Location · Sep - Mar
Udaipur and the Mewar Hills
A full City Palace morning, a sunset boat to Jag Mandir, then a day on the 36 km Kumbhalgarh wall and under Ranakpur's 1,444 marble pillars.
From US$1,875 per person
Overview
Udai Singh II founded the city in 1559 after Akbar's armies made Chittorgarh untenable, choosing a valley ringed by hills and damming streams to create Pichola and later Fateh Sagar. The lakes are therefore engineering, not accident, and the system of bunds and overflow channels still works. The old city rises straight from the water on the eastern bank in a stack of ghats, havelis and temples.
Mewar's rulers claimed the oldest surviving dynasty in the region and never formally submitted to the Mughals, a point of pride that shapes every museum label in town. The City Palace is the result of four hundred years of additions by successive maharanas, making it the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. The seventeenth-century Jagdish Temple beside its gate is still the busiest working shrine in the old city.
Western visitors tend to arrive planning two nights and leave having stayed four. Udaipur rewards slowness: a morning in the palace, an afternoon learning miniature brushwork, a sunset boat past Jag Mandir, and a day trip to Kumbhalgarh's 36 kilometre wall and the marble Jain temples at Ranakpur. It is also the most comfortable base in the state for travellers who dislike heat and crowds.
Hand-held, every step
You travel as our guest, not as a booking number. One named person looks after you from the first video call to the drive back to the airport, and explains the meaning behind everything you are looking at.
In Udaipur that matters most where the crowds are thickest and the customs least familiar.
- Airport welcome with a name board, a local SIM and your first rupees sorted
- One trip manager on WhatsApp for the whole journey, answering within the hour
- Guides who explain each ritual, dish and carving as you meet it
- Reserved, safe places at festivals rather than the crush
- A real part in a puja, a wedding or a family celebration if you want one
- Female guide on request, vetted drivers, and no shopping-commission stops
Festivals worth planning a trip around
Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Islamic dates follow lunar calendars, so each year shifts. We confirm every date against the panchang before a departure goes on sale.
| Festival | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Mewar Festival and Gangaur | Mar-Apr (Chaitra, lunar) | Women carry Gauri images to Gangaur Ghat for immersion, then decorated boats cross Pichola at dusk with folk dance and fireworks over the water. |
| Shilpgram Utsav | 21 Dec - 30 Dec | Ten days at the crafts village 3 km west of Fateh Sagar, with artisans and folk troupes from across western India. One of the few fixed-date festivals here. |
| Hariyali Amavasya | Jul-Aug (Shravan, lunar) | A two-day monsoon fair at Fateh Sagar marking the first green of the season, with the second day reserved for women only. |
| Jagannath Rath Yatra | Jun-Jul (Ashadha, lunar) | The Jagdish Temple deities are pulled through the old city on a wooden chariot, with drummers and free prasad at the ghats. |
| Holi and the Holika Dahan at the palace | Mar (Phalguna Purnima, lunar) | The Mewar family lights a ceremonial bonfire in the Manek Chowk courtyard with horses and a royal procession, followed by colour in the streets next morning. |
| World Music Festival | Feb | Three days of free open-air concerts at Gandhi Ground, Fateh Sagar and Ambrai Ghat, mixing Rajasthani folk with visiting international bands. |
Food to try in Udaipur
Ranked the way a local host would feed you, starting with the dish you should not leave without.
- Dal baati churmaThe Mewari version, baked in cow-dung embers at older kitchens. Natraj Dining Hall on Ayad bridge road serves an unlimited thali.
- Laal maasMutton in Mathania chilli, here often milder than in Jodhpur. Ambrai at Amet Haveli cooks it with a lake view.
- Safed maasWhite mutton in cashew and curd, a Mewar palace recipe. Served at Sheesh Mahal and the better heritage hotel kitchens.
- Dahi vadaLentil dumplings in sweetened yoghurt with cumin, a standard Udaipur street snack. Best from the stalls near Jagdish Temple.
- Mirchi vada and kachoriFried evening snacks sold by weight. Shiv Shakti on Bapu Bazaar does both well and fast.
- Papad ki sabziA curry made from lentil papads when vegetables were short, now a local favourite. Any home-style thali house will have it.
- Methi ka laddooFenugreek and jaggery sweets eaten in winter for warmth. Sold by the kilo in the Hathi Pol sweet shops.
