12 Feb 2023
We loved Jaipur! We visited during our 5.5 week north India tour organized by wonderful 5 Senses. (We also spent 3 weeks with them in the south in 2020, just before covid struck.)
Because we wanted to be sure to have enough time, and not to have to rush, we spent four nights in the city and did not regret it (except when we had to leave).
Our excellent cultural ambassador and friend Balwinder Singh took great care of us, as he always does.
We got to see most everything we wanted, including Amber Fort and Palace, the Hawa Mahal, the Jantar Mantar astrological observatory, the Birla and Moti Dungal temples, Jawahar Kala Kendra (art exhibits), and the surprisingly good Albert Hall museum. Balwinder also helped us find a local barber (beard trim for me, haircut for my friend). The total bill was US $1.50.
Balwinder booked a local guide for our palace day; he did a good job too.
On our way to Jaipur from Agra, Balwinder suggested that we might like to visit Chand Baori stepwell, the oldest and deepest in Rajasthan. Interesting!
In Jaipur we stayed in the Crowne Plaza, which we recommend. Nearby is a very nice ayurvedic wellness center (called The Nature: A Complete Wellness Center, I think). An excellent, hour long massage costs just 600 rupees (about US $7.50), and the owner discourages tipping (though we cheated and tipped our guys anyway.) We visited two days in a row.
In our experience you can't go wrong with 5 Senses!