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Top 10 Things To Do in Udaipur

Country
India
Best months
Oct · Nov · Feb
Population
451K
Language
Hindi and Mewari
Budget / day
$20–85
Quick answer

Udaipur is a lake city built by the Mewar court, and three days covers it. Give the first to the City Palace and a Lake Pichola boat, the second to Jagdish Temple, the ghats and the craft bazaars above them, the third to Sajjangarh for sunset or a day trip to Kumbhalgarh. Book the 7pm folk programme at Bagore ki Haveli on the day you arrive.

The Mewar rulers moved here from Chittorgarh in 1559 and built their capital around water. Lake Pichola was already two centuries old; the palaces went up along its edge over the four that followed. The result is a compact old city you cross on foot, with the royal collection at one end of it.

The 10 best things to do in Udaipur

1

Cross the courtyards of the City Palace

Palace· City Palace Complex, City Palace Road, Udaipur 313001, India

Five centuries of Mewar building, begun by Udai Singh II in 1559 and extended until 1949, stacked into one hillside above Lake Pichola. Go for the sequence of courtyards and the Bada Mahal terrace rather than any single room, and enter through Badi Pol at the top of the ramp.

Time3 hours
CostTicketed by the City Palace Museum
Best atAt the 9:30am opening
TipBuy the museum ticket and the Crystal Gallery ticket together at Badi Pol rather than queueing a second time inside.
Map↗ Website
2

Take the sunset boat to Jag Mandir

Lake· Rameshwar Ghat, City Palace Complex, Udaipur 313001, India

Lake Pichola was dammed in 1362, during Maharana Lakha's reign and long before the city existed, and a boat is the only way to see what the court built along it. The circuit passes the Lake Palace and lands on Jag Mandir, the island pavilion Shah Jahan sheltered on as a prince.

Time1 hour
CostTicketed at Rameshwar Ghat
Best atThe last departure of the day
TipBoat tickets are sold inside the palace complex
Map↗ Website
3

Stand through the evening aarti at Jagdish Temple

Temple· Jagdish Chowk, Gangaur Ghat Road, Old City, Udaipur 313001, India

Maharana Jagat Singh I finished this three-storey Vishnu temple in 1651, on the rise just outside the palace gate. It is a working temple rather than a monument, busiest at the evening aarti, and the carved plinth is the part to slow down for on the way up.

Time30 minutes
CostFree
Best atEvening aarti
TipShoes come off at the foot of the steps and go on a paid rack
Map↗ Website
4

Watch the Dharohar folk programme at Bagore ki Haveli

Museum· Gangaur Ghat, Old City, Udaipur 313001, India

An eighteenth-century prime minister's house on the water at Gangaur Ghat, handed to the West Zone Cultural Centre in 1986 and filled with Mewar costume, turbans and glass. The draw is the Dharohar folk programme in the courtyard at 7pm: Ghoomar, Bhavai and puppetry, an hour long.

Time2 hours with the show
CostSeparate tickets for the museum and for the 7pm programme
Best atLate afternoon in the museum
TipShow tickets go on sale at 6:15pm and the courtyard fills fast
Map↗ Website
5

Climb to Sajjangarh, the Monsoon Palace

Palace· Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Sajjangarh, Udaipur 313001, India

Maharana Sajjan Singh put this white hilltop palace above the city to watch the monsoon clouds arrive, and the building itself is largely an empty shell. What you come for is the ridge: Pichola, Fateh Sagar and the Aravallis laid out below, with the sun going down behind them.

Time2 hours including the drive
CostSanctuary entry plus the palace ticket
Best atAn hour before sunset
TipPrivate cars stop at the sanctuary gate
Map↗ Website
6

Walk the fountains of Saheliyon ki Bari

Garden· Saheli Marg, Sukhadia Circle, Udaipur 313001, India

Maharana Sangram Singh II laid this garden out between 1710 and 1734 for the queen and the maids of honour who came with her marriage. The fountains run on nothing but the head of water falling from Fateh Sagar above, which is the trick worth watching for. Small, and best walked slowly.

Time45 minutes
CostTicketed, and inexpensive
Best atMorning, from the 9am opening
TipThe lotus pool and the marble elephants sit through the second gate
Map↗ Website
7

Have the Ahar cenotaphs to yourself

Historic site· Ahar, Udaipur 313001, India

Nineteen Mewar rulers were cremated on this field east of the centre, and more than 250 domed chhatris stand over them and their families. Almost nobody comes. It is the counterweight to the palace: the same dynasty, no queue, and a small archaeological museum next door.

