Udaipur: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh of Mewar, whose Rajput clan prided itself on never bowing fully to the Mughal emperors. Built around artificial lakes in the hills of Rajasthan, it is called the city of lakes, and the Maharanas’ family still lives in part of the palace. Half a day; the palace opens early and is cooler then.

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A short history of Udaipur

Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II, ruler of the kingdom of Mewar, as a new capital among the hills and lakes. In 1568 the Mughal emperor Akbar captured the previous capital, Chittorgarh, and Udaipur became the centre of the kingdom. The City Palace, the largest in Rajasthan, was built and added to over about 400 years, and in 1746 the summer palace was built on an island in Lake Pichola; it is now a hotel. In 1949 Mewar joined independent India. In 1983 the James Bond film "Octopussy" was shot in the city.

The ten best sights in Udaipur

1
City Palace
The great palace of the Maharanas; go when it opens
2
Jagdish Temple
A carved temple of 1651 in the old town
3
Bagore ki Haveli
A mansion on the lake with an evening dance show
4
Gangaur Ghat
Steps down to the lake under an arch
5
Lake Pichola
Take the boat at sunset
6
Ambrai Ghat
The view of the palace across the water
7
Lake Palace
A white palace floating on the lake; hotel guests only
8
Jag Mandir
The island palace where a Mughal prince hid
9
Vintage Car Museum
The Maharanas’ Rolls-Royces
10
Fateh Sagar Lake
The second lake and its evening promenade

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Udaipur →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Udaipur:

Free walking tours in Udaipur

The palace on the lake

City Palace · The largest palace complex in Rajasthan, added to over about four hundred years by successive Maharanas, so that it is really many palaces joined together — courtyards of mirrors, peacock mosaics and balconies over the lake. The family is said to descend from the sun, whose face appears on the walls.
Jagdish Temple · A Hindu temple to Vishnu built in 1651, reached by a steep flight of steps guarded by stone elephants, its walls carved with dancers, musicians and gods. Bells and chanting fill it at the morning and evening prayers.
Bagore ki Haveli · An eighteenth-century mansion of a prime minister of Mewar, on the water at Gangaur Ghat, with more than a hundred rooms. Every evening it holds a show of Rajasthani folk dance, ending with a dancer balancing a tower of clay pots on her head.
Gangaur Ghat · Stone steps and a triple arch leading down to Lake Pichola, where women wash clothes and families bathe, and where in spring the festival of Gangaur ends with images of the goddess Parvati carried to the water.
Ambrai Ghat · Across the water from the palace, the best view of the City Palace stretching along the shore, lit up at night and reflected in the lake.
Vintage Car Museum · The Maharanas’ collection of old cars, among them Rolls-Royces of the 1920s and 1930s and a car that appeared in the James Bond film Octopussy, which was filmed in Udaipur in 1983.

The lakes and the palaces on the water

Lake Pichola holds two island palaces, and to the north lies a second lake with royal gardens. Half a day, ending with a boat on Pichola and the sunset from the hill.

Lake Pichola · An artificial lake said to have been made in 1362 by a man of the Banjara nomads, a grain trader, who dammed a stream; the Maharanas later enlarged it and built the city around it. Boats leave from the palace jetty.
Lake Palace · A summer palace of white marble built in 1746 on an island, which seems to float on the lake. It became a hotel in 1963 and appeared in Octopussy; only guests and diners may land.
Jag Mandir · A palace on the southern island, where in the 1620s the Mughal prince Khurram — later the emperor Shah Jahan — took refuge when he rebelled against his father. It is often said that its domes inspired him when he built the Taj Mahal.
Saheliyon-ki-Bari · The garden of the maidens, laid out in the eighteenth century for the ladies of the court, with lotus pools and marble elephants whose fountains still run on water piped from Fateh Sagar by gravity alone.
Fateh Sagar Lake · The second lake of the city, north of Pichola, with an island garden and a promenade where families stroll in the evening and stalls sell corn and chai.
Monsoon Palace · A palace of 1884 on a hilltop west of the city, built to watch the monsoon clouds roll in. It was the villain’s lair in Octopussy, and from its terrace the sunset falls over the lakes and the whole city.

