Why go to Rajasthan? The 10 good reasons to go Rajasthan

Shops are open 7 days a week, from 10am to 8pm for boutiques, from 8am to 10pm for small local shops. Banks and administrations are open from Monday to Friday, from 10am to 2pm. Reservation offices in train stations are open from Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm and on Sunday from 8am to 2pm. In small stations, there is sometimes a break at 10am for chai and lunch.

No visit to any monument requires advance booking of a ticket. However, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in charge of the national monuments has set up an online ticket purchase system, which allows you to avoid queuing at the entrance of highly visited monuments. You can visit https://asi.payumoney.com and buy your ticket for most monuments. The service is charged at Rs 50.

The price of admission to monuments is increasing and is now impacting the budget of less fortunate travelers. It is necessary to count 500 Rs for any entry in a national monument. The entrance to the Taj Mahal, a real financial manna for the government of Uttar Pradesh, now costs Rs 1,000 to which must be added Rs 200 to access the mausoleum.

There is an interesting composite ticket in Jaipur that allows you to visit 7 sites. Valid for 48 hours, you can buy it at the entrance of any of the 7 sites: Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Albert Hall Museum, Nahargarh Fort, Hawa Mahal, Sisodiya Rani Gardens, Vidhiyadhar Gardens. The ticket costs Rs 1,000. But beware, the City Palace is not included.

The Hindu calendar is punctuated with colorful festivals and celebrations, some of which are worth the trip. Diwali in November and Holi in March are among them. The Pushkar Camel Fair, which is held right after Diwali, attracts thousands of tourists and professional photographers.

Accredited guides are available at the entrances to national sites and monuments managed by the ASI. If you want a French-speaking guide, it is best to book his services through the local tourist office. You will also find the contact details of French-speaking guides in our pages, likely to make you visit their city or Rajasthan. Private monuments such as the palaces of maharajas offer for the most part audio guides available in French.

It is forbidden to smoke near schools and public buildings, in enclosed public places (hotels, restaurants, cinemas...). As part of its fight against pollution, the city of Delhi has banned smoking in the streets and around hotels. If you are a smoker, you will have to hide to smoke in Delhi.

If you want to take a guided tour of a monument, make sure it is accredited. Some sites refuse access to non-accredited guides and you will have paid for nothing

For tours or day trips, always go through a reputable agency. People approaching you on the street may not show up or their vehicle may look like a rolling tomb.

Many agencies pose as official tourist offices and display the "Incredible India!" logo on their front. Here again, beware. Generally speaking, few tourist offices provide interesting information (unfortunately), so you might as well avoid them.

Bring shoes that are easy to take off and put back on, as you will have to remove them for any visit to a temple or mosque. Ladies, always carry a scarf to cover your head or shoulders when visiting religious sites. In general, a covering outfit will always be appreciated. Gentlemen, shorts or Bermuda shorts are not allowed in mosques. You must cover your head with a scarf to enter a gurdwara, a Sikh temple.