With its fabulous Mehrangarh Fort looming over splendid palaces, vibrant markets, and the vast expanse of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur encapsulates all the charm, romance and splendour of Rajasthan. It was founded back in 1459 by Rao Jodha and is today the second-largest city in the state.
In addition to exploring its majestic fort (which Rudyard Kipling once described as ‘the creation of angels, fairies and giants’), we invite you to get stuck into the heart of Rajasthan’s Blue City by exploring its bustling markets. The labyrinthine lanes of Jodhpur‘s old city are best explored on foot, bicycle or rickshaw. Here we share with you a collection of photographs, illustrating what you can expect to discover on a cycling tour of Jodhpur’s old city:

Our bikes are ready!

Our first stop on the Jodhpur old city cycling tour is at this man’s traditional book workshop. He crafts these books by hand. Locals commonly use them for accounting purposes

In Jodhpur’s old city, you’ll see a lot of colourful street scenes like this one

This man is a cobbler. He works on the roadside in the bazaar

This cart vendor is selling savoury snacks, including samosa

Nearby, this man is selling flowers on the roadside. These flowers will likely be used as offerings during prayer or when visiting a temple

Opposite the flower seller, this cart sells a variety of local fruit and vegetables

A sweet maker, locally known as a ‘mitai-wallah‘

He prepares milk-based sweets that are well-praised in Jodhpur

Several different types of sweets are prepared here in this workshop

In this pot, sweets are being cooked in sugar syrup

These ladies are selling local green leafy vegetables

Another stall sells colourful textiles and saris in Jodhpur’s old city

This vendor sells fresh produce; cauliflower, courgette, and aubergine to name a few

Shiv, a co-founder, enjoying the cycling tour

This vendor sells an eye-watering collection of mouth fresheners

Bicycle, motorcycle, tuk-tuk and foot are the best way to get around in the old city. The roads are too narrow for cars to navigate

Vibrant local dress adds a pop of colour to Jodhpur’s old city

This man is selling flowers

Behind the flower cart-vendor, this man sells various fruits and vegetables; a common sight in markets all over Rajasthan

Next to this lady is a pile of fodder to feed farm animals

Madeleine with our experienced local guide

Rickshaws in Jodhpur have a unique shape, different from those you’ll spot in Delhi and elsewhere

This little boy enjoyed having his photo taken!

Jodhpur is also known as the Blue City. Here, you can see why!

We sample a traditional sweet called gulab jamun regarded as the best in Jodhpur

This man is preparing the sweets. Gulab jamun (‘rose berry’) is a deep-fried ball of dough drenched in sweet sugar syrup

Tiny, colourful shops line the narrow roads, selling all kinds of different items

Back in the sweet shop, this worker is preparing a fire

Here we can see the workshop where their gulab jamun sweets are prepared

In this scene, ladies adorned in colourful traditional dress are celebrating a festival known as Navratri. They’re making offerings to the local temple

This man sells all sorts of odd metal bits in the bazaar

One of his wares available are these cowbells

This is ‘ker‘ (Capparis decidua), a locally grown berry popular in Rajasthan dishes and pickles

This man is selling all sorts of metal pots

This is a tobacco stall. Many different forms of tobacco are on offer here

In another part of the old city, this man sells various local grains

Dried red chillies and poha – a type of flattened rice

This man sits atop his colossal pile of grains for sale in the old city

This stall sells all sorts of metal boxes, including birdcages and spice tins

Here, a range of savoury snacks are sold, such as peanuts and much more

During our cycling tour, we sample these spiced chickpeas; delicious

A colourful scene spotted on our cycling tour of Jodhpur’s old bazaar
Rather than cycle, Jodhpur’s old city can also be explored on foot or by rickshaw (aka ‘tuk-tuk’). A cycling tour of Jodhpur’s old city is just one of many possibilities we can discuss when crafting your tailor-made Rajasthan tour.
If you’re ready to get started, please get in touch and share your ideas – we’d love to welcome you to Rajasthan, and as experts in private tours of this particular region, we’re the right people to assist.
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