Time1 hour
CostTicketed
Best atLate afternoon
TipThe museum keeps government hours and shuts before the site does
Map↗ Website
8

Meet the artisans at Shilpgram

Crafts village· Shilpgram Road, Havala, Rani Road, Udaipur 313001, India

A rural arts complex on 70 acres in the hills west of Fateh Sagar, built around reconstructed houses from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Maharashtra. Artisans work on site, which is what separates it from a museum. For ten days each December it becomes the Shilpgram Utsav.

Time2 hours
CostTicketed
Best atLate morning
TipCome during the Utsav in late December if the dates line up
Map↗ Website
9

Walk the Fateh Sagar promenade

Lake· Rani Road, Udaipur 313001, India

The second of the city lakes, rebuilt by Maharana Fateh Singh after the earlier dam failed, and the one Udaipur itself uses in the evening. Three islands sit in it: Nehru Park, a fountain island, and the Udaipur Solar Observatory. The Rani Road shore is the walk.

Time1 hour
CostFree to walk
Best atSunset
TipThe Nehru Park boat leaves from the Rani Road jetty and
Map↗ Website
10

Drive out to Eklingji and the Nagda temples

Temple· Kailashpuri, Eklingji, Udaipur District 313202, India

Twenty-two kilometres north, Eklingji is the Shiva temple whose deity the Maharanas ruled Mewar on behalf of, standing since 734 AD and rebuilt in marble. Two kilometres further at Nagda, the tenth-century Sas Bahu pair carry the better carving and a fraction of the crowd.

TimeHalf a day with the drive
CostNo entry charge at either site
Best atA morning darshan slot
TipEklingji closes between darshan slots and bans cameras and phones inside
Map↗ Website

7 of the 10, mapped

Udaipur · 7 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

Udaipur travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Udaipur?+
Three. One for the City Palace and a Lake Pichola boat, one for Jagdish Temple, the ghats and the bazaars above them, and one for Sajjangarh at sunset or a day trip to Kumbhalgarh. Two works if you drop the day trip.
When is the best time to visit Udaipur?+
October to March, when days sit between roughly 11C and 30C and the evenings are cool. December and January are the coldest and the busiest. The monsoon from July to September fills the lakes and drops hotel rates, which is the trade most visitors underrate.
Can you go inside the Lake Palace?+
Only as a hotel guest, or at times as a diner with a booking: it is a Taj hotel rather than a museum. The boat circuit from Rameshwar Ghat passes close enough for the photograph, and Jag Mandir, the other island, does admit day visitors.
What is the best way to get around Udaipur?+
Walk the old city, where everything from Gangaur Ghat to the City Palace is inside ten minutes. For Sajjangarh, Shilpgram, Saheliyon ki Bari and the Ahar cenotaphs, take an auto-rickshaw or a ride-hailing app and agree the fare before you start.
Udaipur or Jaipur, if you only have time for one?+
They do different things. Jaipur is a planned city of bazaars, forts and observatories; Udaipur is smaller, quieter, built around water and walkable end to end. Most Rajasthan itineraries take both, three days in each.
Beyond the palace ticket

Best museums & galleries in Udaipur

Five collections that sit outside the City Palace museum, from the court's crystal to a puppet stage running since 1952.
All 5 museums & galleries →
City Palace Complex

Crystal Gallery

Royal collection

The Mewar court's crystal, on its own ticket inside Fateh Prakash and not covered by the palace museum entry.

Map
Gulab Bagh Road

Vintage and Classic Car Collection

Cars

The Mewar state cars in the old Garden Hotel garages, Rolls-Royces included, several still licensed and driven.

Map↗ Website
Chetak Circle

Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal

Folk arts

A folk-arts institute founded in 1952, with a museum of masks and instruments and a short string-puppet show.

Map
Ahar

Ahar Archaeological Museum

Archaeology

Finds from the Ahar culture and later Mewar, beside the cenotaphs. Small, government hours, usually empty.

Map
Gulab Bagh

Victoria Hall Museum

City museum

Royal household pieces, inscriptions and sculpture in a Victorian pavilion inside the Gulab Bagh grounds.

Map
Where the city looks at itself

Best viewpoints & ghats in Udaipur

Five places to stand still: two hilltop shrines, the Maharana Pratap memorial, and the two ghats the old city actually uses.
All 5 viewpoints & ghats →
Doodh Talai

Mansapurna Karni Mata

Ropeway

A ropeway of roughly 400 metres lifts you up Machla Magra to the shrine and the widest framing of Pichola there is.

Map↗ Website
Dewali Hill

Neemach Mata

Hill temple

A steady climb above Fateh Sagar to a hill shrine, no ticket at the top, and the whole lake laid out below.

Map
Fateh Sagar

Moti Magri

Memorial

The Maharana Pratap memorial on Pearl Hill, his bronze on the horse Chetak at the top and gardens on the way up.

Map
Old City

Gangaur Ghat

Ghat

The old city's front door to the lake, and where the Gangaur idols are carried down for immersion each spring.

