Jaipur is the capital of India’s – Rajasthan state. Everybody knows it as the Pink City for its trademark buildings. Any visit to India is incomplete without exploring the grand forts of Rajasthan. Jaipur is one such city which is full of grandeur and glory. To fully enjoy the gist of the city I would recommend you to keep atleast 4 days in hand however 3 days is enough to cover all the main spots if you are in a rush.
The main spots are:
- Hawa Mahal
- City Palace
- Jantar Mantar
- Isarlat
- Markets
- Albert Hall Musuem
- Patrika Gate
- Nahargarh Fort
- Amber Fort
- Jaigarh Fort
- Panna Meena Ka Kund (Stepwell)
- Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan
- Jal Mahal
- World Trade Park
- Jawahar Circle Garden
Where To Stay?
I would suggest Bani Park. Due to its proximity to the major sights as well as accomodation options ranging from budget to high-end. It has options from hostels to heritage mansions known as Havelis, which will take you the age-old timed interiors.
How To Explore?
Jaipur is a big city and has got lots of sights to visit. Although it has good public transport, I would suggest you to rent a bike or car to explore the city. This way you can travel at your own time and cover as many places as you want without any restrictions.
What To Eat?
The famous Rawat Kachori for breakfast or snack.
Purana Pandit Pav Bhaji.
Rajasthani Thali at Natraj Restaurant is a must try.
Also do try delicious Dal Baati Churmas at as many places as you can.
Places To Explore?
Day1:
Hawa Mahal
It is considered as one of the symbols of Jaipur. It is also known as “Palace of Breeze or Winds”. It was built in 1799 as the extension to the Royal City Palace of Jaipur. It allowed the royal ladies who at that time strictly observed – “pardah” to watch any city processions or activities on the street without being seen by the public.
It is a unique combination of Rajput and Mughal architectural styles.
Timing – 9 am to 4.30 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 10 for Indians & Rs. 50 for Foreigners
While it is good to visit inside, I love the view opposite it. It is captured from the cafes opposite it. It opens by 8am in the morning and is open till 10-11pm at night. Best place to grab some good breakfast with the view. I clicked these pictures from “The Wind View Cafe”. There is another cafe- “Tattoo Cafe” above this. I liked this one better but both of them have this stunning view.
City Palace:
The City Palace is located in the middle of the old city wall of Jaipur. It’s really beautiful for those who adore art and history. Most of you are already aware of the seasonal gates at the palace which all the instagrammers go gaga over. It takes almost 2 hours if you visit it properly
Timing – 9 am to 5 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 200 for Indians & Rs. 500 for Foreigners
Audio guides are available at additional cost of around Rs. 150. The city palace reserves the most beautiful section for only a select few. The Chandra Mahal is a four story building behind the area accessible to general public. The entrance fee to this area is INR 2500 but definitely worth a visit. This ticket also includes a private guide and a beverage at the royal courtyard. If you are not on a tight budget, I would definitely recommend to take this experience.
Jantar Mantar
This astronomical observatory is walking distance from the city palace. If you are interested in the movement of the heavenly bodies then you should spend around two hours at this place with the audio guide.
Timing – 9 am to 5 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 50 for Indians & Rs. 200 for Foreigners
Nahargarh Fort
After exploring the above spots, it will be almost late afternoon, I suggest to start making way towards Nahargarh Fort. It is located around 6 KM outside the city of Jaipur. It is located along the Aravalli hills overlooking a beautiful lake. There is a food court and a restaurant at the top of the fort with an excellent view, Padao. I suggest you to explore the fort and head towards the restaurant by sunset to grab a good spot and enjoy the sunset and witness the city lights.
Timing – 10 am to 5.30 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 50 for Indians & Rs. 200 for Foreigners
Albert Hall Musuem
It’s a best place to witness the cultural art and history of the city. This museum provides exclusive collection of artifacts, objects and other art forms. If you are not interested in visiting the museum, it is a great place for your instaworthy pictures at night or day. During daytime you can capture the shot with all the pigeons with the museum’s backdrop while at night you can have the museum with full lightened up.
Timing – 10 am to 5.30 pm for day & 7pm to 10pm for night visit.
Entrance Fees – Rs. 40 for Indians & Rs. 300 for Foreigners. For night visit Rs. 100.
Day 2:
Amer Fort
I would suggest to start your day 2 early and head towards Amer Fort if you can, to catch the epic sunrise. Otherwise also you can start the day at Amer Fort. The fort is located 11 km from the city of Jaipur. It is an architectural beauty and a must visit when in Jaipur. There are a lot of stairs to climb the fort but the climb is absolutely worth it. I would suggest all the photography enthusiasts to keep their extra time in hand for this architectural beauty.
