The proud Rajput warriors forged the legend of Rajasthan through centuries of troubled history. They leave behind a legacy of countless forts and palaces, most of which still belong to private owners. The thirst for power, rivalries, vassalage, blows to the back are told in the scars left by sieges and assaults. The excessiveness and insolent wealth invite themselves in the rows of rooms, bedrooms, halls and lounges, each more ornate than the next. Each new sovereign, big or small, had a new wing or a new palace built in his fortress, both to show off his power and to gain comfort and modernity. Visiting a rajput fort is like going for miles in the realm of excess.
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Under the peacock of the City Palace of Jaipur
The peacock gate in Jaipur.
Astrid Latapie
The royal family still lives here and only a few courtyards and rooms are open to the public.
Tourists flock to take a selfie under the lavish Peacock Gate.
She competes for the limelight with the silver jars of the public audience hall which were used to carry water from the Ganges during the trip of Maharajah Madho Singh II to England.
To lose your mind
, opt for the "Royal Splendor" guided tour which reviews private and ceremonial rooms for the sum of € 28.
City Palace.
Tulsi Marg, Gangoori Bazaar, Pink City, Jaipur 302002. royaljaipur.in.
From 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Entrance: 8 €.
Take the breeze at the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur
Classic postcard from Rajasthan, the 953 windows of this summer palace.
Adobe Stock / Abhishek
The impressive facade of this summer palace has 953 windows that overlook the street from their openwork trellises.
Built in 1799, it allowed the women of the court to observe the bustle of the street without being seen and to take advantage of the slightest breath of air to cool off.
The Palace of the Winds was directly linked by a passage to the
zenana,
or women's quarter, of the palace.
For a nice shot
of the facade, head to the rooftop of the Wind View Cafe which is just across the street.
Hawa Mahal.
Hawa Mahal Road, Badi Chaupar, Pink City, Jaipur 302002. From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Entrance: € 2.50.
Included in the combined ticket for 7 monuments: € 11.30.
Access is via the back yard accessible from Tripolia Bazaar.
Amber's fort in majesty
Amber Fort, north of Jaipur.
Adobe Stock / wusuowei
The Kachwaha dynasty ruled from this fort for 600 years before Maharajah Jai Singh II had a modern capital built in Jaipur in the early 18th century.
The immense fortress imposes its majesty on a narrow gorge.
The private quarters and in particular the audience hall where the sovereign spent most of his time, are the most beautiful.
To access the fort without getting tired
, climb on an elephant for € 10 for 2 people between 8:30 am and 11:30 am.
Amber Fort.
10 km north of Jaipur.
Devisinghpura, Amer 302001. From 8 am to 6 pm.
Entrance: € 6.50.
Included in the combined ticket for 7 monuments: € 11.30.
Mehrangarh, on a background of blue Jodhpur
Fort Mehrangarh on its blue background.
Rajasthan Tourism
This fort impresses from the top of its rocky plateau, by its dimensions, its abundant architecture and its exceptional museum.
Its construction began in 1459 and continued through the centuries, each Maharajah adding his stone to the building.
The visit progresses crescendo from lesson to lounge to end with the incredible
Zenana
and its openwork balconies.
To enjoy the best views of the Blue City
, cross the bastion to the Chamunda Temple.
Mehrangarh Fort.
Fort Road, Jodhpur 342006. mehrangarh.org.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Entrance: 6.60 €.
Audioguide.
Jaisalmer, the citadel of gold
The citadel of Jaisalmer surrounds the city.
STEPHAN GLADIEU / Le Figaro Magazine
Jaisalmer is one of the rare citadels in the world to house the royal fortress and the city between its walls, just like Carcassonne.
850 years old, it emerges like a mirage and a miracle from the sands of the Thar Desert.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale severely damaged the palace.
Major renovations have been undertaken to restore its austere superb.
To enjoy incredible views of the fortress
, book a hotel with a
rooftop
outside of town.
