A Complete Guide to Pushkar, India

3/23/2023

The main reason people visit Pushkar is to worship the Lord Brahma, and it's the only place in India to have a temple dedicated to him. Pushkar is known as being a "holy" city where drinking and drugs aren't allowed, however you'll notice that Pushkar is filled with expats living in India. We found the locals in Pushkar to be very aggressive and pushy - we were harassed and bothered here more than any other city we visited in India, verbally and physically. However, the city itself is beautiful, and there are some very unique things to do in the area! We just recommend staying aware of your belongings, to never follow anyone or take any free flowers.

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Where to Stay

While we explored Pushkar we stayed a bit out of town, at the Hotel New Park. Honestly, it wouldn't be our first recommendation - the restaurant onsite was terrible, and half the time they served undercooked food. The wifi is only available in the lobby and the room we were given needed some serious updates and cleaning. Some places we would recommend are :

The Pushkar Bagh - a pet friendly hotel located a bit out of town
Nature Retreat Resorts - a cheap option also located a little ways out of town, their hotel pool and glamping options look incredible
Rangmahal Pushkar - located close to town, this is probably your best bet if you're looking for a nice stay in Pushkar

Places to Eat

Although we didn't have the best place to stay, we did find quite a few great places to eat! Udaipur had a much larger option for different types of cuisines than other places in India, and our personal favorites were :

Hotel Sunset Cafe & Restaurant - located right on Pushkar Lake, this is an excellent spot to have dinner and watch the sunset! Their food is also excellent!
Ganga Laffa & Falafel Restaurant - a perfect option if you're a little tired of Indian food (like we were at this point of our trip in India haha), they have great fresh veg options with hummus!
La Pizzaria - a pizza spot (you know Tyler had to find one lol) with a great atmosphere
Sonu Juice Center - we weren't able to stop here ourselves, but our guide told us this is the best place to stop if you're looking for some fresh pressed fruit juices!
Chotu's French Bakery - located near Pushkar Lake, this is a great stop if you're looking for some fresh baked goods!
The Laughing Buddha Vegan Cafe Pushkar - a cafe located near the lake with great local cuisine
Cafe Lake View Pushkar - a cafe with a great view of the lake serving local cuisine and pizza

Best Things to Do in Pushkar

Pushkar might seem like a laid back town to relax at, however there is quite a bit to do if you're looking for an adventure! Our best recommendations for things to do in Pushkar are :

Explore Pushkar Lake - a beautiful, holy lake perfect for watching the sunset, if you plan to walk all the way around it's important to note that you'll have to take your shoes off anytime you are on the lower level of stairs (it's also important to know that many people will try to give you free flowers to put into the lake, however these are never truly free, once you do a special ceremony with them to release the flowers they will ask anywheres from 500-1000+ rupees/$6-$12 each)
Savitri Mata Temple - a beautiful temple at the top of a large hill overlooking the town and lake of Pushkar, you can either take the Gondola ride round trip for about $1.80 USD per person or climb the 600+ stairs both ways, our guide said this is an excellent spot to watch the sunrise - just watch out for all the monkeys!
Brahma Temple - the only temple in India dedicated to Brahma, you'll have to leave your shoes and bags at the entrance for a small fee and there's no photography or videography allowed inside
Gayatri Mata Temple/Pap Mochani Temple - another temple on top of a hill with great views of the city, this hike is much shorter than the one to Savitri Mata Temple, however you might see some barbed wire on the way... (see our video below haha)
Get Religious - Pushkar is known as being a "holy" city in India, and often you'll stumble upon a religious festival/parade that throws flowers out with loud music near the downtown lake area
Other Temples - there are plenty of other temples in Pushkar, if you're looking to visit a few more we recommend checking out Gurudwara Sahib, Rangji Temple, Varaha Temple or the Shree Gayatri Shakti Peeth Temple