Jaipur

Jaipur was India's first planned city — laid out in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II on a precise grid, with streets aligned to cardinal directions and buildings painted the terracotta-pink that earned it the name 'Pink City.' That colour still saturates the old town: the honeycombed facade of Hawa Mahal, the bustling bazaars of Johari and Bapu, and the towering walls of the City Palace complex. UNESCO inscribed the walled city as a World Heritage Site in 2019, but Jaipur doesn't need a plaque — you feel the history in every lane.

The forts around Jaipur are among the most dramatic in India. Amber Fort, 11 kilometres north, is a sprawling hilltop palace of red sandstone and marble, with mirror-inlaid halls (Sheesh Mahal) that glitter like a jewelled box. Jaigarh Fort, on the ridge directly above, houses the world's largest cannon on wheels — Jaivana, cast in 1720. Nahargarh Fort crowns the Aravalli hills to the north and offers the best sunset panorama in Rajasthan, with the entire Pink City spread below turning gold as the light fades.

Rajasthan's culinary traditions run deep in Jaipur. The desert climate shaped a cuisine of preserved, spiced, and ghee-rich dishes — dal baati churma (baked wheat balls with lentils and crushed sweet), laal maas (fiery red meat curry), and pyaaz kachori (onion-stuffed fried pastry) are staples you'll find at every level from street stall to heritage hotel. Jaipur is also India's gemstone capital — 90% of the world's emeralds pass through the city for cutting — and its bazaars overflow with silver jewellery, block-printed fabrics, and blue pottery that make some of the best souvenirs in Asia.