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OPEN-AIR ART GALLERY OF RAJASTHAN
HISTORIC MANDAWA & FRESCOED HAVELIS

Shekhawati Travel Guide: Mandawa and the Painted Havelis of Rajasthan

Shekhawati is a region of small towns in northern Rajasthan, often called the open-air art gallery of India. Between the 18th and early 20th centuries, wealthy merchant families built grand mansions here and covered them, inside and out, with painted murals. The frescoes show gods and kings, but also trains, cars, gramophones and Englishmen in hats. Mandawa is the most popular base, and the region fits neatly between Delhi, Bikaner and Jaipur.

Open-Air Gallery Frescoes & Painted Havelis
Primary Base Historic Mandawa Town
Heritage Era 18th to Early 20th Century
Ideal Routing Between Delhi, Bikaner & Jaipur
Overview

Shekhawati at a glance

Detail Information
Location Jhunjhunu, Sikar and Churu districts, northern Rajasthan
Nearest airports Jaipur (JAI), about 3.5 hours, and Delhi (DEL), about 5 to 6 hours
Ideal stay 1 to 2 nights
Best months October to March
Languages Hindi, Shekhawati, English
Known for Painted havelis, frescoes, small-town Rajasthan
Highlights

Why visit Shekhawati

Unique art

thousands of painted mansions across a few small towns.

Off the main trail

quiet streets and few tour groups.

Heritage stays

sleep in a castle or a restored haveli.

Good routing

breaks the journey between Delhi and Bikaner or Jaipur.

Landmarks

Top attractions in Shekhawati

Mandawa

a walkable town of painted havelis and a castle hotel.

Nawalgarh

the Podar Haveli Museum and Morarka Haveli, among the best restored.

Fatehpur

the Nadine Le Prince Haveli, restored by a French artist.

Dundlod

a small fort and painted merchant houses.

Ramgarh

cenotaphs and temples with fine murals.

Jhunjhunu

the Rani Sati Temple and the Khetri Mahal.

Stepwells and wells

tall well-towers mark the old water sources.

Activities

Unique experiences in Shekhawati

Guided heritage walk through Mandawa
Day drive to Nawalgarh and Fatehpur
Fresco restoration demonstration
Horse or camel-cart ride in the countryside
Village visit and organic farm lunch
Weather Guide

Best time to visit Shekhawati

October to March

October to March is the best time. Winter nights are cold.

April to June

April to June is very hot.

July to September

July to September brings some rain and green fields.

Connectivity

How to reach Shekhawati

From Delhi

about 260 km, 5 to 6 hours.

From Jaipur

about 170 km, 3.5 hours.

From Bikaner

about 190 km, 3.5 hours.

Itinerary Duration

How many days to spend in Shekhawati

1 night

a walking tour of Mandawa.

2 nights

add Nawalgarh, Fatehpur and Dundlod.

Accommodation

Where to stay in Shekhawati

Stay in a castle hotel in Mandawa or a restored painted haveli. Comfort is good, with plenty of character.

Hotel choices depend on your dates and style of travel. Please check with our team for the best options and rates.

Cuisine

Food to try in Shekhawati

Meals are usually at your hotel: Rajasthani thalis and home-style cooking.

Local Crafts

Shopping in Shekhawati

Small antique shops, textiles and handicrafts in Mandawa's bazaar.

Travel Advice

Practical tips for international travellers

Many havelis are locked or lived in. A local guide knows which can be entered.
Small entry fees or tips are expected by caretakers.
Some mansions are in poor repair. That is part of the story.
Roads are slower than the distances suggest.
Money: carry some cash in Indian rupees for small shops and tips. Cards are accepted at hotels and larger stores.
Water: drink only bottled or filtered water.
Staying connected: an Indian SIM or eSIM is useful for maps and messages. Our team can guide you on arrival.
Extended Journeys

Nearby places to combine with Shekhawati

Bikaner (3.5 hours), Jaipur (3.5 hours), Delhi, and the Tal Chhapar blackbuck sanctuary.

Team Recommendations

Dream Day Tours favourites in Shekhawati

These are the experiences our own team loves most and recommends to our guests.

Spotting the frescoes of early trains, cars and aeroplanes
The Podar Haveli Museum in Nawalgarh
A night in a painted haveli
Dream Day Tours

Why travel with Dream Day Tours

Government-approved company, founded in 2019 and based in Jaipur.
Every tour is private and customised to your dates, interests and budget.
Expert local guides and trusted company drivers.
A dedicated manager reachable by phone, message or email from your arrival to your departure.
Secure payment by credit card, bank transfer or Revolut.
Common Questions

Frequently asked questions about Shekhawati

Its painted havelis, covered in frescoes.
Mandawa has the best choice of hotels. Nawalgarh is also good.
One to two nights.
About 260 km, 5 to 6 hours by road.
October to March.

