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How do I get there?
By Air
Domestic flight connections are available to Jaipur from Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai,
Aurangabad, Kolkata, Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur. Auto rickshaw and taxis are available
outside the airport concourse for the ride into the city centre, 15kms away. Bargain hard
and you will be able to get a taxi for Rs. 200 or an auto rickshaw for about Rs 150.
Alternatively, you could have a rented car or arrange for a pick up service with your
hotel to meet you on arrival.
By Train
Jaipur is well connected on broad gauge rail to Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bikaner, Jodhpur,
Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, Agra and Lucknow. A number of superfast, express and
mail trains connect it to many destinations within and outside the state. The Shatabdi
Express and the Pink City Express provides excellent connection from Delhi
–air-conditioned, quick and convenient.
By Road
This is definitely the most convenient way to travel to Jaipur from Delhi, Agra and most
destinations within Rajasthan. The national and state highways are well maintained with
planned stops and halts for refreshments and gas/service stations. Private bus companies
and the Rajasthan State Roadways operate a number of deluxe and air-conditioned buses.
Tourists can hire coaches, cars, private or tourist taxis and vans in Delhi/Agra too.
Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and other tour operators have a number of
conducted tours that cover the Delhi/Agra/Jaipur triangle.
Getting Around
City transport can be a problem as
buses are not always the most comfortable or reliable of transports. But tourist taxis,
auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws make up the lack, though do be prepared to go
‘bump’ on the latter options. If you take an auto rickshaw insist on the use of
the meter or fix a price before boarding. A cheaper, though far slower mode of travel in
the city would be the cycle rickshaw . Plenty of hired transport is also easily available,
be it cars, jeeps, minibuses or MUVs, and this usually is by far the best option. Almost
all vehicles include a chauffeur as self-drive cars are not available on hire. If you buy
a car and drive, an international or a valid country driving license is mandatory for all
drivers, traffic drives on the left though it is advisable to use the services of an
experienced driver as traffic tends towards the chaotic.
Tourist Offices
Rajasthan Tourism department’s
offices (RTDC) are located in the Paryatan Bhavan, on the main thoroughfare Mirza Ismail
Road, Tel# 376362. RTDC has counters at the railway station and bus station as well. The
Government of India’s tourist office is in the Hotel Khasa Kothi, Tel# 315461.
When to Go
The best time to visit Jaipur is
between October and March. During this period, the heat of the desert sun is less intense,
the weather is cool and it is the best season for a trip to the national parks. The
Elephant Festival and the Gangaur Festival are held in Jaipur at the tail end of March;
another good reason to plan a trip as winter is on the wane and summer is yet to set in.
Where do I Stay?
Visitors to Jaipur can chose from the luxurious splendour of regal palace hotels, deluxe
modern hotels with all the facilities to modest three star ones down to the economical
lodges, guest houses and tourist hostels run by government agencies. Within each segment
of hotels, a wide variety of accommodation and price options are available as Jaipur is
prime tourist destination. The RTDC can also arrange for home stays for those visitors who
would like to stay with local families.
What to bring
Visitors to Jaipur need to carry light cotton clothing, sunscreen with at least 20 SPF,
shady hats and sunglasses to combat the bright hot summer sun. Winter visitors will need
one thick jacket/coat, socks, gloves and sweaters. A comfortable pair of walking shoes,
binoculars, camera and a back pack/valise for the short trips to animal sanctuaries
/excursions is a good idea. A first aid kit with essential medicines for fevers, colds,
tummy upsets and antihistamine is necessary even though most chemist shops will have well
stocked shelves. The markets have well-equipped shops to meet all but the most obscure of
demands.
Things to Do
Dining
& Entertainment
The deluxe hotels in Jaipur have
elegant restaurants, bars and cafes that serve an eclectic mixture of Indian, Asian and
European cuisines in a beautiful ambience. The Mirza Ismail Road is the main thoroughfare
that has a number of mid range eating places which serve good food in clean surroundings.
For really inexpensive food, especially if you are not too particular about the general
hygiene and cleanliness, try the Station Road with its many ‘dhabas’ or small
roadside restaurants.
Amongst the epicurean range of restaurants
in Jaipur, Panghat at the Taj Rambagh Palace rates high for its superb
Indian cuisine and ethnic ambience. Diners (the restaurant opens only for dinner) can
recline in splendour as a troupe of Rajasthani performers entertain with traditional music
and dance. ITC Welcomgroup's signature northwest frontier cuisine is brought to you in the
Rajputana Palace Sheraton's Peshawri, the Jaipur equivalent of the
Bukhara. Hawa Mahal at the Jai Mahal Palace, serves a contemporary mix of
cuisine in an opulently regal setting. Jal Mahal at the Trident is a good
option for continental food - and some tried and tested Indian as well.
Jaipur's smorgasbord of eating out choices
includes old time favourites like Niro's, which is quite an institution
in itself. This multi cuisine restaurant dishes up appetising tandoori food and authentic
Chinese as well as continental. Niro's is popular for its cold coffee and ice cream -
rated as the best in town. Natraj Hotel on M.I. Road offers some deadly
Indian desserts and is moderately priced. Chanakya, also in the same
vicinity, is known for its good food - the blend of Indian, Chinese and continental fare
that seems to be popular in the city's restaurants. Shivir is a
delightful rooftop restaurant from where you command a sweeping view of Jaipur, listen to
soulful ghazals and gorge on gourmet tandoori fare.