- Kachori with alooThe Udaipur breakfast, a crushed kachori under spiced potato curry. Try the Chetak Circle stalls before nine in the morning.
- Gulab halwaRose-scented semolina halwa, pink and very sweet, particular to this part of Mewar. Ask at the older mithai counters.
- Rabdi malpuaFried batter discs in syrup under thick reduced milk, a festival sweet now sold year round near Clock Tower.
Heritage sites in Udaipur
- City Palace complexFour centuries of building by eleven maharanas, the largest palace in Rajasthan, with the Mor Chowk peacock mosaics and a crystal gallery.
- Jagdish TempleA 1651 Indo-Aryan Vishnu temple on a raised plinth beside the palace gate, with a brass Garuda and 32 steps worn smooth.
- Kumbhalgarh FortUNESCO Hill Forts of Rajasthan, 84 km north. A fifteenth-century Mewar stronghold behind 36 km of wall, the longest in India.
- Chittorgarh FortUNESCO, 115 km east. Mewar's abandoned first capital over 700 acres, with the 1448 Vijay Stambh tower and three siege sites.
- Ranakpur Jain TempleA 1446 marble temple 90 km north with 1,444 individually carved pillars, no two alike. Non-Jains enter after noon.
- Jag MandirThe 1620s island palace where Shah Jahan sheltered as a prince, now reached by palace boat for lunch or a drink.
- Saheliyon ki BariAn eighteenth-century garden of lotus pools, marble elephants and monsoon fountains built for the queen's attendants.
- Bagore ki HaveliAn eighteenth-century prime minister's mansion on Gangaur Ghat, now a museum of Mewari dress with a nightly dance courtyard.
Places to visit in Udaipur
- Lake PicholaThe 1362 artificial lake the city is built around, holding the Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir islands.
- Ambrai and Gangaur GhatsThe western and eastern waterfronts, best at sunset for the whole-city view photographers come for.
- Monsoon Palace, SajjangarhAn unfinished 1884 hilltop palace 1,100 metres up, inside a wildlife sanctuary, with the broadest view over the lakes.
- ShilpgramA rural arts village west of Fateh Sagar with reconstructed houses from four states and resident craftspeople.
- Hathi Pol and Bada BazaarThe old city shopping streets for miniature paintings, puppets, pichwai cloth and silver.
- Fateh Sagar LakeThe northern lake with Nehru Garden island, a lakeside drive and the solar observatory on its water.
- Eklingji and NagdaTwenty-two kilometres north, Mewar's dynastic temple complex and the ruined tenth-century Sas Bahu shrines beside it.
- Jaisamand LakeForty-eight kilometres south-east, a seventeenth-century dam lake once the largest artificial lake in Asia, with marble elephants on the bund.
Waterfalls, lakes and wild places
The lakes are fullest from September to February, right after the monsoon, and that is when Udaipur looks the way the photographs promise. In a weak monsoon year Badi and Fateh Sagar can drop badly by May. Swimming is not allowed in Pichola, and Menal's gorge rocks are slick and unfenced in the rains.
- Lake PicholaCentral Udaipur. Built in 1362 and enlarged by Udai Singh II, with hour-long boats from Rameshwar Ghat inside the palace.
- Fateh Sagar LakeNorth of the old city, 1680s and rebuilt in 1889, with a pedal-boat jetty and the island solar observatory.
- Jaisamand LakeForty-eight kilometres south-east, a 1685 dam lake with islands, a bird sanctuary and marble elephants along the bund.
- Badi LakeTwelve kilometres north-west, a quiet nineteenth-century famine-relief reservoir with rock ledges, popular for a swim-free picnic.
- Menal FallsA monsoon fall in a gorge on the Chittorgarh road, best in August and September, with an eleventh-century temple group beside it.
- Sajjangarh Biological ParkBelow the Monsoon Palace, a hill sanctuary of dry deciduous forest with nilgai, wild boar and good birding at dawn.
Where to stay in Udaipur
Properties we would put our own guests in. Your package includes the level you choose, and we hold rooms before festival dates.
