Two days in Alwar from Delhi NCR: Bala Quila, the museum and Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri, sunset at Siliserh, a Sariska morning safari, then Bhangarh or Kesroli on the way home.
Quick summary
Alwar is about 160 km from Delhi, roughly four hours by road, which makes it one of the easiest two-day Rajasthan trips from NCR: a hill fort, a palace museum, a royal cenotaph and a lake on day one, and a Sariska safari on day two. This plan assumes you drive or ride, travel between October and March (the comfortable season), start on a Saturday and have already booked your Sariska safari for Sunday morning. A train version follows at the end.
Before you go
- Book the Sariska safari first on the Rajasthan Forest Department's official booking portal. Each booking is for one zone and one shift; zones 1 to 3 start from the Sariska gate. Weekend mornings fill early.
- Book a room at Siliserh Lake and Palace (lake-facing if available) or a hotel in Alwar city.
- Check the day: the Government Museum in the City Palace is closed on Mondays, so do not put it on a Monday.
- Sunset in Alwar falls between about 5.30 pm in December and 6.30 pm in late March; the plan below keeps one sunset activity per evening.
Day 1: Delhi to Alwar, fort, palace, chhatri and Siliserh
6 am: leave Delhi NCR
Allow about four hours. Cars can use the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway from Sohna; motorcycles are not allowed on it and take the Sohna–Bhiwadi–Tijara road. On the Bhiwadi route you can make a short stop at the Tijara Jain temple. Work out fuel for your vehicle with the fuel calculator.
10.15 am: Bala Quila
The road up to the fort passes a forest checkpost in the buffer zone of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, where a reserve entry fee applies and access is limited to daytime hours (published timings vary, so confirm locally). A late-morning arrival falls inside every published window. Walk the ramparts, find the Nikumbh Mahal and take in the view over the city. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours and carry water. In March, when it warms up, keep this shorter.
12.30 pm: lunch
Kachori and a thali in the market around Hope Circus.
1.30 pm: City Palace and Government Museum
The museum (9.45 am to 5.15 pm, closed Mondays) has galleries of sculpture, textiles, ivory, coins and a large arms collection. About an hour.
2.45 pm: Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri
Walk behind the palace to the 1815 cenotaph and its stepped tank. The afternoon light suits the marble. Forty-five minutes, with a short detour to Company Bagh if you have time.
3.45 pm: drive to Siliserh
About 13 km and half an hour. Check in at Siliserh Lake and Palace or, if you are staying in the city, come for the evening.
4.30 pm: boating and sunset
Take a boat on the lake if boats are running, then watch the sunset from the palace terrace. Dinner at the palace or back in town; turn in early for the safari.
Day 2: Sariska safari and the drive home
Before dawn: drive to the Sariska gate
Reach the gate by the reporting time on your booking; morning safaris start around sunrise and the time shifts through the season. Leave Siliserh or Alwar in the dark and carry a warm jacket in winter, as the open vehicles are cold early on.
Morning: Sariska safari
About three hours in your booked zone: dhok forest, ridges, sambar and nilgai at the water points, peafowl everywhere and a chance of tiger or leopard.
Late morning: breakfast
At a resort or dhaba near the gate.
Choose one afternoon option
Option A: Bhangarh Fort. Continue south-west to Bhangarh, about 85 km from Alwar, for the market street, temples and palace of the ruined town. The ASI prohibits entry before sunrise and after sunset, and you will want to leave by early afternoon anyway: the drive back to Delhi from Bhangarh is longer than from Alwar, so allow around five hours. On a Sunday it will be busy; this works better if your second day is a weekday.
Option B: Kesroli Hill Fort. Head back through Alwar to Kesroli Hill Fort, about 12 km out, for lunch (call ahead to check whether non-guests are served), buy kalakand at Hope Circus on the way through, and leave by about 2.30 pm to reach Delhi NCR by early evening.
Neelkanth is reached only from the Tehla side, a slow detour in the opposite direction from Delhi, so it does not fit a two-day plan; our 3-day Alwar itinerary includes it.
The train version
The Ajmer Shatabdi (12015) leaves New Delhi at 6.10 am and reaches Alwar at about 8.30 am. Hire a cab or auto for the day from the station: Bala Quila once the checkpost opens, then the museum, the chhatri and Siliserh, staying the night at Siliserh or in town. On day two, take a cab to the Sariska gate for the morning safari and back, then an evening train to Delhi. Check IRCTC for current timings and return trains.
Packing
- Warm jacket for winter safari mornings
- Hat, sunscreen and water for the fort ridge
- Walking shoes for ramparts and ruins
- Binoculars for Sariska and the lake
- Cash for the market, boating and safari tips
- Photo ID matching your safari booking
For costs, see the Alwar trip cost breakdown; for more stops, our list of places to visit in Alwar; and for the season, the best time to visit Alwar. More short trips from Delhi are on our Rajasthan weekend trips page.