Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur Affectionately nicknamed “The Pink City” for the blushing color of its historic buildings, Jaipur is a princely wonderland of culture and heritage, brimming with architectural gems. It’s also a preeminent stop in India’s famous Golden Triangle, a popular tourist circuit.
Prepare to be captivated by the grandeur of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. City Palace gives you a taste of the lavish lifestyle afforded to the royal family of Jaipur. Just next door, the astronomical instruments at the Jantar Mantar observatory bring the mysteries of space down to Earth. And depending on the time of your visit, you may be able to experience one of the many festivals that fill Jaipur‘s annual calendar, like the International Kite Festival in January or Elephant Festival in early spring.
Ready to make your trip to “The Paris of India” a memorable experience? Map out your itinerary with our guide to the top attractions and places to visit in Jaipur.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal literally translates to Palace of the Winds or the Palace of the breeze is one of the mandatory places to visit in Jaipur. Built during 1798, in the period of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh; this palace is a five-storey building in the shape of a honeycomb. This building has around 953 jharokas, the windows that are decorated with latticework. This entire place acts as a crown for Lord Krishna, the Hindu God.
Even if the place is built during the ancient period, this reflects the science of vision in an extremely distinct way. The windows are designed in a way that irrespective of the season and the time, you will always have a cool breeze dwelling in the place. Because of this reason, Hawa Mahal is the favourite destination for the Rajput families and today, one of the favored Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
This palace was actually created back in the period to prevent the outsiders from watching the royal women and the lattice are created in a way that it can provide the clearer external view of the outsiders to the insiders, but restrict the outsiders from staring into the palace. Together, you can visit both the Hawa Mahal and City Palace at a time on your trip to Jaipur as they are very near to each other Jaipur Tour Packages.
Days open: All days (remains open on public holidays as well)
Timings: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Entry fee: Rs 10
Major attractions: Hawa Mahal museum (Thurs-Sat) exhibiting arrows, swords, and helmets of the warriors.
Amber Fort
Amber Fort, overlooking the beautiful Maota Lake, served as the residence for the Rajput maharajas. Situated between the rocky and picturesque Aravalli Hills, this fort should not be missed in the places to visit in Jaipur. The foundation of this place has been laid by Raja Man Singh I but the construction was completed during the reign of Mirja Raja Jai Singh. The beguiling appeal of this place is because of the usage of the white marble and the red sandstone. The high walls were constructed to defend the residents from the enemies and the citadel of the palace was designed to serve the people with luxuries.
The backdrop of Maota Lake along with the panoramic views of both the rise and the set makes the place, an eternal beauty. The frescos, the wall paintings, the jewels, and gems add to the timeless beauty of the palace. One of the most alluring elements of the fort is the ‘Palace of Mirror’ or the Sheesh Mahal which captivates tourists because of the illusion it creates with the help of thousands of mirror tiles Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
This hall was exclusively designed that each sun ray that enters the space illuminates the entire place and boy, this is something which you shouldn’t miss in the list of places to visit in Jaipur. Apart from the architecture and the interiors, it’s the peace and serenity the place offers which will make you want to spend time in the palace.
Days open: Everyday
Timings: 8am to 6pm
Entry fee: Rs. 100
Major attractions: The magic flower fresco and the light & sound show taking place every evening is not just royal, but educative as well. You may also enjoy an elephant ride.
City Palace
Located in the heart of Jaipur, the City Palace is a prominent monument in the history of Rajasthan and its culture. Surrounded by high walls on all sides, the palace has very intricately carved walls and ceilings. Constructed in the year 1732, under the rule of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the place has a lot of detailing and if you’re an ethnographer, this is nothing less than a heaven to you. Mubarak Mahal and Chandra Mahal are the major attractions in this place bounded by four different entrances; Udai Pol, Virendra Pol, Tripolia Gate and the Jaleb Chowk.
Filled with engravings and artworks, every corner of City Palace has imprints dancing from the past. A part of this palace, over the years, has been converted into a museum that depicts the elegance of the Rajputs to the public out of which Biaggi Khana and Maharani Palace are two striking areas where you can see a wide display of the ammunition and weapons that were once used by the Royal Family. The Biaggi Khana, on the other hand, has a set of carriages that are used by the royal families making it the first place to visit in the list of Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
Days open: Everyday
Timings: 9am to 5pm
Entry fee: Rs 190 for adults, Rs 25 for children
Major attractions: The biggest tourist attractions are the two silver vessels, which made their way to the Guinness Book of World Record as the largest in the world.
Albert Hall Museum
“It is now a rebuke to all other museums from Calcutta onwards”, said Rudyard Kipling, whose stories your children must be reading already Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
The building itself is a magnificent piece of artifact with pigeons flying all around, giving you and your kids the right ambiance for an artsy day. Dr. Thomas Holbein Hendley, a resident surgeon, began this as a small museum to display the artworks of local craftsmen and thus inspire and improve their skills.
