

• Singhoria Hill

Singhoria Hill which is just located near to the Mehrangarh is a great place to watch the sunrise as well.  At the top of the hill, there is a temple of Tekri Mata where you can take blessings to start your day. Also, Mehrangarh Fort opens at 9:00 AM, so you can spend some peaceful time over here before making a visit to the Fort.

Singhoria hill view from Mehrangarh Fort

• Jaswant Thada:

After exploring Mehrangarh Fort, you can make a visit to the nearby Jaswant Thada which is at a 10 minutes’ walk from the Fort. Jaswant Thada serves as the cremation ground for the royal family of Marwar. It is quite a picturesque place and I am sure you will love your time out here.

Timings:  9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Entry Fees: Indian Nationals:  INR 30, Foreign Nationals: INR 50

Jaswant Thada Jodhpur

• Toorji Ka Jhalra

From Jaswant Thada, you can take a long walk back, passing through the streets of Jodhpur to reach Toorji Ka Jhalra. It is a stepwell and the architecture of this will leave you amazed. A good place to test your photography skills!!

Toorji ka Jhalra Jodhpur

• Ghanta Ghar, Tripoliya and Sardar Market

After testing your photography skills, you can head to the Ghanta Ghar, Tripoliya and Sardar Market and spend the afternoon exploring the bazaars. You can buy some gifts for your loved ones. Make sure you carry an Umbrella if it is a summer season as it becomes very hot in the afternoon.

Ghanta Ghar Jodhpur

• Padamsar & Ranisar Talab

Next, you can head to the Padamsar & Ranisar Talab. Though there is nothing much to do here, you can spend some peaceful time over here just glaring at the water.

Timings: 6:30 AM to 11 AM and 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Ranisar Talab Jodhpur

• Pachetia Hill

This is definitely my favourite place in Jodhpur. The blue city views, the sunset views, Mehrangarh Fort views and the night city views, all are just outstanding from here. I ended up clicking most of my pictures of Jodhpur from this Hill. Do stay till it gets dark as you will get some mind-blowing views from here. I ended up spending both my evenings in Jodhpur over here.

Sunset view from Pachetia Hill  must see places in Jodhpur

View from Pachetia Hill at night

If you have just one day for Jodhpur, you can add visiting Umaid Bhawan Palace to the above itinerary.

Day 2 – (Osian – Mandore Garden – Jalandhar Nath Ji temple – Umaid Bhawan Palace – Masuria Hill garden – Kaylana Lake)

Most of these places are at quite a distance from each other and you would either need public transport to explore them or rent a bike.

Day 2 itinerary Jodhpur

• Osian

Located around 65 kms from Jodhpur, it is an ancient town which is commonly known as an Oasis in the Thar Desert.  It is home to the cluster of ruined Brahmanical and Jain temples. One can also enjoy the Desert Jeep Safari and Camel ride at Osian. I personally loved this place, so good to spend some peaceful time over here. You can catch an early morning train to reach Osian from Jodhpur (5:30 AM), or alternatively, you can catch a bus going towards Phalodi/Bikaner and get down at Osian.

Jain Temple Osian near Jodhpur

Sunrise at Osian Jodhpur

• Mandore Garden

On the way back from Osian you can get down at Mandore Gardens. It has a charming collection of temples, memorials, and high rock terraces. The gardens also house the Chhatris (cenotaphs) of many rulers of Jodhpur state.

Mandore garden Jodhpur

• Umaid Bhawan Palace

It is one of the world’s largest private residences.  A part of the palace is a museum which can be visited by tourists; rest of the palace serves as residence to the royal family of Jodhpur.

Timings:  9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Entry Fees: Indian Nationals:  INR 30, Foreign Nationals: INR 100

Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur

Painting at Umaid Bhawan Palace

Apart from this, you can make a visit to Jalandhar Nath Ji temple, Masuria Hill garden and Kaylana Lake. Sunsets at Kaylana Lake are breathtaking.

Best time to visit Jodhpur

Just try to avoid visiting Jodhpur in the summer months of April to June as scorching heat is prevalent in the whole region. The best months to visit Jodhpur are from October to January as the weather is very pleasant in the daytime, though a bit cold at night. Visiting Jodhpur in rainy season is a good option too.

Stay and food options in Jodhpur

Solo travelling can sometimes be hard on your pocket as you have to pay for the entire room; which otherwise could have been shared with co-travellers. The hostel culture has increased drastically over the years in India, and now finding cheap accommodation is not a big deal.

View of Mehrangarh Fort from Zostel Jodhpur

The few hostels that I would recommend you for the stay in Jodhpur are Moustache Jodhpur, Raahi Hostel, HosteLaVie, Zostel Jodhpur, and CrashPad Hostel Jodhpur. Compare the prices and read the reviews of these hostels at HostelWorld and Booking.com and choose accordingly. I stayed at the CrashPad Hostel (INR 100/night).

For food, do not miss out the MishriLal ki Lassi (Clock tower – INR 40) and Mirch Vada at Janta Misthan Bhandar( INR 15). If you want to try Rajasthani Thali check out the Gypsy Restaurant.

Crashpad Hostel Jodhpur

Mishrilal ki Lassi Jodhpur

My Expenses: Udaipur – Jodhpur – Udaipur (Bus – INR 600), Stay at CrashPad (INR 200 – 2 days), Food INR (600 – 2 days), Jodhpur to Osian and back –(INR 100), Tickets for Fort and Jaswant Thada –( INR 130), Miscellaneous – (INR 170)

Total: INR 1800 (approx.)

Even though my welcome was weird or rather crazy, I was happy to experience the magic of this beautiful city. I will miss the view of those hundreds of shops and guesthouse, the sound of vendors near the landmark, the bells of the temple and altogether the chaos of the city. I was leaving nothing but my heart there and talking nothing but a soothing experience with me.

Do follow me on Instagram as I am regularly posting travel posts and stories over there. Also, you can message me on Instagram if you want to join me on my next trip.

Are you heading to Jaipur after Jodhpur, check out my post – Must see places in Jaipur on a two-day backpacking trip (INR 2700)

Heading to Udaipur?? Check out my post on the Lake City for a detailed itinerary:  My very own Heaven – Udaipur ♥

Looking for some essential travel gear? Check out my blog post on What’s in my Backpack.

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