The one thing to understand before planning anything: Pushkar has no practical railway service. There is a small Pushkar Terminus station, but it sees almost nothing. The railhead everyone actually uses is Ajmer Junction, 15 km away, with buses and taxis over the Nag Pahar hills taking about half an hour.
From Ajmer — the last 15 km
Ajmer is the gateway. Buses leave the Ajmer bus stand for Pushkar every few minutes through the day, take about 30 minutes over the hill and cost almost nothing. Shared and private auto-rickshaws and taxis cover the same route in 20–25 minutes for a modest fare. If you arrive at Ajmer Junction by train, walk or take a rickshaw to the bus stand and you will be in Pushkar within the hour.
From Jaipur — the most common route
Jaipur is 145 km away, roughly 3 hours by road on the NH-48 and NH-58. Your options:
- Private car: the simplest — door to door, fixed price, luggage handled, and it can drop you in the old town where taxis otherwise cannot go.
- Bus: frequent RSRTC and private services run Jaipur–Ajmer, then change for Pushkar. Cheap, slower, drops you at the edge of town.
- Train to Ajmer: plenty of services, around 2 to 2.5 hours, then the bus over the hill. Good value and comfortable.
- Day trip: a guided day trip bundles transport, a guide and often a camel safari — the best option if you are not staying overnight.
From Delhi
About 400 km. The sensible routes are the train to Ajmer (the Ajmer Shatabdi and several other services take roughly 6–7 hours from Delhi), or a flight to Jaipur followed by a three-hour drive. Driving the whole way takes 7–9 hours and is rarely worth it unless you are stopping along the way.
From Jodhpur and Udaipur
Jodhpur is about 185 km (roughly 4 hours by car) and Udaipur about 280 km (5–6 hours). Neither has a direct train to Ajmer that is much faster than the road, so a private transfer is the usual choice — and because Pushkar sits neatly between Jaipur and Jodhpur, most Rajasthan itineraries simply pass through.
By air
The nearest airport is Kishangarh (KQH), about 35 km away, but it has very few flights. In practice almost everyone flies into Jaipur (JAI), 150 km away, and drives. Delhi is the main international gateway.
Getting around once you arrive
On foot, almost entirely. Pushkar is about 1.5 km end to end and the old town lanes are closed to cars, so you will walk between the bazaar, the ghats and the temples. Auto-rickshaws handle the longer hops — out to the Mela ground, the resorts on the Ajmer road, or the foot of the Savitri path. Bicycles and scooters are widely rented and are a good way to reach the dunes.
Which route should you choose?
- Take the train to Ajmer if you are coming from Delhi or Jaipur and want comfort and value.
- Take a private car if you have luggage, are travelling as a group, or are arriving late.
- Take the bus if you are travelling cheaply and flexibly — it is easy and runs constantly.
- Take a day trip if you are based in Jaipur and cannot stay the night.
