The ‘Blue City’ of Rajasthan, Jodhpur clusters around its magnificent fort, Mehrangarh. Built in around 1460, Mehrangarh is considered Rajasthan’s most spectacular fort – pretty impressive in a state full of spectacular forts – and is also one of the largest forts in India. Sat on a sandstone plinth, Jodhpur’s medieval old city bustles around its base, a jumble of streets crammed with houses, shops, bazaars and spice markets. Many of the cuboid buildings of this old part of the city are painted blue, a practice started by the Jodhpur’s Brahmin population, hence the nickname the ‘Blue City’. Outside of the old walls, the modern city sprawls out into the Thar Desert, where there are plenty of opportunities to experience rural Rajasthani life or to even take a camel safari.