Udaipur, renowned as “City of Lakes” and “Venice of East” is famous for the lakes, palaces, and Rajasthan’s tradition and culture. Udaipur was founded by Maharana Udai Singh II in the year 1553. We know Rajasthan as deserted land, but Udaipur offers a unique experience with beautiful lakes. Udaipur offers royal architecture of palaces, the vibrant culture and festivals, the Rajasthani cuisine and shopping streets filled with vibrant colours are the major attractions.
Udaipur Places to Visit
City Palace
City Palace represents the royal cultural heritage of Rajasthan, the entrance to the place is through triple gate, known as “Tripolia”. The majestic royal architecture of palace offers, the life of Maharaja’s, the meaning of Royal Haveli which consists of courtyards, jharokas, corridor, gardens and many other. The city palace offers a panoramic view of the famous Lake Pichola from the royal palace.
At the entrance gate, the coffee shop is situated, and you can also wear the traditional Rajasthan Dress and click photographs which are chargeable. They provide softcopies of photographs on your mobile also.
Ticket Price of City Palace
- For Adults (18 years & Above) – Rs. 400/-
- For Child (Between 5 to 18 years) – Rs. 150/-
- For Defence Personnel & family and Sr. Citizens above 60 years – Rs. 250/-
- Now you can book online ticket from e-ticket | City Palace (thecitypalacejaipur.com).
Monsoon Palace/ Sajjangarh Fort
Monsoon Palace was built in 19th century by Maharaja Sajjan Singh, and the palace was used for hunting proposes by the Kings. The Palace is situated at the top of Bansdara hills, surrounded by forest and from the palace you will get a spectacular view of the whole city. The Fort is built with stunning white marble, the carving with motifs of leaves and flowers carved over it. The Rajasthani Architecture with jharokas, domes, fountains are found all over the palace.
Ticket Price of Monsoon Palace/ Sajjangarh Fort
- For Indian – Rs. 110/-
- For Foreigners – Rs. 300/-
Pratap Memorial (Moti Nagari)
The statue of Maharana Pratap and his horse Chetak is admirable, and the statue is built with different kinds of metal and looks like a bronze statue. The memorable is situated at Moti Nagri, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake and from the top you can enjoy the spectacular view. The history of Chetak and his loyalty towards his king, Maharana Pratap, can’t be described through words.
Fateh Sagar Lake
The artificial lake is surrounded by hills and connects with Lake Pichola through a canal. The night view of Fateh Sagar Lake is immensely beautiful, and the street foods are located at the sides of the lake. You can also go for a camel ride at Fateh Sagar Lake, my mom loved it, as that was her first experience. Nowadays, the boating services have been stopped, so for boating services, you can visit Lake Pichola.
Jagdish Temple
The temple was built in 16th century in the Indo-Aryan style of architecture and the temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is built in three-storied and one of famous temple of Udaipur. The temple is not only about the architecture, but it also represents devotion and peace.
Lake Pichola (Near attraction Points)
Lake Pichola is surrounded by hills and offers magnificent views of the famous royal haveli and the temple. At Lake Pichola you can go for a boating ride which has different varieties, and the cost varies according to the boats. We will discuss the famous palaces built in the Pichola Lake, where shootings of films like Jawani Deewani was held, apart from film shooting, marriages were also conducted at these palaces like Pareeniti and Raghav Chadha’s wedding.
- Jagniwas/Lake Palace: The Palace was built as a summer retreat by the king in 17th century, but now the palace is converted into a hotel. The beautiful east facing hotel on Lake Pichola has gardens, fountains, terraces, and courtyards. While boating at Lake Pichola, they also tell the story of film shooting and royal marriages conducted at Jagniwas or can say Lake Palace.
- Jag Mandir: Jag Mandir also known as ‘Lake Garden Palace’ is built on Lake Pichola and in ancient time the royal family use the palace as a summer resort or to conduct parties. The palace is in the middle of lake, the ambience is so beautiful that it attracts tourist, and you can relax yourself.
- Doodh Talai Lake: While heading towards Lake Pichola, a famous there is a famous tourist destination known as Doodh Talai Lake. The park is named Deen Dayal Park and Manikya Lal Verma Garden, all these tourist spots are a part of Doodh Talai Lake. The first movie starrer Jhanvi Kapoor and Ishan Khattar, Dhadak was shoots at Doodh Talai Lake, Udiapur.=
- Karni Mata Mandir/Sunset Point: The sunset point is within walking distance from Lake Pichola. The distance is quite at high point, from where you can book a ropeway ticket for Karni Mata Mandir for both to & fro. At the top of that point, you can also witness the panoramic view of Udaipur.
