Jaipur, India

Jaipur, the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan, is one of India's most colourful and rewarding cities and, with Delhi and Agra, completes the classic 'Golden Triangle' that introduces so many travellers to the country. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, it was one of India's first planned cities, laid out on a grid according to ancient principles, and its old walled core was famously painted pink — the colour of hospitality — for a royal visit in 1876, giving Jaipur its enduring nickname, the 'Pink City'. Within and around the walled city stand the landmarks that make it unmissable: the honeycomb façade of the Hawa Mahal (the 'Palace of Winds'), built so royal women could watch the street unseen; the sprawling City Palace, still partly the royal residence, with its museums, courtyards and gateways; and the extraordinary Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century observatory of giant masonry astronomical instruments that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rising on a ridge just outside the city is the spectacular Amber Fort (Amer), a honey-and-pink hilltop palace-fortress of ramparts, courtyards and the mirrored Sheesh Mahal, reached up the hill and overlooked by the Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts; the ornamental Jal Mahal seems to float on a lake on the way. Jaipur is also a shopper's and craftsperson's paradise — its bazaars overflow with textiles and block prints, jewellery and gemstones, blue pottery, leather and handicrafts — and a place to dive into Rajasthani culture and cuisine, from dal baati churma to the fiery laal maas. The walled city's gates, the pink bazaars, the Albert Hall Museum and the step-wells of the region round out a destination of pageantry and colour. The climate is hot and dry; the cool season from October to March is by far the best time to visit, while April to June is scorching and the monsoon brings rain from July to September. As the gateway to Rajasthan, Jaipur is also the starting point for the forts, palaces and desert cities beyond.