Rajasthan literally means Land of Kings, is 342,239 square kilometres or 132,139 square miles and is the largest state in India and the seventh largest by population!
It’s very close to Jodhpur which is 348 km/216 miles away, Jaisalmer 571 km/ 355 miles away, Udaipur 421 km/262 miles away, Kota 252 km/156 miles away, Mount Abu 520 km, 323 miles away and Shimla, which is 616 km /383 miles away!
Jaipur is also part of the tourist trail known as the Golden Triangle, which includes Delhi and Agra.
One of the most interesting cinemas in the world is the Raj Mandir Cinema, and looks like a wedding cake!
Jaipur is India’s first planned city and was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727!
The Palace Of The Winds or Hawa Mahal is one of the most iconic and easily recognised spots in the city, and was made for the sole purpose of sinply letting the royal queens and ladies, have a sneak peak into life outside the palace, without being seen!
The Palace Of The Winds or Hawa Mahal in Jaipur has 953 windows!
The Palace Of The Winds or Hawa Mahal was built without a foundation, and is the tallest such building in the world!
The largest stone sundial in the world can be found at Jantar Mantar!
There were in fact five (5) Jantar Mantars constructed by Jai Singh II in Jaipur, Delhi, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi. Sadly, only two of them – Jaipur and Delhi – managed to survive attacks, invaders and the test of time!
The oldest mountain range in India – Aravalli Range – cuts through Jaipur
We opted to use an Indian agent recommended to me by an American expat blogger who was living in Goa at the time, so for peace of mind and ease of travel, we worked with an Indian agent who booked every train that I asked for, with my exact specifications, four (4) months ahead of time.
The name of the Indian Travel Agent is Raj Yadav. He has an agency called Train Ticket Please and was prompt and fantastically efficient. His website is on Facebook.
Even the toughest among us, can still be scammed! And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
If you’re on a tight budget then there are many other trains that also go to Jaipur, but be aware that the fastest routes are usually sold out pretty quickly!
And it was a little uncomfortable, but an acceptable 4.5 hours, which turned into 6 hours, train journey! In fact, you can see my brown leather laptop bag in the photograph below!
So we arrived in Jaipur quite safe and well and then took an Uber to our hotel.
I was scammed by a taxi in Prague. Yeah, I didn’t do that again! And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
I highly recommend Uber!
It wasn’t easy.
We were a little nervous ‘cos by the time we actually arrived in Jaipur, it was 20:30.
And we were finding it difficult to leave the train station in one piece as it was quite crowded and a couple of “helpful” locals wouldn’t leave us alone, told us that we would never find a taxi on our own, and tried to grab our bags!
It took a lot of effort to stay polite, look as if we knew where we were going, and run walk briskly away!
By the time we finally got out of the scrum, we were so anxious, that we almost rejected the Uber taxi that we had reserved!
The hotel in Delhi sent a car to collect me from the airport, then claimed they had never heard of me! And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
In fact, I vividly remember trying NOT to pay ₹500 (INR – Indian Rupees) in 2005, for a ride that we discussed would be ₹200 (INR – Indian Rupees) to simply go to the book market that was a 10-minute ride away, and which ultimately took 2-hours as the rickshaw driver took me from shop to shop for “commissions” instead!
Most people are really nice, eager to help and respectful.
In fact, I was surprised at how many people actually asked if they could take photographs with me.
And if they asked, I would usually accept.
But.
Local Indians don’t often see Western tourists and their way of greeting and excitement can be over-whelming.
Take a look at this video taken by German YouTubers – The Nile Brothers (Nick and Lenny)
It’s crazy, these fellows were travelling together, and they’re blokes!
Indian men can be over-enthusiastic and creepy by the constant staring, touching, peeping and inappropriate questions.
It’s awful that as strong independent women today, if you’re travelling solo, YOU have to watch how you come across, rather than the obvious use of common sense and if-you-don’t-have-permission-or-clearly-worded-stated-consent, don’t touch.
It’s as simple as that.
In the spirit of #MeToo, both men and women in Western nations are working towards this.
