Jodhpur

Its name comes from the series of dark indigo-blue houses clustered on the cliff face under Mehrangarh Fort – painting the houses these colours was largely restricted to Brahmin houses. Sulfates were put into the whitewash to make it resist insects and stay cool (as well as a social identifier-it meant the house belonged to a caste of priests. Colour has since far surpassed its original confines of houses by imitation and is most viewed at sunrise, as a hazy blue across the desert, from the walls of the fort.

However, from October to March, nights are chilly at around 10 degrees Celsius during the dec-jan months, while the afternoons reach up to 28 degrees Celsius, and thus the period becomes highly suitable. The month of February is one of the most cherished, when it’s quite comfortable to visit Mehrangarh Fort to enjoy the World Sacred Spirit Festival - the International Sufi and Classical Music Festival. By April, the heat starts picking up fast; summer arrives during May and June, and temperatures reach 43 to 46 degrees.

You can comfortably spend two full days here, with maybe even three, for the exploration of the region in its entirety. Let the first day be solely dedicated to Mehrangarh Fort, where you spend four or so hours before strolling through the blue city in the evening and dining at a rooftop restaurant with a view of the fort. Your second day could include Jaswant Thada, Umaid Bhawan Palace and its museum, and shopping at the clock tower bazaar. A third day could be a trip to the Bishnoi villages, the ancient temples of Osian 65 km north, or the desert land toward Khimsar and Rohet.

Mehrangarh Fort, one of India's most striking forts and the heart of the city, was built in 1459 on a 125m rock by Rao Jodha and houses one of India’s best museums, featuring palanquins, elephant howdahs, miniature paintings, and a royal armoury. The serene white marble cenotaph of Jaswant Thada lies just below the fort, completed in 1899 by Maharaja Sardar Singh, and is one of Rajasthan's most tranquil spots. Built between 1928 and 1943, the Umaid Bhawan Palace is a residence of the current royal family and boasts a fabulous museum of antique cars and regalia. A photographer’s delight and a hidden gem, Toorji Ka Jhalra is an 18th-century stepwell in the old city, recently renovated.

The large, deep-fried ‘mirchi bada’, or green chilli stuffed with spiced potatoes, remains street food supreme, arguably most authentically produced from stalls near Sadar Bazaar. Mawa kachori - flaky, deep-fried pockets filled with sweetened milk-cream and dry fruits - is from this city, its origin point arguably the celebrated Janta Sweet Home restaurant adjacent to the clock tower. Mawa’s creamy makhaniya lassi is a signature city offering; indeed, Dal Baati Churma gets a very localised flavour profile here. Restaurants crowning the small bylanes facing the fort offer them from the state's top vantage points.

Icon of the lot-though it also happens to be privately owned-is the stupendous Jodhpur Art Deco sandstone building-26 acres to itself, two swimming pools, and a 10/10 rating with guests, and the hotel now run by the Jodhpurs’ current royals and the Taj Hotel group; RAAS JODHPUR uses converted havelis built at the base of Mehrangarh fort-giving it some of the most spectacular fort views of any Indian hotel: at 9.4 on International Guest Ratings; AJIT BHAWAN (built 1927, was India’s first heritage hotel, and run now by ‘their Majesties’ younger side’) and MIHIR GARH, which is nine purpose-built rooms built round a small private fort 45km away near Rohet, designed purely for “most private desert experience” and fully all-inclusive among very few hotels in India to boast intimacy of this degree.

The antique wholesale area near Umaid Bhawan Palace is also among India’s top spots for antiquarian furniture and crafts for genuine bargain hunters; head to the clock tower area and Sadar Bazaar for textiles, bandhani tie-dye silks, Mojari leather slippers, and spices. It is also renowned for its blue pottery, semi-precious jewellery, and shisha or mirror embroidery, and many fine craft shops have recently sprung up near the Toorji Ka Jhalra stepwell.

Just 30 km south are the villages of Bishnoi, for one of Rajasthan’s most profound encounters with culture. A 500-year-old practice in wildlife conservation means you’ll see blackbuck, chinkara and nilgai nonchalantly munching greens right beside the villagers’ houses; a visit will bring you face-to-face with potters, weavers and farming families in totally unplanned situations. To the north, 65km distant, lies Osian; a collection of fine and largely unvisited early 8th–11th century Jain and Hindu temples. 40km south is Balsamand Lake Palace, set above an artificial lake within an orchard of fruit trees; even closer (5km away) to Jodhpur itself, at Rohet Garh, there’s another 350-year-old family-run fort with superb Marwari horse safaris.

Yes, to your other question, they do have a fair percentage of international solo women travellers too. The old city isn't very big, is easily walkable, and is bustling during the day, and they maintain the fort and sightseeing spots well. It is easier to hire an app-based cab for short distances, or book a pre-booked transfer through the hotel. Always try to dress appropriately within the old city or market areas – general alertness in large Indian cities is what is required even there.

Doable, but quite intense. It can be tolerable around 36-40 °C in April if you're seeing sights mainly from dawn to late afternoon, but May-June can be extreme, often reaching 43-46 °C. From inside the palace rooms at Mehrangarh and in the museums, it can be many degrees cooler than on the ramparts (visit early). Hotel prices drop steeply in summer, and there will certainly be few visitors in the fort.