The rhythm of a Udaipur day
Mornings: the City Palace and the temples are at their best in the first hours, before the tour groups arrive and while the light is soft.
About one to four: especially outside the coolest months, the sun is strong and the stone holds the heat. Keep these hours for lunch, a rest, a museum or a painting studio.
- Eastern Pichola
- Old city, City Palace, Jagdish, ghats, Bagore ki Haveli
- North and west
- Gardens, Fateh Sagar, Monsoon Palace
- East
- Ahar
- Further north
- Eklingji, Nagda, Nathdwara
- Late afternoon: the city turns towards the water, and the last hour of light belongs to the lakes.
- Evenings: rooftops, boats and slow dinners.
- No zigzagging: group each day by area. It saves hours of driving through traffic.
- Leave gaps: a plan that fills every hour misses the long breakfast facing the lake, the hour on a bench at Ambrai Ghat, the chance conversation with a painter.
- A frame, not a timetable: for the full list of what to see, read things to do in Udaipur.
How long to stay, and how long each sight takes
Three nights is ideal: four if you want a full day trip to a fort.
One full day: the minimum, if you are passing through. It shows you the palace, the lanes and the lake.
- City Palace
- Two to three hours with a guide, half a day with the Crystal Gallery
- Bagore ki Haveli
- An hour or more, plus about an hour for the show
- Fateh Sagar
- An hour, two with a boat and Moti Magri
- Sunset boat
- The last hour of light
- Monsoon Palace
- Go up an hour before sunset
- Two days: the royal lake and old city on one, the gardens, Fateh Sagar and the hills on the other.
- Three days: our most recommended length, adding the temple country of Eklingji, Nagda and Nathdwara.
- Four days: a whole day at Kumbhalgarh or Chittorgarh, or a last night in a hill palace.
- Day trip drives: Chittorgarh is about two hours east, Kumbhalgarh about two and a half hours north.
- One big sight a morning: the timings above assume you rest through the hottest hours, as Udaipur families do.
One day in Udaipur
Morning, the City Palace and Jagdish Temple
Start with prayers: at Jagdish Temple as the morning prayers begin, then walk down the steps to the City Palace for opening time.
- Top first: climb to the Badi Mahal and the Mor Chowk with its glass peacocks, and work down as the groups come up.
- Allow: two to three hours with a good guide. Our City Palace guide explains what to look for.
- Early minutes: sit on the temple steps and watch the lane wake up: milk delivered by scooter, shutters rattling open, a cow fed the first roti of the day.
Afternoon, lunch, the lanes and a rest
Lunch: with a view of the lake.
The lanes: walk below the palace towards Gangaur Ghat, stopping at a miniature painter's studio or a silversmith.
- If it's hot: go back to your hotel for an hour.
- Late afternoon: look in at Bagore ki Haveli, the house of an eighteenth-century prime minister on the ghat.
- Shop light: a small painting, a piece of leheriya or a silver bangle bought from someone you watched at work means more than a bag of souvenirs.
Evening, a boat on Pichola and dinner by the water
Last hour of light: a private boat on Lake Pichola, landing at Jag Mandir to watch the City Palace turn amber.
- Then choose: the Dharohar folk show at Bagore ki Haveli, or dinner on a rooftop facing the lit palace.
- Book ahead: through our Pichola boat experience.
Two days in Udaipur
Day one, the palace, the old city and the lake
- Follow the one-day plan: Jagdish Temple and the City Palace, the lanes and ghats after lunch, a sunset boat to Jag Mandir, then a rooftop dinner or the Dharohar show.
- Staying inside the palace: at Shiv Niwas or Fateh Prakash, walk the courtyards after the museum closes, when they are almost empty.
Day two, gardens, Fateh Sagar and the Monsoon Palace
Morning garden: Saheliyon ki Bari while the fountains run and it is quiet.
Folk art: the puppets at Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, and the vintage cars if you love engines.
- After a rest: walk the Fateh Sagar embankment with Udaipur's families and take a boat to Nehru Garden.
- Sunset: an hour before, drive up through the forest to the Monsoon Palace and watch the light fade over the lakes and hills.
- Dinner: at your hotel by the water.
Three days in Udaipur
Day one, the royal city
Morning: Jagdish Temple and the City Palace, adding the Crystal Gallery and the Durbar Hall in Fateh Prakash Palace.
- Afternoon: lunch, a rest, then Bagore ki Haveli.
- Evening: a private sunset boat on Pichola, then dinner on Jag Mandir after the day visitors have gone.
Day two, dawn ghats, gardens and the hills
Dawn walk: along the ghats with a local guide, crossing the Chandpole bridge to Hanuman Ghat as women wash clothes on the steps.
- Morning: breakfast, then Saheliyon ki Bari and an hour with a miniature painter.
- Afternoon: after a slow lunch, the ropeway up Machhla Magra to the Karni Mata temple for the view.
- Sunset: the Monsoon Palace.
