Daylight
City Palace (2-3 hours)
The cost was 3500/person which we thought was pretty steep for India standard. This fee included a tour guide and we had a private tour through the grounds. We learned about the royal family, saw the guest area where famous visitors stay (Oprah stayed there once), and took photos throughout. The whole palace is filled with a variety of unique and beautifully decorated rooms and areas. The tour guide ended up being our photographer which I am sure was all too familiar for him.
For those who do not want to spend as much money, you are able to enter for free with limited access. You will be able to see a general courtyard or two, one of them including these beautiful peacock doors (National bird of India).
Jal Mahal (1 hour)
Literally meaning “Water Palace”, Jal Mahal is a Palace surrounded by water in the Man Sagar Lake, a man-made lake. We set up a tripod and tried to take some sunset photos since the lights of the palace turn on at dusk. The main viewing area where this palace is seen is populated by many street vendors, locals, and tourists. We met a couple from Wisconsin who were taking pictures right next to us. The locals were even approaching us for photos, which was surprising since we assumed they had seen tourists before.
Jewelry Shopping (Half Day)
Jaipur is known for its Gemstones and exotic jewelry. I was finalizing Allison’s Engagement Ring and wanted to incorporate gemstones to add a unique flavor of India to the ring setting. A co-worker of mine from Bangalore has parents and family in Jaipur, so he helped coordinate a local tour guide that worked for the family. This tour guide helped us determine which jewelry stores to shop at and because we had a local connection, we knew we were not getting ripped off or taken to the touristy spots.
We went to three stores:
- The owner personally helped me finalize the ring based on my preference. He provided good suggestions based on what gems he had available and was genuinely helpful. They didn’t have exactly what I was looking for, but I loved the service and said I may be back if I don’t find anything better.
- Molto Bello Gems: We spent less time here since they did not have a good selection of smaller gems for the ring setting. We ended up coming back with Allison later in the trip to buy our zodiac rings (more on that later).
- Ratnavali Arts: They had a whole team helping to understand what I wanted and provided a huge selection. I spent around an hour looking through their inventory of stones and handpicked the stones I wanted for the ring. Because the colors were too large, they cut them down to size and had me come back later to give them the ring. When I returned I walked the ring and their stones to the basement where they had the manufacturing section and watched a guy make the ring for 90 minutes. After all 10 stones were placed, I left the store with the final engagement ring. They were extremely accommodating and understood I would not be comfortable leaving the diamond with them in the store.
Zodiac Rings (2 hours)
After living in India for 6 months before this trip, we had learned the meaning behind the zodiac rings that a large majority of Indian locals wear. Many Indians and Hindus believe in auspicious dates that guide a lot of major life events. Based on the astrology driven by Zodiac signs of the affected people, they can determine times of the year or specific dates for these events which can include weddings, baby naming ceremonies, or other celebrations.
To cultivate the good energy, fortune, and luck that the astrology provides, many locals where gemstone rings. The idea is the sun shines through the stone, which is in direct contact with your skin and energizes your body. You just need to determine what stone you require. We wanted to learn this from the source in Jaipur.
We started at a Palm Reader and then went back to Molto Bello because they specialize in the astrology process. We wanted to compare the result of each method and determine if they matched. Luckily, for Allison and I they did! The Palm Reader was taken with a grain of salt but provided a lot of accurate information about us that was a pleasant surprise. The astrology method required birth date, time, and location and actually provided very similar information that the Palm Reader did so we had a lot of fun with this and were excited to embrace the culture by getting our rings. I got a small yellow sapphire for my pinky and Allison got a nice Emerald.
New Satguru Textile World (Shopping) (1-2 hours)
This is a large and seemingly popular store for tourists to buy a variety of clothes and outfits. They specialized in stamping which was a unique manufacturing technique we learned about at the store. They use stencils out of wood to create a variety of repeating patterns on shirts, pajamas, table cloths, etc. Once we saw their demonstration, the women started looking for nice Sarees to wear to an Indian Wedding Reception we had for a co-worker the following weekend. While I waited for them to shop they gave me a beer which was a delightful gesture. From a male’s perspective, this made this whole experience more enjoyable.
