Best Forts in Rajasthan: The Greatest Forts to Visit

Rajasthan is, above all else, the land of forts. Across this grand, royal desert state rise some of the most magnificent, imposing and romantic forts and fort-palaces to be found anywhere in the world, built, defended and lived in by the proud Rajput kings over many centuries of history, war and splendour. Each one tells its own story of valour, art and royal life. This guide from Delhi Agra Tour Packages rounds up the very best forts in Rajasthan, from the great UNESCO Hill Forts to the grand city forts and the quieter hidden gems, with what makes each one special and how to plan a trip to see them, ideal as part of a wider Rajasthan journey within our Delhi Agra Tour Packages.

I was born in Delhi and in more than 11 years planning trips across Rajasthan for Experience My India I have taken many travellers to these great forts. Here is the clear, practical guide.

The best forts in Rajasthan at a glance

The UNESCO Hill Forts of Rajasthan

Before the individual forts, it is worth knowing that six of Rajasthan's great hill forts are together inscribed as a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, known as the Hill Forts of Rajasthan. These six are among the very finest in the state, celebrated for their scale, their architecture and their place in Rajput history. They are:

• Chittorgarh Fort, the largest fort in India by area.

• Kumbhalgarh Fort, famous for its immense surrounding wall.

• Ranthambore Fort, set within a national park.

• Amber (Amer) Fort, the great hilltop palace near Jaipur.

• Jaisalmer Fort, the golden fort rising from the desert.

• Gagron Fort, a water fort near Jhalawar, the least visited of the six but a true gem.

Together, these six great forts tell the grand and sweeping story of Rajput power, resistance and architecture across the centuries and any single one of them alone is well worth a journey to see. Several of them appear in more detail in the list below, alongside other magnificent forts that, while not part of the UNESCO group, are every bit as rewarding to visit.

Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

Rising sheer and majestic on a great rocky hill high above the blue city of Jodhpur, Mehrangarh is one of the largest, most imposing and most magnificent forts in all of India and for many visitors the single most impressive fort they will ever see. Founded in the fifteenth century, its mighty, seemingly unbreachable walls and towering ramparts enclose a series of exquisite palaces, courtyards and galleries, richly decorated and now home to one of the finest and best-run museums in all of Rajasthan, with its collections of royal arms, art and artefacts. You can still see the marks of cannon fire on its gates. The views from its high ramparts, out over the vast sea of blue-painted houses of the old city spread far below, are simply unforgettable and it is rightly one of the great highlights of any trip to Rajasthan.

Amber (Amer) Fort, Jaipur

Just outside Jaipur, the Amber Fort, also commonly spelled Amer, is one of the most beautiful, grand and popular forts in all of Rajasthan and one of the six UNESCO Hill Forts. Rising in a series of magnificent, dramatic terraces up a rugged hillside above the tranquil Maota Lake, this great fort-palace of warm yellow sandstone and white marble was the ancient seat of the Kachhwaha kings and is famous above all for its utterly dazzling Sheesh Mahal or Palace of Mirrors, which glitters in the light, as well as its richly painted Ganesh Pol gateway and its series of wonderful courtyards, gardens and halls. Our Amber Fort ticket and timings guide covers a full visit to this great and much-loved fort in detail.

Chittorgarh Fort

Chittorgarh, the largest fort in India by area, sprawling across a huge hilltop plateau, is a vast and deeply historic hill fort and perhaps the most storied and revered of all the forts of Rajasthan, standing at the very heart of the proud and often tragic history of the Rajputs. Its mighty walls, reached by a series of great gateways, enclose palaces, ancient temples, deep water tanks and the famous soaring towers of victory and of fame, the Vijay Stambh and the Kirti Stambh, which rise above the plateau. It is above all a place of great valour, sacrifice and solemn memory in Rajput history, to be visited with respect. One of the six UNESCO Hill Forts, our Jaipur to Chittorgarh distance guide covers reaching this great and moving fort.

Kumbhalgarh Fort

High in the rugged Aravalli hills, not far from Udaipur, stands the mighty and romantic Kumbhalgarh Fort, famous above all for its truly enormous surrounding wall, which winds and climbs for many kilometres over the hills and ridges and is often described as one of the longest continuous walls anywhere in the world, second only to the Great Wall of China. Within its great sheltering ramparts lie many palaces, temples and shrines and the fort is revered as the birthplace of the legendary Rajput hero king Maharana Pratap. One of the six UNESCO Hill Forts, Kumbhalgarh is a spectacular and atmospheric sight, especially when its walls are floodlit in the evening and it pairs beautifully with a trip to the City of Lakes, Udaipur.

Jaisalmer Fort

The Jaisalmer Fort, known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort, is surely one of the most extraordinary and romantic forts anywhere in the world, rising up like a vast golden sandcastle of honey-coloured sandstone straight out of the sands of the Thar desert. It is one of the very few genuinely living forts left anywhere, with a large part of the old town, its people, homes, temples, shops, guesthouses and beautifully carved havelis, still living and thriving within its walls and winding lanes to this very day. Glowing a magical deep gold in the light of the desert sunrise and sunset, it is the great highlight of any desert trip and one of the six UNESCO Hill Forts. Our Jaipur to Jaisalmer distance guide covers reaching the Golden City.

