Jodhpur

Jodhpur is a desert city in western Rajasthan, hundreds of kilometres from any coast. The nearby lakes, such as Kaylana, are reservoirs for looking at rather than swimming in. Swimming here means a hotel pool, and many heritage hotels have courtyard pools that are welcome in the heat.

Eating in Jodhpur is about Marwari cooking and the snack stalls around the Clock Tower and the old city. Mirchi vada, a large chilli stuffed and fried in batter, and pyaaz kachori are the local breakfast. Makhaniya lassi, thick and saffron-scented, and sweet mawa kachori follow. The Rajasthani thali shows what desert cooking does with beans, gram flour and dried berries in dishes like ker sangri and gatte ki sabzi, and laal maas, a fiery mutton curry, comes from the royal kitchens.

Beyond that the range is narrow. Rooftop restaurants in the old town serve fort views with standard tourist menus, and the palace hotels offer formal dining. Much of the city eats vegetarian, and alcohol plays only a small part.

Mehrangarh Fort is the reason most people come. It rises straight out of a sandstone ridge above the city, its walls running into the rock, and inside are carved palace courtyards and one of the best museums in Rajasthan, with palanquins, howdahs, miniature paintings and arms. Below it, Jaswant Thada is a white marble royal memorial looking across the lake and the rocks.

The old city at the fort's foot is the blue city of the photographs, a tangle of indigo-washed houses, small temples and lanes. Toorji ka Jhalra is a deep, finely carved stepwell, and the Clock Tower marks the market heart. Umaid Bhawan, a vast Art Deco palace finished in the 1940s, keeps a museum wing, and the royal cenotaphs and gardens at Mandore lie on the northern edge. It is a compact set, rich for two days.

Evenings in Jodhpur mean a rooftop dinner looking at the lit fort, perhaps a drink in a heritage hotel bar, and then bed. There is little independent bar culture, no club scene a visitor would seek out, and the old city goes quiet early. Travellers who want a night out will not find one here.

The landscape is rocky desert scrub, and the best place to see it up close is the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park under the fort walls, where trails cross volcanic rock planted with native desert species. Ziplines run over the fort's ramparts and lakes. South of the city, jeep drives through Bishnoi country find blackbuck, chinkara gazelles and peacocks in the open fields the community protects, and camel rides and dune camps give a taste of the Thar.

There are no mountains or forests, and from April to September the heat, often above 40°C, makes outdoor activity hard work. From November to February the mornings are clear and pleasant.

Osian, about an hour and a half north, is the main outing: a desert town with a cluster of early Hindu and Jain temples carved in sandstone, plus a dune area for camel rides. Closer in, half-day trips go to Bishnoi villages to see potters, weavers and the community's way of life, and to the craft villages around Salawas for durrie rugs. Small fort hotels in villages such as Rohet and Luni make a pleasant lunch stop.

The big names of the region are further out. The Jain temple at Ranakpur and the walls of Kumbhalgarh take three hours or more and are usually visited on the way to Udaipur, and Jaisalmer is a long road trip away.

Older children tend to love the fort, with its cannons, armour and elephant howdahs, and the ziplines and camel rides add adventure. A safari to see blackbuck works well too. Beyond that, little is made for children: there are no proper zoos, water parks or play areas worth the trip. The old city lanes are narrow and shared with motorbikes, auto-rickshaws and cows, and summers are scorching. A hotel with a pool and a garden helps a great deal, and families do best visiting in winter.

The main sights lie close together. The Clock Tower market, the blue old city and the stepwell are walkable from each other, and Mehrangarh sits directly above them up a steep climb on foot or a short ride. Getting around beyond that means auto-rickshaws, which are everywhere but need fares agreed beforehand, or a hired car and driver for Umaid Bhawan, Mandore and trips out of town.

There is no metro, and visitors hardly use the city buses. Pavements are rare, the old lanes are shared with motorbikes and cows, and walking in the heat after mid-morning is hard going.

Shopping in Jodhpur is about crafts and markets. Sardar Market around the Clock Tower runs through spices, bangles, silver and cloth, and the surrounding lanes specialise in bandhani and leheriya tie-dyed textiles, embroidered mojari slippers and lacquerwork. The city is also a centre for antiques and furniture, with large warehouses on the outskirts full of carved doors, chests and reclaimed wood, and they can ship things home. Jodhpurs, the riding breeches, can still be tailored here.

There is little in the way of fashion, design boutiques or luxury, and commission-driven touts steer visitors to particular shops, so it pays to bargain and take your time.

Jodhpur is very cheap for most of what a visitor does. Street snacks, thalis, auto-rickshaw rides and the family-run guesthouses in the blue city cost a fraction of Western prices, and even the fort's entrance and audio guide are modest. The exception is the city's luxury end: converted palaces and haveli hotels can cost as much as fine hotels anywhere, and travellers who choose them should expect it. Hiring a car and driver for out-of-town trips is good value.

The music here is Rajasthani folk, above all the hereditary Manganiyar and Langa musicians whose songs of desert rulers and lovers are played on kamaicha, dholak and castanet-like khartal. Players perform in the fort's courtyards and on heritage hotel terraces in the evening, often with Kalbeliya dancers. Each autumn, a folk music festival held in and around Mehrangarh brings together players from across the desert and beyond, and it is the high point of the year. Outside this there is no theatre, opera or concert life to speak of.

There is no bathing culture to speak of. The stepwells are monuments, not baths, so wellness comes down to Ayurvedic massage centres in the old town and spas in the palace and heritage hotels. The calm is found inside walls: shaded courtyards, rooftop terraces at dusk, and palace gardens where the noise of the old city fades. Outside them, the horns, heat and crowded lanes make Jodhpur stimulating rather than restful.