Jaipur is where most Rajasthan trips begin, and it is an easier city to read than the ones that follow. It was laid out on a grid in 1727, which is unusual for an Indian city of its age, and the plan still holds: nine rectangular blocks, wide streets, and everything worth seeing inside or just outside the old walls.
The pink is younger than the city. The whole old town was washed in terracotta in 1876 for a royal visit and has been repainted to match ever since, which is why the colour is so even. Inside the walls are the City Palace, the observatory at Jantar Mantar, and the bazaars — Johari for stones, Bapu for textiles and mojris.
Amber, the capital before Jaipur existed, is eleven kilometres north. Go early: by ten the ramp is full, and by midday so are the courtyards.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the reason most people come. The Sheesh Mahal is the part that surprises: mirror panels cut so that a few candles would light the whole room. Allow two hours, and go up on foot or by car — the elephant ride is the one thing here we will talk you out of.
Five storeys and 953 windows, built so that the women of the court could watch the street without being seen from it. The famous facade faces east, so it is a first-hour-of-daylight photograph; later the light hardens and the traffic in front of it does too.
Jaipur is part of our multi-day private tours of Rajasthan and North India. You travel in your own car with an English-speaking driver who knows the roads, the opening times and where to stop — no group, no fixed schedule.
Other destinations: Agra · Delhi · Jaisalmer · Jodhpur · Udaipur · Pushkar