Day three, Eklingji, Nagda and Nathdwara
Early: the carved Sas-Bahu temples at Nagda, often empty at this hour.
- Eklingji: the great walled temple of the form of Shiva whom the Maharanas served as regents.
- Nathdwara: continue to Nathdwara for a darshan of Shrinathji and the painters' lanes.
- Last evening: Ambrai Ghat, watching the palace lights come on across the water.
Four days in Udaipur and the hills
- Kumbhalgarh
- About 2.5 hours north, with Ranakpur
- Chittorgarh
- About 2 hours east
- Temple country
- Nagda, Eklingji, Nathdwara
- Overnight option
- Kumbhalgarh, or Devigarh at Delwara
Day one, the royal city
- The classic day: Jagdish Temple and the City Palace in the morning, the Crystal Gallery and lunch, a rest, then a private sunset boat and dinner by the water.
- Keep it simple: you will be tired from travelling.
Day two, the old city, gardens and Fateh Sagar
Morning: a dawn walk on the ghats, then Saheliyon ki Bari, the folk art museum and a painter's studio.
- Afternoon: the royal cenotaphs at Ahar in the soft afternoon light.
- Evening: the Fateh Sagar embankment, then dinner on a rooftop.
Day three, Kumbhalgarh or Chittorgarh
One fort, not two: choose a single great fort for the day.
- North: Kumbhalgarh, Rana Kumbha's fortress with its long wall over the hills, combined with the marble temple at Ranakpur.
- East: Chittorgarh, the vast old capital of Mewar, with its towers and the temple of Meera Bai.
- Either way: leave early, take a picnic and return for a late dinner, or stay the night at Kumbhalgarh.
Day four, temple country and a hill palace
Morning: Nagda, Eklingji and Nathdwara.
- The last night: move to RAAS Devigarh at Delwara, an eighteenth-century hill palace turned modern hotel, and watch the sunset over the Aravallis from its terraces.
- An easy start: for the drive on to Jodhpur, Jaipur or the airport.
The first evening and the last morning
First evening, do almost nothing: check in, wash off the road and walk down to the water, whether your hotel terrace, a ghat in the old city or the Fateh Sagar embankment.
Then rest: watch the sun set, eat simply and sleep early. You will see the lake at its best tomorrow.
- Last morning, rise early: take a final walk on the ghats and have breakfast facing the lake.
- A sunrise boat: if your hotel is on Pichola, ask for a short one, when the water is still and the City Palace is pale gold. A quiet, perfect goodbye.
- Flying out: Maharana Pratap Airport is at Dabok, east of the city. Allow for morning traffic, and we will time your departure so there is no rush.
Changing the plan with the seasons
- Nov to Feb
- Outdoors all day; book early
- Apr to Jun
- Very early starts, indoor afternoons
- Jul to Sep
- Plan loosely, follow the sky
- Festival days
- Clear the plan
In winter, use the long, bright days
Afternoons outdoors: from November to February you can be out from mid-morning until after sunset, so we add a walk or garden instead of a rest.
- Cold dawns: we keep sunrise boats for keen photographers, wrapped in shawls.
- The season's pleasure: dinners outdoors on terraces and boats, with a heater or brazier when nights turn chilly.
- Busiest time: we book boats, guides and tables early, and start every palace visit at opening time.
In the hot months, live like a local
Very early: from April to June, Jagdish Temple and the City Palace in the first hours, then indoors by late morning.
- Afternoons: the hotel pool, a long lunch, a spa or an indoor studio visit.
- After five: the lake and the sunset, then a late dinner outdoors as the air cools.
- Day trips: avoid exposed forts like Chittorgarh, and make Kumbhalgarh an overnight rather than a day out.
In the monsoon, follow the weather
Plan loosely: from July to September, rain usually comes in heavy bursts followed by clear spells.
Wet hours: the City Palace museum and Bagore ki Haveli.
- When clouds lift: rush out to the Monsoon Palace, the lakes and the hills.
- The north in rain: the drive to Eklingji and Nathdwara is beautiful, and a night at Devigarh with storms over the hills is unforgettable.
- Built for it: our Monsoon in Mewar journey.
Around festivals, give the day to the city
Gangaur, Holi, Diwali: we clear the plan for the day.
- Where to be: Gangaur Ghat for the procession, a courtyard for Holi, a rooftop for Diwali lamps.
- Traffic: in the old city it can stop completely.
- The calendar: our best time to visit Udaipur guide goes month by month.
Udaipur for couples
Four nights: for a honeymoon or anniversary, with fewer sights each day.
Water and hills: split your stay between an island or lakeside hotel and a hill palace outside the city.
- Slow days: start late and take one great sight each morning.
- Every evening on the water: a private sunset boat, dinner on a boat moored mid-lake, a candlelit table on Jag Mandir, or a terrace facing the lit City Palace.
- Add-ons: a spa afternoon, a lesson with a miniature painter or a cooking class in a family home.
- A proposal: tell us quietly and we will arrange the moment on a boat, a rooftop or a palace terrace.
