Jaipur

Jaipur is not actually pink. The buildings in the old walled city are a particular shade of terracotta-orange that fades to something approximating pink in strong afternoon light. Maharaja Ram Singh II ordered the city painted that colour in 1876 for the visit of the Prince of Wales. Subsequent law has required buildings in the old city to maintain the scheme. The result is striking regardless of what you call the hue, and the city is genuinely one of the most visually coherent old towns in India.

The city was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who commissioned a astronomer-king layout on a grid plan, an unusual urban choice for its era. The Jantar Mantar observatory he built inside the city still works. The instruments, some of them enormous stone sundials accurate to two seconds, were built before the telescope was standard equipment, and they were used for serious astronomical calculation. It is one of the most interesting and least crowded of Jaipur’s major sites.

What to Visit

Amber Fort (also spelled Amer) is about 11 kilometres outside the city centre and is the reason most people come to Jaipur. The complex was built from 1592 onwards by Maharaja Man Singh I and expanded over the following century. It occupies a hillside position above Maota Lake, which reflects the fort in the early morning when the light is right. The Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) inside is the most photographed interior: thousands of small mirrors set into the plasterwork catch candle or torch light and scatter it. Entry for foreign visitors is 500 rupees. The light and sound show in the evenings costs an additional 295 rupees and is worth doing if you are in Jaipur for more than one night.

The elephant ride question: rides to the fort were suspended and have since been quietly resumed, with current prices starting around 1,000-2,500 rupees per ride. The welfare situation at Jaipur’s elephant camps has improved since the suspension but remains contested. Jeeps make the same ascent in five minutes for significantly less money and no ethical ambiguity.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) on Johari Bazaar Road was built in 1799 and is best described as a facade with a building behind it. The front wall, with its 953 latticed windows across five stories, was designed so women of the royal household could observe street life without being seen. Entry is 100 rupees for Indian visitors, 500 for foreigners. The internal access takes you up through cramped passages to a roof terrace with good views over the bazaar. Worth it in the early morning when it is cooler and the front facade catches the light.

City Palace is a complex still partly occupied by the Jaipur royal family. The public areas include impressive courtyards, the Mubarak Mahal (a textile and costume museum), the Diwan-i-Khas, and two enormous silver urns that the Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II had made to carry Ganges water on his voyage to England in 1901 because he refused to drink foreign water. Each holds 4,000 litres. The family still uses the private sections of the palace. Entry prices vary by section.

A composite ticket for 1,000 rupees covers entry to seven monuments including City Palace, Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, and Hawa Mahal. If you are planning more than two of these, the composite saves money.

Nahargarh Fort on the ridge above the city is less visited than Amber and benefits from it. The fort itself is ruined in parts, but the views over Jaipur are the best available and the atmosphere is relaxed. The cafe Padao inside the fort has one of the better hilltop views in any Indian city. Good for a late afternoon visit when the temperature drops slightly.

Where to Eat

The single best breakfast in Jaipur is a pyaaz kachori (flaky pastry filled with spiced onion) from one of the joints on Mirza Ismail Road or near the Johari Bazaar. Rawat Mishthan Bhandar is the most famous, and it is famous for good reason. Go before 10 am. The kachoris are freshest in the first two hours after opening.

Lassiwala on MI Road has been serving lassi since the 1940s and serves nothing else. The lassi comes in clay kulhads (small fired cups) that you keep until you are done and then dispose of. The thick, cold curd drink is the correct response to a hot Jaipur afternoon.

LMB (Laxmi Misthan Bhandar) near Johari Bazaar has been operating for a very long time and is the place for vegetarian thalis and Rajasthani sweets, including ghevar, a disc-shaped sweet made with flour and soaked in sugar syrup, topped with cream or rabri. It is specific to Rajasthan and most easily found in Jaipur.

For a sit-down meal with atmosphere, 1135 AD inside the Amber Fort complex serves Rajasthani cuisine in a heritage setting with candlelit tables. The name refers to the founding year of the Kachchwaha dynasty. It is unashamedly a tourist restaurant, but the food is genuinely good and the setting is hard to argue with.

Samode Haveli in the old city is a heritage hotel with an inner courtyard restaurant that opens for dinner. Candlelight, a live folk musician in the corner, Rajasthani cooking at reasonable prices for the setting. Not a secret, but worth booking.

For street food in the evening, the lanes around Hawa Mahal and the Bapu Bazaar area become more interesting after 6 pm when the vendors set up. Mirchi vada (green chilli fritters stuffed with potato) is the next kachori.

Where to Stay

The Oberoi Rajvilas is the luxury benchmark in Jaipur: cottages in a garden property with a spa and pool. The price is significant (upwards of 600-700 USD per night in season) but you are paying for a level of quiet and finish that the city-centre heritage hotels cannot match. Worth considering if Jaipur is the centrepiece of your trip.

Hotel Diggi Palace is the best value for money at the opposite end of the price scale: a genuinely nice heritage property in a residential neighbourhood, family-run, with a garden that is a relief from the city’s heat and noise. The rooms vary widely, so ask to see a few before settling. Mid-range prices for a heritage feel.

For something between the two, Samode Haveli and Dera Rawatsar are both authentic havelis in the old city converted to guesthouses, with the character of the original architecture intact.

Practical Notes

The old city (including Hawa Mahal, Johari Bazaar, and City Palace) is walkable but dense and warm. An auto-rickshaw driver you hire for a half-day is often the most sensible way to cover the main sites without negotiating every individual trip. Agree a full rate upfront.

Jaipur Junction is the main railway station, well-connected to Delhi (about 5 hours on faster trains), Agra (about 3 hours), and Jodhpur (about 6 hours). The airport is 15 kilometres south of the city with direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and several other major Indian cities.

The best time to visit is October through March, when temperatures are below 30 degrees Celsius during the day. Avoid May and June when midday temperatures regularly exceed 42 degrees. The monsoon (July-September) brings relief from the heat and a specific quality of light, but some roads and sites can be affected.

Cash is still useful in Jaipur’s smaller markets and for auto-rickshaws, though UPI payment is increasingly common. Tipping is appreciated at 50-100 rupees for good service.