Alwar, one of the oldest city of Rajasthan lies in the lap of Aravali ranges and is very near to my home city Jaipur. Since childhood, we had known Alwar for “Kalakand/milk cake” and “Bhangarh” the most haunted place in India.
Here I will be telling some more details of the place which I have visited several times.
Days required – 2 days. One can plan a weekend trip from Delhi and Jaipur.
Nearby places to go – Sariska, Bhangarh, Abhaneri
Best time to visit – During monsoon and winter (October to February)
How to reach – Alwar is 185km from Delhi and 165 km from Jaipur.
By train – It is the fastest way to reach Alwar from Jaipur and Delhi.
By air – Alwar doesn’t have an airport. Delhi Airport and Jaipur Airport are the nearest ones.
By road – usually preferred by visitors from Delhi and Jaipur. One can easily hire a cab/taxi or self-drive as the road to Alwar is in very good condition.
Buses are available but they are not comfortable.
How we traveled – We have been to Alwar several times. Once we took a train from Jaipur (available every 2-3 hours from Jaipur) and the other time, we did a road trip to Bhangarh.
Where to stay – Alwar city has many budget hotels in and around the city. You also have the option of staying at luxurious resorts and Heritage hotels. You need to have your vehicle/taxi as these hotels are far from the city.
Neemrana fort Palace, Tijara Fort Palace and Hill Fort at Kesroli are few examples. There is an RDTC hotel on Siliserh Lake. Once a hunting Lodge, this heritage hotel gives an amazing view of Lake.
How to go around – If you have your vehicle then you can roam around the city easily otherwise hire a cab/taxi.
Places to visit
Sariska Tiger Reserve – One of the most visited place in Alwar, Sariska is home to Bengal Tigers, Indian leopard, jackal, sambhar and many other wildlife. It is a 1-hour drive from Alwar.
Siliserh Lake – 15 km from Alwar on the way to Sariska was the main water source in Alwar. Siliserh Palace built by Maharaja Vinay Singh is now converted to a heritage hotel.
Bhangarh Fort – Fort and town of Bhangarh are one of the most haunted places in India.
Moosi Maharani Ki Chhatriyan – This cenotaph was built in the memory of Maharani Moosi of Alwar. The monument looks splendid with white marble dome and red stone pillars.
Bala Qila- Also known as Alwar fort, this is the oldest structure in Alwar. Built on a hill, this fort gives the amazing view of the city from above.
City Palace Museum – Once the residence of the royal family, most of the area is now converted into Government offices. There is a museum inside the premises which has a rare collection of Arabian, Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts.
Where to eat – There is not much to describe here but you can still have some Indian delicacies in Alwar.
- Alwar ka Kalakand/milk cake – Though you can find milk cake anywhere in Alwar but buy the original tasty Alwar mawa from Baba Thakurdas and sons.
- Have a delicious Indian food at Prem Pavitra Bhojnalaya and Inderlok.
Itinerary –
We stayed at our friend Kailash’s house in Alwar and he was the one who picked us up from the railway station. We used the weekend for the trip. On Friday, after my duty hours, we took the train to Alwar and reached his house by late evening. In dinner, we ate delicious home-cooked chicken (Only dish that I can make other than Maggi).
Next day after breakfast, we took his car visited Siliserh Lake in the morning. There is Siliserh Lake Palace built on it and any other person not staying there need to pay Rs.100 as an entry fee. We parked our car and reached their restaurant from where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the valley and the lake. We decided to have some tea and sandwiches there. Food was just average but we stayed there for an hour just because of the amazing view. You can also go for water activities like speed boat and boating.
After that, we went for Sariska Tiger Reserve for Jungle Safari. I had already booked tickets online in advance. Booking evening safari is more convenient as you have to reach one hour early to get the boarding pass which has to be collected through the ticketing counter. The only relief for people like us was that queue for collecting boarding pass was much shorter than that for the ticket. All this was poorly managed as counter opened late and safari started almost 60-90 minute late than the scheduled time. There were a canteen, souvenir shop and toilets at the booking center and a big parking area. Few kilometers before the booking center, we visited the Bharthari Temple. We could not see the Tigers that day as expected. I had visited Ranthambore National Park seven times to spot the tiger ( Read my blog on Ranthambore to get all the details).
Day 2
We decided to go for the city tour. First, we went to Bala Quila. You need to have your car or you can hire a taxi/cab/auto. There is Rs.50 entry fee for vehicle and Rs.10 per person. I was excited after driving on the route as we could see the green valley while ascending for the fort but after reaching there, we were disappointed as there is nothing to explore there. It was poorly maintained and was under renovation when we visited. Hope it will worth watching in future. We then visited the City palace complex. Now this place confused us. It was in the heart of the city. Most of the complex is converted to Govt. Offices, Secretariat and the Court. We confirmed twice before parking our car that we were in the right place. Still, there is the City Palace Museum and Cenotaph (Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri). Cenotaph is behind the City Palace.
We had lunch in the city and then boarded the train for Jaipur.
*We had visited Bhangarh Fort in a different trip but you can go there after the city tour.
Quick tips for fellow travelers –
- Book Sariska Tiger Safari online from an official government site in advance otherwise you have to stand in a long queue at the booking center and there are chances that you may not get a seat.
- Even after booking online, you have to take boarding pass from the ticketing counter. For morning safari, it can be taken one day before and for evening safari, it can be taken the same day one hour before safari time.
- There are 2 gates in Sariska Tiger Reserve- Sariska gate (gate 1) and Tehla(gate 2) gate. Prefer Sariska gate as it is the older one and with more facilities. Tehla gate is newer gate and less preferred by tourists and tour agencies.
- Inside the Tiger Reserve, there is a famous Pandupol Temple which can be visited by private vehicles on every Tuesday and Saturday.
Ratings (it is subjective and my personal opinion)
Destination overall rating 7/10 – Siliserh, Sariska, and Bhangarh are must-see places here.
Travel Expense 1/10 – one of my least expansive trip as I didn’t pay for any accommodation or food here.
Travel ease 7.5/10 – You need to have a vehicle to explore the place as Siliserh, Bala Qila and Sariska all are at distant places.
Food 7/10 – Do buy milk cake for your friends and family.