Apno Gaon, a replica of a Rajasthani village, complete with folk shows
and camel rides, is a treat for those looking for traditional Rajasthani food. A similar
concept is used at Chokhi Dhani, another village complex, where the guest
is God. God sits on the floor in traditional style and is stuffed with an endless array of
delicacies till He or She cries for mercy. The entertainment is diverting and you can
spend a happy evening at the village complex, watching puppet shows and buying colourful
trinkets.
For an experience of finger-lickin' treats,
be adventurous and venture towards popular eatouts like Sharma Dhaba on
Sikar Road, where you can dine on hearty Punjabi fare in a typical "truck-stop"
setting. Swad is a quaint little place that serves wonderful South Indian
dosas and mouth watering chaats and savouries. The food at Handi will
make you forget its unassuming ambience and you can indulge yourself with kathi kababs and
handi meat cooked in a clay pot. And no write up on Jaipur's gastronomic delights will be
complete without a mention of LMB - Laxmi Misthan Bhandar, the sweets and
savouries specialists in Johari Bazaar.
Most hotels organize theme evenings especially during the tourist season and these can be
rather charming. Otherwise, entertainment options are limited to cinema houses that screen
the latest Hindi movies and Hollywood blockbusters or the occasional cultural
performances. For those looking for more spiritual experiences, the Vipassana Centre in
Jaipur teaches meditation. The sporty traveller can watch a spot of polo, play a game of
cricket or golf or do a bit of riding at one of the clubs in Jaipur.
Shopping
Jaipur is a shopper’s paradise,
where you can look forward to a heady shopping experience! To begin with there is a range
of dazzling jewellery including ‘meenakari’ and ‘kundan’ work,
beautiful gems and semi-precious stones. Most jewellery shops and workshops are in Johori
bazaar, the area designated for jewellers in the city plan way back in 1727.
Jaipur is equally famous for its textiles, tie-and-dye and block printed
fabrics made into furnishings, table linen, full length skirts, scarves, quilts and
cushions and for its own version of ceramics called blue pottery. Or you may like to buy
marble statues, wood and ivory carvings, traditional Rajasthani puppets, lacquer bangles
and leather footwear, specially the embroidered ‘jootis’ and ‘mojris’.
There is just so much to entice you!
Special
Events
Jaipur celebrates the Festival
of Elephants in March with ponderous elephant races, elephant polo and elephant
tug-of-war between animal and man. The Gangaur Festival is an 18-day
period of festivities in March/April, dedicated to Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva).
Colourful processions with the town band, horses and elaborate palanquins make it a
fascinating experience in Jaipur. Teej Fair, held in July/August is the
festival of swings that heralds the advent of the monsoons. Gaily attired women sway on
decorated swings hung from trees, and sing joyous songs.
City
Getaways
Sanganer is just 16
km from Jaipur. A small town, it is famous for its block printing using only vegetable
dyes and the equally famous Jaipur blue pottery. Sanganer produces some of the best hand
printed cotton and silk textiles in Rajasthan. Visitors enter the town through the ruins
of two 'Tripolias' or triple-gateways that lead to a ruined palace and a group of Jain
temples with fine carvings. (Entry to the temples is restricted).
About
forty km north of Jaipur is the luxurious Samode Palace, one of the many
heritage hotels of Rajasthan converted from the famous ‘havelis’ or mansions.
Samode has been immortalised in movies like ‘The Far Pavilions’. It makes for a
perfect city getaway, far from the hustle-bustle of sightseeing and travelling.
The Ranthambhore National Park stretches across an area
of 404 sq km on the eastern edge of the Thar Desert. The park is 145km from Jaipur though
the nearest railhead is at Sawai Madhopur, 11km away. Hotel accommodation suiting all
wallet sizes from deluxe heritage hotels to economy class is available outside the park.
Once the hunting grounds of the erstwhile ruling family of Jaipur, today it is one of the
last sanctuaries of the big cat, the Royal Bengal Tiger. Ranthambhore is an oasis of dense
dry deciduous forests amidst a vast tract of semi arid scrub and thorny desert vegetation
surrounded by the hills of the Vindhyas and the Aravalis. An ancient fort lies within the
park boundaries, adding to its charm. Ravines, nallahs, water bodies and waterfalls add to
its picturesqueness and offer many natural hideouts for tigers andthe other wild life
endemic to this park. Part of Project Tiger (one of Asia's most important conservation
efforts), Ranthambhore is the favourite haunt of wildlife buffs and professional wildlife
photographers from around the world who come to see tigers, panthers, wild cats, hyena,
jackal, marsh crocodiles, wild boar, bears, many species of deer and a rich birdlife of
over 300 species, including the great Indian horned owl.
The Sariska Tiger Reserve is just over a 100 km from
Jaipur with hotel accommodation available in close proximity but outside the park limits.
Dry deciduous forests, sheer cliffs and a rocky landscape interspersed with the ruins of
medieval buildings provide an appropriate setting for many animals especially the majestic
Royal Bengal tiger. Apart from the tiger, a variety of deer including herds of sambar,
chital, nilgai, four-horned antelope, wild boar, hyena and jungle cats are found in the
park. The best time to visit the park is between February and June.
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