First choose your shore
The western shore: around Hanuman Ghat and Ambrai Ghat, the terraces look straight across Lake Pichola at the long facade of the City Palace. The sun sets behind you, and the palace catches the last light.
The eastern shore: around Lal Ghat and Gangaur Ghat, below the Jagdish temple, terraces face west over the water, with the sun going down behind the hills and the Lake Palace in front.
- City Palace
- On the eastern shore, facing west over the lake
- Western shore
- Hanuman Ghat and Ambrai, facing the palace
- Eastern shore
- Lal Ghat and Gangaur Ghat, facing the sunset
- Crossing
- The footbridge at Chandpole, or a boat
- On the water
- Taj Lake Palace and Jag Mandir
- Palace or sunset: the west shore gives you the palace lights, the east shore gives you the sunset. The best evenings do one, then the other.
- Getting between them: a footbridge near Chandpole links the two sides, and boats cross from the ghats. It is a lovely walk at dusk.
- The Lake Palace: whichever shore you choose, Taj Lake Palace glows on its island in the middle of the lake after dark.
- Our habit: sunset on the east side, then across to the west for dinner facing the lit palace.
The western shore, facing the City Palace
Upre, Lake Pichola Hotel
Where: the rooftop of the Lake Pichola Hotel on the western shore, just outside Chandpole.
- Why go: wide, open views straight across the lake to the City Palace, with the Lake Palace to the side. It is one of the city's best-known rooftop restaurants.
- What to order: Rajasthani and Indian dishes. Book for the hour before sunset and ask for a table at the edge.
Ambrai, on Ambrai Ghat
Where: on the ghat of the same name, at the water's edge on the western shore.
- Why go: a lakeside terrace rather than a rooftop, facing the whole length of the City Palace and Jag Mandir across the water. One of the most romantic tables in Udaipur.
- How: it is very popular, so we book ahead. Arrive before sunset to watch the light change.
The haveli rooftops of Hanuman Ghat
- What they are: small family-run hotels in old havelis, many with a rooftop restaurant facing the palace.
- Honest note: the views are wonderful, the food varies a great deal. We use the ones whose kitchens we know, and change our list when standards slip.
The eastern shore, facing the sunset
Jaiwana Haveli rooftop
Where: a haveli hotel a minute's walk from the lake, close to Gangaur Ghat.
- Why go: its rooftop restaurant has long been known for its lake views and Indian food, and it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- Note: there is no lift, and the stairs are steep. Not ideal for anyone with limited mobility.
Jagat Niwas Palace
Where: a heritage hotel at Lal Ghat, behind the Jagdish temple.
- Why go: its restaurant serves Rajasthani and Indian dishes with Lake Pichola as the backdrop. A calm, old-fashioned choice.
- When: late afternoon into dinner, when the sun drops over the western hills.
The Gangaur Ghat rooftops
- What they are: dozens of small cafes above the ghat and Bagore ki Haveli, facing the lake and the western shore.
- How we use them: for chai and the sunset, before the evening dance performance at Bagore ki Haveli or a walk across the footbridge.
On the water, the Lake Palace and the palace terraces
Bhairo, Taj Lake Palace: an open-air restaurant on the roof of the island palace, serving European dishes with the lake all around you. Book well ahead.
Arriving by boat: dinner at Taj Lake Palace is the only way for non-residents to visit the island, and the boat at dusk is part of the pleasure.
- Taj Lake Palace
- Non-residents dine by reservation only
- Getting there
- By the hotel's own boat
- Bhairo
- Open-air restaurant on the palace roof
- Sunset Terrace
- At Fateh Prakash, in the City Palace complex
- Neel Kamal: the Lake Palace's Indian and Rajasthani restaurant, for those who would rather eat Mewari food.
- The Sunset Terrace, Fateh Prakash: in the City Palace complex, overlooking Pichola. Our favourite place for an unhurried late lunch or tea. See Fateh Prakash Palace.
- Shiv Niwas Palace: also in the palace complex, with dining around its courtyard and views of the lake. See Shiv Niwas Palace.
- The lakeside hotels: The Oberoi Udaivilas and The Leela Palace Udaipur look across the water from their own terraces. Our luxury hotels in Udaipur guide compares them.
A rooftop evening in Udaipur, hour by hour
Five o'clock, the lanes
- Meet your guide: near the Jagdish temple in the old city, and walk down past Gangaur Ghat, the painters' shops and the sweet sellers frying the evening's snacks.
- Over the bridge: cross the footbridge to the western shore. The car cannot follow, and you would not want it to.
Half past five, the table
- Up the stairs: four or five flights to the roof, where your table is at the parapet. The lake is still bright and boats are crossing to Jag Mandir.
- Order something cold: a fresh lime soda, and simply look.
Sunset, the palace turns gold
- The light: the sun goes down behind you, and the City Palace across the water turns from cream to amber to rose. It lasts perhaps fifteen minutes.
- The bells: temple bells start on the ghats for the evening aarti, the lamp ceremony.
The blue hour
- The lights: the palace lights come on in rows and the reflection lies across the water. The Lake Palace glows on its island.
- Now order dinner: a thali, dal baati and gatte, or laal maas if you eat meat, with hot rotis brought up a few at a time.
Nine o'clock, home by boat
- The walk back: the lanes are quieter, the shops half shuttered. Your guide walks you back to the car.
- Or the boat: we can arrange a boat to collect you from a ghat below the restaurant and take you back across the lake. See a boat on Lake Pichola.
Beyond Pichola, other views worth a table
Fateh Sagar at dusk: the embankment fills with families, roasted corn carts and ice cream. Not a rooftop, but the most local evening in the city. See Fateh Sagar.
The Monsoon Palace: Sajjangarh, on its hill west of the city, is the classic sunset point. Drinks there before dinner in town is a fine evening.
- The palace lit from above: from the roofs of the eastern shore you can see Sajjangarh lit on its hilltop after dark, floating above the city.
- Ambrai Ghat itself: the steps beside the restaurant are where Udaipur's young people sit at dusk. We often sit there first and eat later.
- Sunset spots: our journal on Udaipur sunset spots covers every height and ghat, and our best sunsets in Rajasthan page goes wider.
What to order with the view
Dal baati churma: hard wheat rolls baked until cracked, soaked in ghee, with lentils and the sweet crumble of churma. Our dal baati churma recipe explains it.
Gatte and ker sangri: gram-flour dumplings in yoghurt gravy, and the tangy desert berries and beans. On almost every good menu.
- A Mewari thali: for the full spread. Our Rajasthani thali guide explains every bowl.
- Safed maas and maas ke soole: if you eat meat, the mild white mutton of the Mewar court and smoked skewers, best on a winter night.
- Laal maas: the fiery red mutton of Rajasthan. Ask for it milder if you prefer.
- In winter: makki ki roti, maize bread with ghee and jaggery, if the kitchen makes it.
- To finish: ghevar in the monsoon, malpua with rabri, or a fresh jalebi. Our food of Udaipur guide has the whole list.
Udaipur's rooftops through the year
October and November: warm evenings, full lakes after a good monsoon and Diwali, when the ghats and palaces are lined with lamps. Book early.
December to February: clear and cool, with the finest sunset light. Evenings can be chilly on the water, so bring a shawl and ask for a heater.
- Best months
- October to March
- Fullest lakes
- After a good monsoon, from September
- Coldest evenings
- December and January
- Summer
- Late dinners only, from about nine
- Busiest
- Diwali, Christmas and New Year
- March: soft evenings and Holi. The Mewar festival around Gangaur fills Gangaur Ghat with processions. See our Gangaur guide.
- April to June: hot days, warm nights. Roofs come alive late. If the monsoon was weak, the lake may be low by May.
- July to September: the monsoon fills the lakes and turns the Aravallis green. Choose covered terraces and keep a plan B. Our journal on monsoon in Udaipur explains the season.
- The full guide: our best time to visit Udaipur goes month by month.
