It was that time of the year when Rajasthan had reached its boiling point. One could make an omelette on the road at noon. That is when the little wanderer inside our heart pushed us to visit Jaipur.
My friend and I planned a trip to Jaipur in July 2018. It was an impromptu plan to visit the city as it was close to Delhi and was easy to reach. Moreover, we were low on our budget. However, we were lucky enough to find a beautiful hostel that was recommended by our friend. The total trip costed 4000 INR that included everything from transportation to food to stay. What more could we have asked for? Here’s a video of out Jaipur trip on a shoestring budget and a detailed article about how we roamed around the city for two days with a restricted budget.
Day 1 – 6:52 am – Boarded the train from Gurgaon railway station to Jaipur
Reaching Jaipur from Delhi is easy as there are a plethora of options available. You can reach Jaipur via road following the Gurgaon-Jaipur Highway. You can take a flight to Jaipur or can board a super fast Shatabdi train.
We travelled to Jaipur in Ajmer Shatabdi as that was the fastest and cheapest option available. Moreover, the timing was great, and we got a free breakfast that made our journey even better.
The Ajmer Shatabdi starts from New Delhi Railway station at 6:05 am and reaches Jaipur at 10:45 am. However, my friend and I boarded the train from Gurgaon station as that was closest to our home.
Train ticket – ₹ 635 per person (Delhi to Jaipur) and ₹ 720 per person (Jaipur to Delhi)
10:45 am – Heading to our hostel
At 10:45 we reach Jaipur railway station. As we were heading out, we could see the auto-rickshaw drivers waiting to start a tug-of-war with us being the rope! Since we couldn’t find an Uber, we took an auto to our hostel that charged 80 INR. The hostel was 4 km away from the station and took us 25 minutes to reach.
11:30 am – The Pink City
We checked-in to the hostel, kept the luggage in our respective lockers and freshened up before heading to our voyage. With an enormous itinerary, we started our journey to the pink city.
12:00 pm – Lunch at the Tapri Central Cafe
Before starting with sightseeing, we thought of refuelling ourselves at the Tapri Central Cafe. This is a popular spot in Jaipur run by two young gentlemen, Ankit and Saurabh. They serve simple dishes with a modern twist. We tried the Cheese golgappa, Pesto pasta along with our all-time favourite masala lemonade. We explored the tiny shop at the cafe before heading out to the pink city.
12:35 pm – Hawa Mahal
We started our day at the Hawa Mahal. One of the most iconic buildings of Jaipur residing in the heart of the city. We stayed in this five-storeyed palace for an hour and a half. Exploring each floor and admiring its craftsmanship and uniqueness.
The ticket to the Hawa Mahal is 50 INR for Indian tourists and 200 INR for foreigners.
2:00 pm – Headed to the Jantar Mantar
The Jantar Mantar was at a walkable distance from the Hawa Mahal. However, to avoid the heat, we took a tuk-tuk until the Jantar Mantar.
Tip: On your way to the Jantar Mantar, the tuk-tuk driver might take a detour to the Handloom expo centre. The items at the expo centre are expensive, and you can get them at any wholesale market. Hence, politely ask them to drop you to the original destination.
2:20 pm – Unfolding the science behind Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is home to the world’s largest stone sundial and other astronomical instruments. We were here for an hour, exploring the place before heading to the City Palace.
The ticket to Jantar Mantar is 50 INR for Indian tourists and 200 INR for foreigners.
3:30 pm – City Palace
The City Palace is the home of the royal family of Jaipur. We had merely 2 hours to explore this gigantic palace. We started with the beautiful chambers like Deewan-e-aam and Deewan-e-Khas. Followed by the museum where we saw an enormous collection of clothes and weapons of the royal family. We also visited the craft store and bought beautiful silver rings. We ended our trip to the Palace with a refreshing drink at the Baradari restaurant.
We wanted to visit the private chambers of the palace. However, this costed an additional ticket of 2500 INR. Hence, we kept it for our next visit.
6:30 pm – Time for some shopping!
After a refreshing drink to beat the heat, it was now time to splurge on shopping. We went to the wholesale market opposite to the Hawa Mahal. That market was a shoppers paradise. We were there for more than two hours shopping for clothes, jewellery and footwear.
Tip: Don’t hesitate to bargain to crack a good deal. While you’re shopping, don’t forget to gorge on the lip-smacking pyaaz kachori.
8:40 pm – Albert Hall Museum
It was now time to explore the oldest museum in the city. We were awestruck by its beauty. Apart from the artefacts, we got a glimpse of a 2300-year-old mummy. A gift from the Museum of Cairo. The lighting outside the museum was mesmerising. We sat here for a while before heading for dinner.
Tip: The best time to visit the museum is after sunset to see the beautiful lighting.
The museum remains open until 10 pm, and the ticket price is INR 40 for Indian citizens and INR 300 for foreigners.
