While you are here
First time in the Pink City? Here are the places we love most, so you can make the most of every free hour.
Our own favourites carry an “Our pick” badge. Every card has an Open in Maps button, and drive times are from the venue on New Sanganer Road, allowing for city traffic.
Where to go
Every place on this page, with the venue and the old walled city. Tap a pin for the details, or use the key to show only what you are after.
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Eat and drink
Where we would take you for lunch, a drink, dinner and the best cup of coffee in town.
Lunch
A restored haveli in the middle of the jewellers' bazaar, serving a thoughtful all-vegetarian menu built on Rajasthani flavours. It is the calmest, prettiest way to spend an afternoon in the old city.
Tip: Book a table ahead; lunch runs from early afternoon. Ask your cab to drop you on MSB Ka Rasta, as the lanes are narrow.
Drinks and dinner
A jewel-box bar in peacock blue, set in the gardens of the Narain Niwas palace hotel, with an Italian menu and lantern-lit tables outside. Come for a sundowner and you will probably stay for dinner.
Tip: Opens in the evening and fills quickly, so reserve ahead. Smart casual; the garden gets cold after dark in December, so bring a wrap.
Best coffee
Jaipur's own speciality roaster, pouring the best coffee in the city alongside a proper breakfast menu. A bright, easy place to start a day of sightseeing.
Tip: Opens early, which makes it the best first stop before the monuments. Curious Life has more than one café; this pick is the RED one on Sarojini Marg.
A long-loved local favourite for Rajasthani home-style cooking, best known for its smoky laal maas. Unfussy, generous and a good introduction to the food of the region.
Tip: Laal maas is properly fiery; ask for it milder if spice is not your thing. Open for lunch and dinner.
A relaxed restaurant and bar in old hunting-lodge style, just inside the gates of Narain Niwas Palace. The Indian dishes are the ones to order, and the garden setting does the rest.
Tip: It shares grounds with Bar Palladio, so the two make an easy evening together. Book ahead for weekends.
City culture
The two sights that say Jaipur.
The honey-coloured hill palace above Maota Lake, all mirrored halls, painted gateways and long views over the old walls. If you see one thing in Jaipur, make it this.
Tip: Go as early as you can, before the crowds and the midday sun. The ramps and stairs are steep in places, so wear flat shoes and take it slowly.
With children: Children love the huge courtyards, the glittering mirror hall and the views from the ramparts. The climb is long, so carry water and take breaks; the evening light and sound show suits older kids.
The Palace of Winds: a pink, honeycombed façade of nearly a thousand small windows, built so royal women could watch street life unseen. It is the picture of Jaipur everyone knows.
Tip: For the classic photograph, look at it from the cafés across the road. Morning light on the façade is the best.
With children: Kids enjoy peeping out of the little windows at the street below. The upper levels are reached by ramps, not stairs.
Street shopping
A long, lively arcade of block-printed textiles, mojari slippers, bangles and blue pottery, all inside the pink walls of the old city. Good-natured bargaining is part of the fun.
Tip: Many shops close on Sundays, so plan it for Saturday 12th or Monday 14th. Shops open late morning; carry some cash for smaller stalls.
Museum
Rajasthan's oldest museum, an Indo-Saracenic palace of domes and arcades holding miniature paintings, carpets, armour and an Egyptian mummy. After dark the building is lit up and is lovely from the gardens.
Tip: There is usually an evening session as well as daytime opening; check the day's hours before you go.
With children: The Egyptian mummy is the star for children, and Masala Chowk’s street food is right next door.
If you have kids
Places children in the family will love. Look for the “Good with kids” note on the cards above too: Amer, Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall all go down well.
A whole Rajasthani village fair in one evening: puppet shows, folk dancers, magicians, swings and stalls, finished with a huge traditional dinner served on leaf plates. It is on the same side of town as the venue.
Tip: Opens in the evening; book ahead, especially on Saturday. Go early to see the shows before dinner.
A big round garden with lawns, a jogging track and a musical fountain, entered through Patrika Gate, a gateway painted floor to ceiling in bright Rajasthani colours. Easy room to run about, close to the venue.
Tip: Patrika Gate photographs best in soft afternoon light. Ask on the day whether the evening fountain show is running.
An open-air food court of Jaipur's best-known street-food stalls in one place: pyaaz kachori, golgappe, chaat, kulfi and more. Everyone can pick their own, and the museum is next door.
Tip: Busiest after 6 pm. Pair it with the Albert Hall Museum, which is lit up after dark.
Jaipur's big wildlife park in the Aravalli hills, home to the city's zoo animals, with lion and tiger safaris in closed park vehicles. A good half day for animal-loving children.
Tip: Closed on Tuesdays. Go in the morning for the safari slots, and combine it with Amer on the same road.
If you have more time
A few more classics, if your trip allows.
Still partly home to the former royal family, with courtyards, textile galleries and the famous painted Peacock Gate. It sits a short walk from Hawa Mahal.
Tip: Tickets are sold at the gate. Pair it with Jantar Mantar next door.
An 18th-century open-air observatory of giant stone instruments, including a sundial accurate to a couple of seconds. A guide makes it come alive.
Tip: Go on a sunny morning to see the shadows at work. There is little shade, so bring a hat.
With children: A giant outdoor science lesson: let them stand in the sundial’s shadow and guess the time.
A hilltop fort with the whole city spread out below. Watching the sun set over Jaipur from its walls is a favourite local ritual.
Tip: Head up by about 4:30 pm; sunset is around 5:30 pm in mid-December. The hill road is winding, so a car with driver is easier than an auto.
With children: The wax museum inside the fort is a hit with children; check its hours, which differ from the fort’s.
A palace that seems to float on Man Sagar Lake, with the hills behind it. It is seen from the lakeside promenade rather than visited inside.
Tip: It is on the road to Amer, so make it a photo stop on the way there or back.
A thali is a whole meal on one plate: dal baati churma, kadhi, gatte, bajra roti and a sweet. Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar (LMB) in Johari Bazaar is a long-standing vegetarian institution for it.
Tip: Save room for a sweet from the counter on your way out.
Ready-made plans
Built around the celebrations, mostly from our picks. Times are rough; leave gaps and enjoy the pauses.
Monday 14th, before the baraat
Back at the venue by about 2:30 pm, with time to dress.
Saturday 12th, if you arrive early
A long day; skip a stop or two and nothing is lost.
Saturday 12th, or any free evening
Everything after the museum is in one palace garden.
Saturday 12th, or any free day
On the 14th, the first two stops make an easy morning before the baraat.
Getting here, getting around and what to pack are on the Travel & Venue page.