WEEKEND in JAIPUR

Jaipur is a great weekend getaway for those living close by (Delhi/ NCR/ Agra etc). The highways are decent and it is easy and nice to drive down. If you are not interested in driving then you can take a deluxe bus or a Volvo from Delhi/ Agra. You can also take a train depending on the day of your journey.

DAY1 - Saturday:
So if you are coming for just the weekend and wanting to relax then try to reach jaipur by lunch. Check-in and have a nice lunch. There are many options for a great lunch, you can either have a quick one in the hotel or explore the EATING OUT section and select one to your liking.

Post lunch you can go to the old city also known as walled city and explore the bazaars. You can start at Bapu Bazaar and Saraogi Mansion. At Bapu Bazaar you will find textiles, local perfumes, shoes made of camel skin (jutties/ mojaries), Rajasthani trinkets, glass and lac bangles, bindi, imitation jewellery and bandhani/ bandhej fabrics. Bapu Bazaar also Houses the famous SARAOGI MANSION complex- that has many famous stores, known for Indian bridal trousseau. For handicrafts like puppets, bandahwars, wall hangings, white metal artifacts go to Linking Road - Bapu Bazar. For wonderful trousseau packing visit Ratan textile and a few tiny shops next to Ratan. When in bapu Bazar do not miss the golgappas and kulfi faluda.

Linking road-bapu bazaar

Please note most of the markets remain close on Sunday, so if you have shopping in your agenda then make it a point to cover the bazaars on Saturday. Sometimes before diwali and high wedding season, some do stay open. But I won't take my chances!

Post Bapu Bazaar you can proceed to Johri Bazaar. Johari Bazaar is the one stop spot for jewellery and tie dye sarees, fabrics, suits, lehengas and textiles. Gopalji ka Rasta, and Haldiyon ka Rasta houses numerous establishments selling jewellery, gems, sweets, silverware etc. The Old city markets also remain closed on Sunday.

So far it has been a relaxing day and its almost evening by the time you are done at the bazaars. Now, its time for a unique Jaipur experience. For the evening, I recommend the Light & Sound Showin Jaipur. Amber Fort & Palace Complex, in Jaipur, holds the Light and sound show.The show is an attempt to revive the pride of Amber, bring forth the traditions that moulded the lives of its people, the pomp and show that once existed in its fullest form. It brings forth The spirit of Amber. This musical extravaganza has highlighted the local legends, folklore, and a connoisseur of folk music that continues to give Rajasthan its unique identity. The show has been set in a very exotic location with the panoramic view of the Amber Fort & Palace Complex in the front, the rising Jaigarh on the left, the hills at the back and the gallery itself in the Kesar Kiyari Complex of Maota lake. The Show runs on daily basis at 6:30 pm (Hindi Language ) and  in English at 07:30 pm.  This show is for 50 minutes. And approx Tariff for the Indian National is Rs.100 and Foreign nationals- Rs.200.

light and sound show

Post The Light and Sound show you can have dinner at 1135 A.D. A gorgeous restaurant set right inside Amber Fort, a truly royal location. The food is okay but, the ambiance and the experience is totally worth it. You will feel like royalty here.

1135 AD Restaurant

Post dinner drive back to your hotel and have a good night’s sleep, cause Sunday will be a busy day.

DAY 2- Sunday:
Start the day early, say by 9:00 a.m. Have a filling breakfast at your hotel. If you are coming for the weekend it is recommended that you pre-book a package and make sure the deal includes breakfast. This will make life much easier.
Try to leave the hotel for sight-seeing by 9:30 or at the max 10:00 a.m. Now you know all about amber from last night. Now it’s time to see it all.

AMBER FORT: Here you can enjoy an Elephant ride. You can leave your car/ taxi at the lower parking area and take an elephant all the way up to The Amber Fort. The ride costs approx INR 1000 for one Elephant (2 persons can fit in one Elephant) and those are one way charges i.e. just to go up, to come back you will have to shell out the same amount.  If you are not interested in the elephant ride and don’t want to walk all the way up there is a way to go all the way up-to the main entrance.