Your child, among everything else, is surely going to be thrilled to find a 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy there — live and not out of films anymore!
Days open: 9am to 5pm
Entry fee: Rs 40
Major attractions: Coins, carpets & mural paintings. Don’t miss the Egyptian mummy
Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar, the magical word every child is fascinated by, is one of the most popular tourist places in Jaipur. Take them to visit the observatory and learn all about astronomy. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II built it during 1728-1734. The observatory has a collection of 19 geometric devices studying the exact time of the day, the celestial bodies and has the world’s biggest stone sundial, named ‘Samrat Yantra’. If your kid is a fan of Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy, they are surely going to have great time learning about things they love! Today, the place stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Days open: All days
Timings: 9am to 4:30pmEntry fee: Rs 40
Major attractions: ‘Samrat Yantra’ is the biggest tourist attraction here
Man Sagar Lake
In the 18th century, the Jal Mahal is built under Jai Singh II as a summer retreat and hunting lodge. It has prepossessing hallways and the aromatic Chameli Bagh are enough to impress the tourists. It is a well-known site for birds like wagtails, bee-eaters, and herons. During the Rajput era, India has seen many palaces and forts. Jal Mahal, known as the Water Palace is one of the classical forts of the Rajputana architecture. Located in the Man Sagar Lake, this palace is a fusion of Rajput and Mughal architecture.
Built in the sandstone, Jal Mahal is a five-story building out of which four stories stay underwater where the lake is filled. This place offers breathtaking views making it one of the most important places to visit in Jaipur. This palace is in the middle of the lake and one should get on the traditional boats to reach to this palace amidst the clear water with the mountain range dotting from this place. Because of the location, this place is indigenous to migratory birds, species of fish, flora, and fauna as well Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
Jaipur can be considered a city where modernity meets tradition and both of them moving with equal pace. As clichéd as it sounds, visiting Jaipur is important to know the history and how things are in synchronization with that. The city has embraced the parts of globalization but still reflects the parts of the history where you can see the coexistence of forts and temples with pubs and malls. A city, where the street shopping is quite interesting with the plethora of mall shopping, visit all the places in the list of places to visit in Jaipur, as mentioned above.
Days open: All days
Timings: 9am to 3pm
Entry fee: Nil
Major attractions: An artificial lake with plenty of migratory birds.
Nahargarh Fort
Nahargarh Fort is an ideal place to get the panoramic view of the city. Built during the period of Jai Singh II, this place is actually named initially as Sudarshangarh and later is renamed as Nahargarh, translated to the Abode of Tigers. Jai Singh II, the Maharaja of Jaipur have constructed this fort to enhance the security of the region serving as the safety shelter during 1857’s Sepoy Mutiny. This fort is known to offer the striking view of the city’s landscapes and during the night, the entire city gets lit up providing the sparkling views. The rooms in the fort are connected through well-decorated corridors filled with delicate paintings.
All the royal families use this fort as a destination for picnics and excursions as well. The jungles in and around the fort are also known for hunting back in the time of Maharajas. The fort was built back in 1734 and has found fame only after the scenes in Rang De Basanti. The fort offers spectacular views that are best seen in the sunset making it a great place serving snacks and beer, making it attractive at the nights. The main attraction in this place apart from the amusing views is the twelve boudoirs that are decorated and connected with boisterous murals Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
Days open: Everyday
Timings: 10am to 5:30pm
Entry fee: Rs 50
Major attractions: The Wax Museum and Sheesh Mahal. You can also enjoy food from the popular restaurant, called Padao, built atop.
Jaigarh Fort
Jaigarh Fort, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, was built to protect the Amber Fort. Popularly known as the Fort of Victory, it stands at the height of 500ft above sea level and presents you a far-reaching view of the Pink City and the Aravalli hills. You can’t keep Jaigarh Fort off your list of must-see things to see in jaipur. Standing 500 feet above sea level, this 18th-century fort crowns the Cheel Ka Tila, or Hill of Eagles, in the Aravali Range Top 8 Places to Visit in Jaipur.
Constructed in 1726, the Jaigarh Fort was built by Jai Singh II to protect the Amer Fort and its palace complex and was also named after him. With a rugged charm, the beauty of this fort is boasted by its red sandstone construction. For the rulers of this region, it was a major centre of artillery development. The Jaivana cannon, which was once the world’s largest cannon on wheels, is one of the key attractions of the Jaigarh Fort.
Days open: All days
Timings: 9am to 4:30pm
Entry fee: Rs 35
Major attractions: The largest cannon in the world ‘Jaivana’ and armory displaying the real swords and military equipment of the rulers.