A visit to Jaipur offers a lot—for example a very famous cinema called Raj Mandir, every kind of restaurant, big markets, a stunning Fort and also a nice bar called 100% Rocks. I liked the city very much. The sight which impressed me most was the Amber Fort. It’s surrounded by a beautiful landscape and I didn’t expect the Fort to be so huge.

Places to see in Jaipur – And our views about them

The Pink City

We arrived at 9 a.m. in the Pink City and everything was still closed at that time. You can’t expect to shop at the markets “in the early morning” :D. All in all it was nice since I wasn’t in the shopping or rather negotiation mood ;).

City Palace

Beautiful palace with a fascinating museum and the most interesting historical exhibitions I have seen in India. 🙂 There is a room where artists offer their traditional craft work. I was impressed with the various handmade products like woodwork, carpets, jewellery and paintings. The artists showed us how they make their products and we had interesting conversations about their work with them.

David tries to make a carpet

Jantar Mantar

We were not in the mood for astrology and physics but if you are interested then you should definitely get a guide for this sight. It’s much easier to have the instruments explained and you can ask if something is not clear rather than figuring it out yourself. 😉

Hawa Mahal – Palace of Wind

It’s beautiful, especially when the fountains are turned on. But when David and I were there the biggest challenge for me to handle was the attention I got because I am a white girl. There was a school class of 16-year-old boys and David and I were at that time at the tower of the Palace, which offers really little space. When we were in the tower the whole class followed us up so it was quite crowded and the boys bothered me a lot by holding their mobile cameras directly in front of my face or asking me the whole time to take pictures with them, not accepting the answer “No”. Because of all this I just wanted to get away from there as fast as possible. So maybe be prepared!^^

Hawa Mahal from inside with fountain

Amber Fort

Awesome sight! 🙂 But it’s very big so we took a guide and were glad about it. You get information which you never get otherwise.

The huge Amber Fort

Jaigarh Fort

Here you have the chance to see an amazing group of monkeys that let you come really close. The Fort itself was not really impressive, in my opinion, but the view is wonderful.

Monkeys everywhere :)

Nahagarh Fort

There you have the best view over Jaipur! It even offers a restaurant, from where you can see perfectly the capital of Rajasthan. We enjoyed the sunset with a kingfisher, it was beautiful and I highly recommend doing the same! 😉 We arranged for a rickshaw which waited for us at the Fort and brought us back because up on the hill you won’t find someone who brings you down.

The view over Jaipur at the restaurant of Nahagarh Fort

Jal Mahal – Water Palace

Looks lovely but just worth a short look during the drive to the forts because you can’t enter the palace.

Our accommodation in Jaipur: Zostel

Our accommodation was the Zostel. It’s the first hostel chain in India and I love it! 🙂 You have the chance to meet a lot of people from all over the world. The facilities are really nice and you can sit together on a terrace or inside. Through the Zostel we meet a lot of people. We spent some time together sightseeing or travelling together to the next cities. Especially for people who travel alone I recommend this hostel!

Places to eat and a great bar in Jaipur

LMB – Vegetarian Restaurant

Definitely worth a visit! The restaurant is in the Pink City and is famous for its desserts. I believe there is no wrong order at LMB but the best was for sure the Kulfi, which was incredibly delicious!

A charming atmosphere in the LMB Restaurant

Niro’s – Indian Restaurant

Quite expensive but of course really good! David ate a fish in creamy sauce and spinach and I ate Chicken Hong Kong which was also very tasty.

C’est Bon – Italian Restaurant

We went with some Indian friends to this restaurant., and it was the best pasta I have had in India! I ate pasta with ham and cheese and a good risotto.The desserts, like the cheesecakes, were good.

100% Rocks – Bar and Restaurant

Nice location for going out at night on a Saturday :). They have great cocktails and people are very open so you get along easily with them. The most important thing is: There are a lot of nice people at weekend 🙂

 - written by Marlene Hofstätter