Udaipur also referred as the Venice of the East due to its beautiful lakes is an oasis in Rajasthan. Udaipur is among the most visited tourism destinations in Rajasthan, India. The Udaipur is a charming city with beautiful lakes, palaces surrounded by the Aravalis Hills.
Udaipur is considered as the most romantic place to travel in India. Thousands of foreign tourists travel Udaipur every year. Several Hollywood movies have been filmed in Udaipur including the James Bond Movie - Octopussy. The Udaipur is must travel place during Indian Vacation. Watching sunrise and the sunset in the backdrop of beautiful lakes of Udaipur is quite a amazing experience especially for romantic couples.
When To Go
The best time to travel Udaipur is during the winter months from September to March. The temperature during this period remains around 28 C to 2.5 C. The weather condition during the summer is not ideal to travel Udaipur. The temperature during the summer could reach up to 43 degree.
Attractions in Udaipur
Udaipur City Palace - Without doubt the biggest tourism attraction in Udaipur is the elegant City Palace. The palace overlooking the Lake Pichola contains several palaces, gardens and musuems. There are several palaces within the City Palace like Amar Vilas, Badi Mahal, Fatehprakash Palace, Manak Mahal etc. The other key attractions in the City Palace are:-
Jagadish Temple - The Jagadish Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temple is situated within the City Palace complex. The walls of the temples are carved with images of Lord Vishnu and the scenes from his avatar of Lord Krishna.
Crystal Art Gallery - The Crystal Art Gallery is situated with the Fateh Prakash Palace in the City Palace. The gallery is famous for its breathtaking collection of crystals. The king Sajjan Singh ordered these crystals from England. Some of the most beautiful crystal items at the gallery includes crystal beds, sofa sets, fountains, carpet and much more.
Moti Magri - Overlooking the Fateh Sagar is the Moti Magri where you will find an Bronze Statue of brave Indian King Maharana Pratap on top of his favorite horse and best friend Chetak. People of Rajasthan climb the hill to pay homage to their favorite king Maharana Pratap.
Sahelion Ki Bari - The Sahelion Ki Bari also known as the garden of the maids is a beautiful garden and a important tourist place in Udaipur. The garden was laid for a group of 48 young beautiful women who accompanied a princess as part of her dowry. Onsite are beautiful elephant shaped fountains and lotus pools.
Peacock Square - The Peacock Square is a chamber than consists three peacocks crafted from more than 5000 pieces of glass of green, blue and gold colors.
Nehru Island Garden - The garden was built in the memory of First Indian Prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Nehru Garden is situated in the center of Fateh Sagar Lake and tourists who wish to travel the garden needs to take a boat ride in lake. The Nehru Garden is considered as one of the most romantic spots in Udaipur. Thousands of romantic couples visits the garden famous for its water fountain and Lilly pond.
Classic Car Collection at Garden Hotel - The Garden hotel in Udaipur showcases the classic car collection that once belonged to the Maharajas of Udaipur. This car collection contains rare vintage cars like Cadalec, Morais etc.
Manikya Lal Verma Garden - The garden is located on a hill near the Dudh Talai pond. The Manikya Lal Verma Garden is famous for offering great views of City Palace, Jag Mandir, Lake Pichhola and the beautiful sunsets.
Monsoon Palace - The Monsoon Palace also known as the Sajjan Garh Fort was used to harvest the rain water. The Monsoon Palace is situated atop of the hills from where tourists can view almost all the lakes in the Udaipur.
Gulab Bagh and Zoo - The Gulab bagh or the rose garden is a great place to visit with the kids. The garden is situated on the east side of Lake Pichhola. On site is a library that contains handwritten manuscripts. There is a small zoo in the rose garden to keep your children occupied. The zoo contains tiger, chinkara gazelle, leopards and several other animals. There is a mini train that children will definitely enjoy.
Hotels in Udaipur
Plenty of beautiful palaces and Havelis are not turned into hotels in Udaipur. There are hotels for tourists with all kind of budgets in Udaipur. Some of the Heritage Palace luxury hotels in Udaipur that will make you feel like King are Taj Lake Palace Hotel Udaipur, Devi Garh Fort Palace, Taj Lake Palace Hotel, Shiv Niwas Palace Hotel, Hotel Mewar Haveli etc.
The budget hotels options in Udaipur include Hotel Lake Pichola, Shilpi Resort, Hotel Hilltop Palace and many more. Check the complete list of hotels in Udaipur.
How to Reach
By Air - The Dabok Airport which is also known as Maharaja Pratap Airport is around 24 km away from the city center. Major Indian airlines like Air Deccan, Kingfisher, Air India etc offer daily flights from major Indian Cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur etc. The only means of transportation available from the airport is taxi.
By Train - There are daily trains to Udaipur from Delhi and Jaipur. Reaching Udaipur by train has become quite easy these days. From Delhi you can book Mewar Express, Train No 2963DN that leaves from Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi. There aren't direct trains to Udaipur from South and Western India. Tourists from these parts should first come to Mumbai or Ahmedabad and take a train from these cities.
By Road - Udaipur is connected well by the Rajasthan Roadways. There are buses available to Udaipur from other popular tourism destinations like Jaipur, Jodhpur Bikaner etc.