I was travelling with my husband and my teenage son and when we were together, there was a respectful distance, but when I wandered off to make my own photography, the peeping and candid photography would begin!
I was firm.
I stated clearly that I didn’t want to be photographed and if I did, it usually involved a woman or children, rather than random lone men!
If you don’t feel safe, get yourself out of there as quickly as possible and if that’s not an option, go straight to the nearest shop, restaurant, hotel, or group of people and ask for help
The Indian taxi driver tells you that your hotel is closed, over-booked, or burnt to the ground! And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
IS IT GOING TO BE CROWDED?
India can be crowded, but it’s not as crowded as you might think – Jaipur in Rajasthan!
Well, it’s India!
But it’s not as crowded as you might think!
And in many of my photographs, there’s quite a lot of space without any bother at all!
So don’t let anyone say that the Amer or Amber Fort / Amer or Amber Palace / Palace Of The Winds or Hawa Mahal / Jantar Mantar or the Jaipur Observatory is far too crowded.
Of course, Amer Fort (Amber Fort), Amer Palace (Amber Palace) and Jantar Mantar, are world-class UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and EVERYONE should see them, but they aren’t any more or less crowded than the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Time Square in New York, would be.
A WALKING TOUR IN JAIPUR!
Let’s walk in Jaipur!
On our first day in Jaipur, we took a group waking tour with Yo Tours.
Even in India, it’s possible to find walking tours that don’t cost a penny (except for the tour guide tip), which you choose at your own discretion!
I always encourage that you do tip, but if you’re low on budget, this is an excellent way to see cities.
This walking tour introduced us to the secrets of Jaipur and then we did the Palace Of The Winds or Hawa Mahal by ourselves.
On our second day in Jaipur, we hired an Uber car and driver for the day so that we could go to the Amer Fort (Amber Fort), Amer Palace (Amber Palace) and Jantar Mantar after breakfast!
We went in October, and there were very few tourists around as it wasn’t yet “the season!”
In fact, we practically breezed into most places that required an entrance ticket because as foreign tourists, the tariffs were priced much greater than local tourists.
Considering the fact that most of the places we visited were world-class UNESCO monuments, the number of people who were there, is considerably less!
And there were plenty of spots to take photographs, in which absolutely no-one was anywhere near!
Entrance tickets for foreign tourists cost ₹200 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €2.60 / $2.90 / £2.30 for adults
₹25 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €0.33 / $0.36 / £0.29 for students / pupils
Absolutely nothing at all for children under 7 regardless of where they come from!
In contrast to local tourists who pay ₹50 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €0.65 / $0.75 / £0.55
₹5 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €0.06 / $0.07 / £0.05 for local students
Rightly so!
If you get a combined or composite tickets, you receive even greater value as you can visit one or all of the following tourist sites for a maximum of 48 hours or two (2) days!
The tourist sites an monuments included are:
Palace of the winds or Hawa Mahal
Amber Palace
Jantar Mantar or Jaipur Observatory
Nahargarh Fort
The Albert Hall Museum
Sisodia Garden
Vidhyadhar Garden
Isaralat or Sargasuli Tower
The combined or compsite entrance tickets are:
Entrance tickets for foreign tourists cost ₹1,000 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €.12.90 / $14.35 / £11.40 for adults
₹200 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €2.60 / $2.90 / £2.30 for foreign students / pupils
Absolutely nothing at all for children under 7 regardless of where they come from!
Local tourists pay ₹300 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €3.90 / $4.30 / £3.50
₹40 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €0.52 / $0.58 / £0.45 for local students
ANY TIPS OR TRICKS?
We’ve all been scammed at some point, but no matter how well we prepare, it happens. And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
Don’t let scammers take control,there are no entry fees for children under 7 years old, regardless of whether they’re foreign or Indian!
If your children look mature or are tall for their age, take a school I.D. We used this pretty much everywhere as our son was 16 years old and looked like 20!
Be assertive, you might have to use sharp elbows in order to get through the throng, but you don’t need an agent to simply buy your ticket. Follow the signs!
There’s a separate queue for “high value ticket holders” / foreigners, you’ve paid for it, so don’t be shy to use it!
