Jodphur’s Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
6
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
70 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
157th/454
Top 40%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$90 (typically $40 - $140)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Castles / Fortresses Old town Palaces
All Tags
Ancient ruins City Walls Desert Fabulous hotel Unusual hotel
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The view of the bright white Jaswant Thada memorial, with Mehrangarh Fort rising above the blue city of Jodhpur behind it, is one of the most dramatic views anywhere in the world.

Once you’ve put it on your must-see-list and actually made the trip to Jodphur, you won’t be disappointed. The views, the blue city, and the Rajasthan desert atmosphere combine to make this, in my opinion, the #1 Wow experience in India.

But this is India after all, and the mayhem can quickly sap your energy if you’re not careful.  So I’ve listed top tips below for how you can get the best out of it.

 

 

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. Best views in town from the Castle View Heritage Haveli

 

 

Table of Contents

Where is everything?

 

Jodphur is super compact, so getting from place to place is walkable or just getting a simple tuk tuks / taxis.  The map below shows where the key places I am recommending sit – all within 750m / half a mile of eachother.

 

The 10 Things to Prioritise for Jodphur

Fateh Gate leading from Mehrangarh Fort into Jodhpur Blue City

#1 Wandering down from the main fort through the Fateh Gate and into the Blue City of Navchokiya. Crowds clear and it feels like a different world

Blue houses in Navchokiya area of Jodhpur

#2 Exploring the Navchokiya Blue City, especially after seeing just how beautiful it looks from above

View from Mehrangarh Fort battlements over Jodhpur

#3 Heading up to the fort's battlements that stand up to 36m / 120ft tall and give commanding views of the surrounding city

Jaswant Thada memorial with Mehrangarh Fort behind

#4 Taking the short trip to the bright white memorial of Jaswant Thada for those magnificent views of Mehrangarh Fort in the background

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #5 Getting that Rajasthan desert vibe as you start to make your way west from the standard Golden Triangle route of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur

#5 Getting that Rajasthan desert vibe as you start to make your way west from the standard Golden Triangle route of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #6 Staying in the charismatic Pal Haveli for the old interior and superb views from the roof for dinner

#6 Staying in the charismatic Pal Haveli for the old interior and superb views from the roof for dinner

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #7 Checking out the surprisingly ornate and still-used architecture inside the Mehrangarh Fort, plus the sheer scale of the interior with gateways large enough for war elephants to match through

#7 Checking out the surprisingly ornate and still-used architecture inside the Mehrangarh Fort, plus the sheer scale of the interior with gateways large enough for war elephants to match through

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #8 Stopping by the Castle View Heritage Haveli in the Blue City for food / drinks on the rooftop overlooking the fort

#8 Stopping by the Castle View Heritage Haveli in the Blue City for food / drinks on the rooftop overlooking the fort

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #9 Getting lost in the tiny windy streets of the Blue City and seeing the art up close and personal

#9 Getting lost in the tiny windy streets of the Blue City and seeing the art up close and personal

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. #10 Find "that famous hole in the ground" from the Batman movie

#10 Find "that famous hole in the ground" from the Batman movie

Top Tips for making Jodhpur a wow experience

India has 10/10 potential but often 1/10 execution.  With the crowds, dirt and noise, this can be energy sapping and transform a mega wow into a mega drag.  See below the top 7 tips for how to get the most out of the trip:

 

#1 When in the Mehrangarh Fort, avoid the crowds by walking down from the fort through the Fateh Gate and into the Blue City of Navchokiya

It’s amazing how quickly the crowds drop off – I’d genuinely say 100 times quieter than the main area of the fort-  and is a beautiful set of views for the walkway all the way down.

Be sure to see the high views of the fort itself and then walk back down for Fateh Gate.  To find this route, enter the fort complex where you buy tickets, walk straight and just at the point where you turn left for the climb up to the fort, just go straight / to the right and that is the exit.  If get stuck, as anyone for the Fateh Gate, very straightforward.

 

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. The Fateh Gate leading out of the fort complex and into the Blue City - practically deserted

The Fateh Gate leading out of the fort complex and into the Blue City – practically deserted

 

#2 Visit the Navchokiya Blue City area

Most people stay around the main Blue City area of Makrana Mohalla, but don’t miss the Navchokiya area – it’s still blue, but much quieter and simply nicer to wander around.

When there, be sure to get a drink / lunch at the Castle View Heritage Haveli.  Wonderful views of the fort. And also be sure to wander round the lanes immediately behind / around the Haveli. Beautiful.

 

#3 Have dinner with views of the fort

There’s something quite magical about looking over the brutal looking fortifications as the sounds of evening kick in and you can see the Old Town wind down in the streets below.  Pal Haveli and Raas are both great options.

 

#4 Visit the Jaswant Thada Memorial

You’ll naturally visit the fort for its beautiful internal architecture and amazing views, and the Blue City, but few people make the relatively short (500m / 0.3mile) trip from the fort to the Jaswant Thada Memorial.  Its far less busy and the views of the fort in the background are sublime.

 

#5 If you want to see the Batman: Dark Knight Rises location

Either you need to pay for a boring tour or be sneaky.  We went for sneaky and got told off twice.  Aim for the car park right by the entrance to the Mehrangarh Fort, wait for a guard not to be looking then jump over the very low wall that marks the boundary of the car park.  Simple walk down from there (with likely shouts from the non-empowered-to-stop-you guards).

 

Jodphur's Blue City and Mehrangarh Fort. The famous view of the Mehrangarh Fort from the Batman movie

The famous view of the Mehrangarh Fort from the Batman movie

 

#6 If there is availability and you can afford it, stay at the Pal Haveli

Incredibly atmospheric, great location and with some of the best views of the fort.  One of the highlights of the stay.

 

#7 Visit October-March

Daft hot outside of that.  But . . . wrap up in the evenings.  I can confirm it can get bloody cold in the evenings in December and January!

 

If trying to decide where to go in Rajasthan

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Other Fortress and Castle Experiences

The former Mughal capital at Fatehphur Sikri
⭐⭐

Durham’s Cathedral, Castle and village
⭐⭐⭐

Driving down the West Coast of Scotland – Glencoe, Oban, Skye and the Harry Potter Bridge
⭐⭐⭐

Driving through Transylvania’s Fortified Saxon villages and exploring Bran Castle
⭐⭐⭐

Salzburg and its Festung Hohensalzburg Fortress
⭐

Wandering Ljubljana’s Old Town and Castle
⭐⭐

The Northumberland Coast (in summer!)
⭐⭐⭐

3 Days in Budapest – Baths, Architecture and Ruin Bars
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summer hike to the Disney (Neuwanstein) Castle
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *