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Voykit pocket guide · India
Pushkar
पुष्कर
Give Pushkar 2 nights: a small holy town you walk in an hour, best Oct–Mar, ₹1,500–4,000 a day, quiet and safe if you ignore the touts.
Pushkar is a small pilgrimage town around a lake, with 52 ghats, a rare Brahma temple and a bazaar that fills with pilgrims, Indian tourists and backpackers. Two nights covers the temples, the lake circuit and a camel ride; the Camel Fair in November is the one time to book far ahead. It is a 30-minute bus from Ajmer, which has the nearest useful railhead.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- पुष्कर
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (40 °C (104 °F)+), Jul–Sep monsoonApr–Jun (104 °F (40 °C)+), Jul–Sep monsoon
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- INR
- Money
- Indian rupees (INR, ₹) in small notes for autos, street food, tips and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₹1,500–2,500 excl. bed · Mid ₹2,500–4,500 excl. bed · High ₹4,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Jio, Airtel and Vi sell tourist SIMs at airport counters and their shops; passport, visa and a photo needed; activation can take a few hours.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · Tourist helpline (24 h) 1363
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin C plugs fit most sockets; D (three round pins) is the common wall socket; hotels often have universal sockets. UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food and dhabas: Nothing.; Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Car and driver: ₹300–500 a day at the end of the trip.; Guide: ₹300–500 for a half day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₹50–100.; Auto or Uber: Round up.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Buy sealed bottles (check the cap), or use RO-filtered refill stations in hotels and cafés; avoid ice from street stalls.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and airports; squat toilets with a water jug or hose in stations and villages. Carry tissue and sanitiser; paid public toilets (Sulabh) cost ₹5–10.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Thali at a local stall | ₹60–150 |
| Café main (pizza, pasta, Israeli plate) | ₹150–350 |
| Filter coffee or masala chai | ₹30–120 |
| Bottled water, 1 L | ₹20–40 |
| Auto-rickshaw, short hop in town | ₹50–100 |
| Ajmer taxi to Pushkar | ₹400–600 |
| Temple entry | Free; shoe deposit ₹10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- JAI · Jaipur International
- Nearest airport, about 3 h by road; taxi or bus via Ajmer.
Typical fares
- Ajmer → Pushkar bus
- ₹20, about 30 min
- Ajmer station → Pushkar taxi
- ₹400–600 (check)
- Jaipur → Pushkar bus
- ₹220–410, about 3 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes; most sights sit within 1 km (0.6 mi) of the lake. Rent a cycle or scooter for the surrounding villages and camel camps. Rickshaws cover short hops for ₹50–100 (check).The town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes; most sights sit within 0.6 mi (1 km) of the lake. Rent a cycle or scooter for the surrounding villages and camel camps. Rickshaws cover short hops for ₹50–100 (check).
See and do
Known for
- Brahma Temple
- Pushkar Lake and its 52 ghats
- Pushkar Camel Fair (November)
- Vegetarian cafés and bazaar shopping
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ajmer | Bus from the Ajmer bus stand, about 30 min, ₹20 | About 45 min |
| Kishangarh | Bus or taxi via Ajmer, about 1 h | About 1.25 h |
| Jaipur | Bus from Ajmer or Pushkar, 3 h, ₹220–410 | 3–3.5 h |
| Nagaur | Bus or taxi via Ajmer, 3–4 h | 4 h+ |
| Tonk | Bus or taxi via Ajmer, about 2 h | 2.5 h |
| Bhilwara | Train from Ajmer, 3–4 h | 4 h+ |
Sleep
- Around the lake (Badi Basti, Choti Basti)
- Walk to the ghats and Brahma Temple; rooftop cafés, guesthouses ₹500–1,500.
- Main Market Road
- Bazaar noise and shops at the door; best for one night and shopping.
- Panch Kund Road / Jamni Kund Road
- Quieter southeast side, 10–15 min walk to the lake; mid-range hotels and resorts.
- Motisar Road and outer camps
- Tented camps and resorts 2–4 km (1.2–2.5 mi) out; you need a car or scooter for every trip in.Tented camps and resorts 1.2–2.5 mi (2–4 km) out; you need a car or scooter for every trip in.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyavaad |
| How much is it? | कितने का है?kitne ka hai |
| No, thank you | नहीं, धन्यवादnahin, dhanyavaad |
| Where is the bus stand? | बस स्टैंड कहाँ है?bus stand kahan hai |
| Vegetarian food, please | शुद्ध शाकाहारी खानाshuddh shakahari khana |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste (palms together) or a handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging or kissing strangers
- Hands and feet: Give and eat with the right hand; apologise if your foot touches someone; avoid: Pointing feet at people or shrines; touching books or food with your feet
- Temples: Shoes off, walk clockwise around shrines, accept prasad (blessed food) with the right hand; avoid: Leather in Jain temples; entering sanctums that say Hindus only
- Home visit: Bring sweets or fruit; accept tea at least once; avoid: Refusing all food; wearing shoes inside
- Questions: Expect personal questions (married? job? salary?) as friendliness; avoid: Taking offence; answer vaguely if you prefer
- Saying no: A firm, polite 'nahi, dhanyavaad' (no, thank you) and keep walking; avoid: Long explanations to touts
- Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; kurta tops are cheap and cool; avoid: Swimwear or shorts away from Goa beaches
Scams and watch-outs
- Touts on Main Market Road open with "which country are you from" or "just want to talk": keep walking.
- Flower and prayer scams at the ghats: a priest hands you flowers, then demands payment. Agree a price first or decline.
- Shops and petrol pumps overcharge visitors: check the MRP label and watch the pump counter reset.
- Alcohol is banned inside the town limits; some tourist hotels serve on request, but not in public.
- All restaurants inside the town are vegetarian; no meat or eggs on the menu.
- Bhang lassi is sold openly in some cafés and is strong: treat it as a drug, not a drink.
Pushkar is small and quiet, and violent crime against visitors is rare. The real friction is commercial: touts, ghat flower scams, overcharging and bhang lassi. Women travellers report staring and unwanted attention in the bazaar; dress modestly at temples.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pushkar yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Brahma Temple
- Pushkar Lake and its 52 ghats
- Pushkar Camel Fair (November)
- Vegetarian cafés and bazaar shopping
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Rajasthan Tourism — Pushkar: www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/pushkar.html
- Incredible India — Pushkar: www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en/rajasthan/pushkar
- Indian Railways — IRCTC: www.irctc.co.in/
- Wikivoyage: Pushkar, revision 5309215 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5309215
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pushkarपुष्कर
इस पते पर चलिए
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Pushkar; most have embassies in New Delhi and consulates in Jaipur or Mumbai. The US, UK and Canada all keep missions in Delhi (check).
Temple dress code: cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes, and expect some temples to bar non-Hindus.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pushkar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.