It’s also part of the tourist trail known as the Golden Triangle, so if you’re short on time or have never been to India before, then I absolutely recommend Delhi – Agra – Jaipur – Pushkar and Udaipur, as the absolute minimum.
I DON’T SPEAK HINDI.
I don’t speak Hindi! Neither do they!
Not. A. Problem.
It’s amazing how many languages a typical Indian speaks.
Most speak a minimum of three (3)!
Hindi and English are the only two official national languages, and by far the most widely spoken language in India, but if you speak Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu or Punjabi, you’re good to go!
AM I GOING TO LIVE IN A HUT?
You’re not going to live in this simple hut, so don’t worry!
We were in Jaipur for 3 nights and paid €375 or €125.00 / $140.00 / £110.00 per night (including the tax) for two Royal Deluxe double rooms. With breakfast. At €62.50 / $70.00 / £55.30 per room!
We also had a very comfortable en-suite bedroom, a very large bed, an office section with a nice writing desk, sofas, a private bathroom, and a private terrace complete with a set of tables and chairs!
Honestly, I wished we had been able to stay longer than just 3 days. …
I’M LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT. ANY IDEAS?
You never know what you might see in exotic amazing India!
Absolutely!
Too many to write at the moment.
More soon!
WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORT POSSIBILITIES?
The hotel in Delhi sent a car to collect me from the airport, then claimed they had never heard of me! And while we’re at it – 7 other common travel scams to avoid!
If you’ve never used Uber before and you would like to. As a first-time customer, if you use my code – victoriaa12504ue – you’ll get €5.00 off your first AND second ride. It’s like riding for free!
To hire the car where the driver would wait for us for the day, cost us no more than ₹500 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €6.40 / $7.25 / £5.52!
And even for a Premier InterCity city-to-city pre-booking taxi hire for a journey of 153.95 km that took 4 hours and 51 minutes, was the ridiculously cheap price of just ₹1,399 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €18.00 / $20.00 / £15.50 and that was BEFORE the 20% discount for a first intercity ride price of ₹1,119.20 (INR – Indian Rupees) or €14.40 / $16.00 / £12.50!
I couldn’t believe it myself.
ANYTHING ELSE?
I’m allergic to nuts. If I eat this, I’ll die!
Be very, very cautious if you have allergies or food intolerances.
I’m allergic to all nuts but no matter how much I say it, or how well local staff indicate that they’ve understood, they certainly haven’t, as they then serve me the exact thing that I originally stated that I couldn’t eat or drink in the first place!
For many international visitors, India isn’t a destination that immediately comes to mind, but if you’re feeling adventurous, want to push boundaries, willing to get out of your comfort zone, yadda yadda, make it a point of duty to spend a few months weeks, in as many places as you can manage.
This article isn’t sponsored, and all opinions and thoughts on Jaipur and Rajasthan, are utterly, my very own!
Stay tuned.
Yay!
That’s it for now.
See you soon!
An introduction to Jaipur – The Pink City in Rajasthan! – Incredible India!
Watch this space!
Please note that there are three affiliate link companies connected to this post! Every time one of these services is used, booked, and paid for via my link, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
Note! I never travel without insurance as you never know what might happen.
An introduction to Jaipur – The Pink City in Rajasthan! – Incredible India!
Do you think the houses in Jaipur are really pink? Have you ever been to India? Let me know in the comments below!
See you in Berlin.
If you have any questions send me a tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on Linkedin, make a comment below or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com
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Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend.
Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here.
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I'm a British girl from Manchester living in Berlin with my German husband and my half British – half German son.
My blog is a lifestyle expat travel blog and puts a focus on my promotion of culture, history, travels around the world, Europe, Brexit, the Royal Family, British-German life and being British in Berlin - I am The British Berliner!
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Loving all the pink! Such a wonderful place to visit! So jealous, Victoria! ❤ ❤ Really enjoying all these posts about India. ❤
Me too!
Jaipur was brilliant and really nice.
Thanks so much Carolyn! 😀
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Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend.
Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here.
Thanks very much Dev!
I miss India very much and hope that I can visit again in a couple of years! Take Care! 😀