Welcome to Jaipur, the Pink City of India, where every corner is full with royal charm, vibrant culture and timeless beauty. Get ready to live a beautiful memory filled with historic palaces, bustling bazaars, and yummy Rajasthani food. Let’s dive into a First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur | Ultimate 3-Day tailored itinerary for first-time travelers who want to soak up the best of Jaipur.
No trip to India is complete without visiting Jaipur. But do you know why it is called Pink city? The ‘Old City’ of Jaipur is painted with terracotta ‘pink’ walls, giving its name as Pink City. Visiting Jaipur was always been one of my bucket list. So here are my First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur which were one of the most interesting and memorable days of our trip to India.
How many days you need to explore Jaipur?
If you want to explore Jaipur comfortably then I’d recommend 3 full days in the city with a guide in order to know about the history & significance of all the sights. In these three days your schedule will be relatively packed. Since you’d be out all day sightseeing & exploring wit not too much rest in between.
If you want to take things slow with ample rest & sightseeing then four days will be an ample amount of time to explore Jaipur. Also if you’re keen to go to Agra for a day trip from Jaipur then four days would be perfect for you.
If you’re short of time but really want to visit the city then you can explore it in two days, but it’ll be super packed & you might miss some of the sights.
Our three day trip in Jaipur was comfortable. We’ve been provided a wonderful local guide by India Heritage Travel who took us around in his car and made everything so easy without feeling rushed at all.
Our local guide knew everything, every in & out of Jaipur, places to visit in Jaipur, where to shop in Jaipur, tickets, entrances, etc.
So I’d recommend having a local guide, especially if it’s your first time in India. Let’s dive into First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur.
DAY 1
ENJOY SUNRISE AT AMER VIEWPOINT | First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur
Here we’re in Amer, an incredible place to start our Jaipur Journey. It is a little town which is 20 minutes away from Jaipur & is the perfect absolutely stunning spot to watch sunrise & it was very quiet when we reached.
To go the viewpoint form where you could see whole Jaipur & the beautiful sunrise, you’ll need to climb some steep steps for 20 minutes.
So here I’d recommend bringing some well-soled shoes like a pair of sneakers so that your feets don’t hurt.
SPEND LATER MORNING AT CITY PALACE
After Amer our next stop for the day was the amazing Jaipur City Palace, which is home of the royal family.
This palace is one of the most popular places to visit in Jaipur which is also a Museum.
One tip: if you want to explore the famous blue room & other private areas of City Palace, you need to purchase the Royal Grandeur ticket, as the other tickets don’t include access. The prices for the Royal Grandeur ticket is 3500INR ($70AUD) and 700INR ($14AUD) for the regular ticket which do not include access to these places.
If you’re interested in the history and learning more about the City Palace in general then the blue room and private areas are really quiet and give you a nice insight into the residential areas.
But if you want to have a general look then you should buy regular ticket.
It took us around 2-2.5 hours’ to fully explore the City palace as there was so much to see & explore.
This First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur will take care that you keep all of these things in mind while coming to Jaipur
EVENING AT HAWA MAHAL
From the City Palace next spot you can visit is the Hawa Mahal or Wind Palace is just around the corner from the City Palace. It is built from red & pink sandstone.
The terracotta pink facade faces the main road but interestingly enough, this is actually the backside of the building.
The 953 windows on building were originally made for women to privately enjoy the street scene without being noticed by others.
To get the best view of Taj Mahal, you can enjoy the view from number of cafes across the road which makes for a great spot to take some pictures whilst enjoying the view.
After exploring & enjoying views of Hawa Mahal, we explored some of the shops and stalls nearby which will be a good place to buy souvenir. After some shopping we went back to our Hotel to relax.
HAVE DINEER AT CAFE PALLADIO
After relaxing we went to Cafe Palladio which is a stunning restaurant/cafe in Jaipur with amazing hand-painted murals with pastel palette.
This café serves an Italian fusion menu and is a must-visit when in Jaipur if you want to try out best Italian food! You can come here for an early dinner or later afternoon snack and if you have time else you can also check out Bar Palladio which is its sister bar venue as well for amazing experience.
DAY 2
MORNING AT MAHARANIYO KI CHHATRI | First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur
This is a royal crematorium that was made for the women and is filled with amazing cenotaphs in memory of the great royal women of the past.
It’s not as popular with foreign tourists as the men’s equivalent, Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan (Jaipur), however I think it’s just as beautiful as it & even , a lot more peaceful. Most visitors here are locals who come to take pre-wedding photos! In this First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur you’ll explore places that gives you some unique experience.