Amber Fort

Just a bit ahead of where people take the elephants from is a narrow lane, just go up that lane (in your car/ taxi) and take a parking ticket for 30 INR. The car can be parked close to the entrance while you can finish your sightseeing. Read more about Amber on my tripadvisor page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304555-d319875-r114644001-Amber_Amer_Fort_and_Palace-Jaipur_Rajasthan.html

Stop 2: JAIGARH FORT: This rugged fort is also known as Victory Fort and houses the largest canon on Wheels in the world- Jaibaan. You can get some gorgeous views from jaigarh. Many movies are shot here, concerts held here and weddings hosted year after year. Read more about Jaigarh on my tripadvisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304555-d325116-r114643001-Jaigarh_Fort-Jaipur_Rajasthan.html

Jaigarh Fort

views of jaipur-from-jaigarh-fort

Stop 3: CITY PALACE OF JAIPUR: If you still have time and energy left you can cover The city palace. The City palace is a great mix of traditional Rajasthani & Mughal Architecture. Within the City Palace, you can see the textile and costume museum, arms and armour museum, art gallery and hall of public and private audience. Please Note: The City Palace and S.M.S II Museum. Opening Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Again they have great audio guides in many languages and it makes a lot of sense to take one and then tour the palace. Read more about City Palace on my tripadvisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304555-d324468-r25078887-City_Palace_of_Jaipur-Jaipur_Rajasthan.html

City Palace

At this point of time, if you are really hungry then you can grab a quick bite at The Palace Cafe and proceed for the next stop.

Stop 4: JANTAR MANTAR: This is an 18th century Observatory and is great for those who have not been to The Jantar Mantar at Delhi. The architecture is very interesting and it’s a great learning /educational experience. There are audio guides available at the ticket counter in various languages, must take one if you are not taking a guide otherwise nothing will make sense!

jantar mantar

Stop 5: HAWA MAHAL/ THE PALACE OF WIND: HAWA MAHAL- Palace of Winds, is the most recognizable monument of Jaipur and for many it has become the symbol of JAIPUR. You don’t need to spend too much time here. Just click a few pictures of facade and explore from outside. There isn’t much inside, except the views of old city and missing that isn’t that big a deal. Read more about Hawa mahal on my tripadvisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304555-d317345-r121412884-Hawa_Mahal_Palace_of_Wind-Jaipur_Rajasthan.html



If you have not grabbed a bite at The Palace cafe at The City Palace of Jaipur, then by the time you finish the Forts & Palace, it will time for lunch. Now there are 2 ways to go about it: ONE- The Touristy way, where you stay close to the sightseeing area and go to a place like LMB (Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar) or one of the many restaurants at M.I. Road. (Moti Mahal Deluxe (Non-Veg), Dasaprakasa (Veg), Niros (Non Veg), Surya Mahal (Veg), Natraj (Veg), Handi (Non Veg), KFC, McDonalds etc.)

LMB: I personally feel, this is over-rated. The Ghevar is great here but the food on the whole is average. However its located very close to the main sight-seeing stuff, so one can grab a quick lunch and get going. Read more about LMB on my tripadvisor review page: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g304555-d2073244-r115744520-Laxmi_Mishthan_Bhandar_LMB_Restaurant-Jaipur_Rajasthan.html

TWO- You can relax a bit and go for a nice leisurely lunch at a great food place. Read the section on Eating Out/ Recommendations; also see the pictures of each of the suggested places and take a call accordingly.

After lunch, I strongly recommend a nap. So go back to the hotel and chill for a bit. For the evening you can either opt for dinner in the hotel or Read the section on Eating Out/ Recommendations; also see the pictures of each of the suggested places and take a call accordingly.

I personally like (in no order of preference):
The buffet dinner at Marriot (Global cuisine),
The Indian Spice (Great Indian Food) at The Country Inn & Suites,
Jammie’s Kitchen (great Indian & continental Cuisine)
Haandi (Awesome Indian & rajasthani cuisine)

Read about all the above places in the EATERY section on the new organized blog http://visitingjaipur.com/eating-places-in-jaipur

Victory Fort- Jaigarh Fort

The fort, rugged and similar in structural design to the Amber Fort, is also known as Victory Fort and houses the largest canon on Wheels in the world- Jaivaan. The Jaivaan was cast at the Canon Foundry of the fort.

You will be fascinated by the huge canon and can get some gorgeous views of jaipur from jaigarh. Many movies are shot here, concerts held here and weddings hosted year after year.
If you are visiting in summers make sure to carry water, a hat and lots of water. It can get very hot. Jaigarh Fort is mostly about the Cannon- Jaivaan and a walk around to see some courtyards, a small museum and a well preserved lawn.

All in all it is worth spending 45 minutes and admiring the Jaivaan.

