Free Walking Tour Jaipur: Amer Fort to the Old City

Your Jaipur Walking Tour: Forts, Temples and Bazaars in Order

1. 1

   Amer Fort

   

   Your day begins in Amer, a small town 11 km from Jaipur, where the fort sits high on a hill and is the main attraction of the whole region. Large ramparts, a series of gates and cobbled paths lead you up, and from the walls you look over Maota Lake, once the main water source for the palace. The buildings are red sandstone and marble, laid out on four levels, each around its own courtyard: Rajput architecture with clear Mughal touches.

   Inside, the palace moves from public to private. The Diwan-e-Aam was the Hall of Public Audience, the Diwan-e-Khas the Hall of Private Audience. Then comes the Sheesh Mahal, the mirror palace also called Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas, where wind blowing over a water cascade cooled the rooms long before anyone spoke of air conditioning. Near Ganesh Gate, look for the temple of Shila Devi, a goddess given to Raja Man Singh after he defeated the Raja of Jessore in Bengal in 1604.

   The palace was home to the Rajput Maharajas and their families, and its rooms tell their story. Raja Man Singh had 12 queens and built 12 rooms, one for each. Raja Jai Singh had a single queen, so he built her one room as large as three of the old ones. Higher up on the Cheel ka Teela, the Hill of Eagles, stands Jaigarh Fort; the two count as one complex, linked by a tunnel meant as an escape route for the royal family in times of war.

   Going inside is the point of coming here, and the morning is the time for it. Entry is charged, with a higher rate for foreign visitors than for Indian adults. Give it about two hours. Then comes the longest leg of the route: 5430 m, about 75 minutes on foot, down to the lake and its water palace.

   Local name

   Amber Fort

   Hours

   Daily 08:00–21:00 (regular day and night visit)

   Price

   100 INR Indian adult, 20 INR Indian student, 500 INR foreign adult, 150 INR foreign student; Composite ticket: 400 INR Indian, 1000 INR foreigner

   Website

   tourism.rajasthan.gov.in ↗

   Location

   Amer Fort on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Jal Mahal

   

   Jal Mahal, the Water Palace, stands in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, five floors of local pink and red sandstone rising straight from the water. When the lake is full it reaches about 4.5 metres deep, and the lowest floor disappears under the surface. On top you can make out the terrace garden with arched passages and four octagonal domed pavilions, the chhatris, one at each corner.

   It was never a royal home. Sawai Jai Singh of Amber had it built around 1699 as a lodge for duck hunting, and Maharaja Madho Singh I enlarged the building and the lake in the middle of the 18th century. Rising damp later caused subsidence and damaged the plaster; restoration work commissioned by the Government of Rajasthan repaired it. The lake has its own slow problem: soil washed down from the bare hills settles as silt and raises the lake bed year by year.

   You see Jal Mahal from the roadside promenade on the west side of the lake; there is no interior access, so this stop is free and open around the clock. Across the lake at Gaitore stand the cenotaphs of the Kachwaha rulers of Jaipur, built over their cremation platforms; the monument for Jai Singh II is known for its carvings and 20 carved domed pillars.

   From here it is 4100 m, about 58 minutes, into the old city to Govind Dev Ji Temple.

   Hours

   24/7

   Price

   Free (viewpoint only; no interior access)

   Website

   tourism.rajasthan.gov.in ↗

   Location

   Jal Mahal on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Govind Dev Ji Temple

   

   Govind Dev Ji Temple stands within the City Palace complex and is dedicated to Radha and Krishna. Maharaja Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur, established it in the 18th century and brought its deities here from Vrindavan, a town deeply tied to Krishna. For devotees this is a living temple, not a monument, and that is what makes it worth your time.

   The image has a long road behind it. Tradition says Bajranabh, Krishna's great-grandson, made three images: one of his feet, one of his chest and one of his face. They became Madan Mohan Ji, Gopinath Ji and Govind Dev Ji. Rupa Goswami rediscovered the image in Vrindavan and built its first permanent temple there around 1535. Later Man Singh I of Amber, the same ruler you met at the Shila Devi shrine, raised a seven-storeyed temple for it, with red sandstone donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar; an inscription dates his building to 1590.

   The temple also has a place in religious thought: the philosopher Baladeva Vidyabhushana wrote the Govinda Bhashya, a commentary on the Brahma Sutras, here after the deity guided him in a dream.

   Entry is free. Worship follows seven daily jhanki or darshan sessions, spread over the morning and the evening. On the full-day plan you pass at midday, between sessions; see the setting, then come back for evening darshan, or start the old city part of the walk here in the morning. Hawa Mahal is 970 m away, about 14 minutes.

   Hours

   Daily 04:45–11:30, 17:30–21:15 (seven daily jhanki / darshan sessions)

   Price

   Free

   Website

   mandirshrigovinddevjijaipur.org ↗

   Location

   Govind Dev Ji Temple on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds)

   

   Hawa Mahal is the façade everyone knows: five floors of red and pink sandstone covered in 953 small windows, the jharokhas, arranged like a honeycomb and screened with fine latticework. The name means 'wind palace', and it is meant literally: the openings let cool air pass through, a Venturi effect that kept the rooms pleasant in the summer heat.

