Jaipur
Sawai Jai Singh II moved his capital off the hill in 1727 and laid out a city by treatise — wide avenues, walled blocks, and an observatory in the middle of it.
1592
Amber
The Kachwaha capital in the hills.
1727
Jaipur founded
A grid city on the plain below.
1734
Jantar Mantar
Masonry instruments for the sky.
1876
Pink city
Painted terracotta for a royal visit.
3 days in Jaipur
Day 1 — Amber and the ridge forts
- Morning
- Amber Fort at its 8am opening, walking up through the Suraj Pol: the Diwan-i-Aam, the mirror-work Sheesh Mahal and Man Singh's palace at the top. Stop at Panna Meena ka Kund, the stepwell below the fort, on the way down.Amber Fort · Panna Meena ka Kund
- Lunch
- 1135 AD inside Amber Fort, a restaurant in the palace rooms — laal maas or a Rajasthani thali.1135 AD
- Afternoon
- Jaigarh Fort on the ridge above, for the Jaivana cannon and the long views over Amber, then the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in a restored haveli in Amber town.Jaigarh Fort · Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing
- Dinner
- Laal maas and Jaisalmeri dishes at Handi on MI Road, open since 1984.Handi
- Evening
- Jal Mahal floating in Man Sagar lake, lit up, on the drive back into the city.Jal Mahal
Good to knowLeave early: by 10am the Amber ramp is crowded with tour groups. Skip the elephant rides. Jaigarh is ticketed separately from the composite ticket.
Day 2 — The walled city
- Morning
- Hawa Mahal's facade at first light from the cafés opposite, then inside from 9am. Walk to Jantar Mantar's nineteen masonry instruments and the City Palace museums next door.Hawa Mahal · Jantar Mantar · City Palace museums
- Lunch
- Rajasthani thali or kachori and sweets at LMB in Johari Bazaar.LMB (Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar)
- Afternoon
- The bazaars Jai Singh assigned by trade: Johari Bazaar's jewelers, Bapu Bazaar's textiles and juttis, and Maniharon ka Rasta, where lac bangles are made in front of you.Maniharon ka Rasta
- Dinner
- Niros on MI Road, a 1949 restaurant for tandoori dishes, followed by a kulhad lassi at Lassiwala across the street (if open — it closes when the lassi runs out).Niros · Lassiwala
- Evening
- A rooftop view of the pink city lights from one of the cafés facing Hawa Mahal.
Good to knowThe composite ticket covers Amber, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Albert Hall and Nahargarh for two days; City Palace has its own ticket. Bargain in the bazaars and avoid guides who steer you into 'factories'.
Day 3 — Museums and Nahargarh
- Morning
- The Albert Hall Museum in Ram Niwas Garden: the Egyptian mummy, carpets, arms and miniatures in an 1887 Indo-Saracenic hall.Albert Hall Museum
- Lunch
- Tapri Central, a tea café on the top floor overlooking Central Park.
- Afternoon
- The drive up to Nahargarh for the view over the grid from the ramparts and Madhavendra Bhawan's nine identical queens' suites; stop at the Royal Gaitor cenotaphs below on the way.Nahargarh Fort · Royal Gaitor
- Dinner
- Suvarna Mahal at the Rambagh Palace, the 1835 palace's old banqueting hall. Book ahead.Suvarna Mahal
- Evening
- Albert Hall floodlit after dark, or drinks under the blue arches of Bar Palladio at Narain Niwas Palace.Bar Palladio
Good to knowNahargarh closes around 5:30pm, so go in the afternoon. Padao, the café on its rampart, stays open later for sunset.