Temples and the great fort

North of Udaipur are the royal cenotaphs, the temple of Mewar’s divine king and carved temples a thousand years old; further on, the mountain fort of Kumbhalgarh. A full day by car.

Ahar · The cenotaphs of the Maharanas — some two hundred and fifty domed memorials, where the rulers of Mewar were cremated. Beside them a small museum shows finds from a settlement here about four thousand years old.
Eklingji · A temple complex of the god Shiva as Eklingji. The rulers of Mewar considered him the true king of their land, and they ruled only as his regent; the Maharana still comes here to worship.
Saas-Bahu Temples · Two temples of the tenth century at Nagda, their pillars and ceilings carved in astonishing detail. The name means mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a corruption of Sahastra Bahu, the thousand-armed one, a name of Vishnu.
Kumbhalgarh Fort · A fortress of the fifteenth century in the Aravalli hills, whose wall winds for about thirty-six kilometres over the ridges, said to be one of the longest walls in the world. Maharana Pratap, the hero of Mewar who fought the Mughal emperor Akbar, was born here.
Shilpgram · Back near Udaipur, a crafts village of houses from the desert and hill peoples of western India, where potters, weavers and musicians work; in December it holds a great crafts fair.
Ambrai Ghat · Dinner by the water facing the lit palace, the end of a day in the city of lakes.

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Getting to Udaipur and getting around

Udaipur Airport · Forty minutes east of the city
Udaipur City Station · Trains to Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai

Cheap eats in Udaipur

Rajasthan eats food of the desert, rich with ghee: dal baati churma — hard wheat balls baked in coals, cracked into lentils and a sweet crumble; gatte ki sabzi, gram-flour dumplings in yoghurt curry; laal maas, fiery red mutton; and kachori and samosa from the street, with masala chai. A Rajasthani thali brings everything at once.

Jagdish Temple · Street snacks in the old town
Ambrai Ghat · A thali facing the palace
Fateh Sagar Lake · Corn and chai on the promenade

Museums in Udaipur

Udaipur’s palaces and mansions are its museums, with royal treasures, folk art and the cars of the Maharanas.

City Palace · The palace museum
Bagore ki Haveli · The mansion museum
Vintage Car Museum · Royal cars
Ahar · The ancient site

Nature and day trips near Udaipur

Lakes among the dry Aravalli hills, the oldest mountain range in India.

Lake Pichola · A boat at sunset
Monsoon Palace · The hill and the view
Neemach Mata Ropeway · Over the lakes

Things to do in Udaipur with kids

With children: boats, a cable car, old cars, a fountain garden and a puppet and dance show.

Lake Pichola · The boat ride
Saheliyon-ki-Bari · Fountains
Vintage Car Museum · The James Bond car
Bagore ki Haveli · The evening dance show

Holy places in Udaipur

Hindu temples from the tenth century to today, and the god whom the rulers of Mewar served as regents.

Jagdish Temple · The temple of Vishnu
Eklingji · Shiva, king of Mewar
Saas-Bahu Temples · The carved temples

Nightlife in Udaipur

Udaipur’s nights are rooftop restaurants over the lit palaces, the dance show and the ghats at dusk.

Ambrai Ghat · The palace lit at night
Gangaur Ghat · Rooftops over the ghat
Bagore ki Haveli · The dance show

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Frequently asked questions about Udaipur

What is there to see in Udaipur?

The top sights in Udaipur are City Palace, Jagdish Temple and Bagore ki Haveli. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Udaipur?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Udaipur without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Udaipur?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Udaipur, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The palace on the lake.

How do you get to Udaipur and get around?

The main ways are Udaipur Airport and Udaipur City Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Udaipur, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Udaipur that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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