City Palace Jaipur: Timings, Tickets & History 2026

The City Palace is where Jaipur's royal story is still being written, since the family that founded the city in 1727 lives here to this day. It is not one building but a walled complex of courtyards, gateways and museums in the heart of the old city, a short walk from Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal. The pull is partly the architecture, a blend of Rajput, Mughal and European styles, and partly the sense of a living palace rather than a ruin. Here is how to visit it and which ticket to buy.

The general ticket takes you through the palace's set pieces. The Mubarak Mahal, the welcome palace, houses a textile and costume museum of royal dress. The Diwan-i-Khas holds two enormous silver urns, recorded as among the largest silver vessels in the world, made to carry Ganges water. The Diwan-i-Aam displays miniature paintings, carpets and manuscripts. Rising over it all is the seven-storey Chandra Mahal, the royal residence, whose upper floors you can enter only on the premium ticket. Around the courtyards are painted gateways, marble screens and gardens that reward a slow look.

The single most photographed spot in the palace is Pritam Niwas Chowk, an inner courtyard with four painted doorways representing the seasons. The famous one is the Peacock Gate, its surround worked in vivid peacock feathers, dedicated to autumn and the god Vishnu; the others are the Lotus, Green and Rose gates. Come early if you want the courtyard without a crowd in your photograph, since it fills up as the morning goes on. It is a small space, so patience and timing matter more than anything here.

Sawai Jai Singh II began the City Palace in 1727 as the centrepiece of his new planned capital, moving the Kachhwaha court down from Amber Fort in the hills. Successive rulers added palaces, gateways and gardens, blending Rajput, Mughal and later European design. Unusually among India's palace-museums, it remains a royal residence: the current family lives in the Chandra Mahal, which is why its upper floors carry a premium ticket and part of the complex stays private.

The City Palace is in the heart of walled Jaipur, a few kilometres from the railway station and easy to reach by taxi or auto. Its great advantage is location: Jantar Mantar is right next door and Hawa Mahal a short walk away, so the three make a natural old-city cluster for the afternoon after a morning at Amber Fort. Park once, or arrive by auto, and do them on foot.

We are Experience My India, and the City Palace is the old-city heart of our Jaipur day. We handle the ticket choice, so you buy the tier that matches what you want to see, the timing to beat the crowds at the Peacock Gate, and a guide who can explain the palace and its living royal history. On the Golden Triangle, Jaipur follows Agra and the Taj Mahal; for the rest of the Pink City, start at the things to do in Jaipur hub, and first-time visitors may want our tours for first-time visitors. See live prices on our Delhi Agra tour packages, or message us on WhatsApp for a quote.