They also had a nice variety of Pashmina scarves which are made with the soft hair from a goat’s beard. Depending on the percent of Pashmina, the higher the cost of the scarf.
They dropped off the Sarees at the hotel the following morning so the women could try them on and then they provided minor tweaks before the following evening to finalize the outfits before we left town. Although the overall quality could have been better for the price we enjoyed the variety of local attire they sold and the service was fantastic.
Amber Fort Wall (1-2 hours)
Near the Grand Entrance of the Amber Fort lies the Amber Fort Wall sprawling on the surrounding hills. Just after sunrise, we were already climbing the large staircase to get a view from the top of the wall. The staircase was very steep and not easy, so we would recommend going very early before the sun comes up (we still sweat quite a bit). To access the staircase, you will travel down Amer Road to get to the palace. On the left you will see Maotha Lake in front of the palace. There is a small gazeebo overlooking the lake and a small parking lot near a garden. Just across the street is the staircase up to the Wall. The staircase is slightly hidden from the road, but once you start looking for it you will find it. Once we got up there we found another couple and a group of young kids on a field trip, so we practically had the whole wall to ourselves. This gave us a nice opportunity to take cool photos.
Am(b)er Fort (Half Day)
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Amber Fort is a popular tourist destination in Jaipur. Containing six separate courtyards, this is a site you can spend many hours at. The gate closest to the main entrance is the Suraj Pole or Sun Gate. There is a large and winding stone path to the gate from the base of the hill. This path is still used today to get high government officials to events at the Fort. They also open this up to tourists who want to ride an Elephant up to the Fort upon arrival. With the unique architecture throughout and each courtyard being different than the last, this palace provides a lot of nice photo opportunities. As always, get there when they open to avoid the largest crowds.
Patrika Gate (15 minutes)
A beautiful location for photos, we got here at 7:30 am to avoid crowds and took some beautiful pictures. This photo captures this location perfectly. Outside of this arched gateway, there is not much else to see here other than a small park.
Birla Mandir (1 hour)
Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple made of white Marble. This was the first major landmark we saw as we were driving through town after getting off the plane. We returned on our last day in town at around 8:30 am after going to the Patrika Gate. You will be required to remove your shoes before entering the grounds. Even very early in the morning, there were many people taking photos, a lot of whom wanted to take photos with us because they were also traveling to Jaipur from rural parts of India and had not seen many foreigners before. We took the single most photos with other people at this location than all other locations combined in our whole time living in India, it felt like we were celebrities. Around 9 am they started a Pooja inside the temple, so we were able to watch the locals pray. Girraj, our tour guide, also prayed for a few minutes before we left.
Hawa Mahal (30 minutes)
Another major landmark in Jaipur, Hawa Mahal is a palace that is an extension of the City Palace. Made from the red and pink sandstone that Jaipur is traditionally known for, the rear of the palace is the popular destination that can be seen from the road. There is a small section of five floors that has 953 tiny windows in a unique honeycomb style pattern.
There are a lot of tourists who take photos from the street directly in front of the Hawa Mahal. We went across the street to a small cafe called Wind City Cafe to get more of an aerial view. It was very small but because it was early it was still not too crowded. We enjoyed morning coffee at the cafe so we could get some photos.
Jaipur Cottage Industries (30 minutes)
If you are interested in buying a very nice rug or carpet, this would be a unique place to make the purchase. They talk through the process they use to make the carpets out of camel wool (burning demonstration, cleaning and cutting processes) and even though I had no intention of buying a carpet it was very informative and fascinating. They took us into a large showroom and started rolling out tons of carpets for us to look at to purchase. Fancy carpets are a bit out of our price range at this point in our life, but if you are looking for carpets, this is your spot.
Galtaji (Monkey Temple or Sun Temple) (2 hours)
Gultaji is a series of temples built into a narrow mountain pass surrounding Jaipur. As you arrive and begin to ascend the mountain you will find a series of pools where pilgrims used to bathe (Some locals even bath here during auspicious days today). The destination is the Sun Temple at the top of the hill that provides a nice overarching view of Jaipur. We made it to the top, about a 25 min walk, for sunset and started to see the lights of the city powering on. Once darkness filled the hills we started our descent on the opposite side of the mountain and had our driver pick us up there.
