Pushkar travel guide

2 daysHow long to stay

Budget to mid-rangeRough cost

Solo, Couples, FamiliesWho it suits

RajasthanRajasthan

Is this for you?

Pushkar is a Hindu pilgrimage town wrapped around a sacred lake, with ghats, stone steps, running down to the water. Food is vegetarian. Come if you're happy to sit by the water and watch the day go by, which suits solo travellers well. If you want a party, skip it, because this town isn't one.

When to go

Go in the coloured months. The black ones are best avoided.

What to do

Pushkar Lake and its ghats

The sacred lake has 52 ghats, flights of stone steps down to the water. Take your shoes off near the lake and dress modestly.

Brahma Temple

Pushkar's best-known Hindu temple. One travel guide reports that most other temples don't admit foreigners or non-Hindus, so ask politely at the door and accept a no.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Savitri Temple at sunrise

Go at sunrise for the views over the lake and the town. This hilltop temple is reached by steps or a ropeway (cable car).

Varaha Temple and Man Mahal

See the Varaha Temple, a Hindu temple, and Man Mahal, an old palace near the lake. Evening prayers are held at Varah Ghat.

The camel fair

This yearly fair ends at Kartik Purnima, the Kartik full moon, on 24 November in 2026. Sources conflict, with commercial guides saying about 17 to 24 November, and there's no official programme yet, so confirm locally.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

What to eat

Pushkar is a holy town, so no meat, eggs or alcohol are sold here, and that's the law rather than a mood. What you get instead is sugar: malpua, and a long list of traveller cafes.

Malpua with rabri

A fried, syrup-soaked pancake topped with rabri, thickened sweet milk. This is the one thing to eat in Pushkar.

Vegetarian

Moong dal kachori

Small, crunchy fried pastries stuffed with moong lentils, sold from carts and sweet shops around town.

Vegetarian

Poha

Flattened rice cooked with spices, sold at morning stalls in Sadar Bazaar. A light start before the sweets.

Vegetarian

Where to go

Honey Dew CafeNear the main market

Muesli, lassi and masala chai for breakfast.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Honey & SpicePushkar town

Wood-fired pizza and pasta when you need a break from thalis.

Mid-range, vegetarian

Sunset CafeJaipur Ghat, on the lake

Come for the sunset over the lake and order something simple.

Cheap eats, vegetarian

Camel-drawn cart, Pushkar — Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Juma Masjid in Pushkar — Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Shri rama Vaikunth Nath Swami Temple in Pushkar — Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake in India and finds mention as early as the 4th century BC in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and in Puran — Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0

Pushkar Brahma Temple, at Pushkar in Rajasthan — Pinakpani, CC BY 4.0

Hill top Savitri temple, overlooking Pushkar lake, Rajasthan. — https://www.flickr.com/photos/ampersandyslexia/, CC BY-SA 2.0

A camel men on his way at the end of the day at Pushkar Mela Ground.The Pushkar Fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) or locally Pushkar ka Mela is an a — Sudipta Dutta Chowdhury, CC BY-SA 4.0

Odisha style Malpua made from coconut and banana mix from Bhadrak. — Sangram Keshari Senapati, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting there

Take the train to Ajmer, the railway town about 15 km away, then the road on to Pushkar, about 30 minutes. Pushkar has no airport or main station. The daytime Vande Bharat (fast modern train) between Jaipur and Udaipur stops at Ajmer. Jaipur airport is about 146 km away, and a bus from Jaipur takes about 3 hours.

Where to stay

Lakeside town One guide places the budget guesthouses and rooftop cafes around the lake, which is where you want to be if you've come for the water.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Outskirts One guide lists resorts and tented camps outside town, for a bit more comfort. Luxury is limited, and you're away from the lake.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Worth knowing

Rules

Don't count on a drink here, and never drink near the lake or the temples. One travel guide says alcohol is forbidden but some venues serve it, and we found no official rule.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Opening

Book early and confirm dates locally. The fair ends at Kartik Purnima, 24 November 2026, but sources conflict (about 17 to 24 November, or 25 November) and the official programme isn't out.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Safety

Say no if someone near the lake hands you flowers or says a prayer, then asks for money, because one source says offerings aren't mandatory. Take your shoes off there and dress modestly.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

2 more to know

Rules

Ask at the door, accept a no politely, and never sign a declaration of faith to get in. One travel guide says most temples beyond the main ones don't admit foreigners or non-Hindus.

Sources differ on this, or we have only one, so check locally.

Rules

Plan on vegetarian meals only. Rajasthan Tourism says this temple town has exclusively vegetarian food.

Plan a trip around this