Jaipur Shopping Tour

Duration

5–6 hours

Starts from

Jaipur

Group size

Private, up to 15

Guide

Licensed local guide

Best time to visit

October to March for comfortable walking weather. Avoid Sundays (Tripolia Bazaar is closed) and Tuesdays (many Bapu Bazaar shops shut). The weeks before Diwali are the liveliest.

Overview

Jaipur is one of India's great shopping cities — the world's main centre for cutting emeralds, and home to block-printed cotton, blue pottery, silver jewellery and lac bangles that are still made by hand in the old city's lanes. This private tour pairs you with a local guide who knows which bazaar sells what, what a fair price looks like and how to bargain politely, with a private car between the markets.

The day starts at Rajasthali, the state government's fixed-price emporium, so you know what quality and price to expect before you bargain anywhere else. Then into the walled Pink City: Bapu and Nehru Bazaars for textiles and embroidered shoes, Johari Bazaar for jewellery and gemstones, and Tripolia Bazaar, where lac bangles are made and sized to your wrist while you watch. With the workshop option, finish in Sanganer and block-print your own piece of fabric.

This tour is all markets and no monuments. For Amber Fort, the City Palace and Hawa Mahal, see the Jaipur City Sightseeing Tour.

Itinerary

  1. 1

    Rajasthali Emporium: A Price Check First

    Pickup from your hotel, then Rajasthali, the Rajasthan government's emporium by Ajmer Gate. Its fixed prices on textiles, blue pottery, miniature paintings, puppets and jewellery give you a benchmark for quality and price before you bargain in the bazaars.

    Rajasthali

  2. 2

    Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazaar

    Into the walled Pink City for Jaipur's busiest textile bazaars: block-printed cotton, bandhani and leheriya tie-dye, quilted razai bedcovers, embroidered mojari shoes and traditional perfumes.

    Bapu Bazaar · Nehru Bazaar

  3. 3

    Johari Bazaar: Gems and Jewellery

    The jewellers' bazaar: silver, kundan and meenakari jewellery, and loose emeralds, garnets and other stones. Your guide can show you a small lapidary workshop in the lanes behind it, where stones are still cut and polished by hand.

    Johari Bazaar

  4. 4

    Tripolia Bazaar and Maniharon ka Rasta

    Lac bangles heated, shaped, studded and sized to your wrist while you wait in Maniharon ka Rasta, then brassware, ironware and kitchen goods along Tripolia Bazaar.

    Tripolia Bazaar · Maniharon ka Rasta

  5. 5

    Block-Printing Workshop in Sanganer (Optional)

    With the workshop option, drive south to Sanganer to watch artisans print cotton with hand-carved wooden blocks — then print your own scarf or piece of fabric to take home. Then back to your hotel.

    Sanganer

Frequently asked questions

What is Jaipur best known for buying?

Gemstones and silver jewellery (especially emeralds, garnets and kundan and meenakari work), block-printed cotton and quilted razai bedcovers, blue pottery, lac bangles, bandhani tie-dye and embroidered mojari shoes.

How do I avoid being cheated when buying gemstones?

Buy from established shops, ask for a written bill describing the stone, and for anything valuable ask for a certificate from the Gem Testing Laboratory in Jaipur. Never agree to buy gems to “export and resell for profit” — it's a long-running scam aimed at visitors.

Will the guide help me bargain?

Yes. Your guide knows typical prices and can negotiate in Hindi. Starting at the fixed-price Rajasthali emporium gives you a benchmark before you bargain anywhere else.

Do I have to buy anything, or go into shops I didn't ask for?

No. The route follows your own shopping list, and there's no obligation to buy anything anywhere. If you'd rather skip a stop, just tell your guide.

Which day is best?

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Tripolia Bazaar is closed on Sundays and many Bapu Bazaar shops shut on Tuesdays; Johari and Chandpol Bazaars are open every day, so your guide plans the route around your date.

Can I have a female guide?

Ask when you book and we'll arrange a female guide where one is available — a popular request for clothing and jewellery shopping.

Can my purchases be shipped home?

Many larger stores and the emporiums ship internationally. Get the shipping cost in writing and keep your receipt.

Included

  • Private local shopping guide for 5–6 hours
  • Private air-conditioned car with driver
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in Jaipur
  • Hands-on block-printing workshop in Sanganer — with the workshop option
  • Bottled water

Not included

  • Your purchases
  • Meals and drinks
  • Monument entry tickets (this tour visits markets only)
  • Tips for your guide and driver (optional)

Traveler reviews

No reviews yet for this tour.

You might also like

More City Tours tours.

Travel guides for this trip

Amber Fort Jaipur: Tickets, Timings & What to SeeThings to Do in Jaipur: A Local Operator's Guide

Know more about this tour

When Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727, he planned its bazaars along the main streets of the walled city and invited craftsmen and traders from across India to settle there, grouping trades by lane — a layout the old city still keeps. Johari Bazaar takes its name from the johari, or jewellers, and Maniharon ka Rasta in Tripolia Bazaar from the manihar families who have made lac bangles there for generations.

Today Jaipur is the world's leading centre for cutting emeralds and a major one for rubies, sapphires and other coloured stones, much of it done in small family workshops in the old city. Sanganer, just south of Jaipur, is known for hand block printing on cotton and for handmade paper.