48 Best Places to Shop in Rajasthan, India

This is a leading shop for fashionable clothing, mostly in cotton, some silk, with hand-block prints and paisley patterns---all of which will fit into your wardrobe back home. The selection includes both Indian and casual Western wear, and it has the prettiest lehengas (skirts) in the state. It has a great range of kurtis (short kurtas). You can also get beautiful bedspreads, quilts, and cloth bags here. After shopping, take a break at the attached café for a light bite or cold drink. Note: The store doesn't pay commissions to taxi drivers, which is why your driver might tell you the shop is closed or that they have a better deal for you.

Housed in a restored 17th-century haveli hidden in the labyrinthine lanes of the Old City, this long-standing shop is a treasure trove of handicrafts and home decor spread across 32 galleries over eight floors. You will find everything from vintage pichwais and carpets to Pashmina shawls and Kashmiri rugs as well as bedcovers, cushion covers, silver jewelry, and clothes. It also houses Vipul Shah Bags, a luxury label that gives a new spin to antique Indian handicrafts through a range of eclectic (if somewhat eccentric) purses, clutches, and totes—these have even adorned the arms of many a Hollywood and Bollywood celebrity. If you're looking for high-quality souvenirs to take home, this is the place in Udaipur.

This shop is a favorite among trendy and wealthy Indians for its whimsical silver and ornamental trinkets, as well as semiprecious stone artifacts.

The local outlet of the popular brand Anokhi sells good-value Western clothes with an Indian flair, including cotton and hand-block prints that are sourced from national textile producers.

To learn more about the hand-block printing and textiles with natural pigments and dyes that you might want to shop for, check out this museum on your way in and out of Amber Fort. There are workshops held daily (check the website for times); there's a small shop on the premises, too.

This is Jaipur's leading gallery of contemporary art, with a wide-ranging collection of oil paintings, watercolors, and graphics by contemporary artists and sculptors.

Udaipur has many galleries that exhibit original work by burgeoning artists, which attracts serious art buyers. This gallery was started by B.G. Sharma, one of the preeminent miniature painters of India. Unlike most artists of miniature paintings, Sharma produced original ideas rather than copying traditional pictures, and made a huge contribution to advancing the Mughal, Kishangarh, and Kangra painting styles. Now his sons run the business but some of Sharma's legacy remains. As well as creating miniatures themselves in-house, they also sell the work of other painters. Check the authenticity of anything you want to buy.

For precious jewels, including gold ornaments, seek out this showroom, known worldwide for its kundan (a glasslike white stone) and mina (enamel) work. It has some reasonably priced silver jewelry featuring traditional patterns on contemporary styles.

A suburb of Udaipur on the road exiting the city towards Jaipur (15–20 minutes away from the city center), Bhuwana is the place to buy something carved in marble, be it an elephant almost as large as your car or a small knickknack like a soap tray or serving dish. There are rows and rows of shops here, where, with a little bargaining (never take the first price), you will get a good deal. Marble workshops are attached to many of the stores and you may be able to see artisans at work. Check with your hotel or local guide to arrange a car.

Managed and staffed by women, Cottons carries attractive wardrobe staples for men and women, as well as small bags, quilts, and other decorative household items.

This shop sells great cottons for men, women, children, and the home. They specialize in tailored pieces in vegetable dye prints. You can find men's tropical shirts, detailed dresses, or kurtas for both sexes, and they do saris as well as silks. Browse traditional pieces and modern garments that easily fit into your wardrobe back home.

India's answer to L'Occitane is cheaper and has a wide range of ayurvedic as well as naturally made and herbal products, including fragrances, oils, creams, soaps, and skin and beauty products. The night cream with saffron is a bestseller, as is the saffron facial cleanser.

Specializing in both contemporary and folk art, this gallery has many small pieces by Shail Choyal, a guru of contemporary Indian painting. Other highlights include the stylized work of Shahid Parvez, a well-known local artist, as well as work from an expanding number of Udaipur's contemporary artists.

