Udaipur

The “Venice of the East,” a city of lakes where the City Palace is mirrored in Lake Pichola and sunsets over the Lake Palace and Monsoon Palace make it Rajasthan’s most romantic stop.

Udaipur lies among the Aravalli Hills in southern Rajasthan, India. The former capital of the Kingdom of Mewar, it was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II. Built around several artificial lakes, including Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar Lake, its white palaces reflected in the water have earned it the names “City of Lakes” and “Venice of the East,” and it is one of India’s most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations.

The best season is Oct–Mar, with dry weather and daytime temperatures of 20–28°C; Apr–Jun is scorching, often above 40°C; Jul–Sep is monsoon season, when the lakes are fullest and the hills turn green, though boat trips may be affected by the weather.

The main sights cluster in the Old City on the east bank of Lake Pichola: the City Palace, Jagdish Temple, Bagore Ki Haveli and Gangaur Ghat are all within a 10-minute walk of each other, while the Hanuman Ghat area on the west bank is packed with lake-view rooftop restaurants and budget guesthouses. North of the centre are Fateh Sagar Lake and Saheliyon-ki-Bari garden, and the Monsoon Palace crowns a hilltop to the west. The top day trip is to Kumbhalgarh Fort and the Jain temple at Ranakpur, which can be combined with a hired car.

Getting there: Maharana Pratap Airport is about 22 km from the city, with flights from Delhi and Mumbai taking about 1–1.5 hours; trains run from Jaipur, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Around town, auto-rickshaws and ride-hailing apps are the main options — agree on the fare before getting in. Allow 2–3 days, or 3–4 days including a day trip.

Tips: Old City lanes are narrow and busy with motorbikes, so watch your step; remove your shoes and dress modestly in temples; the City Palace and other sights charge a separate camera fee; book lake-view restaurants ahead for sunset.

Top sights

• City Palace, Udaipur – The largest palace complex in Rajasthan, stretching along the east bank of Lake Pichola, built up over four centuries of expansion by succe…
• Lake Pichola & Lake Palace – The heart of Udaipur. Boat trips bring you close to the white Lake Palace floating in the lake and the Jag Mandir island palace, and the vi…
• Monsoon Palace (Sajjangarh) – A 19th-century palace on a hilltop west of the city, overlooking the whole town and its lakes. It is the top choice for watching the sunset…
• Kumbhalgarh Fort – A 15th-century mountain fortress about 85 km north of the city, with walls stretching about 36 km. It is one of the “Hill Forts of Rajastha…
• Ranakpur Jain Temple – A 15th-century Jain temple of white marble, with 1,444 intricately carved pillars, none of them alike. It is considered one of the most exq…
• Jagdish Temple – A 17th-century Vishnu temple just outside the north gate of the City Palace, with fine stone carvings and still busy with worshippers
• Saheliyon-ki-Bari – The Garden of the Maidens, an 18th-century pleasure garden built for a queen and her attendants, famous for its marble fountains and lotus…
• Bagore Ki Haveli – An 18th-century noble mansion by Gangaur Ghat on the lake, a museum by day and home to Rajasthani folk dance shows each evening
• Fateh Sagar Lake – A man-made lake north of town with Nehru Garden island and a solar observatory on its islands, a favourite spot for locals in the evening
• Jag Mandir – A 17th-century island palace in the southern part of Lake Pichola, with eight white stone elephants lining its steps and a stop on the boat…
• Ambrai Ghat – A stone-stepped ghat on Lake Pichola's west bank, facing the City Palace and the lake palace across the water, and the classic spot for Uda…
• Vintage and Classic Car Collection – The private classic car collection of the Mewar royal family, with more than 20 vintage vehicles, including Rolls-Royces and Cadillacs, kep…
• Shilpgram – An open-air folk village at the foot of the hills west of town, recreating traditional houses from Rajasthan, Gujarat and other states, oft…
• Moti Magri (Maharana Pratap Memorial) – A memorial park on a small hill beside Fateh Sagar Lake, where a bronze statue of the national hero Pratap on his horse Chetak overlooks th…
• Doodh Talai & Karni Mata Ropeway – A small lake and musical fountain park just south of City Palace, with a cable car up to a hilltop temple for sunset views over Lake Pichol…
• Sajjangarh Biological Park – An open-air zoo at the foot of Monsoon Palace, where you can ride a battery car past tigers, leopards, lions and other native Indian animal…
• Badi Lake – A tranquil reservoir ringed by hills west of the city, with few visitors. Its lakeside steps and mountain views are a sunset spot locals ke…
• Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal – A museum devoted to Rajasthani folk art, with collections of masks, puppets and folk deities, and a traditional puppet show every day.
• Ahar Cenotaphs – The royal cremation grounds of Mewar, with some 250 white marble domed cenotaphs in dense rows, impressive and serene.
• Gulab Bagh – Udaipur's largest city park, named after its roses, with a miniature train and an old library.
• Eklingji Temple – A temple complex dedicated to Shiva, the guardian deity of the Mewar royal family, with 108 shrines inside high walls and a four-faced blac…
• Sas-Bahu Temples, Nagda – A pair of 10th-century Vishnu temples, the “mother-in-law and daughter-in-law” shrines, with finely carved exterior walls and ceilings.
• Haldighati – The 1576 battlefield where Maharana Pratap resisted the Mughal army, with a mountain pass of yellow soil, the memorial to his horse Chetak…
• Shrinathji Temple, Nathdwara – One of India's most important Krishna temples, opening eight times a day for darshan, with a fervent atmosphere of pilgrimage.
• Statue of Belief (Vishwas Swaroopam) – A seated Shiva statue about 112 m tall on a hill in Nathdwara, billed as the world's tallest Shiva statue, with an elevator inside for clim…
• Chittorgarh Fort – One of India's largest forts and the former capital of Mewar. Victory Tower and Padmini's Palace bear witness to three tragic rounds of Raj…
• Jaisamand Lake – One of India's large artificial lakes, built in the 17th century, with marble elephant pavilions on its dam and a wildlife sanctuary along…

Where to eat

• Natraj Dining Hall – A legendary vegetarian thali restaurant near the railway station, offering unlimited refills, making it a popular choic…
• Ambrai Restaurant – An open-air restaurant on the shores of Lake Pichola, directly facing the City Palace across the water, famous for its…
• Krishna Dal Bati Restro – A small upstairs eatery on Gulab Bagh Road that serves almost exclusively an unlimited Dal Baati thali, with the owner…
• Millets of Mewar – A millet-themed vegetarian restaurant near Jagdish Temple, founded in 2011, offering millet versions of traditional dis…
• Upré by 1559 AD – A rooftop restaurant on the top floor of Lake Pichola Hotel, offering views of the City Palace and Lake Palace, perfect…
• Jheel's Ginger Coffee Bar & Bakery – A lake-view cafe next to Gangaur Ghat, located on the upper floors of Hotel Jheel, famous for its coffee, wood-fired pi…

Itineraries

• Grand Rajasthan Desert & Forts Loop – A grand loop from Delhi covering Shekhawati, desert fortresses, Udaipur, Pushkar, and Jaipur.