Jodhpur

Jodhpur is the second-largest city in Rajasthan and the second stop on the classic Royal Rajasthan Loop after Jaipur. The defining sight is Mehrangarh Fort — one of India's largest hilltop forts, perched 122 metres above the old city, with a museum, mirror-work palaces, and a sweeping panorama of the indigo-blue Brahmin-quarter rooftops below.

• The fort's elevator and ramped pathways make it one of the more accessible major Indian forts.
• Beyond Mehrangarh, the city offers the white-marble Jaswant Thada cenotaph, the Umaid Bhawan Palace (still the residence of the Jodhpur royal family; partially open as a museum and Taj-managed luxury hotel), and the lively Sardar Market clock-tower bazaar where you'll find the famous Makhaniya Lassi, kachori, and dal-baati-churma.
• For vegetarian travellers, Jodhpur is a gastronomic stop equal to Jaipur: the Marwari cuisine here leans toward pure-vegetarian breakfasts (mirchi vada, kachori, makhaniya lassi) and elaborate thalis at sunset.
• November to February is the comfortable window; April-June desert heat exceeds 45°C.
• From Jodhpur, the Royal Rajasthan circuit continues either west to Jaisalmer (5 hours) for the desert dunes, or south to Udaipur (5 hours) for the lake palaces.