Plan and customise your Shekhawati tour

Dream Day Tours operates private, customised tours to Shekhawati and across this region.

Our ready-made tour packages for this destination will be live on the website soon. Until then, please customise your tour using the booking form on this page, or send us an enquiry. Our team will get back to you with all the details.

Email: welcometoddtours@gmail.com

Phone / WhatsApp: +91 9001007171, +91 9587171554

Plan Your Shekhawati Tour With Dream Day Tours

Connect with our Rajasthan heritage travel specialists on WhatsApp or Email for bespoke painted haveli tours, private chauffeur transfers between Delhi, Bikaner & Jaipur, and full itinerary customisation.

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Tiffany P
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An absolutely wonderful experience from start to finish! We couldn’t be happier with the trip organized by Dreamday Tours. The service was impeccable, and we felt supported and well taken care of from the very beginning to the very end. Ashfaq was extremely responsive, helpful, and always available whenever we had a question or needed anything. The hotel he booked for us was perfect, and the restaurant at the hotel was also excellent. Everything was very well organized, which allowed us to simply relax and enjoy the experience without having to worry about the logistics. The two safaris were absolutely incredible and were definitely highlights of our trip. Of course, when it comes to wildlife, there is always an element of luck involved — something no agency can control or guarantee. But in terms of organization, communication, and overall service, Dreamday Tours was outstanding. We felt that we could completely trust them throughout the whole trip, and that made the experience even more enjoyable. It’s clear that they genuinely care about their clients and want everything to go smoothly. We highly recommend Dreamday Tours to anyone looking for a reliable, professional, and attentive agency. We are extremely happy with everything they organized for us and would absolutely book with them again!
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Shyam S
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Udaipur trip Had an amazing experience on my Udaipur trip! Everything was well organized and the overall experience was smooth and enjoyable. Udaipur is absolutely beautiful, with stunning lakes, palaces, and scenic views. The trip was memorable, relaxing, and full of wonderful moments. Really happy with the overall arrangements and service. Highly recommended for anyone planning a trip to Udaipur! ❤️
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John C
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Dream Day Tours Golden Triangle and Tiger Safari Tour is definitely worth booking! Review of Dream Day Tours - Golden Triangle plus Tiger Safari Tour This past June my wife and I traveled to India with one of my wife’s colleagues to visit her husband’s hometown in Assam, India. It was great seeing a part of India from the perspective of a family that lived there, but since this was my wife’s first time to India, we decided to book a tour to show her some other beautiful sites. And so, we booked a lovely tour through Dream Day Tours, which is based in Jaipur. It was called the Golden Triangle Tour with Tiger Safari. It was just the two of us on the tour, so Dream Day Tours catered everything to our needs and desires. To begin, we flew into Delhi and Dream Day arranged for a driver to bring us from the airport to the Welcomehotel by ITC in Dwarka. Excellent hotel with very good food. The next day, we started our tour with the driver that was assigned to us, Jeetu Singh. Jeetu was great and transported us to our various destinations for the entire tour. We were also provided with a local guide for Delhi, Aarif Sheikh. Aarif was an excellent guide. He gave us a lot of historical and cultural information and took us to Jama Masjid, which was a spectacular mosque built in the time of the Mughals in the 1600’s, and still used for prayer today. We also got a bicycle rickshaw ride in Chandni Chowk, which is a lively and colorful market nearby. We were also taken to a grand Sikh Temple and learned of the generosity of the Sikh’s to their pilgrims and temple visitors. We appreciated the visits to the monuments and museums that were made around the life and death of Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi. The next morning Jeetu brought us to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. We were met there by our guide Vipin. The Taj is spectacular, and basically was the only site we visited in Agra. Vipin brought us to various places to see the Taj under different views and at sunrise and sunset. We had total access to the Taj and its grounds, and Vipin, an amateur photographer took many beautiful and romantic photos of us with the Taj as a background. In fact, he took such a beautiful photo of us that we both use it as our most recent FB profile page. He definitely has talent as a photographer! On our way from Agra to Jaipur, Jeetu had us visit Fatehpur Sikri, which was the capital of the Mughal empire under Emperor Akbar in the 1500’s. This was certainly worth the visit. And we also stopped at a step well, which was a structure that was used historically to provide water to the inhabitants of the area. It was really different, fascinating, and ingenious! In Jaipur, the Pink City, we were again provided with a guide that was very versed in Indian culture and history, Mr. Raghuveer. He immediately brought us the Hawa Mahal, or Wind Palace, which is an incredibly beautiful structure overlooking a large busy square. We were again brought there by the Dream Day Tours owner, Ashfaq, in the evening, to see its beauty at night. Phenomenal! We had stressed that, besides seeing traditional tourist sites, we wanted to get an experience that showed us some of what really goes on in Jaipur streets, so Mr. Raghuveer took us to the flower market, where we were showered with flowers. This seemed especially appropriate for us since we had just celebrated our 40th anniversary. It was wild, and the flowers were