Pushkar – Short Travel Guide

Pushkar is a small city in the Rajasthan state, famous for the lake with the same name. Mainly it is a place of pilgrimage for Hindu and Sikhs. But what made this city known to tourists is the Annual Camel Fair.

As soon as you get here, you feel like it’s a different atmosphere (especially if you come from a more hectic city like Jaipur or Delhi). Everything is more relaxed.

What to see in Pushkar

Lake Pushkar

The main attraction of this city is Lake Pushkar, considered to be sacred. The legend says the lake was formed after a lotus flower fell from the Lord Brahma’s hand in this valley. Becoming a place of pilgrimage for the Hindu. The lake is surrounded by more than 50 pools where pilgrims are bathing to wash off their sins.

Footwear and cameras are forbidden near the lake. And if you choose to go down to it, be sure to respect the privacy of the pilgrims.

Tips: If you are being given a FREE flower to put on the lake because it is “Good Karma”, it’s actually nothing free. You will be asked to make a donation in Euro / Dollars / Rupee, whatever is accepted as long as it is a large amount.

Temples

Pushkar is a city filled with temples. More precisely, over 400. If visiting temples it is what you like to do, then Pushkar is the perfect city for you.

Savitri Mata Temple

To reach this temple, you need to climb about 650 steps, but the view of the city deserves the effort. You will notice again many pilgrims who venture on this route because it is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahma’s wife. Also many monkeys around the temple :).

Market

Due to the large number of tourists, the entire area around the lake is full of shops, cafes, restaurants, and hotels. It is one of the best-equipped markets we have seen in India. You can find anything here: clothes, accessories, bracelets, souvenirs, etc …

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Sunset on the edge of the lake

The central point of the city is the lake, everything is practically built around it. That’s why you can enjoy a beautiful view both at sunrise and especially at sunset.

In the eastern part of the lake is the perfect place to enjoy the sunset. Here is also a café where you can get a tea or coffee, admiring the sunset. But most come to this point and sit on the stairs that surround the lake and enjoy the view. It is a place where you can recharge your batteries and calm yourself a little further away from the city’s agitation.

Sleep and food

Accommodation in Pushkar

The busiest period of the year is October-November (when the Pushkar Camel Fair is taking place), and finding accommodation can turn into a race from which you can hardly be a winner.

After we realized that we would reach the city exactly at the beginning of the fair, we started looking for accommodation. A month before to be more accurate. Even a month earlier, finding a place to stay in our budget proved to be a difficult task.

We finally booked up accommodation at the edge of the city. If you look on the map you say it is far away, but it was just 5 minutes’ walk to the center. It had large rooms and seemed recently renovated (2250 rupee/night, 28 euro). To get an idea of ​​how much more expensive accommodation is in this period in Pushkar when we left, the same accommodation, was half price.

The good part is that the city offers you all sorts of possibilities when it comes to accommodation. You can stay in the Palace of the city that has been transformed into a wonderful hotel. Or you can choose cheaper accommodation and fit into a lower budget.

What to eat in Pushkar

Pushkar is a city where gastronomy has influences from almost all corners of the world.

Here was the first time that in a menu we saw Momos, and we tried it. 😀 We had a choice of several variants and we chose fried Momos stuffed with potatoes and cheese (130 rupees, 1,6 euro). It was very good and delicious, is a dish that quickly found its place in our hearts.

We tested a few restaurants that had good city views, but we were a little disappointed with the food. So we finally decided to eat some street food, because from our research in Pushkar is a lot to try.

On the main street, among clothes and all kinds of things, there are several terraces in a row with chairs only, no tables, and the kitchen is right on the street. Here we ate the best falafel, one day trying the one on the plate, the second trying the wrapped version that was super good. All ingredients and flavors were great (~150 rupees, 1,9 euro).

How to get to Pushkar

The nearest airport is in Jaipur, 3 hours away. So, to get to Pushkar, there are three options: a car or taxi, train, and bus, or a combination of these.

We did not find a train directly to Pushkar (we assume it does not exist), so if you choose this option you can only reach Ajmer and then taxi or bus.

Coming from Jaipur, we found on the net a bus that left us directly in Pushkar without having to change to other means of transport.

The same situation we had when we left Pushkar, and we did not find a bus going to Udaipur. So we had to take tickets to a bus that stopped in Ajmer on his way to Udaipur. The road from Pushkar to Ajmer was an adventure for us. Departing at 9 am, all Uber drivers refused our race. And we were forced to take a private driver (recommended by the hotel) to the bus station (big mistake).

P.S. On most sites, you need an India phone number to book online buses. The advantage is that you receive useful information via SMS, such as: bus number, GPS positioning, and others (depending on the company).