Full-day Tour of Pink City - Jaipur

Jaipur often called the Pink City, is named after the terracotta pink colour of most structures that lie here. The magnificent forts and palaces of the city, where royal families once thrived and grew, are now historical sites where the past is carefully preserved.

Your first stop on this tour will be the Fort of Amber. Renowned as one of India's most famous and well-preserved forts, Amber is a perfect blend of Hindu, specifically Rajput, and Mughal architecture. It was the capital of the erstwhile Jaipur state. While the fort was commissioned in the 16th century, successive rulers continued to modify the fort in later years. What makes the fort special are its heavily structured walls which enabled residents to launch a defence move from within the ramparts of the fort. Inside the fort, you will visit the Palace of Mirrors, the Hall of Public Audience and some beautifully manicured gardens. The Maota Lake in the foreground provides a perfect background for the fort.

Next, you will visit the City Palace which lies in the heart of Jaipur. The whole complex is wonderfully laid out with large courtyards, balconies, cupolas, arched entrances and gardens. The architecture is a combination of the Rajput and Mughal style of construction. The museum here displays the rich cultural heritage of the royal family of Jaipur. This is captured through multiple miniature paintings, textiles, garments, books & manuscripts, carpets, palanquins, and weapons, all of which date back to the 15th century.

Your next stop will be the Jantar Mantar. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II had a passion for astronomy. Driven by this, he decided to build five astronomical observatories in different cities of India, one of which lies in Jaipur. The observatory at Jaipur, built in 1728, is the largest and best preserved of them all. The observatory is home to a curious collection of sculptures which enable the calculation of many astronomical and astrological events such as eclipses. Each of these structures was built after a relentless study of books, manuscripts, and discussions on this subject with multiple scholars.

The last stop on this tour will be the Hawa Mahal. Built in 1799, the Palace of Winds is a significant landmark of Jaipur city. The five-storey building is pink in colour and was built to enable the women of the harem to witness the activities of the outside world without being openly seen.