Jaipur

Rajasthan

Unlike most Indian cities that grew organically around a fort or river, Jaipur was designed in 1727 according to Vastu Shastra principles — nine rectangular blocks, wide avenues, a city planned before it was built. Its rulers ordered every building painted terracotta pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales, and the colour never left.

The Amber Fort rises from a ridge outside the city, its courtyards climbing the hillside in tiers; inside the walls, the Hawa Mahal's honeycomb facade was built so the palace women could watch the street below without being seen. Jaipur rewards slow walking — the geometry only makes sense from inside it.