Get to Know India’s Pink City: Jaipur Itinerary!

The magnificent city of Jaipur is the capital and largest city of Rajasthan, India. Jaipur is known as the “Pink City” due to the terracotta pink that was painted on the buildings. The pink color of the city was done as a makeover in 1876 to celebrate the visit of the Prince of Wales. In Indian culture, the color pink represents hospitality and one way to honor the Prince was to make Jaipur as hospitable as possible.

Jaipur was even named a UNESCO World Heritage site by their committee in 2019 and was officially named the “Pink City of India”. With Pastel palaces, opulent architecture in blush-colored tones, and pink-dotted bazaars everywhere you look, you will certainly enjoy this pink paradise city. Plus, Jaipur is a great place to visit on your trip to India because it is home to artisans, musicians, and many people who enrich the culture of the city.

Rajasthan Itinerary: How Do I Get There?

Air travel is the most common form of transportation to Jaipur in Rajasthan. The Jaipur International Airport is located less than 7 miles from the city center. I flew into Dehli and took the Palace on Wheels, a luxury train, to Rajasthan, and got off in Jaipur. Jaipur is an over four and a half-hour drive from Dehli (depending on traffic), about five hours by train, and about a 50-minute flight from Dehli, India.

Jaipur Travel: When is the Best Time to Go?

The best time to visit Rajasthan and create a Jaipur itinerary is during the months of October to March. The weather is mild and the temperature is roughly 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit. Tourists prefer to visit this spectacular city during the winter months because the scorching hot summers and crowded streets are not ideal for experiencing all that Jaipur has to offer.

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Interested in taking an Intrepid Travel Classic Rajasthan Tour?

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Let’s Go to Jaipur!

Now, let’s get on to the Jaipur itinerary where you will discover bustling bazaars, floating palaces, an ancient stepwell (what is this? Just wait!), an observatory, and plenty of museums that will help you find out why it is a protected UNESCO world heritage site. I think the best way to visit the city of Jaipur is to work your way from the inside out. So without further adieu, let’s go!

Jaipur Itinerary Day One

City Palace

The City Palace was the first palace I had a chance to visit during my Jaipur itinerary. Mughal and Rajput architecture are the styles used to build this small, but beautiful palace. The City Palace is located in the city center and was built in 1727. On my way over to see it, I also saw my first snake charmers! You know I had to stop and take a look!

Within the palace walls, there are gardens, courtyards, museums, and temples for tourists to enjoy. Be sure not to miss the lotus door also known as Heaven’s Gate. This well-preserved attraction puts the true culture of India on full display at every turn you take. The same architect who built Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar (that you will soon discover below) built the City Palace as well. Although part of the palace is a museum, the other part is reserved as living quarters for the descendants of the former rulers of Jaipur.

Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds)

Getting to the Hawa Mahal palace wasn’t that difficult, the hardest part was trying to take a photograph with all the hustle and bustle going on in the streets. Our guide told us that the Hawa Mahal is the tallest palace in the world with a total of five stories. And yes, tall it was! Plus it is pink, as it is made from red and pink sandstone! There are no stairs inside this large palace, only ramps that will help you get to the top. So, make sure you are wearing comfy shoes and have got lots of energy on this Jaipur itinerary!

Instead, we scrambled directly across the street to a local café, paid to go to the top, so that we could get photographs from afar. This was perfect, as the street area was chaotic and we only had 15 minutes to photograph it, as our stay didn’t last very long (I was on a tour.). It is definitely worth a quick stop.

The Hawa Mahal was built in 1799 by Mahaeaja Sawai Pratap Singh with a unique shape made to resemble Lord Krishan’s crown and is famous for its latticework. There are 953 small windows in the palace so it is kept cool at all times. Due to the many windows, this palace was dubbed “The Palace of Winds”. The main reason for the construction of the palace was to show the royal women all the outdoor activities that occurred outside of the palace. This way they could peer through these tiny windows to see the world below.

Albert Hall Museum

Our next stop on our Jaipur itinerary is the Albert Hall Museum. The city of Jaipur gracefully honored the former Prince Albert of Britain with a delightful museum. Aside from the Central Museum, it is one of the oldest museums in Jaipur. On display at this museum are woodworks, clay wares, and traditional dresses worn by previous kings. The jewelry collection is absolutely stunning as well as the metal artwork.

Aside from the paintings and portraits, guests can check out the courtyards and towers of Albert Hall Museum. Which is the first thing I did upon arriving. Honestly, the grounds of this museum were gorgeous and great for photography. I loved the spearmint green long halls of architecture.

