The newly released The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is every bit as starry as the first film , with Judi Dench , Bill Nighy , Maggie Smith and Richard Gere at centre stage . But India plays its supporting role with equal charm and grace . Painted elephants , marble palaces , magnificent forts , wandering cows , pale pink turbans and flickering candles tell of the noise , smells and rich colours of this flamboyant country . A city of colours and sounds : Jaipur is the spectacular setting for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel . Filmed in Rajasthan , the film is based in its capital , Jaipur . But ask any resident of the city about the film and you will be met with a blank stare . Our wonderful guide , Rajendra , was aware of it only because a client had pointed out 'the apparently very famous Judi Dench ' in the Rambagh Palace Hotel . Bollywood , not Hollywood , still rules the screens here . While it might be too late to see Richard Gere in the crowded alleyways of the bazaars , you will spot plenty of other desirable items . Jaipur is a shopper 's paradise and Indians flock here for silks and the region 's hand-made , block-printed cottons . This is also considered the place to come for jewels . The stones are not mined here , but cut , polished and set better than anywhere else . Visit the iconic jeweller of Jaipur , the Gem Palace , one-time court jewellers to the Mughal emperors and run by the Kasliwal family since 1852 . Classic glamour : Judi Dench ( left ) stars in a movie which shows off Jaipur ( right ) at its most evocative . Here are ruby chandelier earrings , enamel rings with floral mughal designs and moonstone necklaces . You can watch them being worked on in their basement workshop , using skills that have been passed down the generations . For inexpensive sparkle , head to Bangle Lane ( Maniharon ka Rasta ) in the old city , where you can choose from a multitude of colourful lac bangles for a handful of rupees . Made from resin produced by the female lac insect , they are embedded with mirror pieces , stones , beads or painted . For fashion , Hot Pink is the most sophisticated venue , with high-collared men 's waistcoats and moccasins in all hues , as well as kaftans and shawls . The best block-printed fabrics , a craft that dates back to the 1700s , are at Riddhi Siddhi , where cloth is piled from floor to ceiling . Wander , too , through the spice market , past paan wallahs filling betel leaves and the flower market , where scented roses , fragrant jasmine and marigolds are made into garlands to offer to your favourite deities . Magical moments : `` The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is every bit as starry as the first film '' The Pink City is so-called for its coloured wash , intended to replicate Indian sandstone , a more noble material than the lime and mortar of which the buildings are actually made . With its city gates and crenellated walls , it makes for a striking sight . There are iconic landmarks , such as the five-storey , 18th-century Palace of the Winds , with its latticed screen facade allowing street life to be viewed by the veiled ladies within . Before 1727 , when Sawai Jai Singh II created Jaipur , the City of Victory , neighbouring Amber , was the capital . The magnificent Amber Fort , to which you can ride on an elephant , offers panoramic views over Maota Lake and the ornamental gardens that seem to float within . The 16th and 17th century interiors impress with their exquisitely carved silver doors , ceilings of alabaster and an Indian version of the Hall of Mirrors with mirrored fragments embedded in vaulted ceilings glinting between arches . Today , the Jaipur royal family live in the City Palace , where rooms are open to the public . Gone is their Rambagh Palace , which became India 's first palace hotel in 1957 ( do try its Suvarna Mahal restaurant ) . But their newly elegant Rajmahal Palace has recently been re-opened . Dating back to 1729 , this was once the British residency and later home to the polo-playing Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II , who entertained the Queen , Lord Mountbatten , Prince Charles and Princess Diana , and Jacqueline Kennedy . A vision in pink : The Palace of Winds is one of Jaipur 's - and Rajasthan 's - most iconic structures . Their names adorn some of the 14 suites in the palace 's new chapter as a hotel managed by Sujan Luxury . The decor , by acclaimed designer Adil Ahmad , offers vivid turquoises and shocking pinks , gilded mirrors and sweeping marble staircases - but , sadly , not Richard Gere . Abercrombie & Kent ( 01242 851 868 , www.abercrombiekent.co.uk ) offers three nights ' B & B in Jaipur at the Rajmahal Palace with city tour , trip to the Amber Fort , transfers and flights via Helsinki with Finnair from £1,775 per person , based on two sharing a double room .
Jaipur is the location for new movie The ##pur Best & Marigold Hotel . The ##pur is one of the most alluring destinations in India 's history . The film features the likes of Judi Dench , Richard ##gold and Maggie ##lal .