Udaipur to Jaipur — The Classic Rajasthan Route
395 km of Rajasthan unfolding through your windshield. The stops between are half the story.
The Route
You leave Udaipur in the early morning and the lakes are still glassy. The first hour is Aravalli foothills: winding roads, unexpected greenery, villages where people wave at passing cars. Then the landscape opens up. The hills flatten. The road straightens. You're heading northeast, 395 km toward the Pink City.
Six hours direct, but rushing this drive misses the point entirely. Chittorgarh Fort sits right on the highway, demanding a stop. Further on, the terrain dries and the air changes. By the time you reach Pushkar and Ajmer, an hour before Jaipur, you've crossed from one Rajasthan into another. That transition is the whole reason to drive instead of fly.
Distance
395 km
Direct Drive
6 hrs
With Stops
10-12 hrs
By Road
The road: NH-48 through Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, and Ajmer. The first stretch out of Udaipur winds through the Aravalli foothills with curves that keep you awake and scenery that keeps you interested. Past Chittorgarh, the road widens to 4-lane divided highway and the driving gets easier. The landscape shifts around Nathdwara. The Aravallis flatten. The air gets drier. By Bhilwara, you're in a different Rajasthan.
Hire a car: ₹4,000–5,000 one-way with driver. The right call if you want to stop at Chittorgarh, Nathdwara, or Pushkar. Your driver waits while you explore. Book through your hotel or Rajasthan Cabs. They drop you in Jaipur and head back.
Self-drive: Rewarding if you know Indian highways. Trucks, village crossings, occasional single-lane stretches. Nothing terrifying, just alert driving. Fill fuel in Bhilwara at the midpoint. The road after that is smooth sailing into Jaipur.
By Train
Mewar Express (12963): Board at 7 PM in Udaipur. Fall asleep to the rhythm of tracks crossing the Aravallis. Wake up in Jaipur at 5 AM. One hotel night saved. AC Chair ₹500, AC 3-tier ₹700.
Chetak Express: Takes 8 hours via Ajmer. Useful if you want to hop off at Ajmer and bus to Pushkar. Two or three other trains run this route daily. Book IRCTC 1-2 months ahead for confirmed berths.
What you lose: The road itself. No Chittorgarh out the window. No Nathdwara peda stop. No watching the landscape transform between the two cities. The train is practical. The road is the experience.
By Flight
The numbers: 1 hour. UDR to JAI. IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet. Multiple daily flights. ₹3,000–8,000 depending on when you book.
Who should fly: Tight schedules. Short trips. People who already drove the Udaipur-Jaipur road once and got the experience. Book 2-3 weeks ahead for the best fares. Sometimes cheaper than a hired car.
What you miss: Everything. No Chittorgarh Fort rising from the plateau. No Pushkar at sunset. No dal baati at a highway dhaba. No watching Rajasthan change character over 6 hours. The flight gets you there. The road takes you there. Different things.
By Bus
RSRTC Volvo: ₹600–800, about 7 hours. AC buses from Udaipur bus stand, multiple departures. Private operators on RedBus and AbhiBus too, including sleepers. The bus takes the same road but doesn't stop for Chittorgarh or Pushkar. It's point-to-point transport: you see the landscape through glass but you don't touch it.
Stops En Route
Chittorgarh Fort
On route (2 hrs from Udaipur)Duration: 3-4 hours
You see it from the highway before you reach it. 700 acres of stone on a plateau, rising from the plains like something geological. This is where three sieges happened. Where jauhar happened. And where the fall of the fort sent Maharana Udai Singh south to found a city by a lake. Vijay Stambh, Padmini Palace, the Jauhar site. The scale alone demands you stop.
→ Absolutely worth stopping. India’s largest fort.
Nathdwara
30 min off routeDuration: 1-1.5 hours
A quick detour into devotion. The Shrinathji Temple is one of India’s most important Krishna pilgrimage sites. The pichwai paintings here are world-famous. But honestly? The real reason to stop is the peda sweets sold on every shop along the main road. Buy a box. You’ll eat them all before Jaipur.
→ For the culturally curious. Quick and colourful.
Ajmer & Pushkar
On route (1 hr from Jaipur)Duration: 3-4 hours
Two sacred cities, 15 minutes apart, completely different in character. Ajmer Sharif first: the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, one of the holiest Muslim shrines in India. Intense, crowded, powerful. Then over the hill to Pushkar: the only Brahma temple in the world, the sacred lake, and a town that somehow has excellent cafes. The contrast between the two is the point.
→ Worth a half-day if you have time. Two very different sacred cities side by side.
Bhilwara
On routeDuration: 30 min lunch stop
Not a destination. Not even close. But the highway dhabas here serve dal baati churma that makes you forgive the detour. Bhilwara is the midpoint, the natural place where your body says stop driving, eat something. Listen to it. The textile town has nothing to see, but the food is honest and filling.
→ Lunch only. Stretch your legs. Eat. Keep going.
Real Talk from a Lakeside Local
Should I fly or drive?
Depends on what kind of traveller you are. The drive is 6 hours through changing landscapes with Chittorgarh and Pushkar along the way. The flight is 1 hour and often under ₹5,000. If the journey matters to you, drive. If the destination is all that matters, fly. In Rajasthan, we’d argue the road between two cities is a destination in itself.
Best train for Udaipur to Jaipur?
Mewar Express (12963). Board 7 PM, wake up in Jaipur at 5 AM. AC 3-tier at ₹700 is comfortable. You sleep through the journey, which is either efficient or a shame, depending on your perspective. Book IRCTC 1-2 months ahead.
Can I do Udaipur-Jaipur in a day?
Technically, 6 hours direct. But here’s the thing: the stops between the two cities are some of the best things on this route. Chittorgarh alone needs 3 hours. Pushkar deserves an afternoon. Drive direct and you’ve transported yourself. Stop along the way and you’ve actually travelled somewhere.
Written by
The Udaipur Itinerary Team
We're a small team of Udaipur-based writers and locals who've spent years navigating the ghats, haggling with boat operators, and watching sunsets from every rooftop in the Old City. We test every route, eat at every restaurant we recommend, and update our guides when prices or timings change.
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