A road trip to the city of the Royals, magnificent forts & modern cafes – Jaipur The Pink City

They say it’s the most romantic place in the heart of Rajasthan and we couldn’t agree more! The moment we stepped into Jaipur “The Pink City” our eyes got stunned with the intricate carvings, stunning culture, vibrant colors spread throughout the city.

After a hectic week at work, I & Mayank (My travel partner cum darling husband) decided to head out for a short road trip which nearby Delhi. Jaipur was on our list for the longest time, not just because it’s closer and saves traveling time, but because of the flamboyant architecture and glorious history of the Rajputs which makes this city one of the most beautiful gems of India.

To plan your perfect getaway visit to Jaipur, delve into the blog, and find out the best of what Jaipur has to offer. We went beyond shopping, food, & magnificent forts, to discover some hidden architectural masterpieces. On our journey we experienced the rich culture, fascinating traditions, met some amazing people and has some great moments which gave us an opportunity to spend some quality time together which will make for some fond memories in the future.

So, let’s get started and explore what made this journey unique.

Tip1. For those who want to travel from Delhi to Jaipur, I would suggest planning a road trip. The Delhi-Jaipur highway offers a really smooth ride. You will face no traffic and congestion problems. It is important to mention that it took just over four hours for us to reach Jaipur from Delhi.

We had the best road trip in a long time, laughing together, singing our favorite music tracks, dwelling into our childhood memories, stopping by for a little snack break and endless conversations gave us the much needed time together.

Day1. Arrived at the Princely city to Jaipur & stay at Fortune Hotel by ITC Groups

The moment we drove in the Jaipur city, the April sun was blazing and it got pretty hot, with the help of the GPS we found our hotel with ease. We headed straight to the Fortune hotel in the heart of the pink city and checked into our suite room immediately after arrival.

Tip2. Ritzy, comfortable and staffed to the hilt, this grand 5-star hotel is one of the best options to have a comfortable and luxurious stay. This luxurious hotel is situated on the 5th floor of the MGF metropolitan mall. There are an enormous pool, a select shopping arcade, and several plush dining options. The rack rates are heavily discounted if the hotel isn’t full, particularly April through September.

Our Thursday morning began with the brunch at Fortune hotel, in their restaurant called Zodiac. we found is the perfect venue for a relaxed family quality time along with the live kitchen brings the best of the world cuisines together.

Tip3. Allow your taste buds the pleasure of exploring different cuisines during your stay at Fortune Select Metropolitan, Jaipur. The dining options at this hotel in Jaipur include Zodiac the 24-hour coffee shop, Aqua Grill the Continental and Indian grilled specialty restaurant and Nostradamus the lounge & bar.

After our brunch at Zodiac, we decided to rest at our Club Superior suite for the entire day and had a powerful nap for a night. 

Day2. Explored Enthralling & Historical Jaipur & Modern Cafes

After our Friday brunch experience, we took a uber cab to explore Jaipur early in the morning. If you have the Uber and Ola apps both offer cheaper services than autorickshaws, without the need to hack the price down from an unreasonable starting point.

Despite its legendary layout, Jaipur is quite modern. Everything is immersed in a nostalgic shade of pink. Here are the places we explored on the outskirts of Jaipur.

Places to Visit in Outskirts of Jaipur

Amber Fort: Built on the hilltop outside Jaipur, Amber Fort is a famous tourist attraction in Jaipur. Tourists often ride on the elephant back to the Singh pole and Jaleb Chowk. The fort offers sumptuous views of the surrounding area. The fort is a mix of Mughal and Rajput architecture and is built in red stone and white marble.

Nahargarh Fort: On the top of the Aravali hills, Nahargarh fort is one such magnificent and majestic fort and also, one of the prime spots for sunrise and sunset lovers. It gives you an exalted view of the Jaipur city along with the splendid view of the luxurious palace that makes your day worth watching one such charm of Jaipur.

Try to visit around sunrise and sunset time, you’ll get a fabulous view of the city with the lights on.

Jaigarh Fort: This gateway provides access to the inner court in which the principal apartments of the kings are situated and wherein everything from the roof to the floor is to be seen in marble.

Jalmahal: One can have a wonderful view of the lake and the palace from Nahargarh Fort. The palace is now abandoned, but reasonably well preserved. The first four floors of this palace are in underwater, only the top floor remains outside.

After spending some wonderful time and clicked the most stunning views of the fort we decided to take a quick overview of the modern cafes of Jaipur.

Tapri Cafe: we began our lunch at Tapri cafe with this satisfying soulful drinks. Tapri cafe gives you a beautiful view of central park and the great feel of the pink city. A new age tea serving joint popped up with the upbeat and opulent crowd and a simple yet exhaustive menu spread, boasting of some unique additions/improvisations in terms of dishes offered.

Tip6: Must go to this place and sit is on the rooftop, which offers a picturesque view. And the most impressive thing is that they understand the importance of Parle-G with Tea.