Map
Hanuman Ghat

Ambrai Ghat

Ghat

The far bank, and the postcard: City Palace, Lake Palace and Jag Mandir lined up in a single frame.

Map
Water off the tourist axis

Best lakes & gardens in Udaipur

Four green and blue places a short ride from the old city, carrying a fraction of its crowd.
All 4 lakes & gardens →
Badi village

Badi Lake

Reservoir

An eighteenth-century famine-relief reservoir twelve kilometres out, three chhatris on the bund and no ticket.

Map
Doodh Talai

Doodh Talai

Lake garden

A small lake under the palace hill with a musical fountain garden and the ropeway station on its edge.

Map↗ Website
Gulab Bagh

Gulab Bagh and Sajjan Niwas

City park

Udaipur's largest garden, with a rose section, a public library and a toy train that still runs for children.

Map
Sajjangarh

Sajjangarh Biological Park

Zoo park

A 36-hectare zoo park at the foot of the Monsoon Palace road, opened in 2015 and walkable in about two hours.

Map↗ Website
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Udaipur

Six tables, from the thali hall the city queues at to the lakeside terrace everyone photographs.
All 6 restaurants →
Amet Haveli, Hanuman Ghat

Ambrai

Lakeside

Tables at the water on the Hanuman Ghat side, facing the City Palace. Mewari and North Indian; book the front row.

Map
Lake Pichola Hotel

Upre by 1559 AD

Rooftop

A rooftop over Lake Pichola running Rajasthani alongside Continental. The sunset seating goes first.

Map
Bapu Bazaar

Natraj Dining Hall

Thali

The unlimited Rajasthani and Gujarati thali the city eats. Vegetarian, loud, fast, and nothing to look at.

Map
Hanuman Ghat

Millets of Mewar

Health food

Local millet flours, a long vegan and gluten-free section, and a menu built around what grows in Mewar.

Map
Rani Road

1559 AD

Garden dining

A garden restaurant named for the year the city was founded, Indian and Continental, out near Fateh Sagar.

Map
Lal Ghat

Tribute Restaurant

Terrace

A terrace above Lal Ghat with a straight view across to the City Palace, and a shorter wait than Ambrai.

Map
The hour before dark

Best rooftop cafes & bars in Udaipur

Five terraces over Lake Pichola, from a bakery with cushions on the floor to a palace bar with live classical music.
All 5 rooftop cafes & bars →
Gangaur Ghat Marg

Jheel's Ginger Coffee Bar & Bakery

Cafe

A low-slung terrace on the water at Gangaur Ghat, fairy lights and floor cushions, good coffee and baking.

Map
Gangaur Ghat

Cafe Edelweiss

Bakery

A long-running bakery with a lake-facing terrace, wifi and the best strudel in the old city.

Map
Lal Ghat

Chandni at Jagat Niwas

Rooftop bar

The rooftop of an eighteenth-century haveli hotel, looking straight at the Lake Palace. Jharokha seating below it.

Map
City Palace Complex

Sunset Terrace

Palace bar

Inside the City Palace complex at Fateh Prakash, with live classical music on some evenings. The formal option.

Map
Lake Pichola

Panera Bar

Cocktails

A cocktail terrace made for the hour before dark, with the city rather than the lake as the view.

Map
What to carry home

Best crafts & bazaars in Udaipur

Five places to buy, split between two bargaining bazaars and three fixed-price rooms where the price is the price.
All 5 crafts & bazaars →
Hathi Pol

Hathi Pol Bazaar

Paintings

The miniature and Pichwai painting street, running up from the palace gate. Bargaining is expected here.

Map
Bada Bazaar

Bada Bazaar

General market

About a kilometre of bandhani, silver, leather and street food. The city's own market rather than a tourist one.

Map
Old Fatehpura

Sadhna

Fair trade

The retail arm of Seva Mandir, stitched by rural and tribal women in Mewar. Fixed prices, and the margin goes back.

Map
Chetak Circle

Rajasthali

State emporium

The state handicrafts emporium: everything under one roof at a fixed price, useful as a benchmark before you haggle.

Map
Chetak Circle

Chetak Circle market

Souvenirs

Stone carving, silver and cheaper miniatures, aimed squarely at visitors but priced below the palace-gate shops.

Map
Out of the city

Best day trips from Udaipur

Five drives, two of them UNESCO forts, and one pass where Mewar fought Akbar to a standstill.
All 5 day trips →
Rajsamand district

Kumbhalgarh Fort

UNESCO fort

About 85 kilometres northwest. Rana Kumbha's fifteenth-century citadel, ringed by 36 kilometres of wall.

Map↗ Website
Pali district

Ranakpur Jain temple

Jain temple

About 90 kilometres north, and the reason to pair it with Kumbhalgarh: a fifteenth-century marble forest of pillars.

