1Day 1 morning: Amber Fort at opening time
Leave your hotel by 7:30 am and be at Amber Fort when the gates open at 8. The first hour is cool and quiet, and you'll have the Sheesh Mahal almost to yourself. Spend two hours inside, then visit Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell nearby and the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in Amer village if you like textiles. Stop at Jal Mahal for photos on the drive back towards the city.
2Day 1 afternoon: the old city
After lunch, head into the walled Pink City. Start at the City Palace, walk across to Jantar Mantar, then finish at Hawa Mahal, which is lovely in the late afternoon light. For lunch, LMB on Johari Bazaar is an institution for Rajasthani thali and sweets. Have your driver drop you at one gate and pick you up at another, as parking in the old city is tight.
3Day 1 evening: Albert Hall or Chokhi Dhani
If you still have energy, see the Albert Hall Museum lit up after sunset and walk around Ram Niwas Garden. For a full evening, drive 20 km south to Chokhi Dhani, a recreated Rajasthani village with folk dancers, puppet shows, camel rides and a huge sit-down dinner served on leaf plates. It's touristy but fun, especially with children. Book a cab both ways, as autos are hard to find late at night.
4Day 2: bazaars, Patrika Gate and Nahargarh
Start with Patrika Gate early, then Birla Mandir. Late morning is for shopping: Johari Bazaar for jewellery, Bapu Bazaar for juttis and textiles, and Tripolia for brass and lac bangles. Have lunch, rest through the afternoon heat, then drive up to Nahargarh Fort around 4 pm. Walk the ramparts, stay for sunset over the city and eat at the café on the walls before heading down.
5If you have a third day
A third day opens up the best day trips from Jaipur. Agra and the Taj Mahal is 240 km away and doable in a long day. Ajmer Sharif and Pushkar's lake and Brahma temple are about 2.5 hours west. Ranthambore, for a tiger safari, is 180 km south. The Abhaneri stepwell and the ruins of Bhangarh make a quieter day out. We run all of these as day trips with the same driver who showed you Jaipur.