From Jagdish Temple, stroll down to the Ganta Ghar (clock tower) and the area around it, a base for silver jewelry. Browse freely, but take care not to purchase items that are merely coated with silver-tone paint. Most of the silver shops here are run-of-the-mill and offer little variation in style and price.

This is a great place to shop for traditional and contemporary jewelry crafted from gold, silver, and gemstones in designs that range from traditional Rajasthani to Victorian. They can also custom-make pieces to your specification.

Shop here for Jaipur's best gems and jewelry, and a small collection of museum-quality curios, and you'll join the ranks of a royal clientele that includes King Charles and many members of Rajasthan's royal families. Even the princess of Jaipur, Maharani Gayatri Devi, might have been found here bargaining for a good deal. Prices range from US$25 to US$2 million.

This good local jewelry store specializes in traditional bridal jewelry styled according to Rajasthani royal tradition.

Jodhpur's vibrant bazaars are among the city's key sights, particularly Ghanta Ghar Market, near the clock tower. Wandering among the tiny shops dotting these crowded, narrow lanes in the heart of town, you'll get a real feel for the life and color of Marwari jewelry, steel utensils, kitchenware, leather shoes, trinkets, wedding clothes—you can find just about everything here (including locksmiths and indigenous dentists sitting side by side on the street), and many of the local spice merchants here deal in saffron and other spices from all over India. Beware of tourist markups and young men guiding you to their "uncle's store." There are also plenty of stores to shop in if you don't like haggling in bazaars—most notably the government-run emporium.

This long-standing multi-story shop is a local favorite for Rajasthani-printed outfits for women, men, and children, as well as handbags and home decor items like bedsheets and quilts. The brand has other outlets around the city, including a large one on Tonk Rd., but the service at this particular outlet is better.

On the outskirts of Udaipur, this sprawling multi-brand store offers a curated selection of luxury and designer home decor, furniture, kitchenware, and accessories from a bevy of local designers and a handful of international brands.

A broad selection of Rajasthan's fetching blue pottery is available here, including a large selection of tiles, bathroom fittings, cups, plates, and decorative items such as cabinet knobs. Clay pots are made on the premises.

This Johari Bazaar jeweler has an extensive and attractive collection of well-priced silver jewelry especially very unusual earrings with semiprecious stones. They are very polite and patient and do not push you toward buying. Bargaining is the norm here.

You can often see the artist at work here. Kamal Sharma paints mainly birds and animals on paper, marble, silk, and canvas, in contemporary, experimental, and traditional styles. All the works are for sale. The gallery often holds workshops and rotating exhibits.

Historically, this lane in the Old Pink City was devoted to marble statue cutters, though the area of late has become more generalized. You'll find a variety of clothing and jewelry vendors (accessible through Chandpol gate) scattered inside the area, too, but it's still a prime spot to watch stonecutters create artwork (big and small) in marble. Bargaining is recommended.

This place is a joy if you love antiques. Woodwork, antiques, leatherwork, and brass furniture comprise the collection here, which also includes unique painted boxes and jharokhas (carved doorways or windows) made of dark wood with brass decoration.

Available here is a wide selection of spices, clearly marked and packed in plastic for travelers with a passion for cooking Indian food. The shop is small but clean and tidy, and clearly caters to a crowd concerned with quality and food safety. The shop has branches on Nai Sarak and Palace Road.

Come here for a beautiful array of shawls, bedcovers, cushion covers, and wooden handicrafts. Bargain hard (they will pressure you, but stand your ground) and ignore tales about supplying to global designers.

If negotiating frustrates you, try considering the sales experience performance art.

This labyrinthine shop is a treasure trove of all things artistic: traditional miniature paintings done on paper or camel bone (you can also watch the artists at work), intricate pichwais, antiques, wooden and silver furniture, marble artifacts, jewelry, and various objets d'art.