Want to go sightseeing in Jaipur but don’t know where to visit? Here are some of my favorite places to see in this beautifully chaotic city! Jaipur is undoubtedly my favorite city in India, although I’m a bit biased having lived there. Don’t miss this amazing city when you visit India!
Amber Fort
Whenever someone came to visit me in Jaipur, the first place I would take them is Amber Fort. For a few rupees, one of the mahouts (elephant riders) will take you up the mountain to the fort on a beautiful elephant. In fact, these are the same elephants that live in the Elephant Village, and I taught the children of the mahouts!
Amber Fort has many lavishly decorated rooms, including the Hamām (bath), the Diwān-i-Khās (the hall for private audiences), and the Sukh Mandir (a cool, ventilated room for summer). There is even a dance hall with mirror shards in intricate patterns covering the walls, which create dazzling flashes of light. Perhaps some of the first discos were held here!
The fort displays an amazing mixture of art, history, and architecture. Not to mention, the views from the top are spectacular! No visit to Jaipur could be complete without a morning at the Amber Fort.
City Palace
City Palace is another popular place to visit in Jaipur, which is a complex of palaces, pavilions, gardens and temples within the old walled city. The palace was built between 1727 and 1732 by Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of the city of Jaipur, who also built Jantar Mantar (see below). His descendents, the Jaipur royal family, still live in the palace today. The palace’s walls are pale pink, like many other buildings in the old city, which is how Jaipur became known as the ‘Pink City.’
My favorite part of the palace is the Pritam Niwas Chowk courtyard, which has four exquisitely painted entrances representing the four seasons. The lotus gate represents summer, the peacock doorway symbolizes autumn, the rose gate represents winter, and the green doorway symbolizes spring.
The palace hosts a miniature painting exhibit, which is a highly-prized form of art in Rajasthan (the state where Jaipur is located). There is even a live studio where you can watch artists create miniature paintings and buy their work. The paintings are so fine and intricate that the brushes used are made with one single squirrel hair! The paint is also natural, made only from plants and precious gemstones.
The City Palace complex hosts several other exhibits. The Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum hosts a collection of extravagant textiles, including royal formal costumes, sanganeri block prints, embroidered shawls, and Kashmiri pashminas. The most famous item in this collection, however, is a pair of trousers worn by Sawai Madho Singh I, who was nearly 4 feet wide wide and weighed over 550 pounds. City Palace also hosts the world’s largest sterling silver vessels according to the Guinness Book of World Records. These enormous jars were made specially for Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II to carry water from the Ganges to drink on his trip to England in 1902 for Edward VII’s coronation, as he didn’t trust the water in Britain!
Birla Mandir Temple
Of the countless mandirs (temples) in Jaipur, Birla Mandir is undoubtedly my favorite. The marble is even more beautiful than that of the Taj Mahal – so brilliantly white that it seems to glow from within. Every inch of the temple’s marble is intricately carved with floral motifs, geometric designs, and images of Hindu gods and goddesses.
Inside the temple, where photography is prohibited, sunlight streams in through stain glass windows depicting scenes with various Hindu gods. At the front of the temple is an enormous shrine with decorated statues of the Hindu goddess Laxmi and god Vishnu. Although it is a Hindu temple, the structure has three towers in reference to the three main faiths of India – Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. The carvings on the outer walls features important figures from various religions, including the Virgin Mary, Buddha, and Confucius, as well as Socrates.
The temple is located on top of a small hill surrounded by lush gardens, and it offers beautiful views of the city. My favorite time to come is in the evening, as it is less crowded and the sunsets there are spectacular!
Hawa Mahal
Another famous building in the heart of Jaipur’s old city is the Hawa Mahal, or Wind Palace. Built from red and pink sandstone, the structure is shaped like a honeycomb with any small balconies and doors.
The structure was built in 1799 by the Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the grandson of Jaipur’s founder Sawai Jai Singh II. The palace has 5 floors with an astonishing 953 windows. Many of these small windows, called Jharokhas, are covered with intricately carved stone latticework. The windows’ lattice design enabled royal ladies to observe goings-on in the streets below without being seen. This architectural feature also allows the breeze to pass through and cool the palace’s interior.
