Home > Dera Rawatsar, Jaipur > Seeing Jaipur in Two Days
Day 1: The walled city
City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal are close together, about 3 km from Dera Rawatsar. Start early and walk between them.
- City Palace (about 3 km): built between 1727 and 1732 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. Start here because it takes the longest. Inside are Mubarak Mahal, now a textile museum; Chandra Mahal, a seven-storey palace whose upper floors are still lived in by the former ruling family; and the Diwan-i-Khas, home to the world's largest silver objects.
- Jantar Mantar (about 3.3 km): an 18th-century astronomical observatory next door to City Palace. It is easy to combine into the same stop.
- Hawa Mahal (about 3 km): built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. Its 953 jharokha windows let the women of the court watch the street without being seen. Visit later in the day, when the light warms the pink sandstone.
- Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar: the markets around Hawa Mahal, for jewellery, textiles and block prints.
- Albert Hall Museum: completed in 1887, the oldest museum in Rajasthan. Its collection includes an Egyptian mummy, one of the few on display in India. Add it in the late afternoon if there's time.
Inside the walled city, keep a car or auto waiting between stops rather than hailing a new one each time. In the evening, head back to Bani Park for dinner at Dera Rawatsar: Laal Maas or Dal Bati Churma from the family kitchen, served by the pool.
Day 2: The hill forts
The forts are further out, about 10 km from the hotel, and they get busy and hot by midday. Leave by 8 AM.
- Amber Fort (about 10 km): UNESCO-listed, built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I. The Sheesh Mahal, the mirror palace, is the part to see. Walk up from the road or take a jeep.
- Panna Meena ka Kund: a stepwell a short walk from Amber Fort. Stop here on the way down.
- Jaigarh Fort: built in 1726 to guard Amber, and linked to it by an underground passage. It holds Jaivana, the largest cannon on wheels ever cast, which was never fired in battle.
- Nahargarh Fort: built in 1734 as a retreat rather than a defensive fort, on the Aravalli ridge above the city. Save it for the end of the day; the sunset view over Jaipur is the reason to go.
Amber and Jaigarh share a hilltop, so treat them as one stop. Nahargarh is a short drive along the ridge.
Getting around
- Metro: Sindhi Camp station is about 300 m from the hotel. The Pink Line runs from there to Badi Chaupar, near Hawa Mahal.
- Car with driver: the easiest way to do the forts in one day. Ask the team at Dera Rawatsar to arrange one.
- Auto-rickshaw: fine for short hops within the walled city.
