Trail the Third Longest Wall in Jaipur
Leave The Pink City to Explore Its Mountainsides
Jaipur is the capital and largest city of Rajasthan - and the historical seat of the ruling Maharaja. Known as the “Pink City” because much of its urban core has been painted a light pink, Jaipur makes the third leg of India’s golden triangle - the route most often taken by tourists.
If you’re on a high budget, Jaipur is known for its resorts, shopping and dining. For everyone else, it’s full of palaces and forts - but what I think is the most cool part is that it has a preserved mountainside fortification wall (Amer Wall) - the third largest in the world.
Cycle, Walk, or Ride Along the AMER Wall
Along Nahargarh Road, you’ll get stunning views of the Jaipur mountainside, including seeing large sections of the historic Amer city wall. Your path will cross three of the city’s forts (Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amer) as well as give you mountainside views of the Jal Mahal (the water palace). Exploring this stretch of road was easily the most impressive thing I did while in Jaipur.
Visit Some of the Many Palaces and Forts
Jaipur is full of forts and palaces that will give you a good sense of Maharaja architecture. In the city proper, you can visit the City Palace (which I think is the most impressive of them and also houses a museum) as well as Hawa Mahal (which is most beautiful from the outside along Hawa Mahal Road - and isn’t worth the entrance fee). Outside of the city, you have Nahargarh Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Amer Fort / Amber Palace - all of which are nice but I don’t think are as well preserved on the interior as the City Palace. I would recommend viewing all three along your journey to see the city wall as they’re each architecturally beautiful alongside the mountain - but not paying for entrance to them.
If you have time, you can also stop and see Jal Mahal - the water palace built in the middle of a lake, which I also think is most impressive viewed from Nahargarh Road.
The palaces and forts can start to blur together and look alike if you do them all back to back - so I recommend only picking one to three to visit and taking your time in them.
Other Things to Do
Jaipur is the tenth largest city in India - so you’ll have no problem keeping yourself busy. Here are some of the other most common things to do:
View Ancient Astronomy Equipment: In the center of the city, Jantar Mantar hosts 19 astronomical instruments from the early 1700s. This includes the world’s largest sundial (which is still accurate to two seconds).
Shop: Jaipur is full of shopping, including Johari Bazaar near City Palace - which is most famous for jewels, gems, and jewelry .
Take a Day Trip: About 45 minutes outside of Jaipur, you’ll find Samode Palace - a historic fort that was converted into an estate by a nobleman in the 1800s.
Grab a Thali: My favorite part of Jaipur was its amazing curries - and I had the best thali dishes that I’ve had so far in India. I recommend trying out some local restaurants near your guest house, keeping an eye on where the locals seem to frequent.
Jaipur is known for its traditional Indian urban planning (being one of the earliest planned cities in India), so keep an eye out for how the roads are laid out. I found Jaipur a bit of a nightmare to walk around (and just as bad to sit in a rickshaw in) but it is quite an interesting experience.