Timing – 9 am to 6 pm for day & 7.30 pm for light show
Entrance Fees – Rs. 50 for Indians & Rs. 550 for Foreigners.
Jaigarh Fort
After you are done exploring Amer Fort, you can head towards Jaigarh Fort. You can chose to walk or drive to it since it’s about 1.2km from Amer Fort. There is an adjoining fortress path which provides beautiful view takes about 30 minutes by walk to reach Jaigarh from Amer. You can also chose to drive to save the time it’s your choice. It is home to the largest Cannon on Wheels, also known as the ‘Jaivana Cannon’. It was beautifully assembled during the reign of Sawai Jai Singh II. It was manufactured in 1720 and still stands strong within the fort premises.
Timing – 9.30 am to 5 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 35 for Indians & Rs. 85 for Foreigners.
Panna Meena Ka Kund
It is a stepwell located near Amer Fort. You must have already seen it in dozens of instagram posts. Unfortunately you are not allowed to go down the stepwell for the pictures nowadays. However, if you are really lucky and go at a time when there is no crowd you can talk to the guard and go down a few steps with proper security measures. Otherwise you can go really early to catch the perfect picture. But even if you dont go down, it is really beautiful and you can get some adorable shots from different perspectives like I did.
Timing – 7 am to 6 pm
Entrance Fees – Free 🙂
Jal Mahal
On the way back to Jaipur, you will get Jal Mahal on the way. Another great photo stop. It is best to witness it’s beauty during sunset when the sky is in all the beautiful colors. You cant get into it, but can take the picture with it in the backdrop.
Timing – All day
Entrance Fees – No entry
Gaitor Ki Chattriyan
The beautiful edifice also has a cenotaph for each of the more famous Maharajas cremated there. Engraved with beautiful Rajasthani carvings, the cenotaphs are one of the major attractions of the place. The cenotaphs are shaped like umbrellas (chhatris) and hence the place is called Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan. It is a hidden gem of Jaipur, with minimal or no crowd at all and a great photostop.
Timing – 9.30 am to 5.30 pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 30 for Indians & Rs. 100 for Foreigners.
Rajmandir Cinema
Raj Mandir was opened in 1976 and attracts not only cine goers, but tourists also for its heritage style and elegance. The theatre makes the audience feel like they are guests in a royal palace. You can have a stop here when you are back to the city in the evening and also choose to watch a movie and feel the vibes if you want.
Om Revolving Restaurant
After the hectic travel of the day, you can treat yourself with a good dinner with a view at this restaurant. Make sure to get your reservations done beforehand.
Day 3:
Explore the markets
- Johari Bazaar – For Jewelry
- Tripolia Bazaar – For Bangles
- Chandpole Bazaar – For Handicrafts
- Kishanpole Bazaar – For Textiles
- Nehru Bazaar – For Traditional Jootis
- Sireh Deori Bazaar – For Street Shopping
- Bapu Bazaar – For All Jaipuri Items
- Mirza Ismail Road (MI Road) – For Pottery
- Tonnes of others
Jawahar Circle Garden
Jawahar Circle is recognised as the largest circular park in India, located on a traffic signal in Jaipur. It lies 13 km from the Jaipur Junction Railway Station along Malviya Nagar near Sanganer Airport on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. It can be entered through Patrika Gate, which has been attractively made. Patrika Gate is the colorful gate that you see all over instagram.
Timing – 6am to 9pm
Entrance Fees – Rs. 10 for Indians and Rs. 20 for Foreigners
World Trade Park
WTP is a shopping mall in Jaipur. It is really huge and worth visiting.
Timing – 11am to 9pm
Special Tip
If you are sure about visiting most of these spots, it’s better to opt for Tourist Composite Ticket. It gives you access to Amber Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal, Nahargarh Fort, Albert Hall Musuem, Isarlat, Sisodia Rani Garden & Vidhyadhar Garden.
Fees – Rs. 150 for Indians & Rs. 500 for Foreigners.
For students- Rs. 20 for Indians & Rs. 100 for Foreigners.
Validity – 2 days across all the mentioned places.
Where to Buy – You can buy it online from http://www.bookrajmonuments.in/index.php or offline from any one of these tourist spots.
Also if you have more days in hand, I would suggest you to club Jaipur with other Rajasthani cities. Or the best, go for the golden triangle trip comprising of Jaipur-Agra-Delhi. Each of these destinations are about 4 to 5 hours journey from each other.
That’s all for the Jaipur city. See you soon in some other city blogs. 🙂