Jaipur is the capital of India’s Rajasthan state. It evokes the royal family that once ruled the region and that, in 1727, founded what is now called the Old City, or “Pink City” for its trademark building color. At the center of its stately street grid (notable in India) stands the opulent, colonnaded City Palace complex. With gardens, courtyards and museums, part of it is still a royal residence.

Bharatpur is an Indian city in eastern Rajasthan. At its center is the 18th-century Lohagarh Fort, surrounded by a moat. Inside the fort is the Government Museum, which displays artifacts of local rajas. Just south, carved statues of Hindu gods fill Ganga Mandir and the sandstone Laxman Mandir temples. South of the city, Keoladeo National Park is a major bird sanctuary with hundreds of species.