Home > Activities > Historic Quarters & Havelis

Historic Quarters & Havelis

Tour Jaisalmer's historic heart

Set off on a tour of the historic quarter, starting at Manik Chowk, the original trading post in the days of the caravanserai. The square is filled with small shops and vendors selling camel-hair and camel-leather goods and embroidered dhurries and textiles. Shop for fine pattu shawls, mirror work and embroidered articles , wooden boxes , trinkets , silver jewellery and curios. Continue on to Badal Vilas, a beautiful palace, before exploring the by-lanes of Jaisalmer’s old city with its gorgeous havelis. The havelis of Jaisalmer are an art-form unto themselves, magnificently carved with fine lattice work and made out of golden sandstone. Once upon a time, these havelis were owned by rich merchants with vast monopolies on trade over the Silk Route, some of whose descendants still occupy these once-grand residences today.

Activities from the Destination

Places of interest to weave into your itinerary

Jaisalmer Fort Walk

A fort that breathes history
Manganiar Music Traditions

The legacy of Jaisalmer's wandering minstrels

Related Activities

Immersive, thematic activities to explore destinations

Alchi Monastery

Leh
Basgo Ruins

Leh
Ajanta – Ellora cave temples

Delve into the history of one of India's finest architectural wonders

Aurangabad
Neo-classical Architecture Trails

Unravel the stories behind Mumbai's architectural sights

Mumbai
Curator Led Walk: Royal Opera House

Step into Mumbai's iconic performance venue of the past & present

Mumbai
Excursion to Sivasagar

Delve into the culture of the Ahom tribe

Majuli
Mehtab Bagh

A four garden structure opposite the Taj Mahal

Agra
Mehrangarh Fort

Discover Jodhpur's most commanding monument

Jodhpur