Three days lets you add the temples and gardens on the city's eastern edge as a relaxed half day, after a day at Amer and a day in the walled city. Nothing is rushed.
Stop at Jal Mahal on the way up, reach Amber Fort soon after it opens, cross to Jaigarh, and end the day at Nahargarh above the city.
The water palace that seems to float in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, its lower floors under water. You cannot go inside. You stop on the promenade along the Amer road and take it in from the shore.
Tip: Stopping takes 15 minutes. Ask the driver to pause on the way to Amer.
A hilltop palace of pale yellow and pink sandstone above Maota Lake, built from the late 1500s by Raja Man Singh. Walk through the Diwan-i-Aam hall of public audience, then the Sheesh Mahal, where thousands of small mirrors light up from a single flame.
Tip: The climb from the lake is steep. Your cab can take the back road up to the parking near the Jaleb Chowk courtyard.
A 16th-century stepwell a short walk behind Amber Fort, with criss-cross stairs running down all four sides to the water. It is small, free, and one of the most photographed corners of Amer.
Tip: Guards often stop people walking down the steps. The view from the top edge is the one in the photos anyway.
The military fort on the ridge above Amber, built to guard it. It holds Jaivana, one of the largest cannons on wheels in the world, and long walls with views down over Amer and Maota Lake.
Tip: The road up is narrow and winding. Leave it to the driver and keep water with you.
A fort on the Aravalli ridge right above the Pink City, joined to Jaigarh by a road along the hilltops. Inside is the Madhavendra Bhawan, a set of identical suites built for the king's queens, and outside are the best views over Jaipur.
Tip: The palace closes before sunset, but the terrace cafes and viewpoints stay open into the evening.
Hawa Mahal in the morning light and Govind Dev Ji before it closes at noon, then City Palace and Jantar Mantar next door, the jewellers' bazaar after lunch, and Albert Hall to finish.
The Palace of Winds, a five-storey pink facade with 953 small windows, built so the royal women could watch street life without being seen. It is only a screen a room or two deep, so the climb inside to the top is quick.
Tip: For the classic photo, cross the road to a rooftop cafe opposite.
A Krishna temple in the City Palace gardens, one of the most visited in Jaipur. The deity faces the palace so the king could see it from his rooms. At aarti time the hall fills with chanting devotees.
Tip: Shoes come off at the entrance. Check the aarti times posted at the gate.
The royal palace at the heart of the walled city, still home to Jaipur's former royal family. See the four painted gateways of Pritam Niwas Chowk, each for a season, and the two huge silver urns in the Diwan-i-Khas.
Tip: Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal are a few minutes' walk away, so the cab can wait while you see all three.
An open-air observatory of giant stone instruments built by Jai Singh II in the 1720s, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tallest sundial still tells the local time to within a couple of seconds.
Tip: There is little shade. A guide at the gate makes the instruments far easier to follow.
The jewellers' bazaar of the Pink City, lined with shops selling silver, gemstones, Kundan jewellery and block-printed fabric. It is also where to try Jaipur sweets like ghewar.
Tip: Parking is hard. The driver drops you at one end and picks you up at the other.
Rajasthan's oldest museum, in an Indo-Saracenic building in Ram Niwas Garden. Its collection runs from carpets and armour to miniature paintings and an Egyptian mummy.
Tip: The building is floodlit after dark, and the square outside fills with pigeons and families.
An afternoon out east: a queen's garden and the spring-fed temples of Galta Ji, then Moti Dungri and Birla Mandir lit up after dark.
A terraced Mughal-style garden built in the 1700s for a queen of Jai Singh II, with fountains, pavilions and murals of Radha and Krishna. It is quieter than the city sights.
Tip: It is on the Agra road, so it fits on the way to Agra or Galta Ji.
A group of temples and sacred water tanks in a narrow pass in the hills east of the city, fed by a natural spring. It is known as the Monkey Temple for the troops of macaques that live there.
Tip: Keep food out of sight because of the monkeys. The Sun Temple on the ridge above has a sunset view.
Jaipur's best-loved Ganesh temple, at the foot of a small hill topped by a Scottish-style castle. Locals stop here before a wedding or a new car.
Tip: Expect a queue on Wednesdays and festival days.
A white marble Lakshmi Narayan temple built in 1988 below Moti Dungri hill. The walls and windows carry carvings and stained glass of Hindu stories, scripture and figures from history.
Tip: Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple is next door, so see them together.
Drive times come from road routing without traffic, so allow extra at weekends near Amer. Opening hours marked ? are not yet confirmed, so check them before you go.
Call or message a local Jaipur operator with this plan. Tell them your hotel and dates, and they send a price for the car and driver.
The hours we planned around. Check before you go on a public holiday.
| Place | Open | Best time | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jal Mahal | Seen from the lakeside, any time? | A short stop on the Amer road, best at sunrise or after dark when it is lit. | 20 min |
| Amber Fort | 08:00 to 17:30, every day | Go at opening time, before the tour buses and the midday heat. | 2 h 30 min |
| Panna Meena ka Kund | Daylight hours | Morning light, on the way to or from Amber Fort. | 30 min |
| Jaigarh Fort | 09:00 to 18:30, every day | Late morning, straight after Amber Fort. | 1 h 30 min |
| Nahargarh Fort | 10:00 to 17:30, every day | Late afternoon, staying on for the sunset over the city. | 1 h 30 min |
| Hawa Mahal | 09:00 to 18:30, every day | Morning, when the sun is on the front. | 45 min |
| Govind Dev Ji Temple | 05:00 to 12:15 and 17:00 to 20:45, every day | During one of the seven daily aartis, when the curtain opens. | 30 min |
| City Palace | 09:30 to 17:00, every day | Opening time, to start your old city day. | 2 h |
| Jantar Mantar | 09:00 to 16:30, every day | Late morning, when the sundials cast clear shadows. | 1 h |
| Johari Bazaar | Late morning to evening? | Late afternoon into early evening. | 1 h |
| Albert Hall Museum | 09:00 to 20:00, every day | Early evening, so you see the building lit up as you leave. | 1 h 15 min |
| Sisodia Rani Garden | 08:00 to 18:00, every day? | Morning, on the Agra road out of the city. | 45 min |
| Galta Ji | Sunrise to sunset? | Early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft. | 1 h 15 min |
| Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple | 05:30 to 13:30 and 16:30 to 21:00? | Wednesday is Ganesh's day and the busiest, so go early. | 30 min |
| Birla Mandir | 07:00 to 12:00 and 16:00 to 21:00, every day | After dark, when the white marble is lit. | 45 min |
Amber Fort and the Pink City
See the 1-day plan →Amer and the hill forts · The walled Pink City
See the 2-day plan →Every sight with what to see, opening times and how long to stay.
See all places →Day one at Amer and the hill forts, day two in the walled Pink City, and an afternoon for Sisodia Rani Garden, Galta Ji, Moti Dungri and Birla Mandir.
If you like temples and gardens, yes. Galta Ji and its monkeys and Birla Mandir lit up at night are among the most liked places in Jaipur, and they do not fit in two days.