beautiful, and an Indian friend of ours said it was like we were getting married! Then we visited the extraordinarily ornate and expansive Amber Fort, which was built in the 1500s by a Hindu Raj that had a political alliance with the Muslim Moghul Emperor Akbar. Beyond beautiful! Didn’t think that could be topped, but then we were brought to the City Palace, which was unbelievable in its majesty! Other things that made the trip a super experience were seeing a real snake charmer and having a hands-on interaction with an elephant, which was very weird, very exciting, and a little unnerving! We were definitely in India, far from home! And since we were so far, my wife wanted to go on a tiger safari, which we did at the Ranthambore National Park. We were lucky enough to spot some tigers in their natural environment, and we also saw other wildlife like bears, crocodiles, wild boars, a slew of peacocks and peahens, and other big birds and wildlife! It was all good, and Ashfaq at Dream Day Tours made it all possible for us by coordinating our itinerary, providing us with excellent guides, great hotels (with dinners and breakfasts included most days), and providing us with our beloved driver, Jeetu, who got us to every site and more, and then to the airport in ample time to catch our flight home! Thank you, Dream Day Tours!
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Menager S
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Tour Safari This agency helped me organize a safari tour in Ranthambore; they are very professional and accommodating. I highly recommend them!
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Elena T
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An experience made possible only by them, fantastic in every way! I am truly happy to recommend this tour operator who has been incredibly accommodating towards me from the very beginning. They made the impossible possible, in the sense that I had little time but wanted to see too many things. With them, it was possible. Transfers and guides all for me, as I was traveling alone, and they were super friendly and efficient. They had breakfast ready for me in the car after a visit, they accommodated me in every way, and I arrived at the airport more punctual than ever despite the traffic to catch my return flight. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, especially to Ashfaq who personally welcomed me and was so, so patient. If you want to travel without worries and safely, choose this tour operator. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for my unforgettable experience. ❤️
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thomas b
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Better than we could have imagined! This was the most well organised trip we could have asked for! Ashfaq and the team couldn't have done more to make the trip better - hotel was stunning, lifts to and from Safari on time (and aircon!) and the best Safari, 2 groups and 1 private ( we saw 7 Tigers). This was a trip tailored to us, made very special! Highly recommend Dream Day Tours if you want the best trip of a life time at a great price!
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Julius H
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Good Experience We had a great experience. My friend and I booked the trip just two weeks before arriving in India, and they responded quickly and made everything possible. We shared what we wanted to see, and they created a plan around it. We also had a fantastic driver who was very kind and always made sure we had everything we needed, including water, soda, and beer.
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William M
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Saw Tigers and Crocodiles! We did 3 safaris, on the first two we saw lots of wildlife including monkeys, deer, hyenas, peacocks and other birds, but no tigers… And then on the third, we were lucky enough to see on four separate occasions a tiger casually strolling through its natural habitat. We got close enough to take good photos and one even walked straight past the Jeep! We also saw a couple of crocodiles by the lake which topped it off. Very enjoyable experience!
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Esmeralda M
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FANTA Hola!! Hi!! My husband and I went to India for 9 days and we couldn't have made a better choice than Day Dream Tours! They put together an incredible tour for us, with a guide in our language at each location, and they made sure everything was perfect! The safari in Rathambore was amazing and we even saw tigers! If you're planning a trip to India, don't hesitate to book with them. Besides having an incredible experience, you'll make some lifelong friends! Thank you!!!!!
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Daniel N
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Incredible India Our organized round trip through India with Ahmed was absolutely perfect and exceeded all our expectations! The itinerary including Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park, and Agra was perfectly designed. We were able to experience India’s fascinating culture, impressive architecture, and breathtaking wildlife to the fullest. Every stop was a highlight in its own way! The hotels selected for us were excellent – very comfortable, clean, and thoughtfully chosen. It was clear that Ahmed places great value on quality and guest satisfaction. A very special thank you also goes to our driver, Malik. He was always punctual, professional, friendly, and drove very safely. We felt comfortable and well taken care of at all times. Ahmed was always available and responded immediately to all of our wishes. Even last-minute requests or spontaneous changes were arranged quickly and smoothly. This outstanding level of service truly made our journey extra special. Thanks to Ahmed and his team, we had a wonderful and unforgettable time in India. We are incredibly grateful for the perfect organization and can highly recommend this tour to anyone. Thank you so much for everything!
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