Udaipur- city of lakes, same day sightseeing

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Much of Udaipur, particularly the old part located on the shores of Lake Pichola, is where you'll find the city's most striking landmarks -- the towering City Palace and Lake Palace -- and it still feels remarkably like a 16th-century Rajput stronghold, with the benevolent Maharaja still treated like a reigning king by his devoted and loyal subjects. The City Palace towers over Lake Pichola. The balconies, cupolas, and towers of the palace give a wonderful view of the lake and the surrounding city. This complex actually consists of four major and several minor palaces that collectively form the magnificent City Palace. The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum displaying artifacts.

   1 hAdmission included

2. Jagdish Temple, the largest in Udaipur, is its chief attraction. Despite some lovely exterior carvings (including hidden erotic pieces your guide will point out), the temple itself is rather ordinary (if you've seen a number of them elsewhere, that is), but its attraction lies in its massive popularity. The temple has seen a constant stream of people who come to worship Lord Jagannath, an aspect of Vishnu (the black stone image enshrined within), since it first opened its doors in 1652.

   1 hAdmission included

3. Bagore-ki-Haveli Museum , a restored royal haveli with plenty of idiosyncratic design detail that's now part of a museum and cultural center; it's best visited on evenings for the nightly music and dance performances.

   30 minAdmission included

4. Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum, Udaipur's unofficial "Puppet Museum" (Rajasthan being the birthplace of this favored Indian storytelling medium), where you can watch a good show, staged almost hourly throughout the day. The folk museum also contains models, instruments, and photographs documenting other local traditions and crafts.

   1 hAdmission included

5. This extremely faux rural arts-and-crafts "village" is located 3km (2 miles) out of town; follow the road that runs along the north of Fateh Sagar Lake. Created to "promote and preserve the traditional architecture, music, and crafts of the tribal village of western India," Shilpgram has a distinctly artificial feel but interesting cultural performances; you can also ride a camel and browse for tribal knickknacks that the "traditionally" attired craftspeople will be only too delighted to finally off-load. If you're in a particularly touristy mood, you can dress up in a traditional Rajasthani outfit and have your picture taken. Beware that it is very touristy and in season can become extremely crowded.

   1 hAdmission included

6. Created by Sangram Singh in the 18th century for the ladies of his household (some say to re-create the monsoon climate for his sickly daughter), this is billed as Udaipur's finest garden, but it suffers from neglect, with none of the fountains operating. Still, it's a peaceful place, and the array of established indigenous trees may interest keen botanists.

   30 minAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 2 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Udaipur

• Its from-price is 46% above the median of the 474 experiences we list in Udaipur.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 183 of 474.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Udaipur

Udaipur, the City of Lakes in Rajasthan, is a place of white palaces, island pavilions and hills, mirrored in Lake Pichola.

Maharana Udai Singh II founded Udaipur in the sixteenth century, and the City Palace, a cluster of courts and towers built over centuries, rises on the shore of Lake Pichola. Island palaces, Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace, sit in the water, and boats cross the lake at sunset. Jagdish Temple, a Hindu temple with a carved spire and steep steps, stands close to the palace in the old town.

Top-ranked sights in Udaipur: Udaipur City Palace, Lake Pichola, Jagdish Temple.

See all 474 experiences in Udaipur