Ranthambore Fort

Unlike any of the others, the ancient Ranthambore Fort stands dramatically within the Ranthambore National Park, one of India's most famous and best-loved tiger reserves, which gives this old fort a quite unique, wild and unforgettable setting among the forests and lakes. The great old hill fort, with its towering gateways, crumbling palaces, ancient temples and stepped water tanks spread across a rocky hilltop, is wonderfully atmospheric and peaceful and the lucky visitor may even glimpse the park's deer, monkeys or birds or hear of a tiger, around it. One of the six UNESCO Hill Forts, it combines history and wild nature together quite beautifully, as our Golden Triangle with Ranthambore guide shows how it extends a classic trip.

Junagarh Fort, Bikaner

In the far desert city of Bikaner stands the magnificent Junagarh Fort, quite unusual among Rajasthan's great forts in that it was built not high on a hill but down on the flat plains, protected by strong walls and a moat, yet it was, remarkably, never conquered by its enemies. Behind those formidable walls lie some of the most beautifully preserved, colourful and richly decorated palaces, halls, temples and courtyards in all of Rajasthan, a dazzling and intimate display of generations of Rajput and Mughal craftsmanship, from painted ceilings to intricate stone screens. It is one of the finest and best-preserved forts in the whole state and the undoubted highlight of any trip to Bikaner.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur

High on the hills above the Amber Fort, overlooking Jaipur, stands the mighty Jaigarh Fort, built to defend Amber and the city below. Rugged and powerful rather than ornate, Jaigarh is famous above all as the home of the Jaivana, long considered the largest wheeled cannon in the world, cast here in the fort's own foundry. Its ramparts offer wonderful views over the Amber Fort and the surrounding hills and it makes a natural pairing with a visit to Amber.

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

Perched on the ridge of the Aravalli hills overlooking Jaipur, the Nahargarh Fort is one of the three great hilltop forts guarding the Pink City, along with Amber and Jaigarh. While its defences are impressive, Nahargarh is best loved today for its magnificent, sweeping views out over the whole of Jaipur spread below, especially at sunset, when it is a favourite gathering spot. The fort also holds the elegant Madhavendra Bhawan palace, with its cluster of royal suites.

Taragarh Fort, Bundi

In the lovely, atmospheric and still refreshingly less-visited town of Bundi stands the wonderfully romantic Taragarh Fort, the Star Fort, tumbling steeply down a rugged hillside high above the old blue town. Wonderfully wild, weathered and overgrown in places, with ancient ramparts, crumbling gateways, dark tunnels and great water reservoirs cut deep into the living rock, Taragarh has a haunting, timeless and slightly melancholy charm quite unlike the grander, busier and more polished forts elsewhere and richly rewards those travellers who venture off the usual tourist trail to discover it and the beautiful stepwells and palaces of the old town of Bundi below.

How to see the forts of Rajasthan

Rajasthan's forts are spread right across the state, so seeing the best of them is usually done over a wider Rajasthan trip, using the main cities as bases:

• Jaipur: for the Amber, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts, as our things to do in Jaipur guide covers the Pink City.

• Jodhpur: for the great Mehrangarh Fort.

• Udaipur: as a base for Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh, as our Golden Triangle with Udaipur guide shows.

• Jaisalmer: for the Golden Fort and the desert.

• Bikaner and Bundi: for Junagarh and Taragarh, off the busier trails.

A classic Rajasthan tour links several of these cities and their forts together, often beginning from the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and extending into the wider state.

Best time to visit the forts of Rajasthan

The best time to visit Rajasthan and its forts is the cool season, from October to March, when the weather is pleasant for exploring the great forts and travelling between the cities. The summer, from April to June, can be very hot across the desert state, which makes long days of sightseeing tiring, while the monsoon, from July to September, brings some rain and turns the countryside green. Our best time to visit North India guide covers the seasons more widely.

Plan your trip with us

A Rajasthan forts trip, taking in the best of these magnificent forts and fort-palaces, is easiest and most rewarding when the route, the travel, the stays and the guiding are all arranged for you. That is what we do, a comfortable private car and an experienced driver, a knowledgeable guide to bring the history and legends of each fort to life and the whole journey across Rajasthan planned around you.

Tell us your dates and group size and we will price it honestly around your standard rather than a fixed figure. Message us on WhatsApp and Experience My India will build it for you. Many trips begin with the classic circuit on our Golden Triangle tours, extending into the forts of the wider state and we can build it all as a Golden Triangle tour with a Rajasthan extension.

Related guides

• New Delhi tour: the capital's imperial landmarks.

• Old Delhi tour: the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk.

• Delhi day tour: the best of the capital in a day.

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