Travel to Udaipur

our favourite first stop in Rajasthan

Udaipur is located in the south of Rajasthan in northwest India, roughly 600 km (375 miles) southwest of Delhi.

Widely known as the City of the Lakes, Udaipur is a mid-sized city, with a population of around half a million people.

The city was established in 1558 by Udai Singh II and rose to become the capital of the kingdom following the fall of Chittorgarh to the invading Moghuls. It earned its prosperity as a trading hub, connecting the disparate kingdoms of Rajasthan with the ocean ports of Gujarat.

The city is set in the Aravali Mountains and is famously centred on a network of seven scenic lakes, around which are set various royal palaces and temples, notably including the famous Lake Palace (now an hotel), which appears to float on the surface of Lake Pichola.

The old town was provided with a 6km long defensive wall, with seven main gated entrances. This wall is still very much in evidence today and the higher density maze of small alleyways is clearly visible on a satellite image.

The main attraction of this old city is the Udaipur City Place, which sits on the eastern shore of the lake and is comprised of a countless number of courtyards, balconies and halls.

Given the pretty undulating landscapes in this area, it comes as a pleasant surprise to find that there are various options for hiking, mountain-biking and horse-riding.

Udaipur is a very popular destination and tourism is a really important element of the local economy. As well as a host of hotels around the main lake, the old town is packed with tourist stores, selling all manner of fine handicrafts.

If you are looking for a more off-the-beaten track exploration of Rajasthan, then you might want to skip Udaipur, simply pop in for a half day on the way through, or maybe deploy a single night in order to see the lake at last and first light.

There are some really high quality lodges in the rural areas round about, from which you can not only pop into Udaipur for the day, but also use as bases to explore other great highlights of this area, including Chittorgarh Fort (100 km northeast of Udaipur) and Kumbhalgarh Fort (65 km northwest of Udaipur towards Jodhpur).

The best time of year to visit the Udaipur area is generally considered to be during Oct-May, although there are considerable seasonal variations within that period…

October is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During October the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 33C/91F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up around 16C/61F. However the rainfall usually drops away to around 25mm (1”). Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 80% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Nov-Feb is the main cool dry season. During Nov-Feb the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 25C/77F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 7C/45F. There should be virtually no rainfall. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 80% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Mar-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During Mar-May the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 37C/99F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around an uncomfortable 20C/86F. Rainfall usually remains almost negligible. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Jun-Sep is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During Jun-Sep the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 35C/95F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 24C/75F (made all the more uncomfortable by the increased humidities). Rainfall climbs to around 175mm (7”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 5 hours per day (around 40% of daylight hours), meaning that skies can remain overcast.

Getting there

The Udaipur area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The closest airport and its most common connections is …

• Udaipur : 22km to the east : Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai

By luxury train

The Udaipur area is visited by the following luxury live-aboard train itineraries…

Train : Deccan Odyssey

• Indian Odyssey : 7 nights : Delhi to Mumbai
• Indian Sojourn : 7 nights : Mumbai to Delhi

Train : Maharaja’s Express

• Indian Splendour : 6 nights : Delhi to Mumbai
• Heritage of India : 6 nights : Mumbai to Delhi

Train : Palace on Wheels

• Palace on Wheels : 7 nights circuit : Delhi to Delhi

By train

The closest train stations and their most common connections are…

• Udaipur : 2km to the southwest : Jodhpur, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, Mumbai

By road

The Udaipur area can be easily reached by road…

• Delhi : 600 km to the northeast
• Jaipur : 350 km to the northeast
• Agra : 550 km to the northeast
• Ranthambore : 320 km to the northeast
• Jodhpur : 200 km to the north

Where to stay

The Udaipur area has an unusually strong range of accommodation options, divided into two geographic categories…

The first option is to stay in Udaipur itself, where there is a really good selection of high class hotels, most notably the famous Taj Lake Palace.

The second option is to stay in one of the properties in the surrounding countryside or in one of the fortified palaces that command the smaller towns of this area. These can also be used as peaceful bases from which to visit Udaipur.

a cooler and more verdant than the plains below