Things to do in Udaipur
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Udaipur
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, full lakes, clear skies and slightly thinner crowds.
Peak winter, cold, beautiful, expensive and wedding crowded, worth it if booked early.
Season edges, pleasant days with Diwali light in autumn and festivals in spring.
Shoulder sweet spot until mid April, then heat takes over.
Avoid, maxima routinely exceed 40C, lakes shrink and sightseeing shrinks to dawn and dusk.
Monsoon gamble, green hills and refilling lakes, humidity, slippery ghats and possible boat suspensions.
What's on
- Diwali October / November, dates shift yearly
Palace, ghats and lake palaces lit and reflected in Pichola.
- Shilpgram Festival about 10 days in late December
Crafts village becomes a national artisans fair with folk performance.
- Lake Festival typically February, dates vary
Smaller pleasant programming, not worth moving a trip for alone.
- Christmas / New Year 25 December / 1 January
Peak pricing and palace hotel galas, book everything.
- Mewar Festival March / April, around Gangaur
Processions to Gangaur Ghat, cultural performances and fireworks over Pichola.
- Holi March
Joyful and chaotic in the Old City lanes.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Udaipur
City Palace
Rajasthan's largest palace complex, stacked courtyards and terraces above Lake Pichola.
Lake Pichola Boat Ride
Sunset circuit past the lake palaces and ghats with a stop at Jag Mandir island.
Bagore Ki Haveli
Historic haveli museum by day and the joyful Dharohar folk dance show by night.
Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace
Hilltop palace terrace with a 360 degree view over both lakes and the Aravallis.
Ambrai Ghat
Free lakeside ghats for dawn rituals at Gangaur and the lit palace view from Ambrai.
Gangaur Ghat
Old City ghat below Bagore Ki Haveli, the morning ghat for washing, prayers and processions, paired with Ambrai Ghat.
Shashi Cooking Classes
Small hands on cooking class in a family home, ending with the meal you cooked.
Jagdish Temple
Carved 1651 temple at the palace gates, best paired with wandering the Old City lanes.
Where to stay in Udaipur
Old City / Lal Ghat-Gangaur Ghat-Chandpole
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the palace, temples, Bagore Ki Haveli and most restaurants in 5 to 15 minutes.
Ambrai / Hanuman Ghat
quiet and couples, postcard view
Calmer west bank with the City Palace straight across the water and a short walk to the Old City.
Fateh Sagar Lake
families, drivers and repeat visitors
Broader roads, parking, bigger hotels and a local promenade, 15 to 20 minutes from the palace.
Rani Road / outskirts resorts
resort stay, not a city stay
Pools, gardens and silence in the foothills, best chosen deliberately with one city day.
Think twice about
- Udaipur City railway station and central bus stand area
Noisy, traffic choked transit strip of charmless hotels, far from the sights. Book only for an early train.
- Hiran Magri and the highway and airport road sprawl
Modern suburb in the southeast where you are car dependent for every coffee, sunset and dinner.
- Lake-view listings that will not name their lake or ghat
Vague lake facing claims usually mean neither Pichola nor Fateh Sagar. Check the map pin before paying.
Best restaurants in Udaipur
Ambrai Restaurant
Garden dinner at the water facing the lit palaces, with proper laal maas and dal baati.
Sheesh Mahal
Mirror work fine dining room with a Pichola terrace, the splurge special occasion dinner.
Upre by 1559 AD
Rooftop cabanas, palace panorama and cocktails that stretch sunset into dinner.
Natraj Dining Hall
Busy hall serving unlimited vegetarian Gujarati and Rajasthani thali, the local lunch.
Krishna Dal Bati Restro
Unlimited dal baati churma with ghee, gatte ki sabzi, garlic chutney and chaas.
Khamma Ghani
Garden lakeside restaurant built for mixed groups, with thalis, tandoori and live music.
Charcoal by Carlsson
Small grill house for serious tandoor and charcoal kebabs, tikkas and smoked meats.
Millets of Mewar
Millet pizzas, khichdi bowls, salads and vegan plates, a light break from ghee rich food.
Outdoor things to do in Udaipur
Badi Lake
Guided early cycle from Fateh Sagar through villages to quiet, undeveloped Badi Lake.
Neemach Mata Temple
Cheap hill hikes to Neemach Mata, Bahubali Hill and Sajjangarh trails for lake views.
Bahubali Hill
Short rough climb to a rocky perch over Badi Lake and the hills, the sunset version of the residents' viewpoints and still free.
Kumbhalgarh Fort
UNESCO hill fort with a vast Aravalli wall, paired on the day trip with Ranakpur temple.
Ranakpur Jain Temple
15th century white marble Jain temple with 1,444 carved pillars, paired with Kumbhalgarh on the essential day trip.
Horse Riding in Aravalli Foothills
Ride Marwari horses on foothill, farmland and village routes with a reputable stable.
Fateh Sagar Lake Boating
Cheap paddle, motor and speed boats on Fateh Sagar, plus rides to Nehru Park island.
Eklingji Temple
Mewar history loop linking Eklingji, Nathdwara and Haldighati with a driver guide.
Best hotels in Udaipur
Taj Lake Palace
White marble island palace hotel reached only by boat, the famous Udaipur image.
The Oberoi Udaivilas
Modern palace resort with large rooms, pools and benchmark service on Pichola.
The Leela Palace Udaipur
Contemporary palace luxury with all lake view rooms and the best hotel dining.
Taj Fateh Prakash Palace
Sleep inside the City Palace complex, a relative value pick among the luxury hotels.
Raffles Udaipur
Secluded contemporary resort on its own island in Udai Sagar, made for disappearing.
Jagat Niwas Palace
Frescoed Old City haveli with a rooftop and direct Pichola view, the mid range benchmark.
Amet Haveli
Heritage haveli on the Ambrai shore where the famous garden restaurant is downstairs.
Trident Udaipur
Reliable Oberoi group hotel in large gardens, good value rooms and a good pool.
Is Udaipur expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹6,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₹20,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lake Pichola Boat Ride: a few days ahead
- Bagore Ki Haveli: a few days ahead
- Shashi Cooking Classes: a few days ahead
- Animal Aid Unlimited: a few days ahead
- Pacific Art: a few days ahead
- Badi Lake: a few days ahead
- Kumbhalgarh Fort: weeks ahead
- Ranakpur Jain Temple: weeks ahead
- Lake view haveli rooms and luxury hotels book 2 to 4 months out for December and January.
- Book the Dharohar show, Ambrai and Upre dinners, Shashi class and trains ahead in season.
- City Palace, boats, temples and gardens do not need booking, arrive at opening.
Is Udaipur safe?
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
- Traffic, heat and slippery lake steps are the main risks, violent crime against visitors is rare.
- Give street dogs and temple monkeys a wide berth and do not hand feed them.
- Sightsee at dawn and dusk only in April to June heat.
Udaipur travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Ambrai Ghat has no entry fee, anyone selling one is scamming you.
- Decline unlicensed palace guides and any tour that must include a cousin's shop.
- City Palace tickets are layered, decide on Crystal Gallery and boats before the counter.
- Skip dinner cruises sold by lakeside touts, take the public sunset boat then dinner at Ambrai.
Getting around Udaipur: public transport and more
- Walk the Old City, cars cannot use most lanes.
- Use Uber or Ola app cabs or agree auto fares before moving, autos do not meter for visitors.
- A hired car and driver by the day is the best value for Fateh Sagar, Sajjangarh, Badi and day trips.
Who Udaipur suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Udaipur your trip
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