A palace built in our own time
Opened: at the end of the 2000s, on the shore of Lake Pichola beside The Oberoi Udaivilas.
Built new: like its neighbour, it was not converted from an old royal residence.
The group: The Leela, an Indian hotel group whose palace hotels also include The Leela Palace New Delhi and The Leela Palace Jaipur. It shares their taste for formal grandeur.
- Opened
- End of the 2000s
- Built as
- A new hotel in Mewar palace style
- Run by
- The Leela, an Indian hotel group
- Setting
- Lake Pichola, beside Udaivilas
- Faces
- The City Palace across the water
- Good for
- Grandeur, occasions, couples
- Its forms: borrowed from the palaces of Mewar: domed pavilions and arched terraces on the lake side, courtyards and water inside, and a long facade facing the City Palace.
- Its mood: a great Rajput palace dressed for a festival, with marble floors, chandeliers, carved and painted surfaces and a collection of Indian art.
- Carried lightly: grand without being heavy, and the staff wear it easily.
- Not historic: and it does not pretend to be. It offers the feeling of a palace with the comfort of a modern hotel.
- What that means: generous, consistent rooms, bathrooms built for this century, and a polish old palaces often cannot match.
- If you want history in every wall: choose the Taj Lake Palace or the hotels inside the City Palace. Our piece on heritage hotels explained goes into the difference.
On the shore, facing the City Palace
Among the grand hotels: the Leela stands on the shore of Pichola with the others that look back at the old city.
Across the water: the City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, its balconies and towers running along the ridge.
In the lake: Jag Niwas, the island Lake Palace, and further south Jag Mandir with its stone elephants.
- Across the water
- The City Palace
- In the lake
- Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir
- Behind
- The Aravallis and the Monsoon Palace
- Scale
- Compact, the lake always close
- Behind the hotel: the green Aravalli hills climb towards the Monsoon Palace on its summit.
- Compact by design: smaller than the sprawling resort next door, so the lake is never far from wherever you are.
- From your bed: step from the lobby onto a terrace and the view is there. From a lake-facing room you see the City Palace lying down.
- After dark: the palace is lit along its whole length, one of the finest views in India.
- The old city at a distance: you won't wander out of the gate into a bazaar. We arrange a car around the lake or a boat across it.
- Coming home by water: many guests love crossing back at the end of the day. Our page on Lake Pichola explains the lake and its islands.
Marble, chandeliers and a sense of occasion
The public rooms: the heart of its character, with marble underfoot, chandeliers overhead, silver and brass, painted and carved surfaces, and art drawing on Rajasthan's traditions.
Water everywhere: corridors open onto courtyards and terraces, with pools, fountains and the lake itself.
- The effect: a palace on a festival evening, when every lamp has been lit.
- Borrowed forms: the cusped arches of Rajput and Mughal architecture, the projecting balconies called jharokhas, and screens of carved stone, jali, that filter light and air.
- Spot them twice: look for them here, then on the City Palace across the lake. Our guide to reading Rajasthani architecture and our piece on what a jharokha is explain what you are seeing.
- Dress up a little: dinners have a sense of occasion, and the staff seem to enjoy it as much as the guests.
- If you prefer pared back: barefoot luxury and clean lines are at RAAS Devigarh in the hills. If you want a palace evening, you are in the right place.
Rooms with the lake outside
The rooms: generous and richly furnished, with modern bathrooms and the comfort of a great city hotel.
The view we request: many rooms look across Pichola to the City Palace and the Lake Palace.
- Waking to the lake: the old city pale and still across the water is one of the great pleasures of Udaipur.
- No room types or numbers: they change over time, and the right room depends on the traveller.
- Tell us what matters: the view from the bed, a terrace, space for a family, or a quiet corner away from the gardens where celebrations are held.
- What we do: ask the hotel for the best match on your dates and tell you honestly what is available.
- Weddings and parties: the Leela is a favourite for them, so on busy winter weekends room location makes a real difference.
A day at the Leela, the way we would plan it
Morning
- Breakfast: on a terrace by the water.
- Opening time: a boat or car across to the City Palace, then with your guide through the courtyards, down to Jagdish Temple and the old city lanes before the heat.
Afternoon
- Rest: back for lunch, then a swim or a spa treatment.
- In the cooler months: an hour in a miniature painter's studio or at Saheliyon ki Bari fits nicely into the late afternoon.
Sunset
- On the water: a private boat on Pichola as the light goes, past Jag Mandir and the island Lake Palace.
- Or up high: the Monsoon Palace for the widest view of the lakes. Our sunset points page lists our favourites across Rajasthan.
Evening
- Dress for dinner: at the hotel with the lit City Palace across the water.
- Or out: let us book a table on Jag Mandir or a rooftop in the old city, and return across the lake under the stars.
Dining with the palace across the water
Where to eat: several places, from an all-day restaurant to formal dining and a bar, most looking out towards the lake.
The menus: Indian and Rajasthani cooking alongside international dishes. Plates change with chefs and seasons, so we tell guests what to ask for.
Laal maas: the fiery red mutton curry of the Rajputs.
- Safed maas: in its white gravy of cream and nuts.
- Gatte ki sabzi and maize breads: the gram-flour dumplings, and in the winter months the maize breads of Mewar.
- Vegetarian and Jain: vegetarians eat beautifully in Udaipur, and the kitchens are used to Jain diets and cooking without onion and garlic.
- Special diets: tell us before you arrive, and we pass it on so you do not have to explain it at every meal.
- Dine away one evening: a private palace dinner on Jag Mandir, a meal on a boat mid-lake, or a rooftop table above the ghats.
