1City Palace and Lake Pichola
The City Palace stretches for almost half a kilometre along the shore of Lake Pichola and is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Give it at least two hours for the courtyards, mirror work and views over the water. From the palace jetty, a boat ride on Lake Pichola passes the Lake Palace hotel and stops at Jag Mandir island. The sunset boat is the most popular, so buy tickets early in the day.
2Jagdish Temple and Bagore ki Haveli
Jagdish Temple, a few minutes' walk from the palace gate, is a 17th-century temple to Vishnu covered in carvings of dancers, elephants and musicians. Walk downhill to Gangaur Ghat and Bagore ki Haveli, an 18th-century mansion on the water. Its Dharohar show each evening is an hour of Rajasthani folk dance and puppetry, and well worth booking. The lanes in between are full of miniature painting shops.
3Fateh Sagar, Saheliyon ki Bari and sunset points
Fateh Sagar Lake, north of the old city, has a lively promenade, boat rides and street food in the evenings. Nearby, Saheliyon ki Bari is an 18th-century garden of fountains and marble elephants built for the queen's companions. For sunset, take the ropeway up to Karni Mata temple, drive up to the Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace on its hilltop, or sit at Ambrai Ghat across the water from the City Palace.
4Day trips: Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur and Nathdwara
Kumbhalgarh Fort, about 85 km north, has a 36 km wall, the second longest in the world. The marble Ranakpur Jain temple is an hour further on, so the two make a perfect full-day trip, or a stop on the drive to Jodhpur. Nathdwara, home of the Shrinathji temple, is under an hour away, and Chittorgarh Fort is about two hours east. For something quieter, the Rayta hills and Ubeshwarji Mahadev temple are a short drive from the city.
5How many days and how to get there
Two days covers the city and a lake ride; three lets you add a day trip. The best months are September to March, when the lakes are full after the monsoon. Udaipur is about 393 km from Jaipur, around 6.5 hours by road, and the drive can be split with a stop at Chittorgarh. Our Jaipur to Udaipur cab runs one way or as part of a longer Rajasthan circuit with the same driver.