Jaivaan at Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort

Jaigarh Fort

View of jaipur from Jaigarh

Jaigarh Fort

Pathways/ gallery inside Jaigarh Fort

TIMINGS: 9:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
ENTRY FEE: Indians- INR 25, Foreign Nationals: INR 75
CAMERA FEE: INR 50, VIDEO CAMERA FEE: INR 200
TEL: 0141-2630848

For more on Monuments of Jaipur: http://visitingjaipur.com/things-to-do-in-jaipur/list-of-forts-in-jaipur

Great Breakfast Places in Jaipur 2016

If you are thinking of breakfast options and thinking of doing it the way "Jaipurites" do it... there is a galore of options. Our mornings start early and a lot of stuff is available right across the streets. All across Jaipur there are all kinds of mithai shops (our version of what the Europeans call cafe, of-course not glamorous like those but great). The mitahi shops will sell you the following items for breakfast:

• Dhokla: Dhokla is made with a fermented batter of gram flour (chickpeas), very light, healthy and refreshing stuff  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhokla

•  Khandvi: Khandvi is a savory snack made mainly of gram flour and yoghurt which is slowly cooked and made into rolls. It has a sweet, sour and salty taste.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandvi_%28food%29

khandvi

•  Samosa: A Samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, peanuts and dry fruits like cashewnuts, raisins. Read More on:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samosa

samosa

•  Kachori:  is a round flattened ball made of fine flour filled with a stuffing of baked mixture of yellow moong dal or Urad Dal (crushed and washed horse beans), besan (crushed and washed gram flour), black pepper, red chili powder, salt and other spices. Additionally you can have, the Pyaaj Kachori (onion kachori)- Rajasthani specialty. Another form of Kachori which is famous in Rajasthan is the Mawa Kachori. It is a sweet dish which is dipped in sugar syrup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachori

pyaz ki kachori

•  Jalebi: made by deep-frying a wheat-flour batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. The sweets are served warm. They have a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. Its a trend to have jalebi with a hot glass of milk in winters!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalebi

jalebi

•  Mirchi vada: is a spicy Indian snack consisting of chili (Mirchi) and potato stuffing, served hot with tomato sauce or occasionally with mint and tamarind chutney. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirchi_Vada

mirchi-vada

PLACES TO HAVE ‘JAIPUR SPECIAL’ BREAKFAST (NAASHTA):
Rawat Mishthan Bhandar: Known for its legendary kachoris, Rawat is a busy shop no matter when you visit. Rawat is a sweet shop and  offers a lot more than just kachori. You can find a lot of mithais, lassi, namkeen and local jaipur sweets apart from the above mentioned breakfast items. They are also well known for the Mawa kachori and Mirchi vada. If you are curious to know more about Rawat, here is beautiful and pictorial article: http://www.finelychopped.net/2011/07/maharaja-piyaz-kachori-rawat-mishtan.html  Add: Station Road, Sindhi Camp. Jaipur. Phone: +91-141- 2205150


Lassiwala: One of the most famed places serving lassi, lassiwala is located on M.I. Road almost opposite Niros Restaurant. If you are wondering what lassi is? Lassi is curd blended with ice and sugar (Metthi Lassi) or sometimes blended with salt (Namkeen Lassi) served in earthen pots. The lassiwala is famous for its sweet lassi (meethi lassi). When you reach the location you will find three lassiwala shops, if you carefully look at them you will notice that only the one towards the extreme left does business till late evening as this is the original lassiwala. Be sure that you go to this one, it’s board clearly reads that it has been there since 1944. The other outlets although very good on their own are not quite at the same level. Note, There is no seating place at Lassiwala so you have to have the Lassi while standing on the street. The lassi is available in two sizes, large and small. Cheap, no frills and tasty- Lassiwala is a great breakfast place. Pick up lassi from the original lassiwala and pick samosa/ kachori/ mirchi vada etc from the other (fake) lassiwala shops. Add: MI Rd, Ashok Nagar

lassiwala map

LMB: Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar(LMB) is the most famed place in Jaipur for Ghewar- The traditional marwari sweet dish! It is located in the walled city and has a full- fledged sweets shop plus a sit down restaurant. You get a host of Indian Sweets/ namkeens and other traditional rajasthani fast food like kachori, mirchi vada, smaosa, dhokla etc. Add:  Johari Bazar. Phone: 0141 4001616, 0141 2578845, 0141 2565844 