- Taj Lake PalaceThe 1746 island palace in Pichola, reached only by the hotel's own boatLuxury
- The Oberoi UdaivilasHaridasji Ki Magri; 50 acres on the western shore with a wildlife bufferLuxury
- Shiv Niwas PalaceInside the City Palace walls, the maharana's former guest wingHeritage
- Fateh Prakash PalaceCity Palace complex; the crystal gallery wing overlooking the lakeHeritage
- Amet HaveliHanuman Ghat, west bank; an eighteenth-century haveli with the Ambrai restaurantHeritage
- Trident UdaipurHaridasji Ki Magri; garden grounds beside Udaivilas, good for familiesUpscale
- Jagat Niwas Palace HotelLal Ghat; a converted seventeenth-century haveli on the waterBoutique
- Jheel Guest HouseLal Ghat; long-running small lakeside guest house with a rooftopMid-range
Evenings out and culture
| Place | What it is |
|---|---|
| Dharohar show, Bagore ki Haveli | An hour of Mewari folk dance nightly in a haveli courtyard, ending with the bhavai act of balancing ten brass pots. Buy the ticket during the day. |
| Ambrai, Amet Haveli | A waterside restaurant and bar on the west bank with the full palace view across Pichola. Reserve the front tables a day ahead. |
| Jagat Niwas rooftop | Lal Ghat; an old-fashioned terrace bar for a beer at sunset, popular with long-stay travellers and painters. |
| Shilpgram amphitheatre | Open-air folk and tribal performances through the winter season, in addition to the December festival. |
| Sunset Terrace, Fateh Prakash | Live Rajasthani instrumental music on the palace terrace each evening, with the lake directly below. |
| Miniature painting studios, Hathi Pol | Working studios where Mewari artists paint on paper, silk and camel bone and will teach a two-hour brush lesson. |
Getting to Udaipur by air
| Airport or route | Detail |
|---|---|
| Maharana Pratap (UDR) | Dabok, 22 km east, about 45 minutes by taxi. Domestic only, with a small single terminal. |
| Via Delhi (DEL) | Non-stop to Delhi from New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, then 1 hour 20 minutes on to Udaipur. |
| Via Mumbai (BOM) | Non-stop from London, Newark, Frankfurt, Paris and Zurich, then a 1 hour 15 minute flight. Often the quicker routing from Europe. |
| Transfer into town | Fixed-rate prepaid taxis at the terminal, roughly 45 minutes to the old city. Lake-side hotels send cars that can only reach the nearest ghat. |
| Onward to Jodhpur and Jaipur | Short domestic hops of under an hour, though the 250 km road to Jodhpur via Ranakpur makes a better day. |
Trains and road to Udaipur
| Route or station | Detail |
|---|---|
| Udaipur City (UDZ) | The terminus station 3 km south-east of the lakes, about 15 minutes by autorickshaw. Small, calm and easy to navigate. |
| Delhi to Udaipur, Mewar Express | An overnight run of roughly twelve hours from Hazrat Nizamuddin, arriving early morning. Book two-tier air-conditioned. |
| Jaipur to Udaipur | Around seven hours by day train or an overnight sleeper. The road is faster at about six hours via Ajmer. |
| Udaipur to Chittorgarh | Two hours by train to the UNESCO fort, which makes a comfortable day trip without a car. |
| Palace on Wheels | Calls at Udaipur on its week-long Delhi circuit between September and April, with the city visit done by coach. |
Weather, seasons and best time to visit Udaipur
September to March is the window here, slightly longer than the rest of Rajasthan, with 14-31°C / 57-88°F and the lakes at their fullest right after the rains. Give May and June a miss, when the valley holds heat above 40°C / 104°F.
| Months | Season | Day temperature | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct-Nov | Post-monsoon | 19-31°C / 66-88°F | Lakes full, hills still green and air clear. The best combination of weather and scenery in the year. |
| Dec-Feb | Winter | 14-26°C / 57-79°F | Warm days and cold mornings near 7-11°C / 45-52°F. Boats run early, so take a jacket for a dawn trip. |
| Mar-Jun | Summer | 30-40°C / 86-104°F | Hot, though the Aravalli setting keeps Udaipur two or three degrees below Jaipur. May and June are uncomfortable by midday. |
| Jul-Sep | Monsoon | 25-33°C / 77-91°F | About 600 mm of rain. Humid with heavy showers, the hills turn green and lake levels recover. Rates are at their lowest. |
Udaipur tour packages
Per person, twin sharing, excluding international flights. Hotels, private transport, guides, entries, your trip manager and 24-hour support are included.
Festival · Fixed dates - Mar/Apr 2027
Gangaur Boats and the Mewar Festival
You follow the Gauri processions from the old city down to Gangaur Ghat, watch the decorated boats cross Pichola at dusk, and see the palace bonfire rites.
