Jaipur Bucket List
In 1876, the city was painted pink, and since then, no one has ever wanted to change it. Fortresses that rise above the desert like castles from a fairytale, palaces with walls that sparkle as if they were made of precious stones, bazaars that lure you in with the scent of freshly brewed chai, exotic spices, and the sharp tang of newly-minted cloth. This is Jaipur, and it will overwhelm your senses in every possible way.
Why Jaipur belongs on your bucket list
There's no way to mentally prepare yourself to handle Jaipur. Put your photos, your books, your research away. You won't need them. More than any other place I have ever been, Jaipur is somewhere you simply won't believe, no matter how much you've been told. This is a city that looks like it was conjured by a wizard in a fever dream and built overnight by 10 million enchanted leprechauns working circles under the stars. What you will see in Jaipur is improbable, impossible, insane, infuriating. The streets seethe with camels, camels being sodomized by autos, camels giving birth, camels conferring with lawyers, camels on fire. The bazaars are filled with monkeys, monkeys roller-skating, monkeys worshipping the Black Stone, monkeys in school zones, monkeys on fire. Camels and monkeys are running most of the shops.
When to go
The best time to visit Rajasthan is between November and March. I mean it. Daytime temperatures hover between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, the sun shines brightly, the skies are clear and the honey- and cinnamon-coloured sandstone buildings look golden and magical. April to June? Just kill yourself. It's over 45 degrees C. And you really can't see those lovely old monuments when they're swathed in heat (plus they're literally hazardous - you get heatstroke and die). July to September is the monsoon. Lovely rainy days, everything goes green, but the streets get so flooded you can't step out in your lacquered shoes. If you can make it, January is perfect. And if you do go to Jaipur then, don't miss the Literature Festival and the Kite Festival (Makar Sankranti).
Must-visit places in Jaipur
Amber Fort
Perched on a hillside above Maota Lake, it's a wonder that the Amer (or Amber) Fort doesn't come tumbling down! Inside, the Mirror Palace (Sheesh Mahal) is worth its weight in gold – one candle lights up the thousands of mirrors in the walls and ceiling, and the image of a single flame is said to twinkle like the stars. You can also visit the Jaigarh Fort next door on the hilltop above – there's an underground passage joining the two.
Hawa Mahal
953 tiddly windows. Five storeys of pink sandstone. Built so royal women could look down the street below without being seen by anyone looking upwards. Most interesting feature? It's just a wall – only one room deep in most places. Don't bother going inside. Best view is from the cafe on the roof of a building across the street, where you can see the whole honeycomb pattern with a masala chai in hand.
City Palace
The city palace still serves as the home to the royal family. It's a seventh of the old city – a Rajasthani/Mughal cross that is grand and intimate. Seven-floor Chandra Mahal's eye-poppingly different styles will leave you speechless. Equally photogenic is the painted portrayal of the four seasons in the doorways of the Pritam Niwas Chowk. Don't be a fool and miss the coolest museum in town, the maharaja's textile-and-weapon-filled spiral. The perfect, peaceful light and golden courtyard of the Mubarak Mahal is captured in the late afternoon.
Jantar Mantar
These are abstract sculptures. They're not. They're precise astronomical equipment from the 18th century, built in 1734. They still work. The Samrat Yantra sundial is 27 meters tall and can measure the time to two seconds' accuracy. Maharaja Jai Singh II was fascinated by astronomy. This collection of 19 precise instruments is the result. Get a guide to visit the place, otherwise you will not know what you're looking at.
Nahargarh Fort
Located on the hills that stand above the city of Jaipur, Nahargarh Fort allows you a breath-taking view of the Pink City. This view is particularly incredible at sunset when the Pink City gets its name. The fort, which has been renovated recently and whose interior has been turned into an open sculpture park of sort, has a rooftop restaurant named Padao. This restaurant lets you have an incredible view of the city of Jaipur beneath you, and an open sky above you. The drive up to the fort through the Aravalli Hills isn't too bad either.
Jal Mahal
A palace on the lake! Four of the five stories are actually submerged underwater and cannot be seen until the water level of the lake lowers to a certain extent. It's just too bad you can't go into the palace. Viewing the lake promenade makes up for it, especially during sunset, when the reflection of the palace and the Aravalli Hills make for an absolutely perfect mirror image. The surrounding area of Man Sagar Lake has also been restored to its avian habitat status, so bring those binoculars if you feel like it.
Chand Baori
It is an extraordinary and hypnotic place. We will just give you time to take it in, relax and we can try to answer any questions you might have.
Johari Bazaar
The oldest market, the most crowded. Precious stones. Jewelry. Precious stones are heaped from floor to roof in shops narrower than the doorway. Lac bangles, kundan jewelry, hand-block-printed fabric – both sides of the street, the entire length of it. You will haggle. You will lose the first few times. You will improve. If nothing else, the overload of the senses that is this market is the single most Rajasthani thing about Jaipur.
LMB (Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar)
Nourishing Jaipur's residents from 1727. There's no point looking at the menu because there isn't one. The thali is plonked down, a round of ghee added, the choice is between chapatti or cornflour roti, and you're good to go. On the gleaming steel plate is dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi, ker sangri, potato with dry mango, cauliflower with mustard, fresh turmeric and whole spices, bottles of green and red chutneys, buttermilk, a curry with lentil wadis, curry with luscious chickpea-flour dumplings, and more. And everything tastes as though the cook's grandmother spent years perfecting the recipe. Which she did.
Albert Hall Museum
Visit at dusk, when the floodlights come on: this Indo-Saracenic fantasy in the middle of Ram Niwas Garden looks like something out of the background of a Bollywood movie, which is only appropriate, since it was intended to be a dramatic and poetic symbol of the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan. It’s an irony of fate that by far the most inspired collection in this museum is the one that was never intended: in the underground room behind the entrance hall are mummies, some up to 4000 years old, exquisitely showcased.
Jaipur insider tips
- Getting around: Auto rickshaws are the Jaipur experience. Haggle before you get in, or use Ola or Uber for the fixed price option if you don't want to haggle. A hired car with driver for the entire day is surprisingly cheap.
- Haggling: Expected. Not optional. Start at about 40% of asking price and work up. Be friendly, don't rush, and walk away if it's not right. They'll call you back nine times out of ten.
- Composite Ticket: Get this. It gets you into Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Nahargarh Fort, and Albert Hall Museum. It's good for two days. It will save you money, which you can spend on other things.
- Hydration: It's dry and dusty in Jaipur, even in the winter. Take water with you at all times. And don't forget the electrolytes. Summer heat exhaustion is not a question of whether, it's a question of when, unless you're careful.
- Textiles: Jaipur has some of the best hand-block printing in the world. Anokhi is good for fair-trade, curated collections. Sanganer or Bagru are villages just outside the city where you can see the printers at work. Be careful not to get sold to one of the touts; the commission they charge will be added to the final price.
- Golden Triangle: Jaipur, Delhi (270 km), and Agra (240 km) are the classic tourist itinerary. All three cities are connected by train. Or rent a car and visit the smaller towns along the way. It's well worth the time.
Save your Jaipur bucket list
Discovering cool places you want to visit someday, without a way to save them, can be frustrating. Well, what if you could automatically pinpoint all the spots mentioned in a Reel? That's where we come in!
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