Is Pushkar Worth Visiting? 2024 Travel Guide

If you’re wondering is Pushkar worth visiting?, I’m here to answer your question and share my reasons to visit.

As someone who has been to Pushkar three times now (2015, 2019 and 2023), you can probably guess my verdict! It’s one of my favourite places for backpacking in Rajasthan if not all of India.

Pushkar is the ultimate escape from India’s fast-paced, hectic cities. I won’t say it’s totally chilled: it’s still India so locals will want your photo and those horns will always beep! But it’s certainly no Delhi or Jaipur.

Read next: complete Pushkar sightseeing guide + everything to do!

PUSHKAR ESSENTIALS

India Lonely Planet

Accommodation: Booking.com / Hostelworld

Activities: Klook

Getting around: flight (Skyscanner) / bus / train (12Go)

Travel insurance: True Traveller (European travellers) / Hey Mundo (other nationalities) / Safety Wing (digital nomads)

Check out my food around the world archives!

2. It’s home to temples not found elsewhere in India

Pushkar Lake is a spiritual place. Even though I’m not religious and I don’t relate to it on that level, there’s something very therapeutic about this area. Locals in colourful saris sit on the steps, children splash in the water and birds flit across the clear sky. There are areas surrounding the lake reserved for locals and, as a general rule, you can’t take photos as it’s an area where people bathe. It’s a place to just be.

When I think back to my first trip to India in 2015, peaceful Pushkar Lake comes to mind. For a space to relax and recuperate, Pushkar is worth a visit.

Lots of Pushkar cafes offer gorgeous lakeside views. I’d especially recommend the rooftop cafe at U-Turn Hotel which you can visit without being a guest of the hotel. It’s cool, shady and serves great coffee with views of Pushkar Lake. I spent almost a whole day here.

4. Sunsets for days

Peaceful Pushkar is a great place to experience a sunset. During this time of day, gentle religious chants echo over the lake while tourists and locals alike sit on the steps.

Where to see sunset in Pushkar? I usually avoid the uber-touristy restaurants but I was starving at sunset time so decided to eat dinner at Sunset Cafe by the lake. For a joint full of Westerners serving Italian food alongside curries, I didn’t expect a lot but actually my veggie kofta was very tasty. You could sit and just have a drink or relax on the steps by the lake and not spend anything at all.

If you have two nights in Pushkar, spend one here and another at Savitri Mata Temple at the top of the hill.

Throughout my first stops in India, people told me I should hold out for Pushkar. I can confirm this is a sensible move!

The main streets are lined with some of the most vibrant and colourful dresses, saris, shoes and bags I’ve seen. Everything is gorgeous and so affordable. I didn’t find it easy to haggle in Pushkar: the prices were low to start with and vendors wouldn’t budge. But then I didn’t really need them to.

Seriously, isn’t Pushkar just heaven? Wandering the dreamy backstreets and snapping pink buildings, detailed doorways and Hindu temples is the perfect way to spend a morning.

One of the best things I did in Pushkar was take a food tour for 500 rupees with my hostel, Moustache. We tried 14 local delicacies which you can check out on YouTube:

The tasty falafel is another reason to visit Pushkar. Due to a lot of Israelis taking trips to India, the cuisine has slipped into the culture. Now you can’t walk down the main street without fresh, garlicky falafel wafting under your nose.

Surely there are few towns as small as Pushkar with quite so many temples. I thought Chiang Mai was temple-dense with over 300 but Pushkar has over 500. I’m not sure the smaller ones can be visited by tourists as they’re hidden away on the outskirts or even on private properties.

Even so, temple fans have a reason to visit Pushkar. I’ll admit I’d seen a lot by the time I arrived but I enjoyed wandering the streets and stumbling across them anyway.

10. It’s safe