A Little History

Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput dynasty, who moved his capital here from Chittorgarh after that fort had been repeatedly besieged by Mughal forces. The new capital's location, ringed by the Aravalli hills and fed by natural lakes, offered far better natural defence than the exposed plains around Chittorgarh, and the move proved a lasting one: Udaipur remained the seat of the Mewar rulers for the rest of their reign.

The Sisodias of Mewar took particular pride in never fully submitting to Mughal rule the way many other Rajput houses did, and that spirit of independence shaped Udaipur's identity for centuries; several of its palaces and monuments commemorate battles and alliances from this long resistance, most famously the story of Maharana Pratap and the Battle of Haldighati. Successive Maharanas expanded the City Palace complex over nearly 400 years, added the artificial Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar Lake to secure the city's water supply, and built garden retreats like Saheliyon Ki Bari for the royal household.

Udaipur later became a princely state under British paramountcy, retaining a significant degree of internal self-rule, before joining the Indian union after independence in 1947. Unlike many royal families whose properties were nationalised, the Mewar royal family retained ownership of large parts of the City Palace complex, which is one reason the palace still feels lived-in rather than purely a museum, and why sections of it continue to function as a private residence and heritage hotel today. Much of Udaipur's old-city fabric, havelis, temples, and lakeside ghats, has survived remarkably intact, giving the city one of the most cohesive historic centres in Rajasthan.

Top Places to See in Udaipur

Udaipur's sights cluster naturally around its lakes, which makes it one of the easier Rajasthan cities to explore without long transfers between stops.

City Palace: Rajasthan's largest palace complex, built up over nearly 400 years by successive Maharanas of Mewar, sits directly on the eastern shore of Lake Pichola. Inside, a maze of courtyards, balconies and towers connects rooms decorated with mirror work, murals and coloured glass; the Mor Chowk (Peacock Courtyard), with its glass-mosaic peacocks, is a highlight, and several sections still function as a museum and, in part, as a private royal residence.

Lake Pichola: The artificial lake at the heart of the city, created in 1362 and later enlarged by Udai Singh II, is best experienced from a boat at sunset, gliding past the City Palace ghats, Jag Mandir island, and the marble Lake Palace, which now operates as a luxury hotel accessible only to guests.

Jag Mandir: A palace built on its own island in Lake Pichola, notable as the place where a young Prince Khurram (the future Mughal emperor Shah Jahan) is said to have taken refuge during a rebellion against his father – a stay some historians connect to the design inspiration behind the Taj Mahal. It's reachable by a short boat ride and makes a scenic stop on a lake cruise.

Saheliyon Ki Bari (Garden of the Maidens): A compact, beautifully maintained garden of fountains, marble elephants and a lotus pool, built for the ladies of the royal court to relax away from the palace. The fountains, remarkably, still run on the original gravity-fed water system.

Fateh Sagar Lake: A second, larger lake north of Lake Pichola, connected to it by a canal, ringed by the Aravalli hills and popular for boat rides out to Nehru Garden, an island park in the middle of the lake.

Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace): Perched on a hilltop above the city, this late-19th-century palace was built as a monsoon retreat and astronomical monitoring station. It's now best known for sweeping sunset views over Udaipur's lakes and the surrounding Aravallis.

Jagdish Temple: A large, intricately carved Indo-Aryan temple close to the City Palace, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, built in 1651. Its stepped entrance and carved stone elephants, pillars and friezes make it one of the finest examples of temple architecture in the city.

Bagore Ki Haveli: An 18th-century haveli on the Lake Pichola waterfront at Gangaur Ghat, now a museum of Mewar court life, costumes and everyday objects. In the evenings it hosts a well-regarded folk dance performance featuring Rajasthani puppetry, the fire dance, and the striking bhavai dance, where performers balance pots on their heads while dancing on the rim of a glass.

Vintage and Classic Car Museum: Housed in the former palace garage, this collection of the Mewar royal family's vintage cars, including Rolls-Royces used in royal weddings and hunting expeditions, is a quirky, less-visited stop that appeals to anyone with an interest in mechanical history.

Best Time to Visit Udaipur

September to March is the most comfortable stretch, with warm, sunny days and cool evenings well suited to boat rides and rooftop dining. Winter (December–January) can get chilly after dark, so pack a layer. Summers (April to June) are hot, though Udaipur's lakes and higher elevation make it noticeably milder than Jaipur or Jaisalmer in the same season. The monsoon (July to September) fills the lakes and turns the surrounding hills a vivid green, and while some days bring heavy rain, it's also when the city is at its most photogenic and least crowded.

