Udaipur

Rajasthan's city of lakes, with a hilltop palace complex above Lake Pichola.

FamousLakeHeritageCity

Udaipur was founded in 1568 as the capital of Mewar and is built around man-made lakes ringed by the Aravalli hills. People come for the City Palace, boat rides on Lake Pichola, old-city lanes and sunset viewpoints. It suits couples, families and first-time visitors to Rajasthan, and most sights are close together.

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Photos

City Palace, Mohan Temple and Lake Pichola

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Select a photo for its author and licence.

Best time to go

When	What to expect
October to March	Peak season. Pleasant days and cool nights, roughly 5 to 25 degrees C. Best for sightseeing and boating.
April to June	Off-season. Very hot, about 28 to 40 degrees C and sometimes above 40. Outdoor sightseeing is tiring by day.
July to September	Monsoon. About 25 to 35 degrees C, green hills and full lakes. A good second choice, with some rain.

Sights and activities

City Palace

A large palace complex on the ridge above Lake Pichola, begun in 1570 and added to over about 400 years. The museum includes Mor Chowk and Sheesh Mahal.

Distance: In the old city, a short walk from Lal Ghat
Entry: About 400 for adults, about 150 for children and students (sources range from 250 to 450)
Timings: 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Time needed: 2 to 3 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Lake Pichola and Jag Mandir

An artificial lake dating from 1362, with island palaces. Jag Mandir can only be reached by boat, and sunset is the favoured time for a ride.

Distance: About 1 km from the city centre
Entry: Municipal boat about 150 per person in a 30-seater or 300 in a 10-seater; other operators quote 400 to 800
Timings: Boats about 9 AM to 6 PM (to 7 PM February to September)
Time needed: 2 to 3 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Jagdish Temple

A carved stone temple reached by a flight of 32 marble steps, about 150 metres from the City Palace gate.

Distance: In the old city, a short walk from Lal Ghat
Entry: Free
Timings: About 4:30 AM to 1 PM and 5 PM to 8 PM
Time needed: 30 to 45 minutes

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Bagore ki Haveli

An old mansion turned museum near the lake. The Dharohar folk dance show is held here every evening.

Distance: In the old city near the lakefront
Entry: Museum about 55 to 60; evening show about 125 to 150
Timings: Museum about 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM; show at 7 PM
Time needed: 1 hour, plus 1 hour for the show

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Saheliyon ki Bari

An 18th-century royal garden built for the queen and her attendants, with marble fountains, lotus pools and stone elephants.

Distance: About 4 km from the City Palace
Entry: About 20 to 30
Timings: About 9 AM to 7 PM (some sources say 8 AM to 8 PM)
Time needed: 1 hour

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Fateh Sagar Lake

A lake from the 1680s with a lakeside promenade and Nehru Island, which has a garden. Boating is available.

Distance: About 4 km from the city centre
Entry: Free to visit; boats about 100 to 300
Timings: Open all day; boating in daylight hours
Time needed: 1 to 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Sajjangarh (Monsoon Palace)

A hilltop palace built in 1884, at about 3,100 feet, with wide views over the lakes. It sits inside a wooded sanctuary, so leave before dark.

Distance: About 6 km from the city centre, about 11 km from the bus stand
Entry: About 65 (sources range from 30 to 65)
Timings: About 9 AM to 5:30 PM, closing at 5 PM in winter
Time needed: 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Shilpgram

A rural arts and crafts complex spread over about 70 acres, showing village huts and craft work from western India.

Distance: On the western edge of the city, beyond Fateh Sagar
Entry: About 30 to 50
Timings: 11 AM to 7 PM
Time needed: 1 to 2 hours

Map Wrong fee or timing?

Getting there

By bus: RSRTC and private AC and sleeper buses run from Ahmedabad (about 260 km), Jaipur (about 400 km), Jodhpur and Delhi (about 670 km).
By train: Udaipur City station (UDZ) is about 3 km from the city centre. Rana Pratap Nagar is a second station in the city. Chetak Express and Mewar Express run from Delhi in about 12 hours.
By air: Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok is about 22 to 25 km from the city, with flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur among others.
Where to base yourself: Stay in the old city around Lal Ghat, which is the closest area to the City Palace and Jagdish Temple and has many budget and mid-range hotels.

Getting around

Auto rickshaws cost about 50 to 150 for short rides in the city.
App-based taxis start at about 100 a ride.
A private cab for a full day of sightseeing costs about 1,500 to 2,500.
Scooters and motorbikes can be rented for about 300 to 500 a day.
The old city around the City Palace, Jagdish Temple and Lal Ghat is best covered on foot.

Often combined with

Places people usually visit on the same trip, and how long it takes to get between them.

Chittorgarh: Road, about 2 hours, about 120 km by road. See the Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Bundi trip
Mount Abu: Road, about 3 to 3.5 hours, about 160 km by road. See the Udaipur and Mount Abu trip

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Where to stay

Budget level	Type	Price per night
Budget	Hostels and guesthouses	₹500 to ₹1,500
Mid-range	Boutique and heritage-style hotels	₹2,000 to ₹5,000
Luxury	Luxury and palace hotels	₹6,000 to ₹15,000

Food

Street food and simple dhaba meals cost about 100 to 300. A meal for two at a mid-range restaurant is about 500 to 1,000, and fine dining is 1,500 to 5,000 or more for two. Lake-view rooftop restaurants are popular and the well-known ones need booking a day ahead in peak season.