- Bagore ki Haveli: The 18th century old haveli is built near Lake Pichola at Gangaur Ghat. The Haveli has 100 rooms, and some rooms are quite dark and seriously I thought should I go there or not? You can hear your voice, as the sounds echo.
Bird Park Gulab Bagh
Bird Park at Gulab Bagh has 12 enclosures and spread across 5.11 hectares of land. The Bird Park has different sections like Parrots house, Macaw and Cockatoo Courtyard, Lesser Passerine Section, Galliformes Runway,Flightless Birds Section, Aquatic Avifauna Section. The Bird Park houses 28 different species of birds which includes Green Munia, Blue and Gold Macaw.
Saheliyon Ki Bari
The Saheliyon Ki Bari was built only for the women by the then king Maharana Sangram Singh II. At this place you can click photographs near the marble elephants, the greenery and fountains look amazing. The garden spreads in a huge area, so you just sit and relax yourself. In front of Saheliyon ki Bari, there is a stall of “Golgappe wala” which makes delicious golgappe and has different kinds of sweet and spicy flavor.
Vintage Car Collection
The car collection is near Saheliyon Ki Bari and if you have interest in vintage and classic vehicles, the collection is so good. The Vintage Car Collection has Cadillac, Chevrolet, Morris etc. The Maharajas of Udaipur used this car collection for tours.
Badi Lake
Badi Lake is quite near to Fateh Sagar Lake and far from the main city. The artificial lake is surrounded by three chhatris and the freshwater lake helps the local people. Badi Lake is famous among tourists for the serene atmosphere and the less crowded place offers peace of mind. The lake was built by Maharan Raj Singh for the people of Udaipur and to help them in drought.
Shilpgram Festival, Udaipur
Shilgram is quite near to Fateh Sagar Lake and showcased the art and craft which is spread across 70 acres of land. The festival organized every year in December from 21st to 31st, a 10-day celebration offers unique experiences of handicrafts, embroideries, hand woven clothes, textiles, mirror works, pottery, and the cottage industry of Rajasthan. The huts are situated in the Shilpgram and represents different tribals. The festivals offer workshops to enhance craft skills.
- Entry Timings: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
- Entry Fees:
- For Indians – Rs. 30/-
- For Foreigners – Rs. 50/-
Streets Foods in Udaipur
Rajasthan is famous for Dal Batti Churma and the chutney’s they offered along with the dish.
- Streets Foods in Sukhadia Circle
- Streets Food at Fateh Sagar Lake
- Manak Balaji ke Mirchi Vade
- Vinod Coffee House which offers Kulhad Chai and Coffee
- Udaipur has good collection of Pickle, especially Tit Ka Achar of Bapu Bazar
- Pandit Ji ke Pav Bhaji. The restaurant offers lip smacking food without onion and garlic.
- Krishna Dal Bati Restro – Dal Bati Churma and Rajasthani Thali
Shopping Street in Udaipur
Shopping in Udaipur from Local Streets markets offers memorable experience. Rajasthani’s love vibrant colour, and the market filled with varieties of sarees. My favourite variety is bandhej saree, you don’t need to press it for a look. I would advise to buy atleast one pair of Rajasthani Poshak.
- Bapu Bazar
- Hathipol Bazar
- Chetak Circle
- Bada Bazar
Budget Hotels in Udaipur
- Hotel Shree Narayana
- Hotel Aashiya Haveli
- Hotel Shalimar Palace
- The Hosteller Udaipur
Best Time to Visit Udaipur
The ideal time to visit Udaipur is from October to March, i.e; winters, where the weather is pleasant, and greenery is all around the city.
- The temperature of Udaipur in winter is from 10 to 25 degrees in daytime and the temperature falls at night.
- Don’t plan in summers, the temperature was too hot and hard to explore the attraction points.
How to Reach Udaipur
- Nearest Airport – Maharana Pratap Airport which is around 25km from Udaipur.
- Nearest Railway Station – Udaipur Railway Station which is well connected with major cities of Rajasthan and the metropolitan cities too.
- By Road – Udaipur is well connected with the roads and highways are very good.
Final Thoughts
Rajasthan is known for Royal Culture and Heritage, and Udaipur has Royal Tradition, Palaces, Heritage and the serene lakes. The vibrant market and spicy food attract tourists and offer memorable experiences. In this travel blog, I tried to jot down every detail, you can also share your views.
Note: Some Images are taken from Google
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