Jaipur: Pink City Heritage Day Trip

Two stops most day trips skip

The standard Jaipur circuit is five sites and everyone runs it. This one adds Panna Meena ka Kund and Gaitor ki Chhatriyan, which is why it is worth reading past the title.

Panna Meena ka Kund is a 16th-century stepwell below Amber Fort — symmetrical criss-crossing staircases descending eight storeys into the ground, built so the village could reach water whatever the season. It photographs like an Escher drawing and it is almost always quiet, because the coaches do not stop there. You cannot go down to the water, and you should not try.

Gaitor ki Chhatriyan is the cremation ground of the Kachwaha maharajas, a walled garden of carved marble cenotaphs at the foot of Nahargarh hill. Jai Singh II, who founded the city and built the observatory, is here. Very few visitors are.

The rest of the day

Hawa Mahal — the honeycomb facade of 953 windows, a screen for the women of the court rather than a palace.

Amber Fort — the hilltop complex above Maota Lake, with the Sheesh Mahal mirror chamber and the Ganesh Pol gateway.

Jal Mahal — a photo stop on the lake road; no entry.

City Palace — courtyards, armoury and textiles, still partly the royal residence.

Jantar Mantar — the UNESCO-listed stone observatory, including the world's largest masonry sundial.

Getting there

Pickup and drop-off from seven points across Delhi NCR, including Old Delhi, Gurugram and Greater Noida, which saves the usual pre-dawn cross-city taxi. It is a long day — expect sixteen hours door to door — and the drive each way is about four and a half hours.

Monument entrance fees and meals are not included.