Cycling in Jaipur has grown by bounds and leaps during the last five years. A couple of years ago, there were only a few cycling groups. Now there are many; some are open to new cyclists, and the rest are closed groups typically comprising friends. Due to the coronavirus, people have taken to cycling in large numbers since many have given up going to the gym or fitness studios in Jaipur. Most stores selling cycles have reported 2020-21 as the most exceptional year for cycle sales. Often, the popular cycle models are either unavailable or in a short supply. It is not uncommon to witness many cycling groups riding during the weekends. If you are keen to know about the best and most popular cycling routes in Jaipur, read on. This list doesn’t include long routes i.e. more than 50 km.
Most popular cycling routes in Jaipur
The distances mentioned in this post have been taken from the heart of the city – Albert Hall Museum which makes it easier to calculate.
1.Naharagarh Fort Cycling via Kanak Ghati
Nahargarh Fort road via Jal Mahal and Kanak Ghati is one of the most popular cycling routes in Jaipur. The reason for its popularity is that it offers a ride through a beautiful route with challenging sections. The hill offers panoramic views of the city especially the Jal Mahal in Mansagar.
It requires only a few minutes to reach the middle of nature. For a seasoned cyclist, ascending is not too challenging but for beginners, I will suggest route number 2.
Cycling routes to Nahargarh Fort – To reach Nahargarh Fort via cycle, one can use one of the two cycling routes. The first one is via Kanak Ghati, while the other is an old steep cobbled path from Purani Basti. The latter is best suited for seasoned cyclists.
Distance from Albert Hall to Nahargarh Fort – 16 km approx.
2. Sagar Lake in Amer
The route to Amer Fort or Sagar Lake behind Amer Fort includes a considerable section of route number 1 till Kanak Ghati. The route is not challenging for a regular cyclist. The sections with inclines are Kanak Ghati and Kheri Gate to Sagar lake. So it is not very challenging for most beginners.
The highlight of this cycling route is the tranquility one finds at Sagar Lake. The lake is surrounded by hills on all sides. Since the lake is situated in a valley, it makes for a charming scene.
Distance from Albert Hall to Sagar Lake – 11 km approx.
3. JLN Road Cycling
JLN Road continues to be the most popular cycling route for most seasoned and beginner cyclists. It is not difficult to understand, why? It is a straight 10 km well-paved road and ideal for road bikes and hybrid cycles. One can choose sections depending on time and effort. Often, people short on time and unable to do long-distance rides choose JLN Road. They ride a couple of rounds to clock the desired distance.
Patrika Gate is one of the preferred endpoints of this route rather than Jaipur Airport.
Distance from Albert Hall to Jaipur Airport – 10 km
Distance from Albert Hall to Patrika Gate or Jawahar Circle – 8 km
4. Mahal Road Jagatpura- Bombay Hospital
Mahal Road, Jagatpura is another popular route among cyclists who prefer well-paved distance riding. A round trip usually is around 30-40 km depending on the start point. The reason why cyclists prefer this route is that a significant part of the route has a six-lane road – the Mahal Road. The traffic on this route is minimal. Jagatpura remains an upcoming area and therefore a vast area is still open land. This is ideal for those seeking fresh air, and who want to escape from the concrete jungle.
Distance from Albert Hall to Bombay Hospital Mahal Road, Jagatpura – 16 km
5. Nevta Dam
Nevta Dam near Saint Xaviers College is the favorite cycling route among people clocking 50 km. This route is approx. 25 km one way. There are two different routes one can choose, both are equidistant. This route is ideally suited for MTB as the concluding section is not completely paved. However, even cyclists with road bikes also attempt it. While Ajmer Road continues to remain the preferred choice of many cyclists, it is also plagued by heavy traffic. I prefer the alternative route using Tonk Road and Muhana Mandi.