From US$2,188 per person
Tradition · Sep - Mar
Miniature Painting and Pichwai Cloth
Three studio sessions with a Mewari miniaturist learning squirrel-hair brushwork, plus a day at Nathdwara watching pichwai temple cloths being painted.
From US$1,750 per person
Wellness · Sep - Mar
Slow Udaipur, Lake Mornings and Ayurveda
Dawn yoga on a ghat terrace, a course of Ayurvedic massage at a lakeside clinic, and unhurried afternoons with one palace or temple a day.
From US$2,062 per person
Take part, don't just watch
Add any of these to a tour. A host stays beside you and tells you what is happening and why it is done that way.
Learn squirrel-hair brushwork with a Mewari miniaturist
In a Hathi Pol studio a painter from a family of court artists gives you a prepared wasli board, stone-ground pigment and a brush of three squirrel hairs. Over two afternoons you complete one small panel and learn why Mewar painting uses flat colour and a raised horizon.
Row out at dawn with a Pichola boatman
Before the palace jetty opens, a boatman from Hanuman Ghat takes you across the lake in a wooden rowing boat to watch the washing ghats start work. He points out the overflow channels, the fish, and which havelis his family has ferried to for three generations.
Join the evening aarti at Jagdish Temple
A priest at the 1651 temple walks you up the 32 steps before the seven o'clock aarti, shows you where to stand as a non-Hindu visitor and explains the brass Garuda shrine. You stay for the bell ringing and leave with tulsi prasad.
Cook a Mewari thali in a Brahmin household
A family near Chandpole hosts you in their own kitchen to make papad ki sabzi, baati in the embers and churma pounded by hand. You eat on the floor with three generations and go home with the ratio of ghee to flour written out.
Questions travellers ask about Udaipur
Why should I visit Udaipur?
Because it is the easiest place in Rajasthan to enjoy rather than endure. The lakes soften the heat, the City Palace is the largest in the state, and two UNESCO hill forts plus Ranakpur's marble Jain temple sit within a day's drive. It also has the state's best small hotels and an intact miniature painting trade you can learn from.
When is the best time to visit Udaipur?
September to March, a slightly wider window than the rest of the state. Post-monsoon October and November give 19-31°C / 66-88°F with full lakes, winter cools to 14-26°C / 57-79°F. March suits the Gangaur boats. Avoid May and June at 30-40°C / 86-104°F, when the valley traps the heat.
Is Udaipur safe for a solo traveller or solo woman?
It is among the calmer destinations in India and many solo women base themselves here for a week. The old city lanes are busy until late and well lit around the ghats. Watch your footing on unrailed ghat steps, agree autorickshaw fares first, and be firm with painting-shop touts near Jagdish Temple.
What visa do US, UK and EU travellers need?
An India e-Visa, applied for online a minimum of four days before departure. The tourist categories are 30 days, one year and five years, all multiple entry on the longer options. You will need a passport scan, a photo and a card payment. Carry the approval printout. No separate permit applies in Mewar.
What does an Udaipur tour cost?
Our ground cost is US$1,400 for the four-night painting and pichwai trip, US$1,500 for Udaipur with Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur, US$1,650 for the five-night slow wellness week and US$1,750 during Gangaur. Switching to the Lake Palace or Udaivilas can add several hundred dollars a night on top of these figures.
How many days do I need in Udaipur?
Three nights covers the City Palace, the ghats, a boat and a studio session. Four is better because it adds the Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur day without cutting anything. Five suits anyone who wants Nathdwara, Eklingji or simply long lake mornings. This is the one Rajasthan city where extra nights are not wasted.
Can vegetarians and vegans eat well, and is it spicy?
Very well. Mewari cooking is mostly vegetarian, with papad ki sabzi, gatte, dal baati and dahi vada as staples. Spice levels are moderate here compared with Jodhpur, and laal maas is the only genuinely hot dish. Vegans should watch for ghee and curd, which we flag to kitchens in advance of your arrival.
Which Udaipur festival is worth planning around?
Gangaur and the Mewar Festival in March or April, when Gauri images go down to Gangaur Ghat and decorated boats cross Pichola after dark. It is the most photogenic thing the city does. The date is lunar, so check with us first. Shilpgram Utsav from 21 to 30 December is the reliable fixed-date alternative.
Nearby and related
Most guests pair Udaipur with one or two of these on the same trip.