Visit Jodhpur – The Blue city in Rajasthan – India

Walking in the great streets of Jodhpur, the famous blue city, you believe to be in an earlier time and age. Around every corner is a surprise, a cow or a bull, a stray dog or the most colourful women and men.  I spend 4 days in this great town and could’ve stayed longer and wander around this town for days!!

Visit Jodhpur – The Blue city in Rajasthan – India

Where is Jodhpur located?

Jodhpur is located in northwest India in the well-known state of Rajasthan. Jodhpur is 650 km southwest of Delhi and 240 km south of Bikaner.

How many days in Jodhpur?

For a nice city like Jodhpur, I recommend taking your time. At least 2 to 3 days so you can wander around a bit, book trips and could also do a cooking workshop, for example.

Why is Jodhpur called the Sunny City?

Jodhpur is sunny all year round. I understood that the colour blue of the houses was to keep out insects but also the heat during the hottest time of the year. Whether this is really so remains a question for me.

Is Jodhpur still blue?

Even if they won’t do it now for the above reason they will still do it because it is 1. beautiful and 2. attracts tourists. The city obviously has a lot of income from this and let them keep it that way. We love to come there and marvel at the beautiful view of this beautiful city!

View over Jodhpur, bleu city of Rajasthan – India

I love this culture in Jodhpur, in Rajasthan or for that matter in India!! It dominates every corner and every scene you see!

Shoppen in Sadar Bazaar

In the heart of the city, near the Clocktower, you will find all the shops you can think of. It is a coming and going of mopeds, auto-rickshaws and, of course, walkers. All looking for the best deal. I always find it super fun to just look around here to see what is happening and what everyone is buying but also how. Indeed, there is a lot of trading going on.

Holy Cows eating the colourful holy offerings in the streets of Jodhpur

You just keep marvelling at the ingenuity of Indians at every corner. This is what I love so much on my travels. This is also what I think is the most meaningful part of a trip, you wonder and adjust your opinions.

Look for the most beautiful blue photos

Of course, I was in the blue city for a reason, right? Of course, the blue city is not entirely blue. There are also quite a few streets and views where you don’t see blue, you know, just in case you think so.

Jodhpur – blue city of India

Just a couple of the hundreds of great old wooden doors in the small streets of Jodhpur

Aren’t they just the best!

I sometimes see them here in the Netherlands too and I would love to make a blue wall my living room and then decorate it with one of those huge old wooden Indian doors!

Colourful lady walking the dirty streets of Jodhpur

And then you come around the corner and suddenly look at this building. I stood in front of it for a moment to fully realise what I was seeing! Just study the photo and go see what I saw too.

Every floor has a scene of a book .. I could look at this for hours and fantasize all kinds of stories..

Jodhpur – blue city of India – Rajasthan

Head into the Thar desert

I booked a trip into the desert. With a car, we went on town and drove into the arid and seemingly deserted landscape. This was one of the first times I was in a desert though and since then I have been to many deserts and am a real fan. There is something magical about the desert!

We visited some little factories, part of course for sales, but also visited a village. A small village like people still lived in the desert. The man of the house welcomed us and gave us a cup of tea, of course. Soon after, he demonstrated to us how he put on his headscarf, it is quite a job. The cloth is enormously long and is artfully twisted into a beautiful colourful turban.

I loved getting out of the city for a while. Get some peace and quiet and soak up some different culture.

It’s been a while since I was in Jodhpur and now when I search on desert trips near Jodhpur, I come across one with an overnight stay in the desert.

Visit the iconic Merangarh Fort

The Merangarh fort is definitely a place to visit and if you go for cool views of a Jodhpur then this is a must! It is a centuries-old beautiful fort which is perfectly preserved in certain aspects and therefore really worth a visit!

So from Jodhpur, take the stairs up to Mehrangarh Fort. The views get prettier by the step and at one point you look over the city. And then there’s one of those sweet little street dogs watching too!

#pictureperfect

One of the major gates if you go to Mehrangarh fort. It is also just a route to get from one side of Jodhpur to the other. So you come across many schoolchildren or other pedestrians who make up the normal street scene of the blue city of Jodhpur.

And then you are at the bottom of the immense fort! Imagine that you are actually at the top by then and still looking up at the fort. It is then even more impressive than I thought before!

As I walk through the gate, I hear music, the typical Indian sound. It makes such a nice atmosphere then, especially in such an old fort! I’m sure you can imagine. I spent quite a long time in the fort itself, going through dozens of rooms, up and down stairs. One part more impressive than the other.

The entrance fee to Mehrangarh Fort is 500 INR, for a camera you pay an additional 100 INR but if you want to make video you add another 200 INR.

The view of the fort was just the best from my hotel! I can reccomend this hotel to everyone by the way. It is a great spot!! I filmed it…. in times I didn’t keep my camera horizontal.. But I do think you’ll get the pictures of this great hotel!

Best spot for a hotel..

is the Krishna Prakesh Heritage Haveli

The Haveli is a 5- to 10-minute walk away from the central square Sardar Market. I found the food there delicious and the place ideal. The rooms were very authentic and the whole building is just a museum you stay in. I can really highly recommend this haveli.

Across the street of this haveli is a travelagency where I saw this man! I love this of India! This is the image I have of India when I am fantasizing about it, don’t you too?

At this travelagency I booked my daytrip into the Thar desert. We drove into the desert of Rajasthan and visited several settlements. Informative and a great day outside the busy city. If you need some souvenirs this trip is great too!

We visited a pottery, a place they fabrique those great colourful cloths and a small settlement they made all kinds of things out of wood

Back in the city you can enjoy the culture again, the food they offer at every streetcorner and the great blue colour that dominates this great city!

Cooking class in Jodhpur

Tip:

I took a cookingclass at Spice Paradise. I learned to cook the famous Biryani Rice here. Rekha is a great teacher and full of information about the culture and background of the food and its ingredients.

I had a fun evening there with an American family. We learned how to make a whole bunch of dishes and were all well instructed to actually do it ourselves. Super fun!

Read all about the cookingclass

And then, of course, you walk back through the photogenic streets of blue Jodhpur afterwards. I’ll keep spamming you with beautiful pictures of the blue town of Jopdpur!

Jodhpur – Blue city of Rajasthan, India

Have you visited this great city?

What was the most impressive sight for you?

Waterreservoir in the blue city Jodhpur

Do you travel on by train or bus? Check your opportunities.

More India? Check these!

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The Morning Rituals at the Ganges – Varanasi

Climbing the Thajiwas Glacier – Kashmir

Dive into the Streetfood Culture of Mumbai

Searching for the Tiger at Periyar Tiger Reserve – Kerala

How to avoid culture shock in India – Everything for your first visit to India – Incredible India