The pink sandstone facade of Hawa Mahal with rows of latticed windows and domed kiosks under a blue sky

Heritage · Old City, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaipur Old City: Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar

The planned eighteenth-century Pink City, home to the Palace of Winds, the royal palace and a UNESCO observatory

Ambient sound · similar settingStreet vendor calling out in an Indian city street

Photo: Jayanth Muppaneni (@jay_5) / Unsplash

Discover Jaipur Old City: Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar

Jaipur's old city was laid out in the eighteenth century as a grid of broad bazaars and square chaupars, its shopfronts washed in the terracotta pink that gives the city its nickname. Within a short walk of each other stand three of Rajasthan's best-known monuments: the lattice-screened Hawa Mahal, the still-inhabited City Palace and the stone instruments of Jantar Mantar.

This is a place to explore on foot. Mornings bring flower sellers and chai stalls opening along the arcades; afternoons are for palace courtyards and the observatory; evenings, when the facade of Hawa Mahal is lit, are for the busy bazaars of textiles, bangles and gemstones.

Don’t miss

01Hawa Mahal, the five-storey Palace of Winds with 953 latticed windows
02City Palace courtyards, including the seasonal gates of Pritam Niwas Chowk
03Jantar Mantar's monumental Samrat Yantra sundial and other naked-eye instruments
04Diwan-i-Khas in City Palace, with its giant silver water urns
05Johari, Bapu and Tripolia bazaars for textiles, jewellery and crafts

History & culture

The story of Jaipur Old City: Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar

Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727 as a planned trading city on the plains below Amber. UNESCO notes that its grid draws on the Prastara plan of Vastu Shastra while combining Hindu, Mughal and Western ideas, and that most of the core streets, squares and royal spaces were completed between 1727 and 1731. The walled city was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in its own right.

Jai Singh II, a keen astronomer, also built Jantar Mantar in the early eighteenth century: some twenty main fixed instruments for naked-eye observation, inscribed by UNESCO in 2010 and described by it as the best preserved of India's historic observatories. The City Palace complex, begun under the same ruler, remains partly the residence of the former royal family and partly a museum.

Hawa Mahal followed in 1799, built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and designed by Lal Chand Ustad. Its 953 small windows let royal women watch street processions unseen while allowing breezes to cool the building.

Local life & traditions

The old city is still Jaipur's commercial heart. Gem cutters, block printers, lac-bangle makers and miniature painters work in its lanes, and the bazaars swell during festivals such as Diwali, Teej and Gangaur, when processions pass along the main streets that Hawa Mahal was built to overlook.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Start early at Hawa Mahal, then cross to Jantar Mantar and City Palace, which sit side by side. At the observatory, a licensed guide brings the instruments to life; at City Palace, look for the textile and armoury galleries and the painted gateways of the inner courtyard.

Later, wander the arcaded bazaars on foot, stopping for lassi or kachori, and come back after dark to see Hawa Mahal lit up from the street or from a rooftop cafe opposite.

When to go

October to March brings warm days and cool evenings that suit walking between monuments. April to June is very hot, best handled by sightseeing early and late. Monsoon showers from July to September cool the air but can flood streets briefly.

Plan your visit

Verified information

Hawa Mahal opening hours: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm (as published by Incredible India) Source: incredibleindia.gov.in ↗
Hawa Mahal entrance: There is no front entrance; visitors enter from the rear of the building Source: incredibleindia.gov.in ↗
UNESCO status: The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2010 Source: whc.unesco.org ↗
UNESCO status: The walled city of Jaipur is a separate World Heritage Site, founded in 1727 by Sawai Jai Singh II Source: whc.unesco.org ↗

Checked against the sources on 27 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

The best street-side view of Hawa Mahal's facade is from across the road, ideally in soft morning light.
Bargain politely in the bazaars and compare prices before buying gemstones.
Auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws are the easiest way to hop between the old city and outlying sights.
Check current ticket prices and any combined monument ticket at the counters, as they change.
Dress modestly and carry water; the bazaars are crowded and there is little shade at midday.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Jaipur Old City: Hawa Mahal, City Palace and Jantar Mantar: food, markets & places to stay

Johari Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and Tripolia Bazaar surround the monuments, with sweet shops and street-food stalls along the main roads. Amber Fort lies about 11 km north. Jaipur Junction railway station and Jaipur International Airport connect the city, and many heritage hotels and guesthouses are within a short ride of the walled city.