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Jaipur – Your Guide to India’s “Pink City”

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM JAIPUR

Jaipur is the capital city of the beautiful Indian state of Rajasthan. In this guide to India’s ‘Pink City,’ Jaipur, we’ll take a look at the royal palaces, the iconic city gates, and the beautiful architecture. Jaipur is located in a desert climate, so be prepared for extreme temperatures and lots of dust.

Need to Know for Jaipur:

Currency: Indian Rupee (check exchange rate here)

Language: Hindi and English

Airports:

Jaipur – JAI

Electrical Outlets: 230V supply voltage and 50Hz, plug types C, D and M.

Planning Your Trip

Accommodation: Firstly, you need to decide where to stay. We stayed in Club Mahindra since we have a timeshare with them. This hotel is a little outside the city, but there are plenty of other great options. On the other hand, for something unique and royal feeling, check out Narain Niwas. If you’re looking for the luxurious royal experience (and ready to drop some major $$), check out Rambagh Palace. Finally, a great mid-range option is Trident Jaipur. Furthermore, this is a good option for a known hotel chain in India with foreigner safe food.

Getting Around: To be completely honest, we struggled to get around Jaipur. Ubers were really limited and kept cancelling on us. In addition, the autos would see me (obvious foreigner) and quadruple the price. We ended up renting a scooter for the week and driving ourselves around. If you’re not comfortable driving in India, here are a few recommendations:

  1. Stay near the city center because you can walk to restaurants and shops.
  2. Book tours with transportation. For instance, there are tons of great tours on Airbnbs that will take you around for the day so you don’t have to worry about transportation. Finally, we did this experience and LOVED IT! 
  3. You can use Uber, but budget an extra 30 mins into your transportation time to wait.
Jaipur streets
Jaipur Scooter

Restaurants

We ate at so many incredible restaurants in Jaipur, so here are a few of our favorites:

  1. Cinnamon at Jai Mahal Palace ($$$) – The best Rajasthani Thali we had the whole trip! We dream about this place even now. They also modified mine beautifully to be gluten free.
  2. Tapri Tea House ($$) – the best chai I had in India! This beautiful rooftop tea house is a great little lunch or breakfast spot in Jaipur.
  3. Bar Palladio ($$$) – Luxury outdoor bar with lights, fire pits, and fancy cocktails
  4. Native Cocktail Bar ($$) – a fun cocktail bar with insane drinks and nice vibes
  5. Sagar Ratna ($) – a South Indian chain that I came back to multiple times for foreigner safe and delicious dosas
  6. Chokhi Dhani ($$) – We didn’t actually go here, but it was recommended as an authentic Rajasthani experience by almost everyone we talked to!
Tapri Central
Bar Palladio

Things to See and Do in Jaipur

Highlights of Amer

  Amber Fort Palace: Probably the most iconic fort in Jaipur, you must plan a visit to Amber Fort Palace. The palace was once the primary residence of Jaipur’s Rajput rulers. Now the palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, the palace is featured in multiple Bollywood movies, highlighting the unique blend of Rajput (Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) design styles. Given this is such a popular attraction, I highly recommend a tour that includes transportation. Considering it’s popularity, the entrance line is always massively long and the guide can wait in line while you wander around and visit the next attraction. 

 

 

 Panna Meena ka Kund: While our guide was waiting in line for Amber Fort, we went to see Panna Meena ka Kund. This is a beautifully geometric step well nearby. Since Jaipur is in a desert, this 16th-century step well used to be the primary source of water for the people in the town of Amer. It’s worth stopping by to see it’s grandeur and unique design.

 

Amber Fort Palace
Panna Meena ka Kund

Highlights of Central Jaipur

Hawa Mahal: Translated to the “Wind Palace,” this iconic facade faces the main streets of Jaipur. Although it looks like a full building, in reality this pink structure is really just a wall. It was historically used for the royal women of Jaipur to watch events and gatherings in society since royal women could not show their faces in public. I recommend just viewing the structure from the outside because the inside is simply chambers where the women would stand. 

Nahargarh Fort: One of my favorite spots in all of Jaipur, I highly recommend climbing up to Nahargarh Fort at sunset. You will definitely need a car or a trusty scooter to get up to the fort. We drove our scooter up the steep, rocky path, and it was an adventure to say the least. Because of this, the fort boasts incredible views over all of Jaipur and it is especially breathtaking right at sunset. Finally, you might also recognize this as one of the filming locations for the popular movie, Rang de Basanti.

 

Hawa Mahal
nahargarh fort
nahargarh fort

More in Central Jaipur 

City Palace: City Palace, the current estate of the royal family of Jaipur, serves as an active venue for cultural and political events. Meanwhile, tourists can purchase tickets at the gate to see the beautiful gates, guest house, event halls, and textile museum.

Jantar Mantar: Jantar Mantar, a collection of astronomical instruments built by Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, is located right next to the City Palace. These instruments, among the largest of their kind, were built in the early 18th century and because of this, are still used today by astronomy students and visited by loads of tourists every day.

  Albert Hall: Constructed as a welcome gift for Prince Edward VII of Wales during his visit to Jaipur in 1876, Albert Hall is a beautiful structure that stands alone in a center square of the city, beautifully lit up at night. As a result, it now serves as the state museum of Rajasthan. Although we didn’t go inside, we viewed the hall from the outside.

city Palace Jaipur
Jantar Mantar
Albert Hall Jaipur

More in Jaipur to Explore

Birla Mandir: Another highlight while in Jaipur, one should definitely visit Birla Mandir, a beautiful Hindu temple constructed solely of white marble. Dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, it is one of many Birla Mandirs in India. Visitors are required to remove their shoes, maintain silence inside, and, finally, refrain from taking photos.

Patrika Gate: Our Jaipur guide described Patrika Gate as “built for Instagram,” but to clarify, that does not take away from its beauty and worthiness as a tourist attraction. The gate is a recent construction based on the seven original gates that were used to access Jaipur, as it was originally a walled city. Another important note is it was named after the powerful news company “Patrika,” the gate was built as a photo opportunity for visitors.

More in Jaipur to Explore

Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan: Just a short drive outside of Jaipur’s city center, Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan houses a collection of tombs for Jaipur’s royalty, each dome or chhatri being a beautiful piece of architecture. Although one might think of it as a sad place, these memorials to past royals are stunningly beautiful, making it one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited.

Johri and Bapu Bazaar: Johri Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar are the main markets in Jaipur, with Johri Bazaar being known for its jewelry and handicrafts, and Bapu Bazaar for its shoes and fabrics. The city’s well-designed storefronts all feature a terracotta/pink facade with black text in the same font, and furthermore, each store has a number for easy identification. These markets reminded me a bit of the ones we saw in Agra. 

Birla Mandir
Patrika Gate
Gaitore Ki Chhatriyan
Block Printing
Jaipur Rajasthan
Hawa Mahal Jaipur
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