10:30 pm – Dinner at Mughal Rasoi
Mughal Rasoi is one of the highly-rated restaurants in the C-Scheme that serves North Indian food. The restaurant seemed expensive at first. However, it didn’t cost us a fortune! Moreover, the food was delicious. We then headed back to our hostel and called it a day!
Day 2 – 8:00 am – Headed to Amer
The second day was for the forts, and to our convenience, I pre-booked a cab using the OLA app. On our way to Amer, we stopped by a local stall for breakfast, where we had refreshing Lassi and spicy Aloo Bonda with special Rajasthani chutney.
9:00 am – Panna Meena ka Kund
Before heading to the crown of Amer, we stopped by one of Amer’s gem, Panna Meena ka Kund. A beautiful stepwell located next to Bihariji Temple, which is quite popular amongst the influencers. After taking a million pictures, we headed to the first fort, Amer.
10:00 am – Amer Fort
The fort was flooded with tourist even in the offseason. We entered the fort through the Moon gate (Chand Pol) and headed to the Naubatkhana to watch the artists perform. We stayed here for 2 hours exploring every nook and corner of the fort. Admiring the beauty of the place and gaining knowledge about its glorious past. By the time we came out, the sun had reached its apex. To keep ourselves hydrated, we stopped by a hawker to have buttermilk.
12:30 pm – Nahargarh Fort
Do you remember that moment in Rang de Basanti movie where Amir Khan jumps off the edge of a stepwell? That is where we were headed next.
Nahargarh Fort is a hilltop fort that offers the best city view. Moreover, this has been featured in many famous Bollywood movies, Rang de Basanti being one of them. Wax Museum, Sheesh Mahal, Viewpoint, Stepwell and Madhavendra Bhawan are the few spots that you can visit at Nahargarh Fort.
We started our tour with the famous Wax Museum. A combo ticket allowed us to visit the museum and Sheesh Mahal at a cheaper cost. The wax statues within the museum were okayish. However, the Sheesh Mahal was mesmerising, with its beautiful mirror carvings. Then we headed to the viewpoint that gave us a panoramic view of the city. On our way back, we stopped by the famous stepwell, recreating those moments from the film in our head.
2:30 pm – Lunch at Jaigarh Restaurant
After all that walk, it was now time to recharge ourselves with some Rajasthani delicacy. The Jaigarh restaurant, next to the main gate of the Jaigarh Fort served delicious Rajasthani food at a nominal price. We ordered a Rajasthani thali along with buttermilk and mewa filled gulab jamun. The thali had 3 Rajasthani dishes Dal (lentil soup), Gatte ki sabzi and bhindi masala, served with lasoon chutney along with Rice, Bajra and Makka roti (bread). Each dish tasted amazing and was worth each penny.
3:30 pm – Jaigarh Fort
The Jaigarh Fort doesn’t have the most marvellous architecture. However, it did had a significant history. This fort was built for the soldiers during the war. While exploring the fort, we saw the finest canons and wagons on display. Moreover, we got ourselves clicked with Jaivaan cannon, which is the largest in the world.
4:45 pm – Jal Mahal
It was now time for our descend. On our way back, we stopped by the Jal Mahal. A beautiful 18th-century palace amidst the Man Sagar Lake. We sat by the lakefront for a while before heading to our next destination.
5:30 pm – Jaipur Blue Pottery
It was at the Surajkund Crafts Mela, where I first came across the Blue Pottery. A craft mastered by the artisans of Jaipur. We stopped by the wholesale shops, where these are manufactured. There are four shops in total that sell blue pottery. Moreover, they are cheap than what you get in the regular shops. The collection here is vast and unique.
Tip: Head to the tiny shops instead of the famous ones. The collection is but at a lesser cost.
7:00 pm – Until next time…
Jaipur can be draining in July. The weather can easily make you feel dehydrated. That is what happened to my friend by the end of the day. Therefore, we called it a day and headed straight to our hostel. We had our train back to Delhi the next morning. So we sat by the lawn of our hostel. Going through all the pictures and laughing about the funny instances that we had on our way.
The city is beautiful and rich in culture. However, the peak season can make you dizzy because of the high prices and the tourist rush. Therefore, if you’re looking for a budget trip, then follow the itinerary and enjoy the city hassle-free.
Final Tip: If you’re going for monument hopping around Jaipur. There a saver ticket available with a validity of two days known as the ‘Composite Ticket’. That saves you money. This ticket included entry to the following site – Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar (Observatory), Nahargarh Fort, Vidhyadhar Garden, Sisodia Rani garden & Isarlat (Sargasooli). And costs just INR 300 for Indian and INR 1000 for foreign tourists. This can be bought from the ticket counters of Amber Fort, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar (Observatory).
This is a great way to save a lot of money on the entry tickets. The guys at the counter would not tell you about this. However, now you know! So head out and explore the beautiful city of Jaipur in a budget.