VISIT ALBERT HALL MUSEUM
Next we visited Albert Hall Museum which is the oldest museum in Rajasthan and I also loved the numerous pigeons out there in the front.
This museum has a great collection of exquisite metal objects, wood crafts, carpets, stone and metal sculptures, arms and weapons, natural stones, and ivory good. If you’re a history lover, you’ll defiantly love this place
Many locals come here to take pre-wedding photos with the birds. It’s a beautiful spot to pass by for a few snaps.
VISIT PATRIKA GATE
This is one is one of my favourite places in Jaipur.
This grand Patrika gate stands at the entrance of Jawahar Circle which is a garden in Jaipur city.
Each and every pillar of Patrika Gate is painted with important facts about different areas of Rajasthan and its intricate details and pastel colors makes it a beautiful sight to see.
ENJOY LUNCH AT SAMODE PALACE
Next we went to a luxurious 300 year old mansion turned hotel set on top of the hills which is an hour drive from Jaipur. It is the town of Samode where you can find Samode Palace. It’s upto you to spend anight at Samode Palace and if not you can still visit the palace as a day-guest. The entrance fee is 1000INR per person and it can also be used as credit towards lunch at their restaurant.
Samode Palace is beautifully decorated with mirror-tiled halls, marble swimming pools and velvet sofas, and I’l recommend it for a great relaxing stopover.
ENJOY SUNSET AT NAHARGARH FORT
ENJOY SUNSET AT NAHARGARH FORTOne of the most popular spots in Jaipur is Nahargarh Fort. Hundreds of people come here at night to witness the beautiful sunset and there are a number of food stalls and bars where you can sit and enjoy the view.
Even you can visit at the time of early sunrise, it’ll be an amazing view to experience.
I didn’t know Jaipur was so big until I saw it from above. It really does go on and on.
DAY 3
SPEND MORNING AT AMER FORT
On our third day in Jaipur, we visited another one of the more popular sights in Jaipur, Amer Fort. It’s situated in the town of Amer which is about 30 mins from Jaipur.
Best to visit in Amer fort is in the morning when it opens at 8am, as it is really busy during the day time. The fort is made up of numerous courtyards, palaces, halls and gardens. We’ve explored Amer Fort for approximately 1.5-2 hours.
Tickets cost 500INR for foreign tourists.
VISIT PANNA MEENA KA KUND (STEPWELL)
Next we visited Panna Meena ka Kund which is famous for its unique design and architectural beauty. It’s an ancient stepwell with intricate symmetrical patterns of steps and pillars which create stunning reflections. This stepwell is no longer in use.
You may or may not be able to visit the steps as it’s no longer open to tourists. Here it depends on the guard in charge if you can have a quick picture on the steps. But even if you can’t, it’s a beautiful spot to view from ground level as well.
VISIT JAGAT SHIROMANI TEMPLE
Next we visited the stunning Jagat Shiromani Temple which is also in Amer.
People seems to skip this temple & just go over to Amer fort of the stepwell.
But this temple is definitely worth the stop even just for a little while. The view from the top of the stairs of this Hindu temple is breathtaking.
SPEND AFTERNOON AT GALTA JI (MONKEY TEMPLE)
After spending our morning in Amer, it’s time to head back to Jaipur. Our next stop is very famous Galta Ji (Monkey Temple).
This is a large Hindu complex that is both an operational temple, as well as a popular tourist attraction.
There are large group of monkeys to which this temple is home to.
On the day we visited it was heaps busy as locals were visiting to bathe in the holy waters. The entrance fee was 50INR per person.
HAVE LINCH AT ONCE UPON A TIME @ THE BAGH
Now if you want a cool place for lunch, this First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur will tell where you can chill out and relax.
You must visit Once Upon a Time @ The Bagh after your stop at Monkey Temple.
This restaurant is an amazing open air venue with a small indoor area.
The area is painted and decorated in various shades of blue. It’s such a beautiful space to relax & enjoy the food.
EVENING AT GAITOR KI CHHATRIYAN (ROYAL GAITOR)
Gatore Ki Chhatriyan is royal crematorium ituated on the foothills of Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur. It is popular due to its beautifully carved “chhatris,” which are cenotaphs with intricate designs, serene ambience, and panoramic views. This makes Gatore Ki Chhatriyan attractive to people interested in going through Jaipur’s rich regal past and its architectural heritage.
There is a small entrance fee of 30INR per person to enter.
And that brings us to the end of a very long but hopefully helpful First-Timer’s Guide to Jaipur! Hope you enjoy and happy travel planning!
