Beautiful Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan and it is definitely the most beautiful city on a Golden Triangle trip. It’s oozing with stunning artwork, incredible architecture, its iconic doorways and plenty of palaces. We enjoyed three days in the city which was a good amount of time to enjoy a very relaxed rest day as well as two more touristing days. You can’t just discover royal palaces and historic forts in The Pink City but you can also find plenty of detailed handicrafts to take home as well as filling your belly with incredible food.
If a trip to Jaipur is in your future then make sure you read this guide and send it to your travel pal to inspire your itinerary planning 🗺
Where to Stay:
🛏 We stayed at The Liv Hotel which was ideal. A good location, just out of the city centre which means it was less busy on the street outside and less noisy than being in the heart. Our room was modern and spacious with attentive staff. Sammoda Spa offers some good prices massages and treatments and opt for breakfast with your stay because you’ll be treated to the absolute dream that is a Curious Coffee Roasters breakfast / brunch!
How to get Around:
🛺 Single Journeys – You can easily get around Jaipur with the tuktuks you’ll see whizzing around. We found the best way to do this was via Uber. This is because you can see the price when you book and it’s confirmed there. No haggling, no getting ripped off. Many 5-10 minute journeys we took were only 50-70 INR and we would generally hand over 100 INR to keep the change because that is still cheaper than the price you may be given. Traffic is as chaotic here as it is in the rest of India so if you feel too exposed or unsafe in a tuktuk you can also book various types of car on Uber as well.
🚕 Taxi for a Day – If you’re planning one big day of sightseeing then you’ll probably book a guide / driver tour. Aim to book one that says no shopping otherwise you may be corralled into visiting your guide’s friend’s shop…or somewhere they’re being expected to go to get commission. We booked with Sightseeing Cab in Jaipur as we had decided we didn’t want a guide (to go at our own pace and choose a route as much as possible) and just wanted a driver. They were quick to organise our day and our driver was great!
Top Tip – Booking Activities & Tours
My favourite app for booking tours, adventures and plenty of fun is Get Your Guide. There are so many epic memories that you can choose to make from food tours to entry tickets, laidback wine tasting to adrenaline filled adventures. Make sure you use my discount code CATTHOMSON5 for 5% off your first booking when you download the app as a new user 👇
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1. Amber Fort
🎟 100 INR for Indians | 500 INR for Foreign Tourists
First up is the incredible Amber Fort. The Fort was originally built by Raja Man Singh around the 1590s but has been expanded and changed over many subsequent years to the imposing yet beautiful structure you see today. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. If you’ve booked a tour with a guide then you will learn plenty about the history, architecture and stories of this place but if not, you can ‘hire a guide on demand’ as there are many government approved guides at the entrance when you’re booking your ticket.
What stands out most about the Amber Fort is some of the unbelievable craftsmanship and decoration that you see throughout its rooms, archways and doors. It’s a complete feast for the eyes (and the camera!) and you’ll want to just see everything you can. Don’t miss the windows that act like picture frames (see below) and don’t miss the magical Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace).
The best way to visit is when you have a tour or a driver for the day because it can be quite a hectic experience otherwise. It’s great to know that someone will pick you up when you’re done rather than having to try and navigate finding transport back to the city. It would be ideal to visit here first thing as it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Jaipur, if not the whole of Rajasthan. This had been our attention but a missed alarm meant we didn’t arrive until 9:30am (I cannot tell you how gutted I was) and it was already pretty busy. I’ve written a complete guide to the Amber Fort because there’s plenty of information to share with you that it may make this one post a little boring if I write it all down now!
2. City Palace
🎟 300 INR for Indians | 1000 INR for Foreign Tourists (basic ticket)
The City Palace is located right at the heart of Jaipur. Jaipur is known as The Pink City because the city that exists within the walled part of the centre is covered in pink. It’s a very specific salmony, peachy pink and it became known as such when Prince Albert made a royal visit and The Maharaja had all the buildings painted in this colour (although many were constructed from pink and / or red sandstone anyway) as pink is the colour of hospitality in India. Building work for the City Palace began in 1727 when Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II moved his court from the Amber Fort to this location. Today, it is still inhabited by royal residents and if you take the 5000 INR Royal Tour you should be able to see some of the royal rooms still in use!
If you opt for the basic ticket (we did 🙋♀️) you can still access the museums in the Palace as well as be able to admire the wonderful courtyards and you’ll find plenty of gorgeous doors and doorways. The basic ticket is 1000 INR and unless you desperately want to see the royal rooms, you’ll save more than £30 per ticket doing this. Look out for the dapper City Palace guards with their ruby red turbans.
