Jaipur from our point of view

A visit to Jaipur offers a lot, such as bustling markets, a stunning Fort, and amazing bars. If you are a movie lover I would also suggest visiting the famous cinema, Raj Mandir, to get a taste of Bollywood action. My family and I liked the city a great deal and it makes for the perfect holiday destination. One of the best places to visit in Jaipur is the Amber Fort as it was a grand infrastructure surrounded by such a beautiful landscape. Alongside this, the city has many great sights for you to explore and is a holiday you will never forget.

Hawa Mahal

The best places to visit in Jaipur

The Pink City

Jaipur is known as the Pink City because of the terracotta pink colour scheme that dominates the area. This adds to the wonder, placing you in a fantasy as you wander around, gazing up at the historical architecture. We arrived at 9 a.m. in the Pink City. At this time everything was still closed at as the markets do not open this “early in the morning”. But this suited me well as I wasn’t in the mood for shopping, or rather negotiating.

City Palace

The City Palace is definitely one of the best places to visit in Jaipur. It is a beautiful palace with a fascinating museum and the most interesting historical exhibitions I have ever seen. There is a room where artists offer their traditional craft work for you to view. I was impressed with the various handmade products like woodwork, carpets, jewellery and paintings. The artists showed us how they make their products and we had an interesting conversation with them about their work.

Jantar Mantar

Completed in 1734, the Jantar Mantar is one to visit if you are interested in astrology and physics. It is located near the City Palace and features the largest sundial in the world. Make sure you get a guide so that you have someone with the right knowledge to explain all the different instruments to you.

Hawa Mahal – Palace of Wind

Hawa Mahal is a beautiful site, especially when the fountains are turned on. When David and I were there the biggest challenge for me was the attention I got for being a white woman. Particularly in the tower there is little space for everybody to fit through. A school class of 16-year-old boys followed us up the tower so it was quite crowded. I was bothered a little by the students trying to take pictures with me so make sure that you are prepared that you may be hassled. A part from this it was a very enjoyable experience to wander around this romantic, historic monument.

Amber Fort

Amber Fort is an awesome sight and one of the best places to visit in Jaipur, I highly recommend it! We hired a guide to show us around and were very happy to have done so because of how gigantic the Fort was. It also has a grand history! We were given detailed information that we would not have learned otherwise.

Jaigarh Fort

If you are an animal lover then I suggest you visit Jaigarh Fort. Here you have the chance to see an amazing group of monkeys that will come up close to you. The Fort itself was not really impressive, in my opinion, but the view is wonderful.

Nahagarh Fort

At Nahagarh Fort you have the best view of Jaipur! It even has a restaurant from where you can perfectly see the capital of Rajasthan. There was such a beautiful view as we enjoyed the sunset with a kingfisher. I highly recommend you to do the same. Arrange in advance for a rickshaw you bring you back down the hill as it is difficult to find anybody once you are up there.

Jal Mahal – Water Palace

The water palace is a wonderful site to see. It is located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake and is a monument of 17^th Century architecture. You cannot enter the palace, but from across the lake you get a lovely view of the sight. It is worth a quick stop to gaze at the building, particularly in the evening.

Monkeys getting up close at Jaigrah Fort

accommodation in Jaipur

Zostel

Our accommodation was the Zostel, the first hostel chain in India. I loved my stay here. You have the chance to meet a lot of people from all over the world. The facilities are really nice and you can sit together on the terrace to get a view of the scurrying streets around you. Through the Zostel we met a lot of people who we later travelled with. I would especially recommend this hostel to those travelling alone.

Advice on other hotels in the area can be found here.

The wonder that is Amber Fort

Jaipur food and drink

If you would like a taste of Jaipur food then consider these recommendations. They offer a great selection of local and international food for you to try.

LMB – Vegetarian Restaurant

Definitely worth a visit! The restaurant is in the Pink City and is famous for its desserts. I believe there is no wrong order at LMB, but the best was for sure the Kulfi, which was incredibly delicious! Overall the restaurant offers a great selection of vegetarian Jaipur food.

Niro’s – Indian Restaurant

Niro’s is quite expensive but also very good quality! David ate a fish in creamy sauce with spinach and I ate Chicken Hong Kong, which was also very tasty.

C’est Bon – Italian Restaurant

We went with some Indian friends to this restaurant. It was the best pasta I have ever had in India and was mixed with delicious ham and cheese. There was a great selection of desserts to choose from. Try the cheesecake, it was lovely!

100% Rocks – Bar and Restaurant

Nice location for going out on a Saturday night. They have great cocktails and the people are very welcoming and easy to get along with. The most important thing is: there are a lot of nice people to meet at the weekend.

The view over Jaipur at the Restaurant of Nahagarh Fort

 – written by Marlene Hofstätter