Inside the palace is an archaeological museum as well as a large courtyard with several beautifully-carved fountains. The top floor of the palace looks down on the bustling streets of Sireh Deori Bazaar (see below) and also affords views of City Palace and Isarlat Minaret (next).
Isarlat Minaret
At seven stories, Isarlat Minar (minaret) is the tallest historical building in Jaipur. For around a dollar, you can buy a ticket at the base and climb the 140-foot tower for sweeping 360-degree views of the city. The entrance can be a bit difficult to find, as it is around the back side of the tower and not on the street in Tripoli Bazaar. However, climbing the minaret is well worth the trouble of searching for its entrance!
Isarlat Minar, also sometimes called the Iswari Minar Swarga Sal, is one of my favorite places in Jaipur to visit for some peace and relaxation. The wind blowing through the open-air windows is cool and refreshing, and it’s high enough that you can escape the noise and bustle of the city. I especially love being there for the Islamic call to prayer (Adhan) and hearing the voices of the Imams calling from all across the city.
Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observation site built in 1734 century by Jai Singh II. It includes a set of 19 main fixed instruments, some of which are the largest ever built in their categories. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, these instruments represented significant architectural and instrumental innovations for the era.
A UNESCO world heritage site, Jantar Mantar also includes the world’s largest sundial, called the vrihat samrat yantra. The sundial is so large that it has to be viewed from a small roofed structure atop a three story staircase! This viewing point can be seen in the above left and lower right photos.
The Bazaars
Jaipur’s old city is a network of bazaars, each specializing in certain offerings. There are no fixed prices, and merchants try to charge vastly higher prices to foreign tourists, so be sure to haggle! I recommend making a shopping list beforehand of what you want to buy and Googling the approximate values, so you don’t get overcharged.
As of my last visit, these are the approximate prices for a few common items you might want to buy: simple enamel earrings around ₹100, simple leather wallets ₹250, embroidered juttis ₹500, dupatta (scarf) ₹350, skirt or simple trousers ₹500. The prices of sarees, lehengas, and other clothing varies widely depending on the fabric and amount of embroidery and decoration.
Tripolia Bazaar is arguably Jaipur’s most famous market, as it is home to a kind of enamel unique to Jaipur called meenakari. Bangles and earrings are the most common kinds of enamel jewelry, and meenakari boxes and other trinkets can be found here too.
Johari Bazaar is home to a wide range of gemstone and jewelry shops (Johari means ‘jeweller’ in Hindi). Here you can find great deals on costume jewelry and semi-precious gemstones. Just be wary of scams if you are shopping for rare stones here, as shopkeepers have been known to take advantage of tourists who are not knowledgable about precious gems.
Over 300 years old, Chandpole Bazaar stretches nearly a kilometer long and houses 350 stalls with spices, clothing, and trinkets. Chandpole Bazaar is best known for its many marble merchants, who sell intricately carved statues and other decorations.
Bapu Bazaar specializes in traditional north Indian shoes, especially embroidered juttis and camel leather mojri shoes. Here you can also find colorful lehengas (long skirts, often worn with choli blouses) and silk sarees.
Next door, Nehru Bazaar offers more juttis and mojris as well as a local blue pottery and a variety of textiles. Finally, Sireh Deori Bazaar (across from the Hawa Mahal) specializes in quilts and blankets, as well as traditional Rajasthani snacks.
Patrika Gate
Patrika Gate is the entrance to Jawahar Circle Garden, a 1,500 foot diameter park in the Jawahar roundabout and one of the largest circular parks in Asia. The gate is one of Jaipur’s newest tourist attractions, having only been completed after I lived there in 2016. However, its aesthetic symmetry and pleasing pastel hues has quickly turned Patrika Gate into one of Jaipur’s most ‘Instagrammable’ spots. As such, arrive here early in the morning and be prepared to wait in line if you want to take photos here!
Want to know more about my travels in India? Click here to read my previous post about crashing a traditional Indian wedding in Delhi or here for my next post about visiting the Taj Mahal. Or, you can browse all of my travel trips and adventures in India and Asia!
Happy travels!
XOXO Ann