Bikaner would not be the first place you would think of booking a holiday for if the entertainment of children was a primary objective as it really isn’t a place well geared to a family holiday. Adults however, keen to check out the place with little ones in tow, will find a small selection of activities suitable for children. Booking into one of the reputable hotels is probably the best move since these invariably have facilities onsite for entertaining kids.

Bikaner Camel Festival
Plan your holiday to coincide with the city’s camel festival (usually held in the third week of January) and the kids will get to witness the fascinating procession that is the hallmark of this popular annual event. The festival also offers the opportunity for kids to experience a fun, if not somewhat bumpy, ride on the back of one of these sturdy beasts.

Hotel activities
Depending on where you choose to stay, your hotel may well offer a selection of activities that are suitable for younger guests. The Gajner Palace and Karni Bhawan Palace Hotel for example offer a package of daytime activities to all children of paying guests, giving adults the chance to do a little sightseeing or relax by the pool, in the knowledge that their offspring are in safe hands.

Parks
The little ones will soon tire of sightseeing and will relish the chance to let loose a little amid some greenery and away from the concrete jungle. Bikaner has several parks that fit the bill including Ratan Bihari Temple Park and Tessitory Park. Ganga Public Park meanwhile, is also a popular choice on account of its small onsite zoo where children can enjoy viewing a variety of domestic animal specimens.

Swimming
Book into one of the city’s reputable hotels and chances are high that you will have a swimming pool at your disposal, which in the warmer periods of the year can be something of a godsend for all visitors. Children in particular however, will enjoy the refreshing feeling of splashing around in the cool water while parents catch a few rays or relax with a good book on a poolside lounger.

Culture seekers will indeed be in their element in Bikaner with a genuinely varied selection of buildings, sites and museums on offer, ensuring that both living and preserved history is on display. Many attractions can be entered free of charge or for a nominal fee, however an extra fee is imposed for the taking of photographs; this is a set figure and not based on the number of snaps made. Highlights of the city’s cultural attractions include the magnificent Junagarh Fort and the Shri Sadul Museum; the latter of significance to visitors with an interest in Maharaja Ganga Singhji.

Devi Kund
Located just 8kms outside of the city, Devi Kund is the royal crematorium and a fascinating historical site offering some interesting architectural features. The cenotaphs or chhatris are especially notable, with each being dedicated to a specific ruler of the Bikaji dynasty and placed at the exact location at which their bodies were cremated.

Junagarh Fort
Lying northeast of the old city, this imposing structure is the product of the constructive efforts of Rai Singh, who reigned from 1571 to 1612 and worked on the fort between 1588 and 1593. Notable features of the fort include the outer wall with its two entrances and 37 bastions, and the palaces within the fort such as Anup Mahal, Ganga Niwas and Rang Maha.

Karni Mata Temple
Travel just 30kms outside of Bikaner to the neighbouring town of Deshnoke and one comes across the Karni Mata Temple, a structure featuring a shrine which is dedicated to Karni Mata, a 15^th century goddess believed to be an incarnation of Durga. The temple is the work of Maharaja Ganga Singh from the early 20th century and captures the essence of late Mughal style. The most unusual characteristic of the temple is its large volume of rat residents which locals believe are the reincarnations of their ancestors.

Lalgarh Palace
Constructed between 1902 and 1926, Lalgarh Palace is an attractive building featuring a mix of Rajput and Mughal styles with some notable European influences also. Maharaja Ganga Singh (1881-1942) was responsible for commissioning the building, which was designed by British architect Sir Swinton Jacob and intended as a tribute to his father Maharaja Lall Singh. The exterior features a red sandstone finish while inside are grand halls with intricately designed fireplaces and magnificent pillars.

Laxmi Nath Temple
Among the city’s oldest temples, Laxmi Nath Temple had its foundations laid by Rao Bikaji in 1488 and was constructed during Rao Lunkaran’s reign with additions made to it later by Maharaja Ganga Singh.

