Trips and Tours to Jaipur

The spectacular Amber Fort located 11km north of Jaipur is high on any visitor's list thanks largely to its impressive setting on a rocky ridge overlooking a stretch of water that on a clear day reflects a perfect symmetrical image of the sandstone ramparts. The palace is reached via a cobbled road which brings you to the Suraj Pol (Sun Gate) and the large Jaleb Chowk courtyard. Many visitors opt to take an elephant ride instead of the 10 minute climb and combine a visit to Amber Fort with nearby Jaigarh Fort.

A stone's throw from the City Palace is the remarkable observatory of Jantar Mantar. The giant stone structures enclosed within the complex were designed as astronomical devices to measure the heavens in order to predict the movements of the known planets and stars. Declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, Jaipur's Jantar Mantar is India's most important historic observatory with many of the instruments in a superb state of preservation. Local guides are highly recommended as they are able to explain how each device works.

For lovers of Bollywood this is a must do! Raj Mandir Cinema is a heritage listed building with 1970’s decor galore. If you have a spare evening on your visit to Jaipur, consider heading out to watch a Bollywood flick with the locals in classical cinema surroundings. It's certainly a unique experience and one you're bound to remember.

Situated on the steep hills overlooking the city to the north, the imposing stone walls of Nahargarh Fort run for almost a kilometre and offer incredible views across Jaipur city. Dating back to the 18th century the surviving palace apartments are open to the public, a maze of corridors, stairwells and rooms that almost perfectly mimic one another.

One of our top picks for Jaipur is a sunrise hot air balloon ride. Sail within a breath of lofty hilltop forts and fine regal palaces, look down upon sleepy villages waking to the early morning sun and drift past expansive waterside manors and intricately stone carved temples on this magical adventure.

Located 12km south of Jaipur the busy textile centre of Sanganer is the perfect place to watch traditional crafts people in action with handmade paper, block-printing and pottery painting forming the basis of the town's cottage industries. The workshops along the main road make for interesting photographic subject matter along with the colourful fabrics left to dry on the banks of the river. Sanganer is also home to a collection of elegant Jain temples and a ruined palace.

To the east of Jaipur in a deep valley sits the ancient Hindu pilgrimage site of Galta, also known as the 'Monkey Palace' for the hundreds of langurs and macaques that reside here and bathe in the water tanks. The narrow rocky riverine provides an impressive backdrop to the 250-year-old temples that feature pink sandstone pavilions, carved pillars, painted walls and assortment of shrines. Further up the ridge is the quiet Surya Mandir temple which affords incredible views of Jaipur.

The main airport for Jaipur and the surrounding areas is Jaipur International Airport. There are plenty of flights from Jaipur to Delhi daily, run by proper scheduled carriers and it's a quick flight at under an hour. There are also regular flights to main metro cities in India like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bangalore. The airport is around 8 miles south of Jaipur, and is around a 30 minute drive to the city centre, though this varies greatly by time of day.

If you're calling in on Jaipur, you're likely to be visiting the sites of India's Golden Triangle (Delhi and Agra) too, which is often travelled by road. There's a relatively new road between Agra and Jaipur and the 250km drive takes around 5 hours. The highway between Jaipur and Delhi is around 250km. It's currently being expanded, so it's a long drive at around 6 hours.