Travel to Jaipur

home to the fabulous Amber Fort

Jaipur is located in (and is the capital of) the northeast of Rajasthan in Northern India, roughly 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Delhi.

Set in a bowl of sandstone mountains, Jaipur has a population of over three million people, making it the tenth largest city in India.

The city was established as late as 1727, when ruler Jai Singh II decided to move his capital from Amer, which lies 5km to the north. The city was carefully laid out, with broad avenues centred around an extensive complex of royal palaces, encircled by a massive defensive wall, through which there are seven entrance gates.

Jaipur is widely known as The Pink City, due to the tradition of painting the buildings in a russet colour, in imitation of the iconic sandstone of much older and grander Moghul cities like Agra. The whole town was repainted in honour of the visit of the Prince of Wales in 1876 and later repainted for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II.

The city is a very popular location for international travellers, forming the western part of the Golden Triangle, with Delhi and Agra. It also makes a great place to break the journey from Delhi southwest to the desert cities of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer or southeast to the tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh.

The main activity is visiting the area’s superb collection of historic sites, including the Amber Fort, the GaltaJi monkey temple, the Jaipur City Palace and the Jantar Mantar astrological and astronomical observatory.

Jaipur city itself is a vibrant place, filled with local colour, with painted elephants, snake charmers, a host of street vendors and a wealth of artisans.

This really is a wonderful place to explore and worth at least a two night stay, whether you choose to stay in the city itself or in one of the outlying areas such as Samode.

The best time of year to visit the Jaipur area is generally considered to be during Oct-May, although there are considerable climatic variations over that period.

October is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During October the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 34C/93F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 20C/68F. However the rainfall is much lower, dropping to around 25mm (1”) per month. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear. During Oct-Nov the Hindu festival of Diwali sees thousands of oil lamps being lit across the city. The main attractions may be closed, but evenings are filled with fireworks and bonfires.

Nov-Feb is the main cool dry season. During Nov-Feb the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 25C/77F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures plunge to around 9C/48F. There should be very little rainfall. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 80% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Mar-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During Mar-May the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 37C/99F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around 23C/73F. Rainfall usually increases slightly, from almost nothing in March to around 25mm (1”) in May. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), indicating that showers tend to be occasional, set against a usually clear sky. During March the The Hindu festival of Holi is celebrated, during which paint is thrown all over the participants during vibrant street parties. You can either join in and get covered, or watch on from the various rooftop restaurants.

June is the transition month ahead of the main monsoon rains, often with rather uncomfortable conditions. During June the daytime temperatures can climb very steeply to around 40C/104F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 28C/82F. Rainfall climbs to around 50mm (2”) over the course of the month. Sunshine is around 7 hours per day (around 45% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are often overcast as the monsoon clouds gather.

Jul-Sep is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During Jul-Sep the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 34C/93F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 24C/75F. Rainfall climbs to around 175mm (7”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 5 hours per day (around 35% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are very often heavily overcast.

Getting there

The Jaipur area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The closest airport and its most common connections is …

• Jaipur : 12km to the south : Delhi, Jaisalmer, Varanasi, Mumbai

By train

The closest train station and its most common connections is …

• Jaipur : 3km to the west : Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, Jabalpur

By luxury train

Jaipur is visited by the following luxury live-aboard train itineraries…

Train : Deccan Odyssey

• Indian Odyssey : 7 nights : Delhi to Mumbai
• Indian Sojourn : 7 nights : Mumbai to Delhi

Train : Maharaja’s Express

• Treasures of India : 3 nights : Delhi to Delhi
• Indian Panorama : 6 nights : Delhi to Delhi
• Indian Splendour : 6 nights : Delhi to Mumbai
• Heritage of India : 6 nights : Mumbai to Delhi

Train : Palace on Wheels

• Palace on Wheels : 7 nights circuit : Delhi to Delhi

By road

The Jaipur area can easily be reached by road and is often included in a private-guided overland safari of the Golden Triangle …

• Delhi : 200km to the northeast
• Agra : 225km to the east
• Ranthambore : 125km to the southeast
• Jodhpur : 300km to the southwest

Where to stay

There’s an interesting choice of places to stay in the greater Jaipur area.

In and around the city itself, there are conventional luxury hotels, as well as more intimate and authentic family-run lodges.

If you prefer to be out of the throng, then you can either head to the smaller town of Samode, around 25 km to the north, or to the mountains to the northeast, where there are some very upmarket accommodation options.

avoid the high season crowds