The City Palace, and the fort that surrounds it, make up one of the largest such complexes in Rajasthan. This was the royal residence and centre of power, housing the Kota princedom’s treasury, courts, arsenal, armed forces and state offices. The palace, entered through a gateway topped by rampant elephants, contains the offbeat Rao Madho Singh Museum, where you’ll find everything for a respectable Raj existence, from silver furniture to weaponry, as well as perhaps India’s most depressingly moth-eaten stuffed trophy animals.
The oldest part of the palace dates from 1624. Downstairs is a durbar (royal court) with beautiful mirrorwork, while the elegant, small-scale apartments upstairs contain exquisite, beautifully preserved paintings, particularly the hunting scenes for which Kota is renowned.
To get here, it’s around ₹100 in an autorickshaw from the bus stand, and at least ₹150 from the train station.