Jaipur travel guide: Amber Fort, City Palace and best time to visit

Amber FortCity PalaceBazaars

The Pink City of palaces, forts and bazaars

Rajasthan's capital and the busiest of its cities. The walled Pink City holds the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal within a few streets of each other; Amber Fort sits 11 km north on a ridge above Maota Lake.

Ideal stay2–3 nightsTwo nights covers Amber Fort and the Pink City. A third gives you time for the bazaars and a slower evening.

Nearest airportJaipur (JAI)30 min to Jaipur · Taxi to the old city

Getting thereJaipur Airport is about 30 minutes from the old cityThere are direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi is about 5 hours by road, and Udaipur about 6 hours.

Time zoneGMT+5:30Same time as India

Getting around. Auto-rickshaws and app cabs are the easiest way around, and most visitors hire a car with a driver for the day. Amber Fort is about 25 minutes from the old city.

Part ofRajasthanJaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer and 4 more cities

Things to do in Jaipur

5 experiences from our activity catalogue

CastleAmber FortA 16th-century Rajput hill fort and palace complex above Maota Lake at Amer, 11 km from Jaipur, part of the UNESCO Hill Forts of Rajasthan.2 hr 30 min₹200 (Indian) / ₹1,000 (foreign national)

MuseumCity Palace, JaipurA working royal palace complex in Jaipur's walled city housing the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum; the Chandra Mahal is still the royal residence.2 hr₹400 (Indian) / ₹1,200 (foreign national)

Old quarterHawa MahalA five-storey palace of 1799 whose latticed sandstone facade let royal women watch street processions unseen; part of the City Palace complex.45 min₹100 (Indian) / ₹600 (foreign national)

ViewpointJantar Mantar, JaipurA UNESCO-listed 18th-century open-air observatory of 19 masonry astronomical instruments, including the world's largest stone sundial.1 hr₹100 (Indian) / ₹600 (foreign national)

MarketJohari BazaarA jewellery, gemstone and textile market street in Jaipur's walled Pink City; the street is public and free, with each shop keeping its own hours.1 hr 30 minFree

Packages that include Jaipur

Ready-to-book itineraries with Jaipur on the route

See all

4 nightsRajasthan Quick EscapeJaipur · 2NJodhpur · 1NUdaipur · 1N4 Nights | 5 DaysFrom₹42,000 per personView package

6 nightsRoyal RajasthanJaipur · 2NJodhpur · 1NJaisalmer · 2NUdaipur · 1N6 Nights | 7 DaysFrom₹62,000 per personView package

7 nightsRajasthan Heritage CircuitJaipur · 2NPushkar · 1NJodhpur · 1NJaisalmer · 2NUdaipur · 1N7 Nights | 8 DaysFrom₹72,000 per personView package

9 nightsRajasthan Grand TourJaipur · 2NBikaner · 1NJaisalmer · 2NJodhpur · 1NUdaipur · 2NPushkar · 1N9 Nights | 10 DaysFrom₹88,000 per personView package

10 nightsRajasthan Wildlife & HeritageJaipur · 2NRanthambore · 2NJodhpur · 1NJaisalmer · 2NUdaipur · 2NPushkar · 1N10 Nights | 11 DaysFrom₹1,01,000 per personView package

12 nightsComplete RajasthanJaipur · 2NBikaner · 1NJaisalmer · 2NJodhpur · 1NMount Abu · 2NUdaipur · 2N+1 more12 Nights | 13 DaysFrom₹1,14,000 per personView package

Hand-picked hotels

Stays our experts book in Jaipur

Weather and best time to visit

Tap a month to see the details

Best time to visit

November

High / Low28° / 15°CRainfall5 mm

Best timeGoodOff seasonOpen-Meteo historical weather (ERA5), 2015–2024 averages

WinterNovember–FebruaryBest Time

The season the state is built around. Days run 20–28°C and clear, nights are cool. Forts, desert camps and lake palaces are all at their best, and so are the prices.

SpringMarch–April

Comfortable in March, heating up fast through April. Good for Ranthambore — thinning cover pushes wildlife towards the waterholes and improves sightings.

SummerMay–June

Daytime highs of 42–47°C across the desert districts. Sightseeing works only early morning and late evening. Mount Abu, at 1,220 m, is the one cool exception.

MonsoonJuly–September

Rain is light by Indian standards and the landscape briefly turns green. Ranthambore closes for the monsoon, roughly 1 July to 30 September.