Distance from Albert Hall to Nevta Dam – 25 km
Short Cycling Routes
Short-route cycling is immensely popular in Jaipur. Usually, people cycle in and around their residential locations. Even then, over here are a few short cycling routes in Jaipur:
- C-Scheme boasts of broad well-paved roads making it popular among cyclists. Some of the preferred routes in the C-Scheme are Vidhan Sabha Road/Janpath, Ashok Udhyan/Deer Park, Central Park, Bhawani Singh Road, Statue Circle, and Prithvi Raj Road.
2. Rajasthan University– The road in and around Rajasthan University is popular among the residents in the vicinity.
3. Sirsi Road and Queens Road in Vaishali Nagar are equally popular among cyclists residing in west Jaipur.
Cycling clubs in Jaipur
There are many cycling clubs in Jaipur. One can easily find and join them with Facebook. However, one can also connect with the cycling community in Jaipur through the Strava app. Among all cycling apps, Strava and Map My ride are widely used. However, most cyclists in Jaipur use Strava. Follow Jaipur cycling clubs and cyclists on Strava to connect with the cycling community in Jaipur. I recommend building connect if you wish to do long rides as it makes cycling fun and easy.
Cycle On Rent in Jaipur
During the last 2-3 years, cycles for rent in Jaipur are available based on hourly, weekly, and monthly systems. Most of these services operate near popular parks like Central Park, Jawahar Circle Park, and Ram Niwas Garden.
Over here are a few companies offering cycles for rent in Jaipur.
- Road Queen is one of the first ones to offer cycles on rent in Jaipur. They offer both geared and non-geared cycles. A few of the brands offered by them for cycle rentals include Firefox, Trek, and Huge. The cycles can be hired from Gate number 2 of Central Park.
- Pink Pedals is another popular cycle rental company in Jaipur. Cycles can be hired from Jawahar Circle near Patrika Gate. Some of the cycle brands offered by Pink Pedals are Hercules, Raleigh, etc.
- 2Pahiye is a new cycle rental service provider. The cycle can be rented near Central park gate number 3. Most of their cycle fleets are Decathlon brands – Rockrider and Riverside range.
- Smart City cycle booths are located at multiple locations in the city, a few are near parks. The most popular one is in Ramniwas Garden near New Gate. The cycles for hire comprise simple non-geared basic cycles. This might not appeal to regular cyclists since they are not maintained very well but then the rentals are pretty low as well – Rs 10/hour.
- I have not hired bikes from Bikepacking India but some people regularly do. You can connect with them for rental and conditions.
How much does the cycle rental cost in Jaipur?
The rates vary from Rs 50-100/hour for non-geared to 80-200/hour for geared cycles from operator to operator. The smart city cycle rental is the cheapest of all – Rs 10/hour for the non-geared cycle. Among the above operators, I have hired cycles from Road Queen and found their services to be reliable and good.
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Wow. Those are some stunning views indeed. The Sagar Lake view photo is mesmerizing. Beautiful trails to cover with a cycle!
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Indeed, cycling in Jaipur on some routes is a visual treat. Do you cycle regularly?
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No it’s been a long while. Now that I’m going to work daily, driving is my preferred way of transportation. But it’s almost always a mad rush to punch on time, and the short ride can’t boast of such majestic views.
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I agree. Cycling to work is unlike cycling for fitness or leisure.
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I don’t cycle to work either. I drive my car 😅
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Understood 🙂
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Cycling is a great alternative to the gym. People who live in the city need more dedicated cycling paths away from the traffic. I bet that this is also a challenge for the city planners of Jaipur. Great photos as always, Arv!
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We don’t have a dedicated cycling path. I don’t think it will even be a possibility despite plans for creating such lanes in some areas. The traffic is immense in this part of the world. Due to pandemic and restrictions, cyclists couldn’t be happier. I’m sure you town has some amazing cycling opportunities.
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Just remarkable to see all those roads with no traffic!
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That’s how it is after the pandemic. Usually the traffic is less in the morning hours, more so in the post pandemic world.
