Jaipur District accommodation from AU$49

Named the pink city because the old town was literally painted pink to celebrate the arrival of Prince Alfred in 1853, the old buildings still cling onto that colour to add to the unique character of Jaipur. The most famous of the pink buildings is Hawa Mahal, or the Palace of the Winds. Over 200 years old, the facade of the Hawa Mahal is incredibly detailed and in total contains over 953 small windows which create a honeycomb effect because they are so close to one another. From our Jaipur hotels a trip to Nahargarh Fort is another recommended Jaipur highlight. Built as a form of defence for the city, the fort stands high above everything else and offers incredible panoramas across the town and even further beyond.

Jaipur is one of India's best planned and organised cities due to the grid system that it uses and this makes it much easier to navigate compared to the chaos of nearby New Delhi. Like many other Indian cities the economy here is also booming and as a result Jaipur is modernising at a rapid rate. Despite this, Jaipur oozes character and history and one of the best places to immerse yourself in this is the Jantar Mantar observatory. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observation site like few others in the world. Built in the 18th Century, it consists of 20 remarkable structures designed to view the night sky with the naked eye.

Our Jaipur hotels are ideal as a base to explore Rajasthan and the wonders that this region boasts.