Jaipur in five days

A day-by-day plan for Jaipur, Rajasthan, 15 stops in all. Every stop that matches a place we cover links straight to it.

5 days 15 stopsFull Jaipur guide What to eat in Jaipur

5 days in Jaipur

Take the whole plan, or add any single stop.

Day 1

City Palace

The royal complex at the centre of the walled city, begun by Sawai Jai Singh II when he founded Jaipur and added to by his successors ever since. Chandra Mahal, the seven-storey palace at its heart, is still partly a private residence, which is why parts of the complex are closed and the rest is unusually well kept. What most people come for is Pritam Niwas Chowk, the inner courtyard with four painted doorways, one for each season — the Peacock Gate is the one that ends up on everybody's camera roll. Give it longer than you think: the armoury and the textile rooms are quieter than the courtyards and better than they sound.

Day 1

Hawa Mahal

Built in 1799 by Sawai Pratap Singh in red and pink sandstone, on the edge of the City Palace and joined to the zenana, the women's quarters. Its nine hundred and fifty-three lattice windows — jharokhas — let the women of the household watch processions in the street below without being seen, and the honeycomb of openings pulls air through the building, which is what keeps it bearable in a Jaipur summer. The famous view is from outside, facing east: go before nine, while the sun is on the front. Inside it is narrow ramps and small chambers, and much less than the facade promises.

Day 1

Johari Bazaar

The old city's street of gem and jewellery dealers, known for silver work, hand-crafted kundan settings and tie-dye textiles.

Day 2

Amber Fort

Begun in 1592 on the hill above Maota lake, in pale sandstone and marble, and the Sheesh Mahal is what the queue is for. The fort stands over the town of Amer, eleven kilometres from Jaipur, and Maota is not scenery — it was the palace's water supply. Ramparts, a sequence of gates and cobbled ramps carry you up through the courtyards, with the mirror hall off the third. Walk up rather than taking an elephant: the animals here have drawn repeated welfare complaints, and the climb takes about ten minutes. First hour or last hour is when the sandstone turns orange and the courtyards empty.

Day 2

Jaigarh & Panna Meena stepwell

Day 2

Nahargarh sunset over the city

Day 3

Jantar Mantar observatory

Day 3

Albert Hall Museum

The oldest museum in Rajasthan, standing on its own in the Ram Niwas Garden just south of the walled city. The building is the reason to come as much as the collection: Indo-Saracenic, with Rajput and Mughal detail worked carefully into a European plan, and open colonnades that make sense in this heat. Inside are Rajasthani textiles, metalwork, carpets and arms, and an Egyptian mummy that generations of Jaipur schoolchildren have been brought to see. Go late in the day, when the pigeons come up off the forecourt in clouds, or after dark, when the whole facade is floodlit and reflected in the pool.

Day 3

Block-printing at Sanganer/Bagru

Day 4

Chand Baori stepwell, Abhaneri

Day 4

Pushkar lake & cafes

Day 4

Return for a rooftop dinner

Day 5

Patrika Gate

A modern gateway on Jawahar Circle, built in the Rajasthani idiom and painted top to bottom, inside and out, with frescoes drawn from the different regions of the state. It is not old and does not pretend to be — it was made to be walked through and photographed, and it does that job better than almost anything else in the city. Nine arches, each painted differently, so the view changes as you move along it. Come early. By mid-morning the arches are full of people waiting their turn for the same photograph, and the light is flatter than it is at dawn.

Day 5

Cafe brunch in C-Scheme

Day 5

Last-minute textiles & gems

Places on this itinerary

Planning Jaipur

How many days for Jaipur?+

2–3 days covers the highlights; 5 days lets you add day trips to Abhaneri, Pushkar and Ranthambore.

Is Jaipur walkable?+

The old city is walkable in parts; use autos/cabs between forts.

Jaipur in five days

5 days in Jaipur

City Palace

Hawa Mahal

Johari Bazaar

Amber Fort

Jaigarh & Panna Meena stepwell

Nahargarh sunset over the city

Jantar Mantar observatory

Albert Hall Museum

Block-printing at Sanganer/Bagru

Chand Baori stepwell, Abhaneri

Pushkar lake & cafes

Return for a rooftop dinner

Patrika Gate

Cafe brunch in C-Scheme

Last-minute textiles & gems

Places on this itinerary

Planning Jaipur

Add a few days nearby