A genuine two-day Jaipur weekend from Delhi NCR: City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and Nahargarh sunset on Saturday, Amber, Jaigarh and the bazaars on Sunday, home that night.
Quick summary
This 2-day Jaipur itinerary is built for a weekend from Delhi NCR: leave early on Saturday, see the walled city and Nahargarh Fort at sunset, spend Sunday morning at Amber Fort, and head home on Sunday evening. Jaipur is about 280 km from Delhi, roughly five hours by road, so the plan only works if you start early and follow the opening hours and the light. Timings below assume the October to March season, when sunset in Jaipur falls between about 5.30 and 6.45 pm.
Before you go
- Tickets: the state composite ticket (₹550 for Indian adults) covers Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Albert Hall Museum and Nahargarh Fort, among others. This plan visits all five, so it is worth buying. City Palace is separate: ₹400, or ₹500 for a combined ticket that also covers Jaigarh Fort.
- Where to stay: one night in C-Scheme, Bani Park or near MI Road keeps you close to the old city and makes the Amber run on Sunday morning easy.
- Getting around: with a car, park outside the walled city and walk. Without one, use autos and app cabs, and book a cab for Sunday morning at Amber.
For a detailed breakdown of what the weekend costs, see Jaipur trip cost.
Day 1, Saturday: walled city and Nahargarh sunset
5.30 am: leave Delhi NCR
By car or motorcycle, take NH48 through Gurugram, Behror and Kotputli, with a breakfast stop at a highway dhaba. Expect to reach Jaipur between 10.30 and 11 am. Motorcycles cannot use the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, so riders stay on NH48. Work out fuel for your vehicle with the fuel calculator.
By train, the Ajmer Shatabdi (12015) leaves New Delhi at 6.10 am and reaches Jaipur at 10.35 am, which fits this plan exactly.
11 am: drop bags and an early lunch
Drop your bags at the hotel, then eat pyaaz kachori at Rawat near the station and a clay-cup lassi at Lassiwala on MI Road.
12.30 pm: City Palace
About 1.5 hours in the courtyards, Pritam Niwas Chowk with its painted gates, and the galleries. Buy the combined City Palace and Jaigarh ticket here if you plan to see Jaigarh tomorrow.
2.10 pm: Jantar Mantar
Next door to City Palace. Give the giant instruments 45 minutes, and buy the composite ticket at the counter here.
3 pm: Hawa Mahal
A short walk away. See the facade from the street opposite and, if you have time, go up inside for 30 minutes. Then pick up a car or cab for the drive up the ridge.
4 pm: Nahargarh Fort
Drive up the winding road to Nahargarh, which takes 30 to 40 minutes from the old city, and aim to be through the gate by 4.45 pm. The official portal lists the fort as open until 10 pm, but visitor guides report that day entry can stop around 5 pm, with those already inside allowed to stay. Walk through the Madhavendra Bhawan apartments, then find a spot on the ramparts.
Sunset: the ramparts
Watch the city turn gold, then pink, then light up below. In winter the sun sets around 5.30 pm; by March it is closer to 6.40 pm.
7.30 pm: dinner at Masala Chowk
Drive back down to Ram Niwas garden for Masala Chowk, the open-air food court (₹10 entry), with the floodlit Albert Hall next door. Padao, the RTDC cafeteria at Nahargarh, is the alternative if you would rather stay up the hill. Get an early night; tomorrow starts at 7.15.
Day 2, Sunday: Amber, Jaigarh and the bazaars
7.15 am: check out and leave for Amber
Check out, put your bags in the car or leave them at the hotel, and head north. Stop for five minutes at the Jal Mahal promenade for the palace in Man Sagar lake.
8 am: Amber Fort
Walk up the ramp from the lake road and spend about two hours in the Diwan-i-Aam, the Sheesh Mahal and the Man Singh palace at the back. The official portal lists Amber as opening at 7 am, while many guides still say 8 am; arriving by 8 gets you in ahead of the tour coaches either way.
10.15 am: Jaigarh Fort
Take the fortified path up from Amber, or drive round by road. Spend an hour on the Jaivana cannon, the water tanks and the view down onto Amber and Maota Lake.
11.45 am: Panna Meena ka Kund
Back down in Amber village, the criss-cross stepwell takes 20 to 30 minutes. Guards usually stop people walking down the steps, so photograph it from the top.
12.30 pm: lunch, then back to the city
Lunch in Amber village or on the way back into town.
2 pm: Albert Hall Museum
An hour or so inside, where it is cool at midday, with miniatures, textiles, arms and the Egyptian mummy. This uses the composite ticket.
3.15 pm: the bazaars
Johari Bazaar for silver and textiles, with ghewar at LMB; Bapu Bazaar for juttis and quilts. Bargain at stalls rather than fixed-price shops, and do not follow anyone to a gem shop.
5 pm: head home
By road, leaving at 5 pm should get you back to Delhi NCR at about 10 pm, traffic permitting. By train, the return Ajmer Shatabdi (12016) leaves Jaipur at 5.35 pm and reaches New Delhi at 10.30 pm, so leave the bazaars by 4.45.
If you have a third day: stay a second night and start Monday at Galtaji Temple, the temple gorge about 10 km east of the centre, early in the morning before it gets busy, with Sisodia Rani garden on the same road. Then either head home after breakfast or drive out to Abhaneri's Chand Baori stepwell. The guide to the best places to visit in Jaipur covers these and other day trips.
Coming by train or arriving Friday night
- Saturday morning: the Ajmer Shatabdi (12015) leaves New Delhi at 6.10 am and reaches Jaipur at 10.35 am.
- Friday night: the Vande Bharat (20978) leaves Delhi Cantt at 6.28 pm and reaches Jaipur at 10.05 pm. It is an evening train, not a morning one, but it lets you sleep in Jaipur on Friday and start Saturday fresh.
- Sunday return: the Ajmer Shatabdi (12016) leaves Jaipur at 5.35 pm and reaches New Delhi at 10.30 pm.
- Use autos and app cabs in the city, and book a cab for the Sunday morning at Amber, Jaigarh and Panna Meena ka Kund.
Train times change, so check the current schedule on IRCTC or NTES before you book.
Summer adjustments (April to June)
- Swap the days around: do Amber Fort, Jaigarh and the stepwell first thing on Saturday if you can arrive Friday night, and keep the middle of the day indoors.
- Move the walled city to late afternoon. Sunset is around 7 to 7.20 pm in May and June, so Nahargarh still works as an evening visit.
- Carry plenty of water, and think twice about riding a motorcycle in the midday heat.
For the weather month by month, see the best time to visit Jaipur. To adapt this plan to your own dates and starting point, try the trip planner.
What to pack
- Layers and a warm jacket for winter mornings and evenings on the ramparts
- Comfortable walking shoes, as the forts are all ramps, steps and cobbles
- Sunscreen, a cap and sunglasses
- A bag that zips, for the bazaars and the monkeys
- Some cash for street food and autos