Rajasthan is one of the most fascinating places to visit in India. There is a certain romanticism about the state with its stories about brave warriors, great battles combined with its majestic forts littering the countryside, all testament to the glory of Rajasthan. Surprisingly, in so many years of travelling together, Gayatri and I had not traveled to Rajasthan. We have visited various parts of Rajasthan individually, but never as Wandering Executives. So with a long weekend coming up, we simply closed our eyes and put our finger on the map of Rajasthan and we got Jaipur.
Jaipur is the perfect place to start experiencing Rajasthan. It is the capital city of the state, well connected by air, train and roads and gives you a complete experience of Rajasthan in one trip. You get to see the forts and palaces, taste the amazing cuisine of Rajasthan, experience royalty and indulge in the fascinating arts and crafts of the state.
Brief History of Jaipur
Jaipur was the first planned city in India. It was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727 and is built on the principles of Vastu Shastra. You can still see the brilliance of its planning with its wide roads, footpaths and avenues.
Jaipur is also called the pink city because of its rose colored buildings. The city was painted pink, which was supposed to symbolize welcome, when the Prince of Wales visited the city in 1876. Many of the avenues are still painted pink giving Jaipur its distinctive appearance.
When To Visit Jaipur?
The best time to visit Jaipur is in the winter months from November till March. The day time temperatures are moderate and there is a pleasant breeze. The temperatures in summer months can go up to 40 degrees and sightseeing can be tedious. Plus, many of the activities are not operational. In the winter months, Jaipur is buzzing with festivals and special activities to entertain tourists.
We also recommend the shoulder season months of September and October. The weather is good and everything is on budget. You can get some great deals.
How to reach Jaipur?
It is easy to reach Jaipur from anywhere in India. There are direct flights from all the major cities in India as well as multiple trains and bus services. We decided to make a road trip out of it from Delhi. The direct journey is a 5 to 6 hours journey. Alternatively, you can plan a road trip via Agra. Spend a day in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and leave for Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri the next day.
We took the direct route and made a stopover at the Neemrana Fort for lunch. They offer a tour with a buffet lunch package which is great if you are not driving as the food can get heavy but you get your first taste of Rajasthani cuisine.
Our Three Days Itinerary In Jaipur
Day 1
We decided to visit the trio of Forts – Amer Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort on our first day. The three forts are located close to each other and are a sight to see and it takes the full day to explore all three.
We rented an Uber for the whole day and headed out to the town of Amer located at less than an hour’s drive from Jaipur. We stopped at Panna Meena Ka Kund, an ancient step well just outside Amer Fort. The geometric designed steps leading down to the well is intriguing. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to walk down to the well for safety concerns. So you won’t get travel magazine type pictures.
Amer Fort is one of the most well preserved forts in India and walking around took up most of the morning and noon. We saw the hall of scribes (Sattais Kacheri), hall public audiences (Diwan-e-aam), the palaces of the king (Man Singh Mahal) and the queens (Jenana). One of the major attractions of Amer Fort is Sheesh Mahal also called the palace of mirrors.
Jaigarh Fort is a military fort and is connected to Amer Fort through a network of underground tunnels. The fort offers spectacular view of the Aravalli Hills. It is home to the Jaivan Cannon, the largest cannon in the world. Apparently, over 100 kgs of gunpowder was needed to fire the cannon and elephants were required to move the it. We also saw the cannon foundry and did some treasure hunting since there are rumors that the old kings used to store their wealth at the fort.
Finally, we headed to Nahargarh Fort and took pictures of the Jaipur city skyline. We also enjoyed a performance by a local artist playing a traditional street musical instrument called Ravanahatha.
Day 2
We spent our second day exploring Jaipur city. We started the day by taking a Heritage walk from Ajmeri Gate. Our walk covered Tripolia Bazar, Jalebi Chowk and Hawal Mahal. Our guide was great and shared stories and anecdotes about the city and its construction as we walked. We took the quintessential picture outside Hawa Mahal, Jaipur’s most famous landmark.
After the walk, we had a traditional Rajasthani thali including the famous Dal Baati Churma at Govindam Retreat and it was delicious.
After all the heavy food, we were in food coma and decided that we would watch a movie at the opulent movie theatre – Raj Mandir. Later we decided to explore some of the Bazaars of Jaipur. We headed to Johari Bazaar and had some fun trying on jewelry made of precious gems, then picked up some handicrafts from Chandpole and some Lac bangles from Tripolia Bazaar. Finally, we headed to Bapu Bazaar and indulged in shopping for leather goods.
Jaipur is famed for Blue Pottery. The eye-catching cobalt blue pottery is one of the best things to purchase in Jaipur. We picked up some exquisite pieces from Kripal Singh Shekhawat’s workshop called Kripal Kumbh.
Day 3
We started our day with a visit to Galta Ji Temple located at the outskirts of Jaipur. We had seen pictures of this beautiful temple built in between two cliffs of a rock valley. When we reached, we realized that a local festival called the Gawaria festival was being celebrated there on that day. So it was extremely crowded and the beauty of the temple was lost on us because of the crowds.
We then headed to visit Gatore ki Chhatriyan which we had seen from afar on the way to Amer Fort and the monuments we saw were exquisite. Since we didn’t get time to see them on Day 1, we headed over. This is supposed to be the crematorium grounds for the Kachwahas, a Rajput dynasty and consists of a number of beautiful cenotaphs which mark the official cremation spots of the former rulers. The place is a shutterbugs dream and we took tons of pictures before heading out for another delicious Rajanthani meal.
After lunch, we visited Jantar Mantar, one the oldest astronomical observatories constructed by Maharajah Sawaii Jai Singh II. Since neither of us have any understanding about astronomy or physics, we were totally at a loss to understand the various instruments and their functions. After checking the sun dial which is the largest in the world, we headed to City Palace.
The palace is the royal residence of the current King of Jaipur. The magnificent palace is mostly a museum and we saw the throne room, gorgeous paintings, photographs of old, The Sukh Niwas, or ‘Hall of Rest’, which is the royal dining room; the Rang Mandir is adorned with mirror work across the walls and ceiling, Shobha Niwas is known as the ‘Hall of Beauty’, with walls that are lavishly embellished with mirrors, tiles and gold leaf detailing, the Chhavi Niwas, or ‘Hall of Images’ amongst others.
Finally, we ended the day at Baradari, a restaurant inside City Palace owned by the King himself. The place has great ambience & food and was a perfect end to a wonderful trip.
We headed back to Delhi the next morning clearly looking forward to coming back and exploring Jaipur further.
