Though it’s frequently mentioned in the same breath as Jaipur (they are historic allies, and both famously monochromatic) Jodhpur is a very different city from its extravagant pink cousin. For a start, it’s less blue than you might expect (though local efforts are being made to restore its former glory). It’s also smaller, slower, more workaday and residential — more like a big town than a city. Its blue buildings aren’t royal palaces but regular homes, traditionally colored with indigo, now with paint. It’s also older than Jaipur by quite a stretch: founded in 1459 by a Rajput warrior king — though most of its current fort dates from the 17th century.

If you only do one fort in Rajasthan, make it Mehrangarh. Perched on a sandstone outcrop with the city clustering around its coattails, it’s so fantastical you could almost believe it was CGI’ed into the background. Ascend towards it through numerous stone gates and you’ll see scars from cannonball fire, iron spikes to deter enemy elephants, and the handprints of widowed royal wives who committed ritual suicide on their husbands’ funeral pyres. The castle itself is the best preserved and the best presented of any in Rajasthan, with a surprisingly good museum — and the views over the blue city are, of course, spectacular.

Jodhpur has a totally different vibe from any other city in Rajasthan, and sees far fewer visitors than the Golden Triangle (though it deserves them just as much). It has fantastic shopping, rooftop restaurants, cooking classes, beautiful stepwells — and it’s just a wonderful place to wander, with a laid-back atmosphere and plenty of excellent places to stay. If you can, time your visit for the Riff music festival, when the city fills with the sound of sitars and tablas — it’s one of the most magical experiences we’ve had in India.