Handker ❤️s Adventure: Jaipur

Everything to do, from where to stay, explore and relax in Jaipur, India

Ornate blue doorway on a white-and-blue facade in Jaipur, India

Jaipur, India: There’s not enough room in one blog post for me to describe the magic to be experienced in this enchanting city. Drawn by the traditional textile crafts of the area, I first visited with an Ace Travel camp in 2019, and have been smitten ever since. It’s heritage and modernity, museums and shopping, and above all: the artisan craft culture is out of this world. Come along with me as we tour the Pink City! And check out our instagram highlight for even more photos and stories from India.

Ornate Samode Haveli lounge in Jaipur with blue velvet seating and views of the courtyard

Where to Stay

In Jaipur, there are many heritage hotels that have been converted from palaces. This is an incredible opportunity to experience the culture and art of the city. I’ve stayed at both Diggi Palace and Samode Haveli.

Highly recommend the Samode Haveli! They greet you in the palace’s formal parlor with a lime soda while you get checked in. Even if you did nothing else, this hotel property would be a lovely place to lounge by the gorgeous pool, enjoy sunset drinks and snacks on the rooftop bar, and wander around the maze of rooms. Here are just a few of the views on the property:

Ornate Jaipur haveli courtyard with painted arches, framed artwork, and potted plants

Samode Haveli pool courtyard with lounge chairs and ornate palace-style arches in Jaipur

Potted orange and yellow flowers line a pool at Samode Haveli in Jaipur

A meal is served at a restaurant table in Jaipur with salad, tomato and mozzarella, fried potatoes, drinks, and place settings

The food at their restaurant is great! We ate there several evenings because we were too tired to cross the Bazaar again!

Blue palace interior at Samode Haveli with ornate lanterns, arched doorways, and floral seating

Where to eat:

Lunch/snack: Anokhi Cafe Delicious Lime Soda, salads, desserts.

LMB: a sweets shop, but also full high-end restaurant

Tapri Central: amazing rooftop, but also a local artisan shop in the lower level.

Bar Palladio: A modern take on traditional Jaipur interior design, and serving Italian dishes alongside world-class custom cocktails.

Street chai vendor surrounded by stacks of earthenware cups in Jaipur, India

While streetfood is definitely a “no” for tourists who would rather not spend some of their precious travel time out of commission, I highly recommend getting street chai–served in earthenware pottery! (It’s heated–surely the bacteria are long gone).

Vendor pours street chai into earthen cups as a customer waits at a Jaipur tea stall

These samosas (fried dough with vegetables and curry inside) do look delicious!

Street food vendors frying samosas in a Jaipur market

Sights to See

Anokhi Textile Museum: A Museum dedicated to the traditional art of block-printing, this is a must-see!! And on the way there, you can visit this amazing step well.

Couple posing on wet marble forecourt in front of an ornate palace pavilion in Jaipur, other visitors nearby

Close-up of a carved textile printing block showcasing a paisley design with metal tools on a workbench

Visitors relax in an ornate pink Jaipur courtyard with café seating and umbrellas

Jaipur stepwell with visitors exploring its geometric stairways above a green pool

View through an ornate stone opening toward a Jaipur palace courtyard and surrounding hills

Ornate Jaipur mural of two traditionally dressed figures framed by red floral patterns

Shopping

This is the real deal, folks. This is not a drill! The best shopping you can imagine for artisan textiles.

My favorites: Heritage Textiles: SO. MANY. GORGEOUS FABRICS! Ask for Mukesh if you want them to make you a custom outfit. They get it done in a couple of days and deliver it to your hotel! You can bring a sample that they mimic, like I did here. Be aware, though, the block print fabric is pretty thin, and it is NOT pre-shrunk, so get extra length if that matters to you!

Two men hold a garment sketch behind a counter in a Jaipur textile shop surrounded by colorful printed fabrics

Woman posing in a green tiger-print outfit inside an ornate room

Ridhi Sidhi: Same deal…ask to go across the street and buy block prints in bulk–you have to buy around 5 meters at a time but they have an unparalleled selection.

Stacked colorful patterned textiles showcasing floral and geometric prints in Jaipur

Honestly, just shopping around the Bazaars is pretty great and fascinating! Check out this art supply store!

Shopkeeper on a phone in a crowded Jaipur art supply store filled with craft materials

Traveler holding a stack of rupee notes in a Jaipur textile shop

I brought my dollars so I could buy all the goods to share with you in the India Joy Drop!

Peep me with all the money I was about to spend…. (most of those were rupees, for the record…)

People display a patterned textile in a Jaipur fabric market surrounded by colorful cloth

How to get there:

Fly to Jaipur directly! We decided to drive from Jaipur to Delhi for our flight home, and spent 8 hours on a highway and missed our flight. Highly recommend Emirates if you can. Lots of nice hotels near the Delhi airport if you need to stay there.

Elephant carrying a rider along a Jaipur street, photographed through a car windshield

Must bring items:

insect repellent. Especially in the fall after the yearly monsoon, mosquitos are a real problem. Don’t be like me. I got Dengue Fever on my first trip there by being bitten by a mosquito and was really seriously ill.

Get your vaccinations at your local travel medical clinic.

Bring all the stomach medicine, hydration multipliers, probiotics, etc. Most restaurants are totally fine, but sometimes you forget to brush your teeth with bottled water.

Two people pose on a rooftop overlooking Jaipur, India, with hills and the city in the background

Getting around: by Tuktuk, of course!

This is G.S. He was our favorite driver and got us all over the place very kindly.

Tuk-tuk driver driving through Jaipur, India

Good night, Jaipur! Till we meet again. Sometime in the future I’d like to plan a travel adventure for people interested in the textile arts. Would you like to join?

City Guide Vol.10: Jaipur