Try these

Dal baati churma (lentils with baked wheat balls and a sweet crumble)
Gatte ki sabji (gram-flour dumplings in curry)
Rajasthani thali (set meal of several local dishes)
Kachori chaat (fried stuffed pastry served as a snack)
Laal maas (spicy mutton curry)
Jalebi made in ghee

Vegetarian food is the norm, with thalis and dal baati widely served.

Daily costs

Budget level	Stay per room	Food per person	Local transport
Budget	₹1,000	₹400	₹300 per person
Mid-range	₹3,500	₹900	₹2,000 per vehicle
Luxury	₹10,000	₹2,500	₹2,500 per vehicle

Per day. Travel to and from your city is added in the planner above.

Permits and documents

No permit requirement was found for visiting the city or its main sights. Carrying a photo ID for hotel check-in is sensible.

Safety

By day: The main sights are busy tourist areas. Some attractions close for private events, so check before going.
At night: Leave Sajjangarh before dark, as the palace is surrounded by forest with wild animals.
Solo women: Dress modestly at temples.
Roads: Udaipur is on main national highways from Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Delhi. Old-city lanes are narrow, so walking is often easier than driving.
Emergency numbers: 112 (all emergencies)

Practical

Mobile network: All the main networks (Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL) work in town. One travel guide notes that mobile signal can be unreliable in some areas.
ATMs and cash: Carry some cash, as cards are not accepted everywhere.
Fuel: There are several petrol pumps in and around town.
Medical: Hospitals are easy to find across the city. In an emergency dial 112, or 108 for an ambulance in most states.

Coverage maps: Jio · Airtel · Vi · BSNL. Report a problem

Accessibility

Seniors: Most sights are close together and reachable by auto or cab. The City Palace involves a lot of walking and Jagdish Temple has 32 steps.
Children: Boat rides, gardens and Shilpgram suit children. Child tickets are cheaper at most sights and under-fives are usually free.
Wheelchair users: Expect steps at Jagdish Temple and narrow lanes in the old city.

Unless a sight is described as accessible, assume it is not step-free.

Culture and responsible travel

Dress modestly when visiting temples.
Keep heritage gardens and lakefronts clean and do not litter.
Hindi and Rajasthani are the main languages; English is widely understood in tourist areas.
The Mewar Festival in spring is the city's best-known festival, with processions and fireworks.

What to pack

Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport or driving licence); hotels and permits ask for it
Some cash in small notes for autos, stalls and tips
Your regular medicines, plus basics for stomach upsets, headaches and cuts

Multi-stop trips that include Udaipur

Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Bundi, 6 nights
Udaipur and Mount Abu, 4 nights

At a glance

State: Rajasthan
District: Udaipur
Altitude: About 423 m
Gateway: Udaipur
Best time: Oct-Mar
Ideal trip: 3 days
Difficulty: Easy. Reached by road, and the sights need little walking.

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About this page

Checked against online sources in October 2026. Not field-verified. ATMs, fuel and hospitals from OpenStreetMap, October 2026.

Could not be confirmed online:

Entry fees differ between travel sites and none came from an official ticket page: City Palace 250 to 450, Sajjangarh 10 to 65, Saheliyon ki Bari 10 to 30, Bagore ki Haveli show 90 to 150, Shilpgram 30 to 50.
Lake Pichola boat prices vary widely by operator (150 to 800); Fateh Sagar boat prices come from a single source.
Opening hours differ slightly between sources for the City Palace, Saheliyon ki Bari, Sajjangarh and Jagdish Temple.
Train fares are approximate: sleeper class 'from about 300' is a general figure from one cost guide, not a per-route railway fare, and AC fares are estimated from quoted ranges.
Ahmedabad bus and taxi fares and the airport taxi fare were quoted in US dollars and converted at about 83 rupees to the dollar.
Delhi flight fare is the low end of one route planner's range; another guide quotes 2,500 to 7,000.
Daily food and local transport costs are estimates built from the meal and fare ranges found.
Mobile operators, fuel stations, nearest hospital, wheelchair access, Jain food and solo women safety were not confirmed online.
No official source was found on permits; none appear to be needed.
Distance of Shilpgram from the old city was not confirmed.
The district government site could not be read, so most facts come from travel sites rather than government pages.

Cover photo: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Rajasthan Tourism - Udaipur, Airports Authority of India - Udaipur tourist places, Britannica - Udaipur, IndiGo - Udaipur travel guide, Holidify - How to reach Udaipur, Holidify - Udaipur, Holidify - Best time to visit Udaipur, Holidify - Udaipur sightseeing, Tour My India - How to reach Udaipur, erail - Udaipur City railway station, Rome2Rio - Delhi to Udaipur, Rome2Rio - Jaipur to Udaipur, Rome2Rio - Ahmedabad to Udaipur, Rome2Rio - Udaipur airport to Udaipur, Travelfika - Udaipur trip cost, Travel Coffee - Udaipur itinerary for 2 days, Rajasthan Tour Taxi - Udaipur monument tickets and timings, Pajasa - Things to do in Udaipur, India Travel - Places to visit in Udaipur, Rajasthan Places - Saheliyon ki Bari, My Holiday Happiness - Saheliyon ki Bari, Hotel Dekho - Sajjangarh Palace