8 Things To Do in Jaipur: India’s Pink City

In a country as large as India, Jaipur is one of the most unique and magical places. The entire city is pink. In 1876, Prince Albert was to take a tour of India. To prepare for his arrival, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II had the whole city painted pink, as it was considered the color of hospitality. The pink has remained intact to this day, and makes for great aesthetics, great photography, and one unique Indian adventure. Here are 8 things to do when visiting Jaipur, the pink-tastic city of India.

1. Feel Like Royalty at City Palace

Probably the most popular attraction in Jaipur is City Palace. It is as the title suggests: a palace. There is a ticket counter close to the entry, and a general ticket is 300 Indian Rupees, or about $3.68. This grants visitors entrance to the main area of the palace and nowhere beyond. I had a bit of an incident here, where a man was telling me he would help me buy a ticket (he appeared to be in the same clothing as the employees), and I somehow got charged $28. Turns out, I accidentally booked a “private tour.” Instead of being mad that this guy essentially scammed me, I took advantage of the situation. I got to go inside the palace, see all of the rooms, and I put him to work as my personal photographer. Honestly, the $28 was well worth it. I was inside for almost 3 hours and not a single other soul was taking a private tour.

2. Eat Street Food At Masala Chowk

Street food around the world is a great way to get some local bites without wasting tons of time or money by wining and dining at a sit-down restaurant. Masala Chowk is best-described as a mini-outdoor-food court. There are about 25 vendors, each offering up different tastes of Indian cuisine, all in street-food form. It is outdoors, but there are a few benches for diners to sit down and enjoy their feasts. I returned to this place several times just to keep trying different food. I had pani-puri, “frozen coffee” (which was basically just ice cream, but very necessary in 100 degree Indian heat), kachori, vada pav, pav bhaji, and more.

3. Visit Hawa Mahal

The iconic pink building in Jaipur that you’ve probably seen on Instagram several times is called Hawa Mahal. I was pretty surprised by Hawa Mahal: it’s in the middle of an extremely busy street, and the best way to get proper views is by going across the street and finding a rooftop cafe or restaurant. Because I went so early in the morning, I just set up my tripod and snapped a quick photo the best I could. There are a total of 953 windows at Hawa Mahal, which is dedicated Lord Krishna. It is said that the shape of the building resembles the crown of Krishna.

Pro-tip: Book this tour for all of the best Instagram photo spots in Jaipur.

4. Spend The Day at Amber Fort

Located in Amer, which is a quick jaunt from Jaipur, is the majestic Amber Fort. Overlooking Maota Lake, Amber Fort is not only a popular tourist attraction, but also a great workout, since getting to the top is a hike. Note that no tripods are allowed here, and there are many pushy vendors trying to sell tourists anything from selfie sticks to sunglasses to snacks. Some of the pushiest people I encountered were at Amber Fort, but I just told them no approximately 100 times before ignoring them completely. It’s worth it for the views at Amber Fort!

5. Take In The Architecture of Panna Meena ka Kund

Have you ever seen that zig-zagged sand-colored architecture in India, where popular Instagrammers can be found frolicking throughout? That place is called Panna Meena ka Kund, and is just down the street from Amber Fort. It is quite the intricate design, but there are guards around that tell you physically stepping on the stairs is forbidden, so don’t follow the irresponsibility of some Instagrammers who break the rules just for the photo and/or video (unless it has since changed: I was there in May 2019). This is because the stairs that are used to go down cannot be used again to go upstairs, and only the locals are permitted to do so.

6. See Lights at Jal Mahal At Night

Jal Mahal is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur, and at night, it illuminates the sky with its colorful lights. It is conveniently right down the road from Masala Chowk, so it makes sense to organize a visit to both of these places in the same go. While visitors cannot go directly inside, they can get pretty close with a special pathway.

7. Shop At Some Of The Markets

In Jaipur’s City Center, there are plenty of street vendors selling tons of goodies. I walked around one morning, quite close to Jaipur City Palace, and bought some chai tea while I walked around, looking to buy some traditional Indian garb. The chai tea was delicious, but quite hot, and after I finally managed to drink it without scolding myself, I found a small stall selling saris. I knew I wanted to wear a sari to the Taj Mahal, so I bought an orange one in Jaipur. Unfortunately, the man selling them was quite rude, and when I started to negotiate a price with him, he said, “Lady, I am a man, do not talk over me.” I later learned this would become quite the norm throughout my time in India.

8. Take a Sleeper Bus to Agra

When your time in Jaipur finally comes to a halt, it’s time to move onto the next city. Agra is only about an hour or so away, and it’s where the infamous world wonder, The Taj Mahal, is located. Book a sleeper bus, even if it’s only for a few hours, because it’s quite the experience in India, and you can get an entire bed to yourself! You didn’t really travel to India unless you took a sleeper bus.