Top Tip – Booking Activities & Tours
My favourite app for booking tours, adventures and plenty of fun is Get Your Guide. There are so many epic memories that you can choose to make from food tours to entry tickets, laidback wine tasting to adrenaline filled adventures. Make sure you use my discount code CATTHOMSON5 for 5% off your first booking when you download the app as a new user 👇
Get Your Guide App
3. Hawa Mahal
🎟 50 INR for Indians | 200 INR for Foreign Tourists
Whilst the Amber Fort may be the most visited tourist attraction in Jaipur, Hawa Mahal must be the most photographed. This gorgeous building gives very strong Wes Andersen vibes, especially when viewed from straight on at the cafes on the opposite side of the road. Hawa Mahal translates to Palace of Winds and it was built so that the royal women of the City Palace could look down at the street below without being seen by the people outside. There would have been many festivals and parades to observe. The building has five stories and 953 small windows. They form a lattice structure which acts to ventilate and cool air through the building (hence Palace of Winds).
Right outside there is a section of pavement that is railed off for people to stop and take photos but it is extremely busy. The best way to admire Hawa Mahal is by heading to the cafes over the road and getting a straight on, uninterrupted view. I do recommend Tattoo Cafe and Lounge because you can sit out on their roof terrace with a drink or lunch and enjoy being up above the chaos of the street down below. TC does have a 250 INR cover charge per person because I’m sure if they didn’t they would have a nightmare with people coming and going all the time. But don’t worry, if you eat or drink here you get that 250 INR back on your final bill.
Interestingly, Hawa Mahal is the tallest building in the world to be built with no foundation – how bizarre!
4. Food Tour
🎟 Around £10-£30 depending on the tour booked
Perhaps like me you’re feeling a little daunted about food and getting ill on your trip to India. Yet you know that India has some of the most flavourful, fragrant and vibrant dishes you can find. India is also known for its street food and you ay live somewhere which has many cafes dedicated not only to India food but specifically Indian street food! By home city of Edinburgh certainly does! A great way to taste test the local cuisine in a safer and more responsible environment is by joining a food tour since they have an obligation and reputation to uphold and not get you sick!
We joined one with the No Diet Club because I’ve come across them in Europe and the tour was a lot of fun. Our guide was friendly and very knowledgeable and we finished without being able to eat a single thing more. We tasted our way from savoury to sweet, salty to spicy and plenty in between.
5. Patrika Gate
🎟 Free!
The Patrika Gate is a considerably more modern addition to the Jaipur tourist activities as it was built just a decade ago in 2016. However, in that short time it’s made its way onto plenty of itineraries mainly because it makes for a fabulous photo which really encapsulates everything about Jaipur. The vibrant colours of the gate reflect Jaipur’s vibrant culture.
The Patrika Gate was built as the entrance to the Jahawar Circle Park (the biggest circular park in Asia) and was built on the site of one of the original seven gates that led into Jaipur’s walled city. The exterior is a classic Pink City pink whilst the interior is bursting with colour and expression in a series of paintings that reflect Rajasthan’s history and details which reflect the design and artisanal nature of Jaipur. It’s a popular place to take photos so if that’s what you want too then come early!
Also, make sure your taxi or auto rickshaw drops you off at the car park because if not, you may have a hideous dash across a very busy road to get there – not fun.
6. Albert Hall Museum
🎟 50 INR for Indians | 300 INR for Foreign Tourists
Head to the Albert Hall Museum for incredible architecture and rooms full of interesting art, textiles and historical items. This is a great chance to learn about Jaipur and Rajasthan’s history as well as discover other artefacts from around the world. It was fascinating to see what traditional dress would have looked like in the state as well as the rather macabre Egyptian mummy!
7. Brunch at Curious Life Coffee Roasters
If there’s one place you have got to test drive brunch in Jaipur then it’s at Curious Life Coffee Roasters. It’s situated on the bottom floor of The Liv Hotel and if you stay at the hotel (like we did) and include brekkie (like we did) then you’ll get to have brekkie / brunch here everyday. Honestly, winning start to the day here. The coffee is incredible and they have so many varieties of coffee beans as well as style of drinks. The pastries are also unbelievable and I may have, at various points, tried a pain au chocolat, a cinnamon swirl and a pistachio cronut. Good grief they were all excellent. The brunch menu has lots of options to choose from including pancakes, omelettes and granola bowls. Ooh I also did have fresh orange juice here because it was served as is with no ice / water etc.