Map↗ Website
Chittorgarh

Chittorgarh Fort

UNESCO fort

About 120 kilometres northeast. India's largest fort, and the Mewar capital the court left for Udaipur.

Map↗ Website
Rajsamand district

Haldighati

Battlefield

About 50 kilometres north. The mountain pass where Maharana Pratap met Akbar's army in 1576, with a small museum.

Map↗ Website
Salumbar road

Jaisamand Lake

Lake

About 50 kilometres southeast. A seventeenth-century dam holding one of Asia's largest man-made lakes, with marble chhatris on the bund.

Map↗ Website
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Udaipur (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
21 to 30 Dec

Shilpgram Utsav

Ten days of craft stalls and folk stages at the Shilpgram complex, the largest cultural date on the city's calendar.

Mar or Apr

Mewar Festival

Gangaur idols carried from the City Palace to Gangaur Ghat, then a boat procession on Lake Pichola.

Feb

Udaipur World Music Festival

Three days of international acts on open-air stages around the lakes, programmed each February.

Jan

Lokrang

A folk-arts week at Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, with puppet theatre and regional dance troupes.

Mar

Holika Dahan

The Mewar family's own procession leaves the City Palace on the eve of Holi, horses and all.

Jun or Jul

Jagannath Rath Yatra

The Jagdish Temple deity is drawn through the old city on a chariot, the year's biggest street procession.

Jul or Aug

Hariyali Amavasya Mela

A monsoon fair on the new moon of Shravan, held along Fateh Sagar and Saheliyon ki Bari for two days.

Aug or Sep

Jal Jhulni Ekadashi

Temple idols are carried down to the water for a ritual bathing, a Mewar procession through the old city.

Getting around

Udaipur transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.
UDR

Maharana Pratap Airport

About 22 kilometres east at Dabok, with domestic services to Delhi and Mumbai. The run into the old city takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Map
Rail

Udaipur City station

Station code UDZ, a few kilometres from the lakes, with overnight services from Delhi and Mumbai. Book ahead: the good trains fill weeks out.

Map↗ Website
Road

Autos and ride-hailing

Auto-rickshaws reach everywhere and rarely run the meter, so agree the fare before you get in. Ola and Uber both operate here and settle the argument.

Map
Local

Buses and walking

State and private coaches leave the bus stand near the railway station. Inside the old city walking wins: the lanes from Gangaur Ghat to the palace are too narrow for cars.

Map
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Udaipur, India

The classics to order before you leave.

Dal baati churma

Baked wheat balls cracked open under ghee, with lentils and a sweet crumble alongside.

Laal maas

Mutton in a gravy of Mathania red chillies and yoghurt. Fiery by design, not by accident.

Gatte ki sabzi

Gram-flour dumplings simmered in spiced yoghurt, the desert answer to no fresh vegetables.

Ker sangri

Desert berries and dried beans cooked in ghee with mango powder. Sharp, chewy and very old.

Mirchi bada

A whole green chilli stuffed with spiced potato, battered and fried. Street food, eaten hot.

Dal kachori

A fried pastry shell packed with spiced lentils, sold by weight at the bazaar counters.

Malpua with rabri

Fried batter discs soaked in syrup under thickened milk. A festival sweet sold all year.

Paniya and gulgula

The Mewar monsoon pair: maize bread baked in leaves, with sweet fried dough balls beside it.

Udaipur fact sheet

Udaipur at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
India
Region
Mewar, southern Rajasthan
Population
451,100 in the city, 474,531 across the urban agglomeration (2011 census)
Founded
1559, by Maharana Udai Singh II
Nickname
City of Lakes
Language
Hindi and Mewari, with English used across tourism
Currency
Indian rupee (INR, ₹)
Time zone
IST, UTC+5:30, with no daylight saving
Calling code
+91, city code 294
Airports
Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR), about 22 km east at Dabok
Power
230V, 50Hz, plug types C, D and M
Emergency
112 for all services, 100 police, 108 ambulance
Ideal length
3 days
Getting around
Walk the old city between Gangaur Ghat and the City Palace, autos and ride-hailing apps for everything beyond it
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Lake Pichola was dammed in 1362, during Maharana Lakha's reign, almost two centuries before the city was founded.
  • Mewar's rulers styled themselves diwan, or steward, of Eklingji: the god held the title of ruler, and they governed for him.
  • Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in 1559 and the court moved here for good after Akbar took Chittorgarh in 1568.
  • Octopussy has screened nightly in the old city's rooftop cafes since 1983, when much of it was shot at the Lake Palace.
  • The third island in Fateh Sagar holds the Udaipur Solar Observatory, sited on water to steady the air above the telescopes.

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