Do you want to do a short trip but cannot manage even a day off from work? Or planning a trip seems a task to you? What if we say, for Jaipur, you don’t need to take a day off? We’ll tell you how to make the most of your weekend by visiting the best of Jaipur. A 10 minute read to find out how!!!
Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is sure to enchant you with its royalty and warmth. From palaces and forts, to vibrant markets and delectable food, Jaipur has something for everyone. Its forts and palaces will immerse you in history. It’s a place where you won’t be able to stop yourself from gorging on delicious food and indulging in shopping at the local bazaars.
Moreover, whether you are looking at a solo trip, a family vacation, a romantic escape or even an outing with your buddies, Jaipur has something for everyone.
Table of Contents
Places to visit in Jaipur
Amer Fort
With cobbled pathways, series of gates, towering defensive walls, the fort is spread across four levels, each having its own courtyard. This beautiful palace fort used to be home to the Maharajas of Jaipur. There is a light and sound show here in the evening.
How to reach Amer Fort
Amer fort is around 11 km from the Jaipur Railway Station and around 20 km from the Airport. We hired an Uber from our hotel to the Fort. But Ola/ Uber cabs drop you upto a point from where you have to climb up to reach the main entrance of the fort which takes around 15-20 minutes.
Note – If you are with parents or want to avoid the stairs, hire a taxi that goes up to the entry gate of the fort. The most economical option is a battery rickshaw or an auto.
- Timings: 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, 6:30 PM to 9:15 PM
- Entry Fee: INR 100 (Indians); INR 550 (Foreign Nationals)
Jal Mahal (Water Palace)
It appears to be single storied but is actually five-storied with four of the floors submerged.
Though visitors are not allowed to enter the palace, just watching the migratory birds, being by the lake with its surrounding hills and gazing at this beauty standing right there in the water for over 250 years is magical.
Jal Mahal is on the way to Amer Fort so a visit to both can be combined.
Hawa Mahal
Do you know, the architecture in the photograph acted as a high screen for the entertainment of royal ladies? The only difference is that, when we go for a movie, we look at the screen and the royal ladies used to look out of the windows made in this high screen wall to enjoy the events and festivals in the street without anybody seeing them. Known as Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace), this five-storey building is in the shape of Lord Krishna’s crown and resembles a honeycomb and has 953 windows!
- Timings – 9 AM – 4:30 PM
- Fees – INR 50 (Indians) and INR 200 (Foreigners)
- Location – Hawa Mahal Road, Badi Choupad, J.D.A. Market.
Patrika Gate
Jawahar Circle is a park at a traffic signal in Jaipur and the entrance to it is through a series of gates called the Patrika Gate. The pillars inside the gate are beautifully decorated with hand done paintings of palaces, temples, forts, jewellery etc, in lively colours that give a glimpse of the history of Jaipur. Without doubt, it’s the spot for stunning instagrammable pictures, but that’s all. It’s just what you are seeing in the picture, only a series of gates to a park.
- Location – It’s around 13 km from Jaipur Railway station and 2.5 km from Jaipur Airport.
Shopping at Johri and Baapu Bazaar
These markets are some of the most lively and vibrant places of Jaipur. You can buy Rajasthani artifacts, jewellery, saris and skirts from these markets. Wind View Café and Hawa Mahal are in Johri bazaar. You can also indulge in delicacies of Jaipur in these markets.
More Options to explore in Jaipur
These are the places that we covered during our 2 days trip to Jaipur. If you have more time at hand you can explore other places as well like –
- Nahargarh Fort: Overlooking the city of Jaipur, Nahargarh Fort stands on the Aravalli hills and is famous for being the shooting location of popular Bollywood movies like ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Jodha Akbar’.
- Jaigarh: House to the world’s largest cannon on wheels, Jaigarh Fort overlooks Amer Fort. Made with the purpose of protecting Amer Fort, it is considered the strongest fort of Jaipur.
- Panna Meena Ka Kund: Historic step-well & rainwater catchment known for its picturesque symmetrical stairways and situated near Amer fort.
- City Palace: City palace used to be the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. It’s 5.3 km from Jaipur Railway Station.
- Albert Hall Museum: The museum has a rich collection of artifacts including paintings, jewellery, carpets, ivory, stone, metal sculptures, and works in crystal. It’s 5 km from Jaipur Railway Station.
