Jaipur Travel Guide: The Pink City of Rajasthan, India

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is the city everyone calls the Pink City — a nickname that dates to 1876, when Maharaja Ram Singh II had the old walled town washed in terracotta pink to welcome the Prince of Wales. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, it was one of India’s first planned cities, laid out on a grid of wide avenues and nine rectangular blocks guided by the ancient principles of Vastu Shastra. Roughly 280 km (about 170 miles) southwest of Delhi, it sits on the dry plains of eastern Rajasthan, ringed by the rugged Aravalli hills and the forts that once guarded it.

Together with Delhi and Agra, Jaipur forms India’s famous Golden Triangle, and it is the first great Rajput city most travellers meet. It is still a living royal capital — the former ruling family lives in part of the City Palace — and its bazaars, gem cutters, block printers and marble carvers keep centuries-old trades alive. For Palace Tours guests it is a highlight of the Palace on Wheels and Maharajas’ Express itineraries, as well as our private Rajasthan and Golden Triangle journeys.

What to see in Jaipur

• Amber (Amer) Fort — A honey-coloured hilltop fortress 11 km north of the city, built from the late 16th century. Its Sheesh Mahal, the Hall of Mirrors, glitters with thousands of tiny inset mirrors, and the ramparts overlook Maota Lake.
• Hawa Mahal — The iconic Palace of the Winds (1799), a five-storey pink sandstone screen with 953 small latticed windows that let royal women watch street processions unseen. Best photographed in the soft early-morning light.
• City Palace — The heart of the old city, a blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture with courtyards, museums of royal textiles and arms, and the four painted Peacock Gates of Pritam Niwas Chowk.
• Jantar Mantar — A UNESCO World Heritage astronomical observatory built by Jai Singh II, whose giant masonry instruments include the world’s largest stone sundial, still accurate to within seconds.
• Nahargarh Fort — Perched on the ridge above the city, it offers the best sunset view over Jaipur’s rooftops, and its Madhavendra Bhawan holds a suite of identical apartments built for the maharaja’s queens.
• Jal Mahal — The Water Palace, a graceful sandstone pavilion that appears to float in the middle of Man Sagar Lake on the road to Amber.
• Albert Hall Museum — Rajasthan’s oldest museum, an Indo-Saracenic landmark housing miniature paintings, carpets, metalwork and even an Egyptian mummy; it is beautifully lit at night.
• Jaigarh Fort — Connected to Amber by fortified walls, it guards the Jaivana, one of the largest wheeled cannons ever cast, and commands sweeping views of the Aravallis.

What to eat in Jaipur

Rajasthani cooking was shaped by the desert: rich in ghee, lentils, millet and dried pulses that keep well without fresh vegetables. The signature dish is dal baati churma — baked wheat dumplings served with spiced lentils and a sweet crumble of wheat, ghee and jaggery. Look also for gatte ki sabzi (gram-flour dumplings in a yoghurt curry), ker sangri (desert beans and berries), and laal maas, the fiery red mutton curry of Rajput hunting tradition.

Jaipur’s street food is legendary: pyaaz kachori (flaky onion-filled pastries) and mirchi vada (stuffed, battered chillies) are breakfast staples in the old city. For sweets try ghevar, a honeycomb-like disc soaked in syrup, and the milk-based mawa kachori. Finish with a thick lassi served in a clay cup, or a glass of masala chai from a roadside stall.

Shopping & crafts

Jaipur is one of the world’s great centres for cutting coloured gemstones, especially emeralds, and its jewellers also practise kundan and meenakari enamel work. The bazaars of the walled city — Johari Bazaar for jewellery, Bapu Bazaar for textiles and leather juttis, Tripolia Bazaar for lac bangles and brassware — are each devoted to a trade. Look for hand-block-printed cotton from nearby Sanganer and Bagru, Jaipur blue pottery, and light cotton quilts called razais.

Best time to visit

The most comfortable season is October to March, when days are warm and sunny and nights are cool; December and January mornings can be chilly. April to June is very hot, often above 40°C (104°F), and the July to September monsoon brings humidity and short, heavy showers but also green hills and fewer visitors. The luxury trains that call at Jaipur run during the cooler months.

Good to know

• Arrive at Amber Fort early in the morning to beat the heat and the crowds; a composite ticket covers several major monuments.
• Dress modestly for temples and palaces, with shoulders and knees covered, and carry socks for places where shoes must be removed.
• Gemstone “investment” offers from touts are a well-known scam — buy only from reputable, certified jewellers.
• Drink bottled or filtered water and ease into spicy food; Rajasthani dishes can be richer than you expect.
• Jaipur is well connected by air, rail and the Delhi–Jaipur expressway, making it an easy start or finish to a Rajasthan journey.