   Here is the surprise: what you see from the street is the back of the palace, not its front. The building sits on the edge of the City Palace and reaches into the zenana, the women's quarters. The lattice was there so the royal women could watch everyday life and the festivals in the street without being seen.

   Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, grandson of Jaipur's founder, built it in 1799, inspired by the Khetri Mahal; the architect was Lal Chand Ustad. In 2006 it was renovated for the first time in 50 years, at an estimated cost of Rs 4.568 million, and the Unit Trust of India adopted the monument to look after it.

   Is it worth going in? If you want to stand behind the screens and look out as the women of the court did, yes, and the ticket is worth it. If time is short, the street view alone gives you the picture. From here it is just 350 m, about 5 minutes, to Johari Bazaar.

   Hours

   Daily 09:00–19:00

   Price

   50 INR Indian adult, 20 INR Indian student, 200 INR foreign adult, 100 INR foreign student; Composite ticket: 400 INR Indian, 1000 INR foreigner

   Website

   obms-tourist.rajasthan.gov.in ↗

   Location

   Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Johari Bazaar

   

   At Badi Chaupar the route turns into the old city's great market corridor, and the walk changes character: no gate, no ticket, no closing time, just a public street built around the jewellery trade. Shops open and close on their own long hours, but the street itself never stops being public, and it costs nothing.

   Walk it slowly even if you buy nothing. This is the one stop where the crowd is the sight: traders, buyers and passers-by, all on the move.

   The calendar shapes the bazaar more than any clock. In the Teej season the stalls overflow with green bangles and leheriya saris. At Diwali the markets compete in their famous illumination contest and Johari Bazaar glitters in gold, though nearly everything shuts on the day itself. On Holi the street bursts into colour, and the shops close for the main day.

   Jantar Mantar is 500 m away, about 7 minutes on foot.

   Local name

   Johari Bazar

   Hours

   24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Johari Bazaar on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Jantar Mantar

   

   Jantar Mantar looks at first like a field of giant abstract sculptures. In fact it is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by Sawai Jai Singh, the founder of Jaipur, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among them stands the largest stone sundial in the world. The name says it all: jantar comes from yantra, 'instrument', and mantar from mantrana, 'to calculate'.

   Jai Singh built it because he noticed that the tables used to fix the positions of the stars, the Zij, did not match what he saw in the sky. He built five observatories in different cities to make better ones, and the tables he produced, the Zij-i Muhammad Shahi, stayed in use in India for a century. Several instruments here stood by 1728, and work went on into the 1730s.

   Every instrument is read with the naked eye. Between them they work in all three classical coordinate systems: horizon, equator and ecliptic. The Kanmala Yantraprakara even converts positions from one system to another. The site was damaged in the 19th century; Major Arthur Garrett, a keen amateur astronomer working as Assistant State Engineer, led the early restoration.

   Go in if you are even mildly curious: this is the stop that most rewards a slow look, and the ticket is well spent. City Palace is 460 m away, about 6 minutes.

   Hours

   Daily 09:00–19:00

   Price

   50 INR Indian adult, 20 INR Indian student, 200 INR foreign adult, 100 INR foreign student; Composite ticket: 400 INR Indian, 1000 INR foreigner

   Website

   tourism.rajasthan.gov.in ↗

   Location

   Jantar Mantar on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   City Palace

   

   City Palace is where Jaipur was ruled from. Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II moved his court here from Amber in 1727, and the palace was completed in 1732 on the site of a royal hunting lodge, on a plain ringed by rocky hills five miles south of Amber. It was planned by the rules of vastushastra and blends Mughal and Rajput styles across several buildings, courtyards and galleries.

   Jaipur remained a kingdom's capital until 1949, when it became the capital of the new state of Rajasthan, and the palace served as the ceremonial and administrative seat of the Maharaja. It was also a centre of religious and cultural life and a patron of arts, crafts and trade.

   The story has not ended. The Jaipur royal family still lives here, with around 500 personal servants, and the palace houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. Its trust is run by Princess Diya Kumari, who also manages two schools in Jaipur, founded a foundation for women in Rajasthan and was elected to the state's Legislative Assembly in 2013.

   This is the most expensive ticket on the route, with a separate composite ticket and a Chandra Mahal Royal Tour on offer. It is worth it if you want the royal story in one place; allow 90 minutes, and do not arrive too late, as ticket sales end before the palace closes. From here you leave the old city: 1260 m, about 18 minutes, to Ram Niwas Garden.

   Hours

   Daily 09:30–18:30 (last tickets sold 18:00)

   Price

   400 INR Indian adult, 200 INR Indian concession (student/child below 12/senior/defence), 1200 INR international adult, 600 INR international youth concession; Composite: 500 INR Indian / 1700 INR international; Chandra Mahal Royal Tour: 4000 INR Indian / 5000 INR international

   Website

   royaljaipur.in ↗

   Location

   City Palace on Google Maps ↗

8. 8

   Ram Niwas Garden

   

   After the dense old city, Ram Niwas Garden gives you space and green. Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh laid it out in the 1860s as part of a flood relief project, and it grew into a wide park with a zoo, an aviary, a greenhouse, a botanical collection and a well-known sports ground.

   The garden was planned together with its centrepiece, the Albert Hall, designed by Sir Swinton Jacob, which you reach next. More recently the Ravindra Manch was added, with an auditorium, a modern art gallery and an open-air theatre for cultural events.

   Entry is free, and the garden suits a slow pause after a long day. The Central Museum is 560 m away, about 8 minutes.

   Hours

   Daily 05:00–21:00

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Ram Niwas Garden on Google Maps ↗

9. 9

   Central Museum

   

   The Central Museum, known locally as Albert Hall Museum, stands in Ram Niwas Garden outside the city wall, opposite New Gate. It is the oldest museum in Rajasthan and the state museum, and the building itself is a showpiece of Indo-Saracenic architecture, designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob with Mir Tujumool Hoosein.

   Its foundation stone was laid on 6 February 1876 during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, which gave the hall its name. Maharaja Ram Singh wanted a town hall; his successor Madho Singh II made it a museum for the art of Jaipur instead, and it opened in 1887. Colonel Thomas Hendley built the collection from the crafts he had gathered for the great Jaipur Exhibition of 1883, sometimes even commissioning pieces, and his careful ledger of every item still serves as the backbone of the inventory.

   Hendley also brought in guides and demonstrators to explain the collection, an idea later copied by museums worldwide. In a region where purdah was widespread, every Friday was reserved for women visitors. Today you find sculpture, paintings, decorated vessels, natural history specimens, an Egyptian mummy and Persian carpets; the museum was renovated in 2008.

   The museum charges entry and makes a good finale for a late afternoon. Allow about 75 minutes. If you still have energy afterwards, head back into the old city for the evening darshan at Govind Dev Ji Temple.

   Local name

   Albert Hall Museum

   Hours

   Daily 09:00–21:00

   Price

   50 INR Indian adult, 20 INR Indian student, 300 INR foreign adult, 150 INR foreign student; Composite ticket: 400 INR Indian, 1000 INR foreigner

   Website

   obms-tourist.rajasthan.gov.in ↗

   Location

   Central Museum on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk Jaipur

The full route is a big day. These cuts keep the logic of the walk and let you spread it out or focus on what you care about most.

Amer and the Water Palace (half day)

Stops: 1, 2

For a first morning or a separate day. Arrive at Amer Fort early in the morning, spend about two hours inside, then walk 75 minutes to Jal Mahal. Only the fort charges entry. Allow roughly three and a half hours.

Old City and Museums

Stops: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

For anyone who has seen Amer already or wants the city core. Start at Govind Dev Ji Temple during the morning darshan. Walking time is 58 minutes; entries at Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, City Palace and the Central Museum. With visits, about six and a half hours.

Walled City Loop

Stops: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

For a compact morning or afternoon among temples, palaces and the jewellery market. Just 32 minutes of walking; tickets for Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and City Palace. With unhurried visits, about four and a half hours.

How Long This Jaipur Tour Takes, from Amer to the Museum

Walking alone adds up to 3 h 10 min, and almost half of it falls on the first two legs out of Amer. Inside time is what stretches the day: about two hours at Amer Fort, 45 minutes each at Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar, 90 minutes at City Palace and 75 minutes in the Central Museum, plus shorter pauses at the free stops. That makes about 11 hours in total.

A realistic plan: enter Amer Fort at 08:00 and leave at 10:00, reach Jal Mahal at 11:15, Govind Dev Ji Temple at about 12:30, Hawa Mahal before 13:00, Jantar Mantar around 14:30 and City Palace at 15:20, with plenty of time for a full visit. You reach the Central Museum at about 17:35 and still have time for a proper look around.

If that sounds too much, split it: Amer and Jal Mahal take about three and a half hours, the old city with both museums about six and a half, and the walled city loop alone about four and a half.

Before You Start Walking in Jaipur

• Start and finish: The recommended start is Amer Fort and the walk ends at the Central Museum in Ram Niwas Garden. You can join the route at any stop.
• Day and time: Start early in the morning at Amer Fort. Govind Dev Ji Temple holds its darshan sessions in the morning and in the evening, and City Palace stops selling tickets before it closes, so do not leave it too late in the afternoon.
• Costs: Four stops are free. The other five charge entry, and foreign adults pay considerably more than Indian adults; City Palace has the most expensive ticket. A composite ticket is sold at Amer, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and the museum; ask at the counter which sites it includes.
• Pace: At 13.6 km this is a full day on your feet. The long legs come first, so the afternoon in the old city feels short and close-knit.

Common Questions about Walking Jaipur