LMB MAP

DMD: Doodh Mishthan Bhandar is another well known sweet shop and has the pioneer outlet in bani park and has another outlet at Sahkar Marg, Lal Kothi Scheme. They offer a wide range of sweets and Indian fast foods apart from the above mentioned breakfast items. I particularly love the pyaaz ki kachori here. It has raisins and peas unlike other palces.
Website: http://dmbsweets.com/index.html
Add: 718, Meera Marg, Banipark, Jhotwara Road. Phone:+91-141-4014222, +91-141-2203727. Add 2: B 73A, Laxmi Mandir Cinema Rd, Nr Hero Honda Showroom, Lal Kothi Scheme. Phone:+91-141-5114555, +91-141-6541222


BMB: Bombay Mishthan Bhandar is another well known and established sweet shops of Jaipur. Apart from the above mentioned breakfast items they serve a variety of sweets, namkeens and Indian fast food. BMB has 2 outlets one on MI road and one on Tonk Road. Website: http://www.bmbjaipur.com/
Address 1: Sanganeri Gate, M.I. Road. Address 2: Tonk Road. Close to BMW Showroom. Phone: +91- 141-2602552/ +91- 141- 2618355

Kanha Sweets: It’s a eatery more on the lines of Haldiram/ bikanerwala. You will find fresh, clean food like pav bahji, chola bhatura, dosas, idli, vada, chowmein, uttapam, Gol Gappa/ Pani Puri. A huge variety of sweets and chaat. Apart from the above mentioned breakfast items. KANHA has many branches across jaipur. One at Shastri Nagar, one at Tonk road, another one at bani park and a few more. Website: http://www.kanharestaurant.com/

kanha address

kanha google map

Sodhani Sweets: Another renowned sweet shop serving  all varieties of sweets and namkeens. Sodhani has many branches but the most famed on is at Tonk Road. Website: http://sodhanisweets.com/index.html

 

sodhani sweets map

WHAT MOST B&B’S & SMALL HOTELS SERVE:
If the Sweet shops are not really your thing, then for breakfast most of the hotels serve a mix of Indian & continental breakfast. This includes cereals, fresh fruits, Milk, Bottled & Canned Juices, Bread with jams, eggs and Tea Coffee. Amongst Indian selections you may find Parathas with Curd, Idli/ Dosa/vada/uttapam, poori aaloo. The selection is not so elaborate all the time but may have one or 2 items from Indian selection and continental selection.

BREAKFAST ON A TIGHT BUDGET:
If you are on a tight budget and looking at Cheap Breakfast options then there are loads of thelas (Mobile food carts) which serve Steaming Poha with Masala chai (tea+ with Milk & Spices). You may also opt to eat samosa/ Kachori with Milk or chai. Its filling and cheap.

BREAKFAST AT FOUR/FIVE STAR HOTELS:
For those with loose purse strings Jaipur has the best to offer. All 4-5 Star hotels serve a great mix of Indian and American breakfast. Amongst these, I have tried and I particularly love the breakfast at:
 Mosaic- Country Inn & Suites. During my recent stay, I enjoyed the spread a lot. They had a variety of cheese and some cold cuts, along with cereals & variety of breads, juices, fresh fruits, dry fruits, Tea/coffee, Eggs to order, Muffins, Dimsums amongst western selection. They had Aaloo Poori, a few kinds of stuffed parathas, Dosas to order, Idli, Vada with chutney & Saambhar to name a few. This is priced at INR 450 + 18.94%  taxes and is served from 7:00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. http://www.countryinns.com/jaipur-hotel-in-302001/cisjai

Okra- Jaipur Marriot: Okra serves a very elaborate breakfast with a full blown salad & cheese bar. A fully stocked bread counter. There is a great choice of Indian selection. There are dimsums, Lebanese items. A full fresh fruit counter. Varieties of coffee and tea and great desserts. The breakfast is open to walk-in guests also and is priced at INR 600+ 24.36% taxes. The breakfast is available from 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/jaimc-jaipur-marriott-hotel/

For more about the dining scene in Jaipur, read: http://visitingjaipur.com/eating-places-in-jaipur

P.S. Please note these are local fresh items that are a integral part of Rajasthan, so most of the items would be fried, high on calorie and some may consider them unhealthy however I as a blogger am here to only share info about what is locally popular and is culturally relevant. If you find any of the items unhealthy or not worth trying, the choice lies with you.