20 Best Shopping in Rajasthan, India

This is a leading shop for fashionable clothing, mostly in cotton, some silk, with hand-block prints and paisley patterns---all of which will fit into your wardrobe back home. The selection includes both Indian and casual Western wear, and it has the prettiest lehengas (skirts) in the state. It has a great range of kurtis (short kurtas). You can also get beautiful bedspreads, quilts, and cloth bags here. After shopping, take a break at the attached café for a light bite or cold drink. Note: The store doesn't pay commissions to taxi drivers, which is why your driver might tell you the shop is closed or that they have a better deal for you.

This shop is a favorite among trendy and wealthy Indians for its whimsical silver and ornamental trinkets, as well as semiprecious stone artifacts.

To learn more about the hand-block printing and textiles with natural pigments and dyes that you might want to shop for, check out this museum on your way in and out of Amber Fort. There are workshops held daily (check the website for times); there's a small shop on the premises, too.

This is Jaipur's leading gallery of contemporary art. There's a larger branch with an exhibit area of more than 5,000 square feet, in Amber Fort, with a wide-ranging collection of oil paintings, watercolors, and graphics by contemporary artists and sculptors. Open daily.

For precious jewels, including gold ornaments, seek out this showroom, known worldwide for its kundan (a glasslike white stone) and mina (enamel) work. It has some reasonably priced silver jewelry featuring traditional patterns on contemporary styles.

If you're willing to bargain, head for this lane within the walls of the Old City to negotiate for silver and semiprecious jeweled ornaments, trinkets, and small toys. Know that some silver pieces may only be plated and you won't be able to verify the authenticity of stones.

Managed and staffed by women, Cottons carries attractive wardrobe staples for men and women, as well as small bags, quilts, and other decorative household items.

This shop sells great cottons for men, women, children, and the home. They specialize in tailored pieces in vegetable dye prints. You can find men's tropical shirts, detailed dresses, or kurtas for both sexes, and they do saris as well as silks. Browse traditional pieces and modern garments that easily fit into your wardrobe back home. Prices for clothing begin at about Rs. 1,000. Open 10:30–10 daily. When you're done shopping, head upstairs to Tapri Tea House for a cuppa and lovely views of the city.

Shop here for Jaipur's best gems and jewelry, and a small collection of museum-quality curios, and you'll join the ranks of a royal clientele that includes Prince Charles and many members of Rajasthan's royal families. Even the princess of Jaipur, Maharani Gayatri Devi, might have been found here bargaining for a good deal. Prices range from US$25 to US$2 million.

A broad selection of Rajasthan's fetching blue pottery is available here, including a large selection of tiles, bathroom fittings, cups, plates, and decorative items such as cabinet knobs. Clay pots are made on the premises.

This Johari Bazaar jeweler has an extensive and attractive collection of well-priced silver jewelry especially very unusual earrings with semiprecious stones. They are very polite and patient and do not push you toward buying. Bargaining is the norm here.

A good place to pick up practical gifts at reasonable prices, this national cooperative sells natural herbal soaps and shampoos, oils, incense, khadi textiles and clothing (the hand-spun and -woven fabric championed by Gandhi), leather goods, and handicrafts. Prices are fixed.

Historically, this lane in the Old Pink City was devoted to marble statue cutters, though the area of late has become more generalized. You'll find a variety of clothing and jewelry vendors (accessible through Chandpol gate) scattered inside the area, too, but it's still a prime spot to watch stonecutters create artwork (big and small) in marble. Bargaining is recommended.

A wide selection of Rajasthani-printed fabrics by the meter, bedcovers, shawls, pillow covers, and other items are the specialty of Krishna Textiles. Leather bags are also available.

Less a shopping experience (the prices are high and so is the quality) and more a Jaipur experience, head here to see the kind of jewelry the city is known for. The showroom, in a phantasmagoric petal-shape modern mahal, has an enormous collection, including high-end pieces. It's considered one of the city’s best addresses. The kundan jewelry is of particular interest.

The blue pottery here is particularly funky—the designer, owner Leela Bordia, has been at the forefront of the movement to keep the craft alive for more than three decades, and has exhibited all over the world. Her wares are made in nearby villages, helping to create jobs in rural areas.

Established in 1880 and still selling the finest hand-engraved, enameled, and embossed brassware—including oversize old trays, lamps, and historic armor—this is a great place to look for antique metalwork.

If you have limited time and lots of gifts to buy or don't relish bargaining, head to this enormous, government-run emporium in the center of Jaipur. It overflows with crafts and textiles, including wooden pieces, puppets, jewelry, blue pottery, and scarves, though you might have to sift through a bewildering variety before you find what you want. Open from 11 am to 8 pm.

Be aware that sly salesmen and rickshaw drivers may try to take you to fake Rajasthali showrooms, which are privately run under the same name and charge exorbitant prices.

Catering to the affluent and a design-loving tourist crowd, Soma is filled with vibrant colors. Here you'll find sustainably sourced (and extra-soft cotton) clothing for women and children, and decorative fabrics, including hand-painted white cloth lamp shades, as well as authentic block-printed goods for the home. One caveat: designs haven't been updated much in the last few years; if you shopped here on your last trip, you'll likely find the same items today.

For exquisite but expensive formal wear, including lavish saris, embellished with zari (silver filigree embroidery), head here. The kurtis (short tunics) are also special.