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City traffic is bad (even by Indian standards). Autos go to most of the sights. But the pollution and noise is exaggerated with an auto. It is better to take a taxi to see the forts as there is a bit of a climb and auto will end up taking lot longer time. Autos don't go by the meter.
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It is better to combine all three forts in one trip. Although Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amber look far on the map, the approach road is common to a large extant.
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Amber Fort: Go early to beat the crowd. There are very few things open in Jaipur before 9am and Amber is one of it. So every early bird lands up here. There are three ways to get upto the fort from parking. You can walk it up. Elephants can carry you up (be prepared for a long queue and a walk back). You can take a jeep up (be prepared to walk a bit searching for the driver on the way down - parking is a mess).
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Rajasthani thali is quite good. You should try Dal-Bhati-Churma here. Do try the thali at the Om Revolving Restaurant. Thali house is also not bad. Lassi House serves very good lassis.
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Hotel Arya Niwas (Alwar): This is good hotel frequented mainly by foreigners. The room size is a bit small. But the bathrooms are quite big and very clean. There is no room service. The dining hall serves excellent food, but the service is remarkably slow. There is an excellent travel desk to help out withany travel needs.
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Jaipur to Abhaneri: ~90 kms, 2 hrs. The hard part is getting out of Jaipur. After that the highway is in excellent condition. Road from the highway to the well is also in a very good shape.
Time Required at the Sights
- Hawa Mahal: 30 mins to one hour. Guide recommended.
- Jantar Mantar: 30 mins to one hour. Guide recommended.
- City Palace: One to two hours. You can manage without a guide.
- Nahargarh fort: 30 mins to an hour. Guide recommended.
- Amber fort: 2 hours. You can manage without a guide. You will be free to explore without a guide.
- Jaigarh fort: 2 to 3 hrs. The main palace needs a guide (otherwise, you are sure to miss some view points). The guards at the site will happily guide you around.
- Royal Gaitor: 1 hour
- Central Museum: 1 hour