Fort Palace.
Fort Palace, Manek Chowk, Jaisalmer, 345001. From 9 am to 6 pm.
Entrance: € 5.90.
Audioguide.
Entrance immediately to the right after the climb.
Romantic stop at Udaipur City Palace
Udaipur City Palace is the largest in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Tourism
The facade of this palace, the largest in Rajasthan, runs for 244 meters overlooking Lake Pichola.
A maze of winding corridors, vertiginous stairs, rooms transformed into a museum leads to the most beautiful rooms of the palace set with mirrors and colored glass.
The views of the lake and the mysterious Lake Palace from the terraces are worth a look.
To avoid
the crowds
, prefer to come early in the morning and avoid the weekends.
City Palace.
City Palace Road, Old City, Udaipur 313001. From 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Entrance: € 2.80.
Excess at the fortress of Chittorgarh
The Fortress's Victory Tower stands 37 meters high.
Adobe Stock / Roop Dey
With its 13 kilometers of wall and 280 hectares in area, it is the largest fortress in the country.
With all the superlatives, it includes 4 palaces, numerous temples, and a 37-meter-high Victory Tower which commemorates the deeds of King Rana Kumbha.
It is there, at the foot of this tower, that the women sacrificed to the
jauhar
in 1535. They were 30,000 to throw themselves at the stake to escape the dishonor of the defeat.
To preserve your strength
and not to cover unnecessary kilometers on foot, hire your driver or a rickshaw.
Chittorgarh Fort.
Chittor Fort Road, Chittorgarh, 312001. From 9 am to 6 pm.
Entrance: 5 €.
Kumbhalgarh, the fortress of 300 temples
Allow more than a day to explore these 360 temples.
Rajasthan Tourism
With its 20 kilometers of walls and solid bastions, the Indians like to believe that the fort of Kumbhalgarh can be seen with the naked eye from space.
From the mainland, it is at the bend of a final bend in the Aravalli mountains that the fort comes into view.
It would only have taken five years to build it.
If the palaces suffer from their advanced age - 600 years for the oldest -, on the other hand many are the temples of the royal domain to seem not to have aged not a wrinkle.
To walk through Kumbhalgarh Fort
in its entirety and visit its 360 temples, it takes more than a day.
Kumbhalgarh Fort, Kumbhalgarh, 313325. From 9 am to 6 pm.
Entrance: € 2.50.
Royal Maze at Junagarh Fort in Bikaner
Blue reverie at the fort of Bikaner.
Rajasthan Tourism
Built in a plain difficult to defend, this fort-palace wanted by the Maharaja of Bikaner was above all to celebrate the alliance between the powerful Mughal ruler Akbar and himself.
The rooms of the palace are added to each other, mixing eras and genres, so much so that no one knows how many there are.
Fortunately, the path is signposted to the most beautiful rooms richly adorned with delicate frescoes and mirrors.
To see the red sandstone walls set ablaze
, you have to come at sunrise when the city is barely waking up and the square is deserted.
Junagarh Fort, Junagarh Fort Road, Bikaner 334001. From 10 am to 5 pm.
Entrance: € 4.
Audioguide.
Garh Palace in Bundi
Bundi attracts visitors in search of authenticity.
Adobe Stock /
Matyas Rehak
A little away from the tourist trail, Bundi attracts visitors in search of authenticity, those who like to step aside.
Its old town brings together everything that makes Rajasthan charming: a bustling market, stepped wells, decorated houses and an old palace.
At the steps of it, two stone elephants stand guard.
They let you enter the shabby courtyard and walk through the decayed passageways.
The second palace, more recent, houses a room whose walls paint a picture of the love story between Krishna and Radha.
To recognize Krishna
, look for the blue cherub with the mischievous eye and holding a flute in his hand.
Garh Palace, Sadar Baazar, Teerath, Bundi 323001. From 8 am to 5.30 pm.
Entrance: 5.70 €.
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