Jaipur, the pink city, also known as the desert capital, is a land of palaces and the capital of the royal state of Rajasthan. Jaipur got its name after Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded the city (on November 18, 1727). The Pink City-Jaipur, along with the Agra and Delhi, is part of the golden triangle, one of the country’s most popular tourist circles. The prosperous Rajputana culture, along with the exotic architecture of gigantic forts and palaces, reflects the glorious history of Jaipur. Along with being the largest city in Rajasthan, this unparalleled touristy destination provided an experience one cannot forget.
Here we have listed some of the best places to visit in Jaipur with ticket prices, opening timings, and other interesting facts about the sites. There is an option to get Jaipur composite ticket of INR 350, valid for 48 hours, with access to Hawa mahal, Jantar Mantar, Albert hall, amber fort, and Nahargarh.
Read on to know about the best tourist places in Jaipur and plan your trip accordingly while adding these to your tour for an amazing and memorable trip.
Best Time to Visit Jaipur:
October – March (Jaipur is a semi-desert region; hence winter is an ideal time to visit Jaipur).
How to Reach Jaipur:
By Air: The nearest airports (Sanganer Airport & International Terminus) are around 7-10 km from the central city and have domestic and international flights.
By Train: Jaipur has 3 railway stations; Jaipur junction, Durgapura, and Gandhinagar, which are connected with most major cities.
By Road: Jaipur is connected by 3 national highways (NH8, NH11 & NH12), and one can reach Jaipur by bus or personal vehicle.
Places to Visit in Jaipur
1. Amber Fort
Amber fort is located in Amer, around 11km from the main city. This gigantic fort is built by one of the most trusted generals of Akbar, Maharaja Man Singh I in the year 1592.
Amber fort is one of the best Jaipur tourist places famous for its appealing mirror work (Sheesh Mahal). Its history comes alive with the evening light and sound show.
Amber fort is surely one of the most popular places to visit in Jaipur. We suggest visiting between the afternoon and evening so you can enjoy the magnificent views of both day and night on your visit.
- Ticket: INR 100/-
- Opening hours: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Duration: 1-2 hrs
- Elephant ride tickets: INR 1000/- for two
- Elephant rides: 9:00 am – 11:30 am, ( first come first serve)
- Enjoy the magnificent view of the pink city from the top of amber fort
- Light and sound show at night
- Visit Sila Devi temple
2. City Palace
City palace is one of the most famous attractions located in the old Jaipur city. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh ( 1729-1732). The City Palace has three gates, out of which the Virendra Pol and Udai Pol are open to the public.
The vast complex of this palace consists of courtyards, gardens, and different sections including the Mubarak Mahal and the Chandra Mahal.
The Chandra Mahal has been turned into a museum showcasing a fusion of Mughal and Rajput architecture style with some unique handcrafts and belongings to the royal heritage of the City Palace.
- Tickets: INR 100
- Opening hours: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Duration: 1-2 hrs
- Enjoy the magnificent view of the pink city from the top of the city palace
- Currently, there are two parts of this palace, one is open to the public and the other is the residence of the royal family.
- There are two silver jars in the palace which have got a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest silver vessels in the world.
3. Nahargarh
Nahargarh Fort is one of the most visited forts of the state. Adorned with fine carvings and stonework, the fort speaks of the glorious history of Jaipur. Nahargarh Fort is an invulnerable structure that shares an extended connective wall with the Jaigarh. Along with it’s two neighboring forts – Amer and Jaigarh, Nahargarh stood as the strong defense of Jaipur city on the Aravali range. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Singh II (1734) as a retreat for the ladies of the royal family. The fort has ladies quarters named as “Zanana mahal” and it’s counterpart as “Mardana mahal” for men from the royal family.
Nowadays, this place is a popular picnic spot in Jaipur and you can enjoy some breathtaking scenes of the city from remarkable striking viewpoints of this fort. There is a restaurant named “Padao Restaurant” that you should visit from where you’re assured to experience a panoramic view of the city.
- Tickets: INR 50/- & INR 5/- for Students
- Opening hours: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
- Duration: 2-3 hours
- It was believed that the fort was haunted and the ghost of a prince “Nahar Singh Bhomia” wandered around and hindered the construction of the fort.
- Sawai Jai Singh vowed to build a temple devoted to the prince and also to name the fort after him to pacify the ghost. After that, the fort was constructed easily.
4. Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal, also known as the palace of breeze was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (1799). It’s a pyramidal structure that resembles the Lord Krishna’s crown, designed by an architect named Lal Chand Ustad. Hawa Mahal got this name because of its unique mesh structure. It is embellished with 953 tiny windows (Jharokhas) with gorgeous latticework that helps in keeping the palace cool during summers. The motive behind its construction was to provide a place to the women of the royal family, from where they can observe the festivals on the streets while staying unseen from the outside.
One can entre the Hawa Mahal complex through a large and impressive door and a charming fountain welcomes you inside the main palace. This structure is based on five floors with some unique decorated chambers. Hawa Mahal is one of the most photographed buildings in Jaipur. Trip to Jaipur might feel incomplete without visiting Hawa Mahal, so you should keep this in your checklist of places to visit in Jaipur.
- Hawa Mahal ticket price: ₹ 50 for Indians; ₹ 200 for foreigners
- Opening hours: 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
- Duration: 1-2 hours
- Hawa Mahal is the tallest building in the world without foundation. The palace is tilted at an angle of 87 degrees.
