8 Things to do in Jaipur with a toddler:

Contemplating visiting Jaipur with your infant or toddler, I hope this blog would be of some help to you. Rajasthan as a state is so underrated when you look at the destinations suitable to travel with babies and kids. Palaces and forts with large open spaces to run around. Colourful walls and paintings, intricate wall carvings and people everywhere ready to pamper and treat your lil one like A vip.

This February we headed for a quick weekend getaway to Jaipur for 4 days. Jaipur the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan is perfect to get a peak into the Rajasthani heritage and culture while still having access to all the latest infrascructure and amenities. As you enter the heart of Jaipur the pink city area you are definetly transported back several centuries in time. The cities and towns of Rajasthan are an ideal pick for traveling with kids, Jaipur being the capital is a great place to begin. A few other places which you can travel with people of all ages are Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer which I hope to visit soon.

Best time to visit:

Rajasthan is a state known for its extreme climatic conditions and Jaipur, the capital is no exception, The best time to visit Jaipur would be between october to march with december and January being the peak of winter, May are june are months when you can probably avoid visitng as this city witnesses extreme heatwave which is not the safest of times to travel. While the winter months too are extreme, it also happens to be the peak season of travel where most of the hotels are full and the airfare and hotel fares are comparitively higher than summers.

If you still insist on taking your kids here on a summer vacation, I would suggest you start your day very early and do your first half of sightseeing by 11 am and get back to your hotels and continue with the second half of your day post 4 pm. The summers though extremely hot, also happens to be the low season with very less crowd and demand and hence cheaper airfares and hotel options.

The time we traveled in was by the end of feb which was perfect, the warmth was beggining to set in, with the sun getting warmer by the day but the cool breeze never left us and everything was perfect for a vacation there. If you are specially traveling with kids from tropical areas who have not seen extreme weather conditions I would recommend the time between 15 feb to 15 march or 15 Nov to 15 Dec, which would be apt for the kids.

Places to see and things to do:

Jaipur is filled with attractions and things to do for people of all ages and these places are absolutely kid friendly. Some of the must visit attractions in and around Jaipur along with things you can do there!!

1.Catch an epic sunrise at the Jal Mahal:

Hang out where the royals did while they drew water for their family at Panna Meena ka Khund:

2.Check out the Ramparts and the secrets of Amer fort and Palace:

Pro tip: Always hire a guide, not only do you get to learn a lot about the culture and traditions of the royal family there but you also get amazing family pictures!! The Amer fort and palace was one of the residences of the Royal family of Rajasthan, Though most of the premises have now gone over to the govt of Rajasthan, you are sure to be left with goosebumbs as you hear the stories and strategies implemented by them several centuries earlier. The ideas implemented by them to combat the extreme heat and cold are such cool hacks which shows the geniuses our ancestors were!!

Let them run around

A tourist guide cum photographer helps!!

Just some parts of the fort I really loved!!

3. Gaitor Ki Chatriyan (The royal Cenotaphs):

The royal crematorium is something off the beaten path which not many tourists are aware of, gives you opportunities for some amazing clicks!!

The royals of Jaipur definetly said the final goodbyes to their loved ones in the most beautiful settings!!

Dhriti was in her elements, and I could sense the excitement in her head as she played peek a boo from behind the pillars and posed away in style, and these pictures were approved by her!!

4.Spend the evening by Hawa Mahal!!

Google Jaipur and this is probably the first picture you get!! the Hawa Mahal, a palace like structure constructed by one of the kings for all the female members of his family could see the city while no one from the city saw them, the fascade was constructed and the windows aligned in such a way that there would always be the cool breeze that would waft through these windows as they sat down chatting away and watching life go by the in the city!!

It is possible to go inside the Hawa Mahal but it really is not worth the effort, I would rather choose to see it from outside and check into one of the coffee shops on the opposite side with a undisturbing view of the Hawa Mahal. The best time to come here is by early evening around 5 PM so you can catch the day view as well as the lit up night view in a short whiile.

The view from down there!!

The view from wind view cafe.

There are 2 majore coffee shops opposite Hawa Mahal and their USP is only this view, They both charge a cover charge to enter which can be adjusted in your food bill. The wind view cafe honestly was not that great. They had very poor interior and ambience and the furniture was old and rickety. It started pouring and we needed a place to sit so we settled for this.

With this we called it a day!! and got back fresh the next day to explore the town of Jaipur.

5.Check out the Astronomical observatory of Jantar Mantar - A Unesco world heritage site:

This place would interest older kids a lot but toddlers love running around everywhere so its cool, If astronomy and related stuff intrigue you, then this place is for you. Constructed in early 18th century by Raja Jai Singh 2, This place contains a set of 19 instruments which could tell you the time, predict planetary movements, astronomical events like solar and lunar eclipses and so on with indepth accuracy. Its always good to hire a guide otherwise these instruments are not going to make any sence to you. Jantar Mantar may not have many guides and when you dont find one, I would suggest you silently tag along with a bigger group and catch all the explanations that the guide gives them to make better sense of the instruments.

7.The home of the Royal Family, The Jaipur city palace:

The present members of the royal family live in a portion of the city palace which is private to them, The entire city palace is still owned by them and all the proceeds earned by the people visiting it goes to them which they use for various philanthropic purposes too. There are also some portions of the private palace open to the public for a higher fee which we did not visit. The museum, the Durbar halls, The doors, corridors and the chambers of this palace stand testimony to the fact that the Royals of Jaipur have and still are living life really king size. Not to mention the sheer beauty of it all, the architecture, the colors, All I can say is head here as early as possible to get the best pictures without getting photobombed!!

8.On the way to or from the airport do not forget this Beauty!!: Patrika Gate:

A gate like structure which is relatively new and was constructed by Jaipur Patrika is always full of people doing professional, pre and post wedding photo shoots but this is a place not to be missed and is just 5 mins away from the airport so do make it a point to visit!!

These are the places we visited in this trip to Jaipur, there were many more on our list which we unfortunately had to skip due to various reasons, Coming up in my next blog are places which we skipped but you should definetly visit if time permits!!