A Pink City guide to discovering Jaipur like Barbie would

There’s just something about the colour pink that screams “fun”, “frolic” and “time off work”, and as the conversation around Barbie reaches a fever pitch on the day of its release, we’re sure Barbiecore-everything is going to be the order of the day in the weeks to come. If you instantly fell in love with Barbie’s DreamHouse that was unveiled by Airbnb last month but planning a trip to Malibu is too far-fetched an idea, blushing Jaipur is very much open and willing to indulge your pink mania. You can eat, drink and shop in pink with our pinkest guide to the Pink City.

Pink stays:

The 200-year-old heritage “Lal Haveli” in Johri Bazaar beckons pink in its name. The haveli stands proudly in a narrow lane of the walled city which is already very pink and Johri rises four floors high above the chaos of the city. There’s also a pink restaurant inside.

If you want to take the “all things pink” game a notch higher to crimson, stay at the Villa Palladio. Forget the usual floral motifs and subdued pink shades of Jaipur. Villa Palladio is all roosters, pomegranates and palm trees in all shades of red. Everything is as whimsical and dreamy as the Barbie world, whether in the room, the lobby or the pool.

The Royal Pool Villa at the Leela is an embodiment of rose-tinted elegance. Everywhere you turn, you will find shades of pink adorning the walls, couches, cushions and carpets. Step outside to relax under a white and pink canopy in your pool courtyard or admire the heritage artwork on its borders with pink as the reigning hue.

Pink bar:

This cosy and theatrical cocktail room serves some of the city’s finest concoctions. The walls boast a fascinating fusion of Pichwai and Mughal heritage art with the base colour of salmon pink. For an extra tickle in pink, indulge in the kooky Rose in the Garden pink cocktail with hibiscus-infused tequila, rose, kewra, cardamom, citrus and effervescence.

Pink Café:

While everything in the Barbie Dream House is scaled down to doll-size, in Rajasthan, you can find a stepwell scaled down to a miniature level in a coffee shop’s courtyard. The good news? It’s built in pink stone. While you are here, order the dark pink Cranberry Cold Brew with some Zucchini fries.

Pink restaurants:

Not 51, but an impressive range of shades of pink adorn the walls and ceilings of this restaurant. 51 Shades of Pink serves delectable food in candlelight with a heady dose of pink fused with glass chandeliers and white furniture. It was an erstwhile palace residence of the queen of Jaipur, so in addition to feeling like Barbie at home, you can also pretend to be royalty for a hot minute.

This is a restaurant that serves the current maharaja of Jaipur, HH Padmanabh Singh’s, favourite dishes because it’s right next door to him. Baradari is inside the courtyard of the City Palace and its arches and corbels are clad in pink stone. This one is more subtle and ochre, but if you visit at night in mood lighting, it appears pink enough.

Pink Monument:

We’re willing to bet that the five-storeyed palace will be your first photo in the Pink City. The markets and surrounding buildings are mostly in the Jaipuri pink colour, but the best spot to look at this iconic monument is from one of the cafés across the street.

Pink Market:

Originally not pink, it was in 1876 that Maharaja Ram Singh decided to paint the entire city as a grand gesture of hospitality for Britain’s Queen Victoria. Since then, pink has remained the official colour code of Jaipur’s walled city by law. Johri Bazaar is the oldest market in Jaipur. From vibrant lehariya to auspicious bandhani, colourful beads to diamond jewellery, handicrafts to quilts and leather footwear to handbags, things may come in all colours at the Johri bazaar, but the shops on the ground floor, the houses on the upper floors, the mosques, temples, libraries and schools are all pink.

Pink store:

Uniting the design and craft traditions of the Middle East and India to create a unique language for decor offerings, clothing and homeware, Nur Kaoukji’s lifestyle brand, Ecru, is an aesthete’s wet dream. Expect to see date palms lined up as Jaipur block prints on fine cotton napkins; candle stands in Jaisalmer marble crafted in the shape of the eight-pointed star and brass that is hammered, etched and cut by Indian artisans to shape the incense burners.

Pink points:

The road stretching from Vidhan Sabha to Ambedkar Circle is suffused with pink for days. Starting with the imposing pink assembly building on one end, the road leads you to numerous pink monuments and landmarks like Amar Jawan Jyoti, the arched screen at SMS Stadium’s entrance gate, and a roadside pink amphitheatre.

When Patrika Gate was added to the modern Jaipur streetscape, it became an instant Instagram hit. The reason: striking pink and ornamental from the outside, the interiors are an explosion of colours that are a joy for architecture students and art lovers to gaze upon.

Designed by the renowned architect Charles Correa, Jawahar Kala Kendra is the heart of Jaipur’s art, theatre and cultural activities. The exterior embraces the iconic pink hue of Jaipur and the courtyard amphitheatre is also built in pink stone, providing an idyllic setting for artists, writers and dreamers to let their creative ideas flow from mind to paper.

Also read:

How to explore Jaipur beyond the tourist traps

A textile lover’s guide to exploring Jaipur

Travelling to Rajasthan with your family? Here’s what to eat, see and do!