No trip to Jaipur would be complete without a visit to the world-famous Palace of the Winds, the Hawa Mahal. It was constructed Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh to house the ladies of the royal court. Its famous pink pyramid-shaped façade has many latticework windows that allowed the ladies to see outside but not be seen themselves.

Back in the Pink City, an unmissable destination is the Jantar Mantar, Maharaja Jai Singh’s huge astronomical observatory. This World Heritage Site is filled with huge sundials and angular constructions that were used by the royal astronomers to track the movements of the sun, planets, and constellations. They say that the central sundial can tell the time with an accuracy of within 2 seconds.

Most visitors to Jaipur want to see the City Palace, which is just a couple of minutes away from the Jantar Mantar. The palace complex includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal palaces and other buildings, and is still the home of the Royal Family of Jaipur. It was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II when he moved his royal court from Amber to Jaipur.

The majestic Amber Fort dates from the 16th century and sits on a hill top about 11 km outside the Pink City. Sit back and enjoy the ride. The fort is open from 8:00 am (until 5:30 pm) and the entrance is reached after a short walk from the car park up an ancient road. If you would rather not walk, you can take a jeep or a golf cart, or even ride on the back of an elephant. The fort is superbly preserved and offers magnificent views of the surrounding countryside and the nearby Maota Lake.

Near to the Amber fort is an incredible 16th century step well (or baoli). It has 8 levels of steps down to the water. It’s no longer in use, but you can follow the steps down to the water if you want.

Close to the Amber fort is the Rajput-style Jal Mahal, a stunning water palace that seems to float on the surface of the Man Sagar Lake. The Jal Mahal dates from the 17th century and was once one of the favourite palaces of the Jaipur Royal Family.

At Royal Gator, close to the Nahagarh Fort, you will see the ancient tombs and mausoleums of the Jaipur Maharajas and Royal Family, including the tomb of the city’s founder Jai Singh. The marble domes and columns are the perfect place for that exotic selfie!

No visit to the Pink City is complete without seeing one of the bazaars. These busy shopping streets and always are filled with shops and stalls selling everything you can imagine, from spices, fruit, jewellery, and clothes, to traditional hand-made kitchen cutlery. You can walk a while if you wish, or we can just drive through the bazaar.