How to Reach Udaipur

By Air: Maharana Pratap Airport (Dabok) is around 22 km from the city centre and has regular flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and other major Indian cities.

By Rail: Udaipur City railway station connects to Delhi, Ajmer, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, with the journey from Delhi typically taking 11–13 hours, making it a better option for an overnight train than a quick hop.

By Road: Udaipur is roughly 400 km from Jaipur (around 6–7 hours by road) and about 260 km from Ahmedabad. A private car with driver is a comfortable way to combine Udaipur with Jodhpur, Mount Abu, or a broader southern Rajasthan itinerary.

Local Culture, Food & Shopping

Udaipur's old city lanes around Jagdish Temple and Lake Pichola are dense with small shops selling miniature paintings in the distinctive Mewar style, silver jewellery, block-printed textiles, and wooden handicrafts. Hathi Pol market is a good spot for bangles and souvenirs, while several genuine art studios in the old city still teach and sell traditional Rajasthani and Mughal miniature painting techniques.

On the food side, Udaipur shares much of Rajasthan's thali culture, but is particularly known for its lake-view rooftop restaurants, a good place to try dal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi (gram-flour dumplings in a spiced yogurt gravy), and laal maas for those who eat meat. Given the Mewar region's strong Jain influence, Udaipur also has an unusually wide choice of good vegetarian restaurants even by Rajasthani standards.

If your visit coincides with Mewar Festival (around March/April, timed with Gangaur), you'll see the old city fill with processions, folk music and a boat procession on Lake Pichola carrying idols of Gangaur and Isar down to the water – one of the most visually striking festivals anywhere in Rajasthan.

Udaipur is also a good place to see Rajasthani performing arts up close. Beyond the nightly show at Bagore Ki Haveli, smaller venues around the old city host puppet shows using traditional kathputli marionettes, an art form with roots in Rajasthan going back centuries, as well as live folk music featuring instruments like the ravanhatta (a bowed folk fiddle) and the khartal (wooden hand-clappers used in Manganiyar and Langa musical traditions).

Travel Tips for Udaipur

A lake or hilltop-view dinner is worth planning for at least one evening – book ahead in peak season (October–March), as the best-positioned rooftop restaurants fill up quickly. Boat rides on Lake Pichola generally run in scheduled slots through the day, with the last evening slot the most popular for sunset views, so arrive early to avoid disappointment. The City Palace complex is large; set aside at least two to three hours if you want to see it properly rather than rushing through. Udaipur's old city is very walkable, but the roads can be narrow and busy with mopeds, so stay alert while exploring on foot. If you enjoy photography, the golden hour just before sunset, best watched from a rooftop cafe on the eastern side of Lake Pichola, is consistently the best light of the day for photographing the City Palace and Lake Palace across the water.

Where to Stay: Staying inside or right next to the old city, close to Lake Pichola and Jagdish Temple, puts you within walking distance of most major sights and the best lake views. The area around Fateh Sagar Lake offers a slightly quieter, more spread-out alternative with good mid-range options, while a small number of heritage and luxury properties sit directly on or overlooking Lake Pichola itself for travellers wanting a splurge stay.

Nearby Excursions & Suggested Itinerary

Two to three days lets you see Udaipur properly without rushing. A typical plan looks like this:

Day 1: Spend the morning at City Palace, then walk to Jagdish Temple and explore the old city lanes and art studios around it. In the evening, take a Lake Pichola boat ride timed for sunset, taking in Jag Mandir along the way.

Day 2: Visit Saheliyon Ki Bari in the morning, then head to Fateh Sagar Lake for a second, quieter boat ride out to Nehru Garden. In the late afternoon, drive up to Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace) for sweeping sunset views over the whole city.

Day 3: Use a free morning for shopping in the old city bazaars, or, if you have a car and driver, take a half-day trip out to Eklingji and Nagda temples just north of the city, both important Mewar-era temple complexes rarely crowded with tourists.

For travellers who want to go further afield, Ranakpur's marble Jain temple complex is about two and a half hours north of Udaipur and is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Jain temple architecture in India, with over 1,400 uniquely carved marble pillars. Kumbhalgarh Fort, roughly the same distance away, is famous for having the second-longest continuous wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, and both sites are commonly combined into a single long day trip or an overnight stop en route to Jodhpur.

Udaipur pairs naturally with a wider Rajasthan circuit – it's a common stop on our 7-day Rajasthan tour packages and works well combined with Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur or Mount Abu. For getting around the city and to nearby sights, a private car with driver is by far the easiest way to see Udaipur's spread-out lake and hilltop attractions comfortably – see our Rajasthan tour packages for options that include Udaipur.

Frequently Asked Questions About Udaipur