Jaipur
UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Jaipur City, Rajasthan (2019); Jantar Mantar Separately Inscribed (2010); Amber Fort Part Of The Hill Forts Of Rajasthan (2013) · Jaipur, Rajasthan
Rajasthan's capital and the third corner of the Golden Triangle with Delhi and Agra, founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II as a planned city laid out on a grid. The walled old city was painted terracotta pink for a royal visit in 1876 and has been kept that colour by law ever since, which is where the Pink City name comes from, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the walls are the Hawa Mahal, a honeycomb facade of small windows built so royal women could watch the street unseen; the City Palace, where the royal family still lives; and Jantar Mantar, an open-air observatory of giant stone instruments that is itself separately listed. Eleven kilometres north, Amber Fort climbs a ridge above a lake and is the single best sight in the region. Jaipur is also a serious shopping city for block prints, gems and jewellery, which is exactly why the gem scam is its most famous trap. The bazaars are loud and crowded and the traffic is intense. Buy the composite ticket, go to Amber early, and see the Hawa Mahal from the cafes opposite in the morning light.
Hawa Mahal Road, Badi Choupad, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302002, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: state monuments such as Amber, the Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar open around 8 or 9 am and close around 5 pm, daily. Amber also runs an evening sound-and-light show, and some sites, including Albert Hall and Amber, have had separate night openings. The City Palace keeps its own hours set by the trust. Nahargarh stays open into the evening for sunset. Many old-city shops close on Sunday. The traps: arriving at Amber at 11 am behind the coaches, assuming the composite ticket covers the City Palace, and planning a shopping day on a Sunday. Confirm times, night openings and closing days before planning.