The hook
The capital of Rajasthan, a planned 18th-century city painted terracotta pink, backed by hilltop forts and palaces, and the gateway to India's most romantic region of desert kingdoms.
01Why it's worth it
Jaipur was laid out in the 1720s as a rare planned city, on a grid, and later washed pink to welcome a royal visit, a colour the old city still keeps, which is where the "pink city" name comes from. It packs in Rajput grandeur: the honeycomb façade of the Hawa Mahal, built so palace women could watch the street unseen; the astronomical instruments of the Jantar Mantar observatory; the City Palace; and above the outskirts, the magnificent amber-and-red Amber Fort climbing its ridge over a lake. The bazaars are a riot of textiles, jewellery, and blue pottery. Jaipur is also the usual first stop of the "Golden Triangle" and the doorway to the rest of Rajasthan, the lake palaces of Udaipur, the blue city of Jodhpur, the golden desert fort of Jaisalmer.
02How to experience it
See the Amber Fort at opening before the heat and crowds, and wander the pink old city and its bazaars on foot. Don't rush Rajasthan: use Jaipur as the start of a longer loop through Udaipur, Jodhpur, and the desert forts, which reward far more than the capital alone.