Jaipur: Private Full-Day City Tour with Guide & Hotel Pickup

Eight hours, private, and the tickets can be handled

The standard Jaipur circuit done properly, with the option of having every entrance pre-paid — which removes three ticket counters from your day. Amber Fort, City Palace and Jantar Mantar together run about ₹1,500 per foreign adult.

Amber Fort

The hilltop complex above Maota Lake, begun in 1592 by Raja Man Singh. The courtyards climb the ridge: Jaleb Chowk, where returning armies were reviewed; the painted Ganesh Pol gateway; the Sheesh Mahal, where thousands of convex mirror fragments in the ceiling turned a single candle into a sky of stars; and the Sukh Niwas, cooled by water running through channels cut in the marble.

The zenana courtyard held twelve queens' apartments arranged so that none overlooked another — the corridors were laid out so the maharaja could visit one without the others knowing which.

Jal Mahal

A photo stop on the causeway over Man Sagar Lake. Four of its five storeys are submerged; there is no boat and no ticket, whatever you are offered at the roadside.

City Palace

Begun in 1729 at the centre of the new city, and part of it is still the royal family's residence — the flag over Chandra Mahal tells you whether they are in. The armoury, the textile galleries, and the two enormous silver urns.

Jantar Mantar

Nineteen masonry astronomical instruments, UNESCO-listed. The 27-metre Samrat Yantra sundial's shadow moves six centimetres a minute and it still reads local time to about two seconds; your guide can demonstrate it.

Hawa Mahal

The five-storey screen of 953 windows, built in 1799 so the women of the court could watch the street unseen. Best from the pavement opposite in the morning.

Three options

Car and guide; car, guide and entrances; or all-inclusive.

Practical

Eight hours with hotel pickup. Start early.