The Luxury Road Trip Guide: Delhi-Jaipur

Looking for a quick getaway from Delhi? If you are thinking about the plains, nothing can beat the Pink City. The capital of India’s royal state of Rajasthan is blessed with a history of kings and queens, royal stay options, fantastic cuisine, and of course, some great shopping options. For a trip to Jaipur from Delhi driving is the best mode of travel, all thanks to a great highway, good pit stops and panoramic view of the Aravalli Range.

So which car is suited for this road? Well if you are a corporate professional and if adventure runs in your vein, you will always prefer a Fortuner or a Range Rover Vellar. But trust me, this road is a smooth one and makes for a great one to drive a luxury sedan and that’s what we did.

Choosing the right car

We zeroed in on a Volkswagen Passat to drive the Delhi to Jaipur stretch. Volkswagen has done its math right. Despite a competitive market, this car stands out in terms of a posh and executive look, amazing performance and comfortable insides. The curves and edges might not be loud but are definitely bold.

Starting at the right time

It’s peak summer with scattered rainfall in Delhi NCR during mid-June. Our initial plan was to start early morning but if traveling on a weekday, the Gurgaon-bound traffic will make you halt a number of times. So we postponed the trip to after lunch, which is when the traffic gets better. Having started at 2 pm, we were at Manesar Toll Plaza by 3:30 pm. That’s the point where the highway thrill kicks off. While Google Maps will show the trip duration as a little over five hours, pit stops could easily stretch it beyond six hours. So make sure you take the city traffic into consideration before choosing the time to begin the journey.

Route Traveled

There are multiple route options to Jaipur. While there are tolls on most routes, there is also one where you can skip paying tolls. But, the quickest one is with a toll amounting to almost Rs 350 one-way. This route requires you to drive through NH 48 from Delhi to 50 km away from Jaipur, which is when you take NH 52 before taking a right turn into Ajmer Road.

Alternatively, you can try the minimum toll road and drive half way through NH 48 and then take a right turn into Dharuhera - Bhiwadi Bypass Rd. However, this road may increase the travel time by over 90 minutes.

On the way

The quickest road through NH 48 is a smoother one. Ensure you fuel up your car before hitting the highway simply because oil is expensive in Haryana and Rajasthan.

While the road condition is good and you can cruise at 80 kmph for hours without braking, refreshment options are few and far between. Besides, most good places like Bikanervala etc. will appear on the return journey, so you would need a detour of at least 8 kilometres.

Your first stop should ideally be at Neemrana, where there are numerous options along the highway. We chose Shiva Oasis, which has an organised parking area, numerous café options and clean washrooms. Tea here costs Rs 30 a cup. But don’t let the comfort of the place and well behaved staff extend your stopover time.

Once you are 50 km away from Jaipur, Google Maps may start behaving erratic with frequent rerouting. But don’t panic. Stick to the highway even if it prompts you to take the service lanes.

Be Cautious

The road condition is nice but beware of numerous speeding trucks and buses that might appear from the wrong side. The highway restaurants too have dug up roads to ensure people reach their properties without having to take any detour. That’s how most cars come up on the road from the service lane without raising any alarms.

Performance of the car

The Passat that we drove was a diesel variant with automatic transmission. At an ex-showroom price tag of nearly Rs 30 lakh, this car may be a sedan but not one to be chauffeur-driven. Despite not being an SUV, it will give you the thrill of highway driving with impeccable driving comfort. Also, the adaptive suspension that Volkswagen calls Dynamic Chasis Control, ensures the car doesn’t bounce like other sedans. To top it all off, the driver’s seat has a massage option which makes it all the more pleasurable.

Passat manages to give a mileage of almost 21km/litre on the highway, which is impressive. The interior is feature-rich to give the corporate in you a dollop of elegance. The dashboard is very simple with linear design quotients that makes it look richer.

However, the steering wheel isn’t the sharpest in the segment. This, however, doesn’t lessen the thrill of the drive. When you push it into corners there is a little bit of body roll, but you won’t really mind much. Whether you are driving or relaxing on the back seat, the bottom line is, you won’t really feel tired even after six hours of road journey.

Not to miss at Jaipur

When you land in Jaipur, there are tonnes of things to do. But your busy schedule will keep you restricted. So if you love shopping block print fabric head to Bapu Bazaar and shop to your heart’s content. Next, make sure you visit the rooftop café at Nahargarh Fort, which opens post sunset. It’s something out of the world to see Jaipur lit up like Diwali evenings from the ruins of a Rajput Fort. There is ample parking space available at the fort. Also insiders suggest, visit Anokhi Café, Café Palldio and Jaipur Café & Bar for some me time, if you badly need one.

Places to stay

There are numerous options for a stay in Jaipur. Some of the glamorous ones include Sarovar Premiere Jaipur, Regenta Central Jalmahal, Umaid Bhawan, Shahpura House and Fairmont Jaipur.

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)