Jaipur, the capital of the largest state in India, is one of the most beautiful cities of India as well. Jaipur is known as the “Pink City” because of the color scheme of its buildings. It is one of the country’s major tourist attractions and forms the famous golden triangle with Delhi and Agra. Jaipur is the perfect spot for you if you can appreciate great architecture. October-March is the best time to visit Jaipur. However, the city is vast, and there are many beautiful places to visit there that would be too confusing and difficult for you if you are looking to explore Jaipur in just one day. Now you don’t need to go through all that.
Here’s a quick guide to cover the best spots of Jaipur in just a day.
Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir is a beautiful temple built in pure white stones located 5 km away from Jaipur town. The place offers you a peaceful atmosphere and a soothing ambience, and a glimpse at the architectural marvel of Rajasthan. You don’t necessarily need to be a believer in enjoying the beauty of this temple. Birla Mandir is the perfect place to begin your day at Jaipur.
Albert Hall Museum
Albert Hall Museum is the oldest museum in Rajasthan. It is a beautiful building surrounded by a beautiful garden. The continuously roaming pigeons and the bright blue sky adds to the beauty of the place. The building is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. You can find a nice collection of paintings, artefacts, and other art forms inside the museum. The place is only 2 km away from Birla Mandir.
Jantar Mantar
This place is testimony to the ingenuity of the people of Jaipur. Jantar Mantar is a collection of nineteen astronomical instruments and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The world’s largest stone sundial is also situated here. The help of a guide could benefit you at this place because they will be able to explain how those instruments work. Otherwise, you will most probably be seeing some random walls here and there only. You can reach Jantar Mantar by traveling 2.6 km from Albert Hall Museum.
Hawa Mahal
Hawa Mahal is a palace situated just 1 km away from Jantar Mantar. The name means Palace of Breeze of Palace of Winds. The reddish-pink color of the palace comes from the red and pink sandstone used to build the palace. Like most other spots in Jaipur, Hawa Mahal also shows you the architectural brilliance of Rajasthan. The walk through the palace is a very fulfilling and must-have experience.
Jal Mahal
The name of this place itself tells us the speciality of it. Yes, Jal Mahal is a palace built in the middle of a lake, and because of that, tourists cannot enter the palace and can only enjoy its view from nearly 100 m away. The palace is built in red sandstone. Although the palace is five-storied, mostly only the top floor is visible as the four floors will be submerged in the lake when it’s full. Jal Mahal is 5.5 km away from Hawa Mahal.
Having your lunch would be advised before you go to the next spot. Plenty of restaurants are available nearby Jal Mahal.
Amber Fort (Amer Fort)
Amber Fort is probably the best spot in Jaipur in terms of architectural ingenuity, and the sheer magnificence of the place takes your breath away at first sight itself. But if you think you have seen everything just by that first sight, you will drop your jaw once you start roaming through the palace. Out of all the spots at Jaipur, this will be where you would be spending a significant share of your day.
The fort is enormous, and it would take a lot of time to cover even half of it. The fort is built in red sandstone and marble. The Maola Lake lying beside the fort adds to the beauty of the fort. Every part of the fort is carefully and brilliantly constructed that one can only remain awestruck by its beauty.
Amber Fort is also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amber Fort is connected to Jaigarh Fort through an underground passage, which was meant to be an escape route for the royal family during the war. This place is one of the two most important spots on the list and an experience you shouldn’t dare ignore. You can reach Amber Fort by traveling 6.4 km from Jal Mahal.
Jaigarh Fort
Jaigarh Fort, also known as Victory Fort, is a part of the Amber Fort itself and is connected to it through a subterranean tunnel. It lies 7 km away from Amber Fort. The place is much similar to Amber Fort in its architectural design and structure. This fort was more like a defensive structure rather than a palace. The fort is three km long and 1 km wide. You could skip visiting this place if you spent a lot of time at Amber Fort (there is a good chance you did) because you need to reach the final spot of the day at least half an hour before the sunset. The best part of the day is yet to come!
Nahagarh Fort
“Wow!” This will most probably be the first and only react when you see this place. You would be too awestruck to speak another word by then. There is nothing special about the fort itself, but the view that the fort offers is undoubtedly the best thing that you will see at Jaipur. The whole Jaipur city is visible from this point. The buildings stacked so closely together with the fantastic silhouette of the evening sky are a view that is to be seen at least once in your life because things as magical as this don’t happen at a lot of places.
DO NOT miss this if you visit Jaipur ever in your life. The perfect end for a perfect day. Nahagarh Fort is 12 km away from Amber Fort and 6 km away from Jaigarh Fort. By this time, your day will end, and it is a 19 km ride back to where you started.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
