Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
The City of Lakes, where marble palaces float on still water and every sunset turns the hills pink and gold.
Udaipur is Rajasthan's romantic counterpoint to the desert forts further north — a city built around a chain of man-made lakes, ringed by the Aravalli hills, and centered on a sprawling palace complex that once housed the Mewar royal family. Known for its whitewashed havelis, rooftop lake views, and a slower, more intimate pace than Jaipur or Jodhpur, it's often called the most romantic city in India.
Don't miss
- City Palace — A massive complex of courtyards, balconies, and mirrored halls built up over centuries by successive Mewar maharanas, offering the best vantage point over Lake Pichola.
Lake Pichola — The artificial lake at the heart of the city, best experienced by boat at dusk as the Aravalli hills and palace facades glow gold.- Jag Mandir & Lake Palace — Two island retreats on Lake Pichola — one now a luxury hotel, the other a garden pavilion once used as refuge by a young Mughal prince.
- Jagdish Temple — A richly carved 17th-century Indo-Aryan temple just steps from the City Palace gates, still active with daily devotional music.
Saheliyon-ki-Bari — The 'Garden of the Maidens,' a shaded retreat of fountains, lotus pools, and marble elephants built for royal women.Photo: Jstplace — Public domain
- Bagore ki Haveli — A restored 18th-century haveli on the lakefront that hosts evening folk dance performances of Rajasthani puppetry and Kathak-style movement.
Getting around
Udaipur's old city is compact and walkable, with narrow lanes best explored on foot despite the occasional cow or motorbike squeeze. Auto-rickshaws are the easiest way to cover longer distances or reach sights like Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace) on the hilltop outside town; agree on a fare or ask for the meter before setting off. Many travelers also hire a car and driver for day trips to nearby step-wells, temples, or the marble Jain temples at Ranakpur.
Neighborhoods and areas
The old city around Lake Pichola and Jagdish Temple is where most travelers base themselves, packed with guesthouses, rooftop cafés, and lake-view restaurants. Hanuman Ghat, on the western shore, has a quieter, more local feel with laundry drying on ghats and a strong backpacker café scene. Across the lake, the newer parts of town spread toward the train station and Fateh Sagar Lake, less atmospheric but useful for shopping and transport.
Food and drink
Rajasthani thalis here often lean vegetarian, built around dal baati churma (baked wheat rolls crumbled into ghee and jaggery), gatte ki sabzi (gram-flour dumplings in yogurt curry), and ker sangri (a desert-bean and caper dish unique to the region). Rooftop restaurants overlooking the lake are the city's signature dining experience, best enjoyed slowly around sunset with a lassi or masala chai rather than rushed. Street stalls near the old city gates are good for kachori and mirchi bada snacks.
When to go
The cooler months from roughly October through March are the most comfortable for walking the old city and sitting out on rooftops, with clear skies good for lake views and sunsets. Summers get very hot and dry before the monsoon arrives in the middle of the year, when humidity rises but the lakes and gardens are at their greenest. Shoulder seasons just before and after monsoon can offer a good balance of lower crowds and decent weather.
Local character
Udaipur trades on romance and craftsmanship rather than sheer scale — it's a city of miniature painters, block-print workshops, and silver jewelers tucked into old-city lanes, alongside the palace grandeur. Its association with royalty is still visible in the City Palace's continued ceremonial role and in the polished, slightly more upscale feel of its tourism compared to other Rajasthani cities.
A sample keepsake
This is the kind of trip story Voyagekit writes for you afterward — from your real trip.
Three Days by the Lake
This is one way a first visit to Udaipur might unfold — a slower, lake-facing trip for a couple of travelers with no fixed agenda beyond good views and good food.
Arriving into the old city
We arrived in the late afternoon and walked the last stretch to our guesthouse through lanes barely wide enough for two people, past spice shops and tiny temples with bells ringing somewhere out of sight. By the time we reached our rooftop, the sun was dropping behind the City Palace and the lake had turned a soft copper color — an easy, unforced introduction to a city that seems built for precisely this view.
Boat ride at dusk
On our second evening we took a boat out onto Lake Pichola, gliding past the Jag Mandir island as the light softened and the palace facades along the shore lit up one by one. Someone on the boat pointed out where a young Mughal prince was said to have taken shelter centuries ago, and for a few minutes the whole lake felt suspended between history and postcard.
Morning at Jagdish Temple
We got up early to beat the heat and found Jagdish Temple already busy with quiet devotion, its carved stone elephants and dancers catching the first light. A short walk from the City Palace gates, it felt like a good reminder that the palace complex sits inside a living, working temple town, not a museum piece.
Photo: Arian Zwegers — CC BY 2.0
Puppets and music at Bagore ki Haveli
One evening we wandered along the ghats to Bagore ki Haveli for a folk performance — dancers balancing pots, puppeteers working marionettes with real flair, and a live band keeping it all moving. Watching it with the lake dark and glittering behind the courtyard walls, it was easy to understand why people describe Udaipur's evenings as its best hours.
Photo: Arian Zwegers — CC BY 2.0
A last rooftop breakfast
On our final morning we lingered over chai and parathas on a rooftop café, watching the city wake up below — boatmen readying their boats, kids heading to school past the ghats, langurs moving along a wall in the distance. It was a quiet, unhurried way to close out a trip that had, from the very first evening, been about slowing down and looking at water and light.
Photo: Arian Zwegers — CC BY 2.0
Voyagekit turns your trip into a keepsake like this — plan yours, free.
Good to know
How many days do you need in Udaipur?
Most travelers spend 2–3 days, enough time to see the City Palace, take a lake boat ride, wander the old city lanes, and enjoy a couple of rooftop sunsets, with an extra day if you want to add a day trip to Ranakpur or Kumbhalgarh.
When is the best time to visit Udaipur?
The cooler stretch from around October to March is generally most comfortable for sightseeing and rooftop dining, while summer months can be quite hot; the monsoon season brings lush greenery but also humidity and rain.
Is Udaipur worth visiting?
Yes — its combination of lake scenery, palace architecture, and a relatively relaxed old-city atmosphere makes it one of the most consistently loved stops in Rajasthan for both first-time and repeat visitors to India.
Is Udaipur safe for tourists?
Udaipur is generally considered one of the more relaxed and tourist-friendly Indian cities, though standard precautions apply — stay alert around crowded ghats and markets, use registered transport, and take normal care as a solo traveler after dark, as you would in any city.
Can you swim in Lake Pichola or take a boat ride?
Swimming isn't really done in the lake, but boat rides are a signature Udaipur experience, typically departing from near the City Palace and timed around sunset for the best light on the palaces and hills.
Is Udaipur good for a honeymoon or romantic trip?
Yes — its lake views, heritage hotels (including former palaces), and rooftop dining have long made it one of India's most popular honeymoon destinations, though it's equally rewarding for families and solo travelers.
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