Jantar Mantar (Astronomical Observatory)

If you enjoy looking at celestial objects and astronomical instruments, then you must check out Jantar Mantar during your Jaipur itinerary. This observatory is situated near the City Palace and Hawa Mahal and will be the perfect last thing to see on this day one tour. Guests of this observatory can look at fourteen different architectural astronomical instruments.

Amazingly, these instruments measure time, track star location, and predict eclipses. The best time to visit this observatory is late-afternoon so you can get a glimpse of the stars and other amazing astronomical wonders.

Jaipur Itinerary Day Two

Amer Fort (Amber Fort)

For your day two Jaipur itinerary, you better get up early, as you will see and do many fun things today! You will get to see the crown jewel of Jaipur, which is located about 6 miles from the city center in the town of Amer. Known as the Amer Fort, it is the number one tourist attraction for all of Jaipur. It is a do-not-miss point of interest in my opinion! You approach the Amer Fort via a long winding road that leads past a lot of homes going up to the top of the hill. Some people hike up, take a 4 x 4 jeep up, or I even saw some taking elephant rides to the top of the hill. I rode the 4 x 4 jeep, which was faster and had open breezy bars like a safari-styled truck.

The construction of this fort began in the 16^th century and it said to have been a replacement for the old fort that was built here in the 10^th century. This stunning fort overlooks the gorgeous Maota Lake. Each of the four levels of this amazing fort contains a courtyard. The most intricate and beautiful design of the main palace stairway will instantly take your breath away. One of the most interesting spots of this fort is the “Hall of Victory” because of its multi-mirrored ceiling, mirror mosaics, and glass panels, it is simply stunning.

Amer Fort Lunch

You will need at least half a day to explore the Amber Fort, so be sure and pay attention to your time. We ate lunch here and dined like royalty at the restaurant overlooking the grounds. It was absolutely gorgeous and from here you could visit the luxury upstairs living quarters within the palace walls.

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Another amazing place to visit in India? Of course, the Taj Mahal!

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Jaigarh Fort

This stunning fort was built for the protection of the Amer Fort and is easily visible from there. This fort is the perfect example of ancient Indian engineering. The walls of this fort can be seen running down the nearby hills. This amazingly beautiful fort has two temples, Ram Harihar was built in the 10th century and Kal Bhairav that was built in the 12th century. Since the main reason for the construction of this fort was for the protection of Amer Fort, there is a hidden underground passage the connects the two forts together. Jaigarh is also home to the biggest cannon in the world, which helped scare off any unwanted visitors during the 18th century!

Nahargarh Fort

Although the city of Jaipur was not under attack, it did have the Nahargarh fort to protect it. Inside this amazing fort are 12 suites known as the Madhavendra Bhawan that were used only by royal women. A full tour of this amazing fort can take up to 3 hours, so bring your comfy shoes or take the quick tour. There is a mixture of European and Indian architecture that comes to life as you wander through this fort.

Jaipur Itinerary Day Three

Jal Mahal (The Water Palace)

Now on to the day three relaxing Jaipur itinerary! The Jal Mahal is one of the most beautiful palaces in India because of its stunning architecture and location. Coming upon this, I was stunned! I had never seen such a gorgeous palace that was overtaken by water since it is in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake!! This palace is nicknamed “The Water Palace” because of this. Contrary to popular belief, this palace was not built on an island. This castle was fully visible to the public when it was first constructed but over the years, four of the five stories began to sink. Only one of the five floors of this palace is visible above the water! Tourists can only admire this amazing castle from afar because you cannot physically enter it due to safety issues.

Panna Meena Ka Kund (Water Storage System)

It is not an exaggeration when I say that the engineering of Jaipur was completed ahead of its time. The Panna Meena Ka Kund is a storage water system that was created in the 16th century. This stepwell was created as a gathering place for the locals to swim or chat with each other. The crisscross shape of this stepwell is unique and allows for water to be stored there without any problems. Tourists who visit this landmark can only look at it from above because no one is allowed to step in this area any longer.

So there you have it, a full three-day itinerary to visit a few things that Jaipur has to offer! I absolutely loved my visit to Jaipur, India and I am sure you will too!

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And if you want to visit Kerala – India light, here are some recommended readings for that:

Magical Kerala in the Arabian Sea

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Disclosure: As is common in the travel industry, I was provided with accommodations, meals and other compensation for the purposes of review by the Ministry of Tourism – Govt. of India. While it has not influenced my review, PointsandTravel.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. All Photos were taken by the author and affiliate links are located in this article.