Prachina Museum
Daughter of Narendra Singh Ji, current Maharaja of Bikaner, was responsible for the existence of this museum, which she brought into being in October 2000. Located inside Junagarh Fort, the museum is home to a variety of artefacts aimed at preserving the fascinating history of the palace, the city and the royal line.

Shiv Bari Temple
This magnificent red sandstone structure is the work of Dungar Singh from the end of the 19^th century and is notable for its statues of Nandi and the Shiva Lingam which are located opposite one another. The large stone wall which encompasses the temple is also worthy of mention.

Shri Sadul Museum
Situated inside the Lalgarh Palace, this unique museum is home to an extensive collection of rare artefacts among which are library books and files from the Maharaja Ganga Singhji and Sri Sadul Singhji periods and a number of personal effects such as golf clubs, a camera, a passport and more. There are also various artworks from the Maharaja's private collection.

Dining in Bikaner is always an interesting experience with this region of the country having its own distinct style of cuisine just like any other region. Food in Bikaner and Rajasthan is heavily influenced by factors such as climate and availability of raw ingredients. The intense heat precludes the inclusion of foods which spoil easily, namely those with significant water content; hence dried ingredients such as lentils, lentil flour (gram flour) and wheat derivations are common.

Ghee (clarified butter) is also a common ingredient, as is buttermilk and dried mango. Vegetarian creations feature heavily and the most popular dish is perhaps daal-baati-churma, a combination of lentil stew, baked wheat ball and powdered sweetened cereal.

Visitors should exercise a little caution when choosing where to eat in Bikaner, since hygiene in kitchens can sometimes be something of a low priority. To be guaranteed of clean food of a high standard, the restaurants of the city’s reputable hotels are a good place to start. For those visitors not perturbed by the possibility of a little ‘Delhi belly’ or with cast iron digestive systems, however, the plethora of small local eateries and street vendors can be great places at which to get a taste of truly authentic Bikaner cuisine at unbelievably affordable prices.

Outside of the hotels, good clean restaurants with excellent cuisine can be found with a little effort. Notable choices include Amber Restaurant close to Station road where visitors can enjoy delicious vegetarian thalis – mixed selection of Indian dishes served on metal trays with small compartments. Nearby is a good little eatery known as Joshi where food is cheap and everything from appetisers to thalis are available.

Shopping in Bikaner is much more about handicrafts and ethnic wares than high fashion and factory-produced consumer goods, with the city’s local markets offering some excellent opportunities to pick up products made from camel hide as well as wooden antiques, clothing, jewellery and various art objects. Carpets are especially popular, with locally woven wool used in their creation. It’s possible to have carpets shipped home but visitors should be extra wary of the shipping agents they use, as goods already paid for have the propensity to get ‘lost in transit’.

There a very limited options for outdoor activities in Bikaner and this is really not the place to head if this is a priority for you. That being said, the few choices that are available, ie the desert safaris on camels or in jeeps, are as exciting as anything you are likely to encounter in India in the way of outdoor pursuits. Alternatively, some of the large hotels have their own outdoor sporting facilities such as tennis courts that are available for use free of charge for guests.

Camel rides
Much less a safari than a short jaunt to some of the areas within the immediate vicinity of Bikaner’s desert, visitors can opt for half-hour or hour-long rides during which time they can expect to see some of the local desert villages.

Camel safaris
An exceedingly popular way to see something of the vast Thar Desert is to take a camel safari care of any of several local tour companies that can also be arranged through reputable hotels. Safaris head into remote parts of the desert, passing small villages where time would appear to have stalled. Overnight stops are made at special camps set up for safari visitors and all food and drink is provided.

Hiking
If you can negotiate a reasonable price with a local guide, then hiking is a possibility in the less desert-like areas around Bikaner. The weather in the summer precludes any possibility of taking on such activity so visitors wanting to hike or trek should plan their holiday for cooler periods.

Jeep safaris
For those visitors not wishing to climb astride ‘ships of the desert’ (camels), then trips out into the far regions of the desert are available in the relative comfort of jeeps. Jeep safaris take in many of the same sights as trips made on camels, plus others, on account being able to cover greater distances than humped-backed transportation.