Udaipur is one of the most popular city of India among tourists for its spellbinding charm. Its very scenic & romantic with lakes, islands, hills, greenery & is clean & organized too. In Udaipur a lot of Bollywood sequences have been shot, mainly picturesque songs in dreamy locations & also an old Hollywood James Bond movie was shot here.
Its also “THE ADDRESS” for high profile weddings (Liz Hurley – Arun Nayyar & Raveena Tandon) & many international celebs have come here to holiday including Madonna, Richard Gere, Shakira & Nicole Kidman.
Reach – Its located in west India in the southern part of Rajasthan & is widely connected by Rail, Air & road from Delhi, Mumbai & Ahmedabad.
Stay – Prefer a lake view stay in Udaipur. For super luxury book Taj Lake Palace or Oberoi Udaivillas.
Else you can select any hotel according to your budget in Lal Ghat area which is completely lake facing & outstanding & some of the best hotels of Udaipur are located here. For luxury budget chose Jaiwana Haveli & for decent budget – Raj Niwas Hotel or Aashiya Haveli.
Eat. I will highly recommend you to dine (for dinner) at Jaiwana Haveli rooftop restaurant which has breathtaking views of Lake Pichola during the night. The ambiance & aura are charming & service is A class. My favorite – Kashmir Pulav & Hot chocolate cake. Veg meal for two Rs 700 approx.
Also you can eat at Hotel Gateway which is just outside the City Palace. The food is great & they have a vast World menu. My pick – Kadahi Paneer. Veg meal for two approx Rs 500.
Shop. You can shop for b’ful hand paintings & there are a lot of Silver shops, leather shops, tailoring shops. All this can cost very dear & they quote rates 4 times higher & don’t bargain. For budget you can shop for wooden painted elephants, peacock & such small articles only.
To Do. There is plethora of things you can do to while away your time & one can never get bored in Udaipur. The places I visited:
1) Udaipur City Palace is second largest palace in India, the first being Mysore & has an amazing display of royal artifacts & good insight into royal way of living. A guide is MUST to show you around & tell you a bit of history. The best I liked was the old style post office, tiger cage & Silver gallery. Tour can be completed in an hour. Entry fee Rs 115. Guide Rs 150. Camera fee Rs 225. Its majestic. Its grand.
2) Lake Pichhola is an impressive water body surrounded by green hills & important city landmarks. It has two islands within – Taj Lake Palace hotel & Jag Mandir. Boating in Lake Pichhola is a must. We took the 30 min boat ride at 6:30 PM. The sun had started to set & the lights were coming up in City Palace, Jag Mandir etc. It was good fun & I really liked the magnificent night views of City Palace from the lake. Even Oberoi Udaivillas look spectacular. Charges Rs 100 per person. Rs 200 for foreigners.
Go during sunset ONLY as you might not enjoy the views as much during the day.
3) Bagore Ki Haveli located close to City Palace, showcase a cultural show called Dharohar. It was constructed by Maharaja of Udaipur in old times as a guest house & has close to 150 rooms. There is a museum of artifacts which one can visit during the day.
The evening show from 7 - 8 PM comprises of 5 different dance forms from Rajasthan state of 5-10 minutes each & one puppet show performance. One of the two highlights was the puppet show which was very entertaining & different, one cant get his eyes off. And the second was the superb performance at the climax of the show wherein the dancer balances pots on her head & dances & keeps on adding till it reaches 11 pots & then balances herself on thali & dance on ice.
Entry fee - Rs 60 per person. Camera fee - Rs 100. A must GO.
4) Jagdish Temple is an imposing temple just 100 mts outside City Palace & one can stop for 10 minutes to visit this place. Go for architectural & spiritual aspect.
5) Karni Mata Ropeway. From Dhudhtalai take the cable car to Karni Mata temple on hill-top. Its a 2 minute ride each way & on top you can visit the temple which is housed in one basic room. We went during the day when it was very hot. The view from temple top is good. There is a cafeteria where you can have snacks & soft drinks while you enjoy the views of lake & the city.
Charges - Rs 75 per adult & Rs 38 per child. You may even book personal cabin for a couple for Rs 300.
6) Sahelion Ki Bari was built by some Maharaja for amusement of her daughter & her girl friends, this is a good 15 – 20 stop. Though small, the gardens are well manicured & b'fully maintained. I liked the Water lily pond the most. We hired a guide but its not required. Entrance fee - Rs 5 per person & guide Rs 50.
I also took a half day getaway to Eklingji, Nagda & Nathdwara. One has to book a cab(Rs 1250 for AC).
7) Nathdwara is a scenic one hour drive & on the way you can visit Eklingji & Nagda Temple. Start early around 9 AM from Udaipur & after these two places reach Nathdwara around 11 AM. The temple opens for 30 minutes only from 11:30 - 12:00 PM & after that opens again only at 3:30 PM.
The temple is chaotic & hugely crowded. One should avoid weekends, public holidays, Ekadasi & Puranmasi etc. We hired a guide for Rs 150 from bazaar itself as it would have been difficult to get darshan otherwise. He can help you buy temple Prasad too afterwards. Be cautious & tell the guide the charges would be fixed for the entire family & also make it clear beforehand in case you wont like to donate at other points in temple.
You may have Gujrati thali at Neelam AC Dining Hall for lunch for rs 90 per person.
Car entry to Nathdwara town Rs 40.Parking Rs 20 & shoe keeper at temple charges Rs 10.
8) Eklingji. Great 108 temple complex with brilliant architecture, 22 Km from Udaipur, open for public from 10 AM - 1 PM. Here one can see Chaturmukh(four face) Shivalinga each face denoting God Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu & Surya. This is the Deity of the Udaipur Royal clan, its ancient, yet clean & well managed. Photography not allowed.
9) Sas Bahu Temple is an archeological site worth the stop for 10 minutes just 2 kms from Eklingji Temple. We loved the surroundings more than the complex itself. Its located on the rear of the hill & there is no habitation, no people, cattle, cars, coca cola & no tourists either. Great to see lotus pond on the way there. Its maintained by ASI & has b'fully manicured gardens. There was guide for Rs 50 but its not required.
Entry free, car parking - Rs 20.
One may also indulge in below activities depending upon time you have and/or monetary aspect.
• Evening sound & Light show at City Palace for Rs 1200 per person.
• Vintage Car Museum with Lunch for Rs 250 PP.
• Jag Mandir Island from City Palace for Rs 500 each.
• Crystal Gallery at City Palace for Rs 525 each.
• Lake Fatesagar & Chetak Smarak. Speedboat Rs 220 each for 2 minutes ride & water scooter for Rs 400 again 2 mins.
• Sajjangarh fort. Cab required. Autos prohibited.
• Haldighati Battle Museum near Nathdwara.
• Full day Getaway to Ranakpur or Kumbhalgarh or Chittorgarh.
• Read. There are millions of books up for swap or sale in Udaipur. From Chetan Bhagat to E L James.
• Cook. Hundreds of cooking classes to spend 2-3 hours.
• Massage. A foot, face or body massage at every nook & corner.
I will recommend Udaipur for everybody - honeymooners, families, senior citizens & group of friends. So what are you waiting for? Hit GO, plunge in & set free.
I am going back again, definitely.
