Udaipur to Jaipur Road Distance: 395 km · 6-7 hours · Cab from ₹4,345

Out of Jaipur the road is the NH-48 four-lane, flat and quick past the marble yards of Kishangarh, and Ajmer comes up in about two hours with the Pushkar turn just beyond it. Beawar is where the character changes: the plain gives way to the Aravallis and the highway starts to bend and climb through Bhim into Rajsamand, the prettiest and slowest stretch of the whole drive, with the Beawar plaza behind you and the Rajsamand plaza still to come. If you want Chittorgarh, take the Bhilwara line instead and give the fort two hours; it costs you time on the day but nobody we have driven there has regretted it. For a proper meal the dhabas at Kishangarh and Ajmer are the reliable ones; after Beawar the choice thins out until Nathdwara. From July to September the hill bends run wet and slippery and the lakes fill, which is why Udaipur looks its best in October. April to June the plains part is a furnace, so leave at first light and be through Ajmer before the heat builds.