Festival evenings from a roof
Gangaur and the Mewar festival
When: spring, in Chaitra, usually March or April. The dates follow the lunar calendar, and we confirm them each year.
- What happens: women carry images of the goddess Gauri to Gangaur Ghat, and there are processions, music and boats on the lake.
- Where to watch: a roof above Gangaur Ghat, booked well ahead. Our Mewar festival guide has more.
Diwali on the lake
When: October or November, on the new moon of Kartik.
- What happens: the palaces, ghats and havelis are lined with lamps, and their reflections double the light. Fireworks go on late.
- Where to watch: the western shore, for the City Palace lit end to end. Book the table months ahead.
Hariyali Amavasya and the monsoon
- When: the new moon of Shravan, just before Teej, usually in July or August.
- What happens: a fair near Fateh Sagar and Saheliyon ki Bari. The lakes are filling and the hills turn green. See our Teej guide.
What most visitors miss
The ghats below: in the late afternoon, women wash clothes on the steps, boys dive into the lake and men bathe before evening prayer.
The boats: the last tourist boats return from Jag Mandir at dusk, and small fishing boats go out. Watch them cross the reflection of the palace.
- Bring
- A shawl in winter, repellent after the rains
- Wear
- Flat shoes for steep stairs
- Allow
- Two hours for sunset and dinner
- Book
- A parapet table, timed for sunset
- Jag Mandir: the island palace to the south of the Lake Palace, with its stone elephants, is lit at night too. See Jag Mandir.
- The bats: at dusk, fruit bats leave the old trees around the lake in long streams. Children are thrilled.
- Bagore ki Haveli's music: on the eastern shore, the evening folk dance programme can sometimes be heard drifting across the water.
- The morning roof: breakfast on the same terrace at sunrise, with mist on the lake and the palace in soft light, is quieter and just as beautiful.
Photographing the lake from a roof
The blue hour: the twenty minutes after sunset, with the palace lit and the sky still glowing, is the moment. Arrive before it.
Steady hands: a small tripod or a beanbag on the parapet helps. Ask the restaurant first, and keep out of other diners' way.
- Reflections: on a still evening the palace lies upside down in the lake. Wind ruins it, so check the weather.
- Wide and long: a wide lens takes in the whole palace facade, and a longer one picks out the windows, domes and the Lake Palace.
- People: ask before photographing anyone on the ghats, especially women bathing or washing.
- Read more: our photography tips and Rajasthan for photographers have more.
Rooftop good sense in the old city
Kitchens before views: if the stairs pass through a kitchen you would not eat in, order a drink and eat elsewhere.
Cooked and hot: eat freshly cooked food served hot and drink bottled or filtered water. Our health and safety guide has more.
- The stairs: steep, narrow and badly lit, often four or five flights. Take them slowly after dark, and hold children's hands.
- The parapets: many are low. Choose a table with a proper railing if you have children with you.
- Mosquitoes: after the monsoon, the lakeside can be buzzing at dusk. Wear long sleeves and ask for repellent.
- Alcohol: hotels and licensed restaurants serve it, but not on dry days, and many small cafes have no licence. Our guide to dry days and alcohol explains the rules.
- Things change: cafes open, close and change hands every season. We check the roofs we book each year.
Who will love it, and how we arrange it
Couples and honeymooners: a private terrace, a single musician and the palace lights. Our Udaipur romance journey builds in at least one such evening.
Proposals: a quiet roof at the blue hour is a classic. Our journal on proposal ideas in Udaipur has more, and we keep surprises quiet.
- Families: an early table, a terrace with railings and the bats at dusk. Children love the boats crossing below.
- Limited mobility: most old-city roofs have no lift. The palace hotel terraces and lakeside tables are just as beautiful and easier to reach.
- Private roofs: we arrange private dinners on haveli roofs and palace terraces, with a family cook and lamps. See rooftop dining and a private palace dinner.
- Booking: we reserve tables at the parapet, timed for sunset, and brief the kitchen on any diet. No prices here. We quote after one conversation through plan my journey.