After had an amazing time in Tapri cafe its a time to explore another cafe which is the main city of Jaipur and very famous for coffee.

Curious Life Coffee Roasters: Once you enter here you’ll surely be blown up with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The coffee isn’t the best we’ve had but it is immeasurable than what you’d get anywhere else in the city – one for coffee specialists.

After an astonishing and wonderful day, we decided to go back to our hotel and were off to experience a couple’s spa treatment.

Our 60-minute-therapy at their spa left us feeling remarkably relaxed, light-headed, and refreshingly oriented in our bodies, minds, and souls. After relaxing spa treatment and delicious dinner we were off for the day to restore ourselves for the next day.

Day3. Magnificent day trip to the main city of Jaipur, shopping & dinner at Chowki Dhani

There is no scarcity of things to see and do in the city. We spent the entire day in a royal city with its fairy-tale palaces, rugged fortifications display remarkable harmony in architectural glory. we started to discover the main city followed by shopping.

Hawa Mahal: With the hundreds of small windows and screens, Jaipur’s pride the magnificent Hawa Mahal is one of the famous landmarks and favorite tourist destinations. The beautiful palace shaped like a pyramid and is a five-storied building, with arched roofs.

Tip7: Best time to visit Hawa Mahal is early in the morning, you’ll find less crowd and the best way out to the view of this huge pink palace. Must go to Wind View Café drop by for brunch or a meal. The seats overlooking the pink palace are almost always taken but do try your chance.

City Palace: A high wall within which are a series of courtyards, garden, and other buildings surround the City Palace. The City Palace is worth a trip to see some mosaic work, the Peacock gate in particular.

The Peacock Gate provides access to ‘Pritam Niwas Chowk’, which is spectacular with several triple-arched balconies absolutely covered with brightly colored patterns. The beautiful and remarkable City Palace is now a museum that is ruled by Padmanabh Singh who is the great-grandson of Sawai Man Singh II and son of Divya Kumari.

Tip8: we would suggest keeping apart at least half a day to explore City Palace when you are in Jaipur. Buy a ticket 2k per person to get inside of the palace, you’ll be stunned to see the marvelous architecture of the palace.

Albert Hall Museum: With the stunning outside view of the museum, Albert Hall Museum is just 100 meters away from the walled city of Jaipur. Apart from the architectural design of the museum, another main attraction is Egyptian Mummy which is fully conserved and showcased for tourists.

Patrika Gate: No holiday to Jaipur can be complete without seeing the 9th gate of Jaipur called ” Patrika Gate”. The gate gives you a sneak glimpse into the vibrant history of Rajasthan as an individual pillar is dedicated to some part of the state.

Tip9: Must adviseable spot to visit this beautiful gate of Jaipur, also it is an Instagram approved place to capture the vibrant colors of the walkway.

After clicked the most beautiful Instagrammed pictures and discovered the hidden gems of Jaipur city, we decided to rest till it was time for us to go shopping and have dinner at Chowki Dhani Jaipur.

Bapu Bazar: This lively market, bustling with shopaholics at all times, is most famous for Footwear, conventional block printed comforters, bedsheets, and handmade bags.

Johari Bazar: This market is an extensive cluster of shops in the greater part of Jaipur city, shops snuggling close together in a row selling anything that human imagination can dream of. There are quite a few traditional jewelry stores in the extremely well-maintained market.

After shopping for block printed comforters, & Kurtis, we decided to have dinner at the dinner garden of Chokhi Dhani Resort.

We were told by many people that Jaipur trip is incomplete we couldn’t go to Chowki Dhani village, well we found they all said it right.

The place has dancers, puppetry, head massage guys, elephant rides, camel rides, and wrestling arena as well to showcase Rajasthani culture fully along with the main attraction is Rajasthani food.

Tip10. The place is a 45-60 min drive from the main city beyond the airport. It is best recommended to reach an hour before sunset to experience the glimpse of the place and have dinner by 8:30 to avoid the rush in the dining hall.

After a wonderful and unforgettable Saturday night at Chokhi Dhani Village, we were ready to take pack our bags and return back to Delhi on Sunday. But before we left, we had enough time to go check out Pink city gate, markets, and famous temples of Jaipur.

Day4. Never say goodbye to the pink city

Woke up early today, yes it was our last day in Jaipur. Spent plenty of good time in the hotel. After our Sunday brunch experience, we checked out a few hours later than we supposed to, thanked the staff for the great hospitality.

As we started driving our Honda Amaze car back to Delhi, I bid adieu to Jaipur with some terrific memories we spent a great time getting away from the hustle-bustle of life.

The amount of activities we headed to experience and capture during this short weekend-getaway in April, has left us craving more of Jaipur and we promise to go back soon again.

Have an amazing trip Jaipur! Keep Travelling and exploring.
Love- PebbleStory Travel Tales by Neha 🙂