Jaipur Old City Walking Tour Guide

Jaipur got a special award from UNESCO in July 2019. They said it's very well planned, and the buildings are cool. A lot of cool stuff in Jaipur is in the old part of town. It's all painted pink and not too far apart, so you can walk to everything. I'll tell you how to take a walk and see it all. Plan for about half a day to see it properly.

If you want to know more about the old part of town, Vedic Walks can show you around. They'll take you to some not-so-famous places in Jaipur Walking tour.

Start your walk at M.I. Road.

The main road in Jaipur is M.I. Road. You can start from the Panch Batti circle and the old Raj Mandir cinema.

M.I. Road is where you'll find the expensive shops, like the Gem Palace. The Gem Palace is a cool place in itself. The same family has owned it for eight generations and it's full of amazing jewelry. They say it's like Aladdin's Cave with treasures that belonged to the royal family.

Suggested Tour: Jaipur Sightseeing Tour

Pink Walls and Gates of the Old City

Keep walking on M.I. Road, and you'll see the pink walls of the old city on the left.

There are three gates to get into the old city. The first one is Ajmeri Gate, then there's the New Gate, and lastly the Sanganeri Gate.

Go in through the Ajmeri Gate and turn right. You can walk all the way to Sanganeri Gate and the start of Johari Bazaar.

The old city is really well planned, with wide, straight streets that make a bunch of markets.

Bazaars of the Old City

The first market you'll see is Nehru Bazaar. It's between Ajmeri Gate and New Gate. Lots of women in Jaipur like this market because it has colorful fabric, shoes, trinkets, and perfumes.

Bapu Bazaar is on the way from New Gate to Sanganeri Gate. There, you'll find clothes and bags that foreign tourists usually like. There's a big banyan tree on the right side that looks amazing with all its branches.

Keep walking and looking at the shops until you get to Sanganeri Gate and Johari Bazaar.

Johari Bazaar is just across from Sanganeri Gate, and it goes north to Badi Chaupar (big square). Turn left into it and keep walking.

If you couldn't afford jewelry at the Gem Palace, you might find something here. Johari Bazaar and the small streets around it are famous for gold and silver jewelry, as well as cheap jewelry and bangles. Gopal Ji Ka Rasta is the popular street for gems, but be careful, some sellers there are known for selling glass instead of gems. If you want to buy gems, read a gem guide first.

Jaipur Magic has an evening walk through the bazaars if you want to spend more time there.

In Front of the Hawa Mahal

Keep walking, and you'll get to Jaipur's famous Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace). This place was built in 1799 for the ladies of the palace to look at the street from small windows. There are 953 of these windows on five levels! But, the windows don't open these days because they're sealed shut.

Across from the Hawa Mahal, there's a rooftop cafe where tourists go to see the palace better.

Behind the Hawa Mahal

Some people don't know that you can go inside the Hawa Mahal, but you can and you should!

To find the entrance, go back the way you came, then turn right at the intersection. Walk a little and take the first right into an alleyway. There's a big blue sign that shows the way to the Hawa Mahal.

Entrance to the City Palace

Next stop on the walk in the old part of Jaipur is the City Palace. There are two ways to get there: either go back past the Hawa Mahal and turn left, or keep going on the road (called Tripolia Bazaar) and turn right near Tripolia Gate.

If you're tired from walking, you can get a cycle rickshaw. It's not too far, so don't pay more than 20 rupees (bargain if you can).

The City Palace has different tickets depending on what you want to see. For Indians, it starts at 200 rupees, and for foreigners, it's 700 rupees. If you want to see the Chandra Mahal (where the royal family lives) with a personal guide, it's 1,500 rupees for Indians and 2,000 rupees for foreigners.

The City Palace is a mix of Rajasthani and Mughal styles, and the newest part was built in the early 20th century. You can see the tall seven-story Chandra Mahal behind the main courtyard, and the royal family's flag is up when the Maharaja is there.

If you're hungry or thirsty, there's a nice outdoor cafe at the City Palace.

City Palace Courtyard and Peacock Gate

The best part of the City Palace is the beautiful Peacock Gate. It's in a small courtyard called Pritam Niwas Chowk, and you can get there from an exit on the other side of the main courtyard.

Pritam Niwas Chowk has four painted doorways that show different seasons. The Peacock Gate is for fall/autumn and Lord Vishnu.

Jantar Mantar

After leaving the City Palace, you might want to visit Jantar Mantar. It's an astrological observatory that was finished in 1738 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a famous mathematician and astronomer. He made five of these observatories in India (including one in Delhi), and this one in Jaipur is the biggest and best preserved.

When you first see Jantar Mantar, it looks like a weird group of big sculptures. But each one is an astrological tool for things like calculating eclipses. The biggest one is a sundial that makes a shadow move up to four meters an hour.

If you don't have a Composite Ticket, it's 200 rupees for foreigners and 50 rupees for Indians.

Tripolia Gate and Market

From Jantar Mantar, walk to Tripolia Bazaar. A lot of the shops there sell kitchen stuff.

Tripolia Bazaar is named after Tripolia Gate, which has three archways. This gate is the main entrance to the City Palace and Jantar Mantar, but only the royal family and their guests can use it.

The tallest thing in Jaipur is nearby, the Iswari Minar Swarga Sal, a super tall tower. You can go to the top and see the whole old city from there. It's a good place to know where you are. You might also spot a camel walking around the old city, along with the usual cows. Camels aren't as common as they used to be, but you can still see them sometimes!