Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan, India. It is popularly known as the ‘Pink City’ of India. It got this name because in 1876 this entire city was painted in dusky pink shade to welcome Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. Jaipur is also a major hub for handicrafts, antiques, jewellery, gems, pottery, carpets and textiles. It attracts visitors from all over the world every year.

This city holds a soft spot in my heart for many reasons. Deepanshu’s proposal, our pre- wedding shoot, our wedding; all of it happened in Jaipur and this city also happens to be his hometown!

Jaipur has a lot of amazing places to visit; here is the list with complete details to plan your vacation.

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City Palace is a major attraction and one of the famous landmarks in Jaipur. It was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. This beautiful palace is famous for it blend of Mughal, European and Rajputana architecture together and is symbol of the richness and royalty of the Indian history.

Mubarak Mahal represent a pleasant illustration of Hindu architecture blending with the intricate designs of Mughal palaces. It is embroidered with creatively imprinted screens, galleries, archways and brackets on one hand and has stunningly engraved marble gate with dense brass doors on the other, showing a perfect blend in this structural beauty.

You will need 2-3 hours to explore this palace. The opening hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm daily. Guides are available in different languages and the fee varies based on the number of people. Movie “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan” title song casting Govinda and Raveena Tondon was shot in City Palace.

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Nahargarh fort is situated on oldest mountain range of India, the Aravalli Range and overlooks Jaipur. This magnificent fort build by Maharaj Sawai Jai Singh II extends it’s walls to Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort and serves as a strong defense for Jaipur. Enjoy the panoramic view of Jaipur city from the top!

If you are planning to visit Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and the Central Museum, consider buying a combined ticket. It is valid for two days. Opening hours are 10:00 am to 5:00pm daily.

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Hawa Mahal means ‘Palace of Winds’. This palace is built from red and pink sandstones and has 953 small windows. It’s said that Hawa Mahal is structured like a bee-hive or a crown.

Hawa Mahal was constructed for the royal ladies so that they could watch the daily life of the city through the window without being visible to public.

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Amber Fort is like a precious jewel of Jaipur. The city of Amer and Amber Fort was built by King Alan Singh Meena and this magnificent place took a century to complete. Amer Fort is most popular among tourist because of ‘Sheesh Mahal’ which translates to the Palace of Mirrors.

The walls of the Sheesh Mahal Palace is carved with thousands of mirrors and colored glasses, and constructed in such a way that a single ray of light lit up entire Sheesh Mahal. This has been a favorite spot for Bollywood movies. The most popular bollywood movies of all times Mughal-e-Aazam (1960), Jodha Akbar (2008) and Bajirao Mastani (2015) were shot inside Sheesh Mahal. Opening hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm daily.

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Jal Mahal which translates to ‘The Palace on Water’ is one of the most popular attractions of Jaipur. It is built in the middle of Man Sagar Lake originally built in 1799. The entry to Jal Mahal itself has been stopped by the Government, you will not be able to visit the actual palace itself. However, there is a pathway around the Man Sagar Lake which allows you to view the Jal Mahal.

There is no entry fee and you can visit it during the day time from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. You will need half an hour to explore this place.

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This Kund (translates to well) was constructed in an ancient way to do water harvesting during rainy season. This step well has the most extraordinary architectural style. The stairs that are used to go down cannot be used again to go upstairs. Only locals can do this as they are habituated to this place and are well-aware of the trick of using these stairs. You can visit it during the day time from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

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The Patrika Gate is an entranceway to the Jahawar Circle Park which, if you didn’t know already, is the biggest circular park in Asia on a traffic signal!  Patrika Gate derives its name from newspaper and media company-Rajasthan Patrika. It was built by Rajasthan Patrika in association with JDA- Jaipur Development Authority.

You’ll truly be mesmerized by the intricate details of this entire place. It’s easy to see why this is a top photo location in the city. It’s incredibly gorgeous. This is one of the most Instagrammable places of Jaipur.

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Chokhi Dhani resort was started in 1989 and is build in huge 10 acres of land. This place is the most sought after food point for tourists with 16 authentic Rajasthani cuisine at one place! It depicts authentic Rajasthani culture where the food is served on a low height table and a small floor mat for sitting.

Apart from the delicious food, Chokhi Dhani provides other engaging options like Henna art, games, cultural music, puppet show, tarot card reading and shopping. This is the perfect spot to end your vacation in Jaipur. Make advance online/ phone booking to avoid standing in waiting line.  The peppy romantic bollywood song ‘Chalao Na Naino se Baan re’ was shot at Chokhi Dhani. Opening hours are 5:00pm to 11:00pm daily.

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We tried to include all the details you need to plan your fun- filled vacation to Jaipur. If you have any questions, post them in comments below or on our Facebook page and we will try to answer them as soon as we can. Happy Exploring!! 🙂