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That’s great that cycling is increasing in popularity in Jaipur. The hills around Nahargarh Fort would make a great workout. As one person commented above, the roads are so empty, great for road biking. Maggie
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Maggie, the roads are devoid of traffic during the early morning hours especially after the pandemic. Certainly, the hills are great for the workout. The gyms have been closed for most of the period since March 20. Since you lead an active life, do you also cycle on a regular basis?
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That’s great that the roads are quiet when the air is cool to ride. Yes we bike a lot but we mountain bike now. I used to road bike, love it.
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That’s great, Maggie. Mountain biking is not very popular here in this city. Some people do, but the trails are unlike the one in the US and Canada.
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What a great alternative going bicycling , hopefully it will eventually lower the pollution from cars etc. Nice captures from the bike rides.
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Let’s hope so, Cornelia. It is good to see people taking cycling for fitness.
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Nice spots & good compilation.
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Thanks 🙂 You have a great blog
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😊your compliment means a lot, thank you so much.
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You are welcome 🙂
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Lovely biking tracks! Nice sceneries around.
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Thanks. Do you cycle in Ranchi?
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I am not getting to cycle nowadays.
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ah! I suppose there must some excellent scenery near Ranchi.
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Yes, true. Ranchi is surrounded by beautiful nature.
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🙂
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This is such an informative post. Cycling enthusiasts would find it immensely useful. Loved the picture of Sagar lake. It’s so serene and picturesque. The roads in Jaipur look really good. The lockdown would have given you some good opportunity for these great shots.
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Cycling is gaining momentum in Jaipur. Indeed, cycling early morning was fun. The cyclists were allowed to move. Most roads in Jaipur are good for cycling. Have you tried cycling in Bangalore?
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It’s kind of embarrassing Arvind, but I do not know how to cycle. I really want to do it when I see my friends and other acquaintances cycling. Been thinking for a while to learn it but somehow hasn’t happened.
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I can understand, Neel. It is certainly not a rocket science perhaps you need a friend or cousin to help you in this, to start with. The rest is practice. I’m sure once you learn cycling, there are immense opportunities when it comes to exploration. Many times exploring a vast area on foot becomes difficult and tiring, cycling is the best option in such cases. 🙂
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I absolutely will do this. 🙂
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👍
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Lovely pictures arv. It seems the roads are just for the cyclists! It’s nice to hear that cycling is gaining momentum but are there special lanes for them? When I was growing up, cycling was encouraged but then a phase of pampering kids deprived them of a wonderful fun exercise. Nice come back if safety is taken care of.
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The pictures in this post have been mostly clicked in the morning when the traffic is low. Most cyclists prefer riding in the mornings. Sadly, we don’t have special lanes for cyclists in this part of the world. Cycling has gained an immense popularity across all age. It is not uncommon to see even 70 year olds cycling.
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I wish if we can ever have safe roads and separate lanes for cycles. Traffic of school vans would be so less on the road.
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True. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen because we’re already Short of space for vehicles. The reason being our public transport system is not designed to take pressure off from the road. The vision for the same is also missing. We really need to catch up so much with the current trends in transport systems.
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You bet! Dande ke jor par log traffic rules follow karte hai. You must have witnessed the mess up on roads at the day of “bhai dooj” when roads are free from traffic police.
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True. People only follow rules when they have to. It speaks a lot about our mindset. Sad
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Always a pleasure to read your posts. Like a mini travel book, these posts show you a vivid picture 🙂 Keep shining, my friend!
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Thanks, Yamini. I’m glad you like posts on the blog. Thanks for motivation. 🙂
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Great info, Arv! Thanks for sharing with all of us!
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What a visual treat it is to cycle thru Jaipur! Beautiful routes and I like how you have given detailed information about the climb or ease of the routes for all skill levels.
Fabulous post as always!
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Sandhya. I hope this will help people cycling more. Are you into cycling?
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Wow! You managed to get such beautiful crowd-free pictures of the roads with the cyclists only.
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Haha… that was early morning during the lockdown. Roads were pretty amazing back then and cycling was permitted. Do you cycle, Sarmistha?
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Yes, I do sometimes Arv.
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I will try this one of these times.
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