8. Raj Mandir Cinema
Right, my big miss in Jaipur was not going into the Raj Mandir cinema. We panicked at the outside because the security guard said you needed a ticket to go inside. We should have just bought one even if we had not intention of seeing the film so that we could have seen the hall. It’s supposed to a wonderful piece of art deco design. You can see some of that on its exterior. If you have the time then book tickets to see a film. I imagine it’s a fun experience! There are plenty of Indian movies but also some Western on Hindi with English subtitles, just take a look at their screening before your trip.
9. Jantar Mantar
🎟 50 INR for Indians | 200 INR for Foreign Tourists
Jantar Mantar is an unusual yet intriguing thing to do in Jaipur. It’s best combined with a visit to City Palace since the exit of the palace is right opposite the entrance to Jantar Mantar! This site is a collection of various astronomical instruments that were built in the 18th century. This was one place where we did wish we had a guide to understand what exactly we were looking at! One or two were obvious but many of the instruments looked quite complex and could do with descriptions on what they do and what they tell you. Jantar Mantar is included in Jaipur’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.
10. Nahargarh Fort
🎟 50 INR for Indians | 200 INR for Foreign Tourists
If you have the time then watching sunset at Nahargarh Fort should be on your itinerary. It’s often said to be the best location in the city and many make the journey up. Alternatively, if you’re short on time then visiting on the way back from the Amber Fort makes the most of journey time. The road winds up and up onto the hill that the fort sits on in the Aravalli range of mountains behind Jaipur.
I enjoyed exploring this fort more than the Amber Fort as it was considerably quieter (although it is also considerably smaller) which meant it was easier to enjoy the details and corridors that you were seeing. The fort was built in 1734 with the purpose of being able to defend the city. It’s a spectacular place with the combination of the solid defensive fortress walls and the soft, mystical designs inside the palace.
11. Drinks at Bar Palladio
Because Jaipur has a rich, royal history, it’s full of heritage hotels and opulent restaurants and bars. One of these is Bar Palladio which is set inside the Narain Niwas Palace Hotel. The bar shows up on plenty of Instagrammable Jaipur lists because it has a lovely outdoor seating area (just look at those canopied seats) as well as a glorious interior. The design is blue and white and inspired by an eclectic twist of Mughal and Italian together. Each room you stumble into is more wondrous than the next and we were lucky to have it nearly entirely to ourselves so it was very easy to admire the artwork and the quiet. I’m sure it gets busier at the weekends and over dinnertime but stop by for a later afternoon drink in the golden sunshine for a tipple.
12. Jal Mahal
🎟 Free!
Jal Mahal is quite a ‘quick thing to do’ in Jaipur as you can’t actually visit this palace. You can, however, gaze at it from the roadside and it is a must see on your trip. It’s also super easy to incorporate into your trip to the Amber Fort because it’s on the way. I believe the best time to see Jal Mahal is in the evening when the lights are on and the sun is setting because it makes for a great photo and the palace really looks like it’s floating on a calm day! The Water Palace was originally built around 1700 as a hunting lodge and is a rather impressive feat of building work because there are four floors built under the water!
13. Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan
🎟 30 INR for All
Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan may not be on some tours because it’s not as touristy or well known to tourists but that’s what makes it such a stunning place to visit. This location was the royal crematorium Kachwaha kings and the elegant structures, columns and details reflect its magisterial nature.
It is a very peaceful and beautiful place to walk slowly through the grounds and enjoy a moment of quiet and reflection in what is most likely an action packed day.
14. Shopping & Textiles
Jaipur is famous for its shopping and its handicrafts. There are plenty of ways to get involved whether that’s haggling for your best bargain at the bazaars, creating your own block print items or browsing the high end fashion stores. The Johari Bazaar is the best spot if you’re looking for jewellery or fabrics whilst Bapu Bazaar is where you’ll find handicrafts and leather goods. There are plenty of craft workshops and tours that you could join as well to test your creative side and admire the skills which local artisan’s have built.
15. Panna Meena ka Kund
🎟 Free!
When you visit the Amber Fort, don’t miss the intriguing Panna Meena ka Kund. If you’re driving all the way up to the car park at the main entrance then you’ll pass it on your way around the one way system and this is the best way to visit. You could walk here from the Fort but the roads are narrow and congested. This is an ancient stepwell which as the name would suggest, means that it is well built at the bottom of steps. It’s very beautiful to look at and photograph. Make sure not to climb down any of the steps as this has been banned in recent years and there’s a guard watching.
Check out some of my other posts about Jaipur below:
Cat x
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