- Read more: our food of Udaipur guide has the story of Mewari cooking.
Spa and slow afternoons
The spa: treatment rooms and a menu drawing on Indian traditions of massage and oils, as well as international therapies.
When to book: the middle of the afternoon, when the light is harsh, the old city lanes are hot and the hotel is quietest.
- The rest of the afternoon: pools and terraces by the water make it easy.
- If rest is the point: tell us. Sightseeing fills the mornings and the afternoons are entirely your own.
- Read more: our spas and Ayurveda page explains the treatments, and our wellness journey builds a whole trip around them.
A hotel made for celebrations
A favourite venue: formal spaces, lawns and lake terraces make it popular for weddings, anniversaries and large family celebrations.
On winter evenings: you may hear music, glimpse a procession or see fireworks over the water.
- Joy or distraction: for guests who love festivity, a joy. For guests who came for silence, it can change the stay, so we always check the hotel's calendar before booking.
- Your own wedding: the Leela is one of the venues our destination weddings team considers in Udaipur, alongside palace courtyards and island terraces.
- Smaller occasions: a vow renewal with marigolds and a priest, a proposal on a boat at dusk, or a birthday dinner facing the City Palace.
- More ideas: our journal on Rajasthan wedding venues and proposal ideas in Udaipur.
When to stay on the shore
October to March: warm, clear days, cool evenings, and the lake usually full after the rains. The classic season, and the busiest.
December and January: chilly mornings on the water, so pack a shawl for early boats.
- Classic season
- October to March
- Chilly mornings
- December and January
- Wedding season
- November to February
- Monsoon
- July to September, our secret season
- Hot season
- April to June, often near 40 degrees
- The wedding season: its heart falls in these months, giving the shore a festive glow and filling the hotels on weekends.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Udaipur has the detail.
- July to September: clouds sit low on the hills, the Aravallis turn deep green and the lake rises week by week.
- Monsoon light: rain comes in bursts, and between showers the light on the City Palace is soft and silvery. The city is quieter, and rates are usually kinder.
- Built around the rains: our Monsoon in Mewar journey.
- April to June: hot, often near 40 degrees. Only a short stay, with mornings out and long afternoons in the shade.
What to see from the Leela
Our guide to things to do in Udaipur has many more ideas, and our Udaipur itinerary shows how to pace them over three or four days.
The City Palace and Jagdish Temple
- The route: enter at opening time, climb to the hilltop garden of the Badi Mahal and come down through the glass peacocks of the Mor Chowk.
- Then: walk to Jagdish Temple for the late-morning prayers.
Jag Mandir and the lake
- The older island: begun around 1620, the older of the two island palaces.
- When: stop on a boat trip, or come back for dinner after dark.
Bagore ki Haveli
- What it is: the eighteenth-century house of a Mewar prime minister on Gangaur Ghat, with painted rooms.
- In the evening: a show of Rajasthani folk dance.
Fateh Sagar and the gardens
- Fateh Sagar: north of Pichola, the lake where Udaipur's families walk in the evening.
- Saheliyon ki Bari: the garden of the court's women.
Who will love the Leela, and who may not
You will love it if: you enjoy grandeur, formality and a sense of occasion, like your hotel compact so the lake is never far, and want the classic Udaipur view from your room.
Who it suits: couples celebrating a milestone, families gathering for a big birthday and anyone who likes to dress for dinner.
- Best for
- Grandeur and a sense of occasion
- Also good for
- Milestones and family gatherings
- Think twice
- History lovers, seclusion seekers
- Alternatives
- Lake Palace, Udaivilas, Raffles
- History in the walls: choose the Taj Lake Palace, Shiv Niwas Palace or Fateh Prakash Palace.
- Gardens and space: The Oberoi Udaivilas next door may suit you better.
- Complete seclusion: far from weddings and the bustle of Pichola, look at Raffles Udaipur on its island in Udai Sagar.
- No wrong answer: only a better match among these hotels. That is the conversation we enjoy most.
How the Leela fits our journeys
At the end of the route: on the Golden Triangle and Udaipur or Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur, travellers can stay in Leela palace hotels in more than one city for a consistent standard.
- For couples: on our Rajasthan for two journey, it is one of the lakeside hotels we suggest for the final nights.
- With more time: a night or two in the hills at RAAS Devigarh, or north through Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur on our Mewar lakes and temples journey.
Getting to The Leela Palace Udaipur
By air: Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok, about 22 kilometres east, has direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities. The drive to the shore usually takes under an hour.
- Nearest airport
- Maharana Pratap Airport, Dabok
- Airport distance
- About 22 km east of the city
- From the airport
- Usually under an hour
- From Jaipur
- About six hours
- From Chittorgarh
- About two hours
- By road: Jaipur about six hours, Jodhpur about five via Ranakpur, and Chittorgarh about two. Our getting around guide explains how we plan the drives.
- To the old city: a car around the lake or a boat across it, depending on the hour and the water level.
- Your chauffeur: stays with you throughout, so the Monsoon Palace, Eklingji or Nathdwara are simple to arrange.
What we tell friends before the Leela
Ask for the lake: a room facing the lake and the City Palace. It is the room you will remember.
Pack something smart: dinners here have a sense of occasion, and you will enjoy them more for dressing the part.
- Check for weddings: especially on winter weekends, if you want calm.
- Book ahead: spa treatments and special dinners, when you book the room in peak season.
- Come in the monsoon if you can: green hills, a rising lake and a quieter city. Our journal on Udaipur in the monsoon explains why.