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My Jaipur One Day Trip Experience – Visiting 2 Forts and Pink City Markets

I went to India for work, but underneath the paperwork, the footloose in me lay awake, thinking of adventures that I can do on weekends.

Planning One Day Trip to Jaipur

It is a little challenging since I only have the weekends to go out, and more so because I have heard of warnings at home and in the bustling metropolitan in Gurgaon not to go out alone. I was the only Filipino employee in the Guest House at the time that’s why they were worried of me – language barrier, possible overpricing and general safety as a female foreigner.

Also read: iPhone Service Center in Jaipur

Travel to Jaipur from Gurgaon

Gurgaon is along the border of Haryana and Delhi. While there is a metro rail just 10 minutes away from where I stayed at, I never took it due to the aforementioned, sometimes overwhelming warnings.

It’s a good thing that I have Indian co-workers who shared my passion to travel, so I was able to convince them to go, albeit for one night only, so I could see the Pink City I’ve been hearing about from Manila.

Jaipur: Pink City of India – drive back from Jaipur to Gurgaon at sunrise (captured on a moving vehicle with an iPhone 5s)

It is about 220 kilometers from Gurgaon and we drove off on an afternoon since I had engagements in the morning. It was a fairly hot summer day, probably 38 degrees celsius in Delhi, but around 42 in Jaipur.

Also readTravel Delhi to Jaipur

After some stop overs along the highway, we reached the Oyo Room we rented (more like airbnb) before midnight. We planned on starting off at around 5:30 AM but we were advised against it as most tourist spots open at 8:30 AM.

Jaipur: Pink City of India – highway stop over with massive sale on Nike, Reebok and other American brands

Needless to say, as readers you may get disappointed that we only visited 2 forts and the market that day. But due to the distance of the rooms we rented to the forts themselves, and the unbearable heat, I would say it did suffice for the purpose of seeing Jaipur. I will definitely come back in the winter months, hopefully with Mary in tow.

One thing I wasn’t able to do while in Jaipur was ride the camel. I would never have wanted to ride an elephant because of the cruelties it would have undergone to do one ride for a tourist, much more for hundreds of them in a day’s worth. So, yup, I have reasons to come back. Business or Pleasure.

Must read – Jaipur One Day Trip Itinerary

TRIVIA: Why Pink City? Most of the forts and palaces there are made of red and pink sandstone. But that’s not the only reason why it’s dubbed as the Pink City.

Jaipur: Pink City of India – Hawa Mahal (beehive design) raw photo by Abhishek Aggarwal

In 1876, the Prince of Wales (later named Edward VII) visited Jaipur and the entire city was painted pink before his arrival. The color denotes hospitality, thus, the paint, and eventually, the moniker of Jaipur.

Also readHow to be safe in Jaipur

HAWA MAHAL – The Palace of Winds / The Palace of Breeze (Built: 1799)

So called because in the heat of summers, this palace, which has 953 windows, manages to cool even the most interior of rooms. Its honeycomb design allows maximum breezes to circulate, and when we were at the top level, it was very windy. Though by now you would surmise how warm that wind was, given the temperature!

Jaipur: Pink City of India – the windows that maketh the palace “the palace of winds” (iPhone 5s unedited)

It was primarily built so that the smaller windows also allow the royal ladies of the palace to watch military parades on the street while remaining concealed. These ladies never appeared publicly nor in front of strangers.

What’s also interesting about the palace is it doesn’t have stairs to reach the top (5th) floor. It has slopes, or ramps, and is thus friendly to those who have kids on strollers or elders on wheel chairs.

Operating Hours: 9:00am-4:30pm

Entrance Fee: 10 Rupees for locals and 40 Rupees for foreigners

Jaipur: Pink City of India – the courtyard as one enters the main gate of Hawa Mahal. Photographed on the Gopro Hero3
Jaipur: Pink City of India – windows and more windows (iPhone 5s unedited)
Jaipur: Pink City of India – view of the upper floors of Hawa Mahal from the courtyard (iPhone 5s unedited)
Jaipur: Pink City of India – photographed by Abhishek Aggarwal, Hawa Mahal
Jaipur: Pink City of India – arches, windows, and hand-painted walls (photo by Abhishek Aggarwal, unedited)

You can check our latest and updated coverage on Hawamahal Jaipur to know everything about it.

Visiting Amer Fort Jaipur

AMER FORT – old capital of Rajasthan before Jaipur (built: 1592)

The fort is built of red sandstone and marble, with a charming lake outside. It is situated up the hill and along the path to the main entrance, you would chance upon a snake charmer or two. It has both Hindu and Muslim architectural influences, has courtyards and different gates inside.

Maota Lake just outside the Amer Fort (iPhone 5s)

At this point, I was so exhausted from walking under the smoldering sun, at a point where even my companions were also tired, thirsty and on the verge of probably getting a heat stroke 🙁

stairway to where? Watch out for some snake charmers along the way. (Gopro Hero3, raw)
when it’s hotter than you think (photo by Abhishek Aggarwal)
portable fan helped a bit. 🙂

So while I wasn’t able to get in (it was a consensus decision), here are the reasons why I want to come back in the cold months of November-February.

Also readHow to Survive Summer of Jaipur

Amer Fort at night (photo by Chinmayisk)

Operating Hours: 8:00am-6:00pm

Entrance Fee: 25 Rupees for locals and 500 Rupees for foreigners (used to be 200 only)

Ganesh Pol entrance of the Amer Fort (photo by Firoze Edassery)

You can check our latest and updated coverage on Amer Fort Jaipur to know everything about it.

There are a lot more things to do when in Rajasthan, and to keep you craving, click here to have an idea of other things you can do in the desert-state. Remember, the best time to visit would be in the colder months of November-February.

their popular movie house in Jaipur
the author at Hawa Mahal (iPhone 5s)

Note – This post was originally published at Migz Hernandez’s blog FootLooseTomCat.com. If you have been to Pink City and looking to get your experience published on this platform, kindly contact us with a request for the same.

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