- Ready-made: our Udaipur romance journey, our Rajasthan honeymoons pairing Udaipur with the desert, and our proposal ideas in Udaipur.
Udaipur with children and grandparents
What children love
The favourites: boats of any kind, the ropeway to Karni Mata, the puppet show at Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, the pot-balancing dancer at the Dharohar show, Jag Mandir's stone elephants and the vintage cars.
- A treat: corn roasted on coals at Fateh Sagar.
- Older children: often enjoy a cycle ride into the villages or a morning on a gentle horse.
How we pace it
One outing a morning: a long break at the hotel pool at midday and something light outdoors in the evening.
- The City Palace: large, with many stairs, so for young children we see the highlights rather than every room.
- For grandparents: shorter walks, step-free routes where possible, and boats to avoid lanes and stairs.
- Read more: multi-generation journeys and travelling with children.
A sample family day
Morning: breakfast by the lake, then Saheliyon ki Bari and the puppet museum.
- Midday: lunch and a swim at the hotel.
- Late afternoon: the ropeway to Karni Mata and the gardens at Doodh Talai.
- Evening: the Dharohar show and an early supper. Everyone is in bed by nine, happy and tired.
Udaipur for a second or third visit
Come in the monsoon: the hills are green, the lakes full, and the city feels entirely different.
Badi Lake and Ahar: a picnic breakfast by Badi Lake, and the afternoon among the cenotaphs at Ahar.
- A longer painting lesson: two or three mornings with a painter whose work you admire.
- Jaisamand: drive south-east to one of the largest man-made lakes in Asia and its forested sanctuary.
- Haldighati and Rajsamand: where Maharana Pratap fought the Mughals in 1576, and the marble embankment of Rajsamand Lake.
- Birding: the village lakes of Menar in winter.
- Stay somewhere new: Raffles on Udai Sagar, a haveli on the ghats, or Devigarh in the hills.
- Dungarpur: two hours south, with the lakeside Udai Bilas Palace. Read about Dungarpur.
Where the meals fall
Breakfast: at the hotel, ideally facing water. Mornings are Udaipur's calmest hour.
Lunch in the city: a Mewari vegetarian thali where local families eat, or a light meal on a terrace near the palace.
- Night one
- At your own hotel
- Night two
- A rooftop facing the lit palace
- Night three
- On the water or at Jag Mandir
- Night four
- A family home or palace dinner
- Day-trip lunches: we pack a picnic or stop at a heritage hotel, because roadside food in the countryside is simple.
- Dinner is where Udaipur shines: over three or four nights, the four dinners above give you the full range of the city's tables, including a private palace dinner.
- What to order: our food of Udaipur guide explains the dishes and where Mewari cooking comes from.
The mistakes we help guests avoid
Arriving at midday: time a long drive so you reach Udaipur in the late afternoon and go straight to the lake.
An afternoon boat: the lake is flat and harsh at two o'clock and glorious at six.
- The palace bottom-up: start at the top courtyards at opening time, ahead of the crowds.
- Three forts as day trips: don't try to fit Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Chittorgarh into one stay. Choose one, or stay overnight.
- Nathdwara without darshan times: the temple opens only for short periods, so we plan around them.
- Every evening booked: leave at least one night with nothing planned but dinner by the water.
- Skipping the north: Eklingji and Nagda explain the Maharanas better than any museum, and many visitors never go.
Where Udaipur fits in a longer journey
From Jaipur: we often break the drive at Chittorgarh or a castle hotel, or you can fly in. See Jaipur to Udaipur by road.
From Jodhpur: the most beautiful route runs through the Aravallis via Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh, turning a long drive into one of the best days of the trip. Read Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur.
- From Jaipur
- About six hours by road, or about an hour by air
- From Jodhpur
- Best via Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh
- West
- Mount Abu and Gujarat
- Airport
- Maharana Pratap Airport, Dabok
- Arrive
- Late afternoon
- Golden Triangle and Udaipur: adds the lake city to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
- Mewar Lakes and Temples: the whole kingdom, with Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur.
- Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer: from the lakes to the desert.
- Going west: a short drive to Mount Abu and its Dilwara temples, or on into Gujarat.
- Arrive for the first evening: arriving at midday, tired and hot, is the worst introduction. Our getting around page explains how we time the drives.
Practical notes for planning your days
Book ahead in winter: your private boat, any Lake Palace or Jag Mandir dinner and your City Palace guide.
Narrow lanes: your chauffeur drops you at a gate, and you walk or take a boat across the lake.
- Evening traffic: allow extra time between the old city and the western shore hotels.
- Temple hours: temples close for periods during the day, and Nathdwara opens only for short darshans, so we plan the timing for you.
- Pack by season: a shawl for winter boats, a hat and water in the hot months and an umbrella in the monsoon.
- Temple dress: cover shoulders and knees for Jagdish, Eklingji and Nathdwara.
- Fly out in the evening: if you can. A last sunset on Pichola is the best goodbye.