- To enter the palace, you need to go through the backside, as the famous picture you have seen until now is not the entrance.
- The building has ramps instead of stairs to reach the top.
- The palace is surrounded by a vast shopping area known as Badi Cahupal.
5. Jai Garh
Jai Garh, also known as the victory fort lies on the top of the ‘Cheel ka Teela’ hill. It was named after Sawai Jai Singh who built it in 1726 to protect the Amer fort. The walls of the fort are extended over 3 km. The fort was employed to store weapons and artillery required for war.
Jai Garh is famous for the world’s largest cannon on wheels “Jaivana” named after Sawai Jai Singh. Jaivana was manufactured in the fort, weighing around 50 tonnes with around 20 ft of the barrel and have 4 wheels instead of a regular 2 wheels. As the relations with the Mughals were good with Sawai Jai Singh, the cannon was shot only once.
- Jai Garh Ticket Price: INR 50/-
- Opening hours: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Duration: 1 hour
- Visit artillery museum
- Enjoy the panoramic view of the pink city from the top.
- Witness the world’s largest cannon on wheels “Jaivana”.
- In 1977, Prime minister Indra Gandhi engaged the army in the treasure hunt in the fort. After 3 months, it was believed that nothing was found.
- There are some rumors that the treasure was seized by the government at that time.
6. Jal Mahal
The Jal Mahal is in the middle of Lake Man Sagar. Jal Mahal has 5-floor out of which only one is above the lake and visible and the rest 4-floors are beneath the lake. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh (18th century) for duck hunting.
The crystal water of the lake and the beautiful panoramas of the enclosing Nahargarh hills of Aravallis offers an absolutely stunning experience, especially at night.
The exotic reflection of the palace that appears in the lake is enough to make you relax and forget about the time. All these aspects makes it a great tourist spot and one of the most relaxing places to visit in Jaipur.
- Basic ticket: Free (entry inside the mahal is prohibited)
- There is a pathway that surrounds the Lake from where you can enjoy the site of the Jal Mahal.
- Witness the spectacular scenery of the reflection of the palace appears on the crystal clear water of the lake.
- Explore your photography skills
- Bird watching- you can spot grey heron, common moorhen, Blue-tailed bee-eaters. and White-browed Wagtail and some other general species.
7. Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is located near the Hawa Mahal and can be seen from the top of the Hawa mahal. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (was one of the best theorists of his time) in a period of 1727-1733. He also built 4 other astronomical instruments in north India to study space (located in New Delhi, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Mathura).
Jantar Mantar of Jaipur built with stone and brass is the largest among the 5 and has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO. This campus consists of around 19 geometric devices that can predict eclipses, measure time, track the location of stars, and the Earth’s movement around the sun.
Some of the devices here are the largest of their kind. The largest instrument in this observatory is the Samrat Yantra (the largest sundial in the world), which forecasts time. Samrat Yantra is not open to the public as it is still in use by the observers for their calculations, however, there is another yantra that works on the same principle and is open to the public.
- Basic ticket: INR 50/-
- Opening hours: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
- Duration: 1 hour
- Jantar Mantar is the largest stone astronomical observatory in the world.
- World’s largest sundial, Samrat Yantra is situated here.
8. Albert Hall Museum
Situated at the center of Ram Niwas garden, Albert hall museum is the oldest museum of Rajasthan. Also known as the government central museum, Albert hall was named after the Prince Albert of England (queen victoria’s husband).
This was built by Maharaja Ram Singh in 1876, as he wanted prince Albert to visit Jaipur to strengthen the relations with the British royal court and named this structure after Prince Albert.
The museum comprises 16 galleries with an extensive collection of Rajasthan miniature paintings, artifacts, woodwork sculptures, metal arts, and other artifacts. However, the structure itself is the primary charm of the Albert Hall Jaipur, especially with the lightings at night.
- Basic ticket: INR 50/-
- Opening time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Duration: 30-60 minutes.
- Visit the oldest museum of Rajasthan (around 131 years old).
- Witness the stunning view of Albert hall at night with one of the most beautiful lighting on a building in Jaipur.
- Free entry on World Museum Day, Rajasthan Day, World Heritage Day, and World Tourism Day.
9. Panna Meena Ka Kund
Panna Meena Ka Kund is a peaceful and pictorial stepwell that is colored in pale-yellow. This unique gem of fine architecture is located near the Anokhi museum, just only a short walk away from the Amer fort.
This is not as big as the other ancient stepwells of India, but still, it looks tremendous. It was constructed in the 16th century for collecting and preserving the rainwater for dry months.
Panna Meena ka Kund is an eight-tier square stepwell. About 1800 symmetric steps arranged in a zig-zag pattern lead to the bottom of the stepwell. Apart from those steps, a room in the northern direction (which was used for religious activities), arched doorways, and canopy on all four corners, all these aspects make it an architectural wonder.
After bearing the rush-crowd of Jaipur, Panna Meena ka Kund is one of the most peaceful places to visit in Jaipur. The temperature beside the stepwell remains significantly cooler. There you can relax and visualize the beauty of this unique stepwell when it was fully operational.
- Basic ticket: Free
- Opening time: Remains Open, but it is suggested to visit in daylight.
- Duration: 30-60 minutes.
- There is a fun fact about the place; local people say that one cannot use the same stairs to go down and come up.
- There is no barricade or fence to stop you from going down in the stepwell. However, you should not try to go down, as it could be dangerous.
- Locals can easily roam around on those steps as they are habituated now.