- Birla Mandir: It’s a beautiful white marble temple. It’s 8.1 km from Jaipur Railway Station.
Places to eat in Jaipur
Peacock Rooftop Restaurant
Featured in Lonely Planet, Peacock rooftop restaurant is a multi-cuisine restaurant at the Hotel Pearl. Its eclectic decor, rooftop seating, live music and delicious food are sure to lift up your mood. It serves North Indian, Asian, fast-food and beverages. It’s worth visiting and not so expensive.
Location – 51, Hathroi Fort, Hari Kishan Somani Marg, Ajmer Road, Hathroi. Around 4 km from Jaipur Railway Station.
Govindam Retreat Restaurant
We were very keen to have authentic Rajasthani food while in Jaipur and came across this restaurant. Though thalis are available at many other places, this place lets you share it between two and costs INR 600. The restaurant has really nice interiors and has outdoor sitting space as well.
Location – Kanwar Nagar, near Govind Devji temple. It’s near to Johri Bazaar.
Wind View Café – For the best view of Hawa Mahal
Although the view of Hawa Mahal from the café is good, but owing to its limited sitting, it often gets too crowded.
Location – 3rd floor Rang Bihari, Opposite Hawa Mahal, Hawa Mahal Road, Badi Chopad. It’s opposite Hawa Mahal.
1135 AD Restaurant inside Amer Fort
It has an open courtyard and has windows that peek inside Amer fort. The chefs here create royal Rajasthani recipes.
Location – Inside the historic Amer fort.
Chowki Dhani
For immersing yourself in the culture of Rajasthan, this is the right place to visit. It’s where you can enjoy Rajsathani dance, its traditions, sports and food. The place has an amazing vibe. If you are visiting Jaipur for the first time, including Choki Dhani in your itinerary is a must!
- Fees – INR 750 (including 1 meal)
- Timings – 5:30 pm to 11 pm
Shreenath Lassi
Location – MI Road, Jayanti Market, New Colony. Its on the way to Hawa Mahal.
How to reach Jaipur
Jaipur is easily accessible from different parts of the country by air, train and roads.
By Air – Jaipur’s Sanganer Airport, which is 10 km away from the main city, is well connected with most major cities in India and has an International Terminal too which connects it with some Asian countries.
By Train – This is the most budget friendly option for travelling to Jaipur. Jaipur is directly connected to major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata etc, by rail.
On this trip, we travelled to Jaipur via train. We took the New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabadi from Delhi (6:05 am) and reached Jaipur by 10:40 am.
Our Accommodation in Jaipur
We stayed at the Jai Mahal Palace which is a heritage property owned by the Taj Group and which used to be home to the Prime Ministers of the Princely State of Jaipur.
We stayed here just because one of our friends gifted us one day stay at this property. The room starts here from INR 13, 500 per day.
A 5 star luxury hotel set amidst 18 acres of Mughal style gardens, Jai Mahal Palace is equipped with all modern day comforts.
If you are looking for budget accommodation, there are many choices in Jaipur to suit everyone’s pocket. Go to booking.com and book a hotel as per your budget.
Best time to visit
Summers are harsh so avoid visiting from May to July. October to January is the best time.
We went in August and it was hot at noon time. Mornings and evenings felt pleasant.
Getting around in Jaipur
– Local transport like battery rickshaws and autos are available easily.
– For long distances, you can book taxis online using Ola or Uber.
– If you are with family, you can book a cab for the entire day as well.
Our 2 days itinerary for Jaipur
This is how we explored Jaipur in 2 days –
Day 1:
- Reach Jaipur in the morning.
- Check-in into the hotel, have breakfast.
- Visit Amer fort.
- Stop at Jal Mahal while coming back from Amer fort.
- Dinner at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant. Prefer going to Choki Dhani, if you are visiting Jaipur for the first time.
Day 2:
- Visit Patrika Gate early in the morning.
- Come back to your place of stay and have breakfast.
- Checkout of your hotel.
- Visit Hawa Mahal and have snacks at the Wind View Café.
- Shop at Johri Bazaar and Bapu market.
- Lunch at Govindam Retreat.
- Explore the market some more.
- Catch the train back.
This is what we think are the best things to do in Jaipur in 2 days. Let us know in the comments below what do you think!!!