Without a doubt, the coolest part of this landmark is the monkeys. I can almost guarantee you will not see more Monkeys in one place in your lifetime. These monkeys have become so desensitized to humans, they are comfortable standing on shoulders and heads and taking food from humans. I grabbed a small banana and lured a monkey to jump on my shoulder for some exciting photos.
Mendhi (1 hour)
Or Henna, this paste made from dry leaves of a Henna plant is applied to women in unique forms of art. Usually done during pre-wedding rituals, this is very common among Indians and you will certainly see all brides have this during Indian marriage ceremonies. You can purchase tubes of this paste and apply Henna yourself, which is what all the locals do these days during these pre-wedding rituals. Because we had never done this, we wanted to have Allison go to a shop to have this done. We ended up going to the home of our driver because he said his sister could do this for us at a better price. We sat inside their small bedroom and watched two women (His sister and her friend who lived next door) each apply this paste to each of Allison’s hands at the same time. No matter where you get this done, this will be a fun experience.
The Henna lasts about one week but will start fading after a few days. You have to wait patiently for a few hours for it to dry so make sure you do not have anything too active planned directly after this appointment.
Evening
Handi (Dinner)
We knew we wanted to try Laal Maas, a very popular Mutton dish in Rajasthan, and Handi had it on their menu. Allison got the Laal Maas, it is a bit on the spicy side, so I ordered Chicken Tikka Massala which was incredible. Between the Butter Chicken at the Hotel Restaurant and the Chicken Tikka Massala at Handi, I started realizing I liked well made Indian food. We also split some mutton kebab and Paratha.
Peacock Restaurant at Hotel Pearl Palace
Not only is this a rooftop restaurant with a nice view of Jaipur, this is Allison’s favorite restaurant in India…
The dish to order is the Laal Maas Mutton with a side of Pineapple Raita. Typical Raita is a chilled yogurt that provides a nice balance to the heat of the classic Rajasthani Laal Maas dish. The Pineapple gives this version of Raita a sweeter taste opposite the classic savory taste. This sweet chilled yogurt combination with the Laal Maas has Allison on Cloud 9. She has already been there three times and keeps taking co-workers back every single time she in Jaipur.
Diwali 2019
One of the most exciting parts of our trip to Jaipur was that it aligned perfectly with Diwali or the festival of lights. Commonly referred to as Deepavali, Jaipur is known around India as the best place to celebrate this festival. This festival is meant to celebrate light over darkness, and Jaipur does a great job of lighting up the city with decorations, lights, and candles. All the locals also celebrate with excessive use of fireworks which provides a lot of excitement.
Because we had a friend whose family lived in Jaipur, we were fortunate enough to spend the evening of Diwali at their home for a common Diwali feast and celebration. This was one of the most unique local experiences we could have gotten. During the celebration, all locals walk into neighboring homes and touch elders feet to praise them and wish everyone Happy Diwali. We then ate a delicious home-cooked meal with a variety of sugar-based dishes, they love their sweets in Jaipur. After dinner, we went to the roof to light off firecrackers and watch the city light up with fireworks. The most fun came when we went to the street and watched the neighbors light violent fireworks in the streets. It actually sounded like bombs were going off and kids were running around all over the streets lighting off a variety of fireworks. Being white people in a local village on Diwali sure got the locals excited. There were crowds of people that came to greet us and get photos with us. We were even invited into some random man’s home to greet his family and they gave us water and we took photos.
Lodging Tips
Stayed at Nirbana Heritage Hotel, a beautiful hotel with a swimming pool in the center with restaurant seating. The restaurant provides breakfast and is also on Zomato Gold for those who have that subscription. The breakfast buffet provided a nice variety of options and the Butter chicken we ordered for dinner one night was my favorite butter chicken in India so far. The room we had included a king bed for Allison and her mom and a single bed on a lofted balcony where I slept.
