Jaipur

A sprawling 16th-century hilltop fortress of red sandstone and marble, its Sheesh Mahal chamber encrusted with thousands of mirror fragments that scatter candlelight like stars.

The five-storey 'Palace of Winds' on Siredeori Bazaar is pierced by 953 small latticed windows through which royal women once watched street processions unseen.

Maharaja Jai Singh II's 18th-century open-air observatory holds nineteen monumental masonry instruments, including the world's largest stone sundial, accurate to two seconds.

The royal family's seat at the heart of the walled city contains Diwan-i-Khas with two enormous silver urns — each weighing 345 kg — once used to carry Ganges water for the Maharaja's travels abroad.

This striking 16th-century stepwell near Amer village descends in a precise geometric grid of staircases that create kaleidoscopic reflections and is largely overlooked by tour groups.

A serene royal cenotaph complex of carved white marble chhatris sheltered by a narrow gorge just outside the city, visited by almost no foreign tourists.

A small family-run showroom in Bani Park where the Singhvi family hand-paints the distinctive blue pottery of Jaipur; you can watch artisans work and buy directly from the studio.

An unassuming street stall on M.I. Road that has been ladling thick, cream-topped lassi into disposable clay kullads since 1944 — locals queue from early morning until it sells out.

A Jaipur institution on M.I. Road since 1949, its long menu of refined North Indian and continental dishes draws loyalists who have been coming for decades.

Housed in the heritage Jacob's House building in Civil Lines, this restaurant combines colonial-era ambience with a well-executed menu of Mughlai and Indian dishes.

Set inside the Rambagh Palace's ornate banquet hall beneath gilded ceilings, this restaurant serves a regal Rajasthani menu including laal maas slow-cooked in the traditional manner.

A garden restaurant in Civil Lines celebrated for its authentic Rajasthani thali, with dal baati churma cooked in a clay oven visible from the dining area.

An achingly beautiful Italian-Mughal bar inside a garden pavilion in Narain Niwas, decorated in deep cobalt and white with hand-painted arches — one of the most photogenic drinking spaces in Rajasthan.

A relaxed rooftop bar in the Pink City that pours craft cocktails alongside views of the old walled city skyline, drawing a young Jaipuri creative crowd.

A railway-themed bar at the WelcomHotel with vintage locomotive décor, an extensive whisky list, and cold Kingfisher on tap to pair with bar snacks.

Perched within Amber Fort's complex, the bar section offers heritage surroundings and Rajasthani-inspired cocktails with a fort-wall view that few drinking spots anywhere can rival.

One of Jaipur's most popular late-night clubs in the C-Scheme area, with a thumping Bollywood and EDM playlist and a dancefloor that fills up well past midnight on weekends.

A heritage venue-turned-event space that regularly hosts live ghazal and folk music nights, giving visitors a rare chance to hear Rajasthani Manganiyar musicians in an intimate setting.

The outdoor courtyard of this royal palace hotel becomes an atmospheric night venue for cultural performances, with peacocks roosting in the gardens as musicians play.

A dramatically situated open-air café and event space inside Nahagarh Fort that hosts evening cultural shows with the illuminated Jaipur cityscape spread below.