The lake city of Udaipur is one of the most popular destinations in the tourist circuit of Rajasthan. During our recent trip to Rajasthan, we landed in Udaipur with only one day to explore its beauty and ethnicity. If you are wondering on how anyone could explore and imbibe the culture and ethnicity of a majestic city like Udaipur, well, we pretty much did it. With proper planning, we were able to explore all the top attractions of Udaipur in one day. Here is a perfect itinerary for you to explore Udaipur in 24 hours like a pro.
Start your day with a walk around Fateh Sagar Lake and enjoy the beautiful vistas as the sun rises from beneath the Aravali mountains. The Fateh Sagar Lake, unlike Lake Pichola, is surrounded by lush greenery and houses 3 major islands which are mostly covered by greens.
While the sunset view at Fateh Sagar Lake is more popular with the tourists, enjoy the equally amazing view of sunrise at peace when there is not much crowd near the lake except for the locals who come there for their morning walks.
Saheliyon-ki-Bari or the Courtyard of maidens is a beautiful garden located on the banks of Lake Fateh Sagar. It houses many lotus pools, marble pavilions, elephant statues and numerous fountains. It was built by Maharana Sangram Singh and presented to his queen and the 48 maids who accompanied her in her marriage.
This garden should not take more than 30 mins to explore. Since you will be visiting it soon after it opens at 9.00 am, there will not be much crowd and you can click good pictures without much hindrance.
One of the must visit locations of Udaipur, City Palace is actually a complex of buildings which were constructed over 400 years with contributions from various rulers. It is built on a hilltop on the banks of Lake Pichola and presents a panoramic view of the city and the lakes. The pillars, cupolas, and towers in the palace are embellished with beautiful inlay work of gold, silver, glass, ivory and mirrors. Some of the major attractions you should not miss in the palace complex are the Mor-Chowk ( Peacock courtyard), Dilkush Mahal, Sheesh Mahal( palace of glass and mirrors), Moti Mahal ( palace of pearls), Badi Mahal (the large palace) and the Crystal gallery.
You will need 2 to 3 hours to completely cover all the attractions in the palace complex and it is worth every minute you spend there. From the higher buildings in the city palace complex, You can also view the beautiful islands located in Lake Pichola and the famous Oberoi Uday Vilas hotel.
This beautiful mansion located right on the east banks of lake Pichola was built by Amar Chand Badwa who was the prime minister of Mewar. The haveli have has been renovated into a museum depicting Mewari aristocratic culture. The 138 rooms, royal corridors, balconies and courtyards in the haveli house many intricate artifacts belonging to the Rajput clan.
While you are at the haveli, make sure you buy the advance ticket for the cultural show held every day at 7.00 pm.
5.00 pm: Mansapurna Karni Mata Temple
The Karni Mata temple is located on a small hill named Machala Hill located on the banks of Lake Pichola. Though the temple is not very popular, the view from the top of the hill is. The best part about a visit to the hill is the cable car ride along the ropeway to the hill. Once on the hill top, you get to see the whole of the Udaipur City including all its major attractions. The view of the illuminated city and its reflection in the lakes after sunset is worth watching.
The cable car ride lasts only for 5 mins but there might be a huge queue to buy tickets to the ropeway. It might take around 1.5 hrs to 2 hrs for the round trip. make sure you return by 6.30pm to be present at Bagore Ki Haveli to secure a proper seat for the cultural program.
note: If you feel the queue is too long for the cable car ride, skip the Mansapurna temple visit and head towards lake Pichola for a boat ride in the lake.
After a tiring day in Udaipur, head to the rooftop restaurant of Hotel Lake Pichola called UPRE 1559 AD. The restaurant offers one of the best views of Lake Pichola, Gangaur Ghat, Bagore Ki Haveli and the illuminated City Palace. Enjoy lip-smacking Rajasthani delicacies in candle light under the star-studded sky.
Udaipur is very well connected with all major cities of Rajasthan by road, trains and airways.
Jaipur: 400 km
Bundi: 300 km
Chittorgarh: 120 km
Jodhpur: 270 km
Kumbhalgarh: 85 Km
ranakpur: 95 km
- Book your stay in a hotel in the old city on the west banks of lake Pichola and choose a room with a lake view. The hotels on the west bank of the lake offer the best view of the various attractions like city palace, Gangaur Ghat, Bagore Ki Haveli, Jagadish Mandir as well as the many islands in the lake. Our suggestion- Hotel Lake Pichola.
- Most of the attractions are located in the old city of Udaipur where the roads are extremely congested. Hire auto rickshaws for commuting instead of a cab.
- If you do not wish to wake up early to head to Fateh Sagar lake, stay at the hotel to enjoy the sunrise from your room. This is one more reason to choose a room with the lake view.
- For breakfast and lunch, try Rajasthani delicacies such as dal bhati churma, paranthas with lasooni chutney and ghatte ki khichdi in many food joints located across the city. make sure you are hydrated well by drinking enough water or flavoured buttermilk (locally called chaas).
- Wear comfortable footwear and carry a scarf to protect yourself from sun or cold.
- Udaipur provides you ample opportunities for photography. make sure you have enough charge in battery and memory for clicking pictures.
- The tickets to the cultural show at Bagore ki Haveli are limited. It is good to purchase tickets in advance.
- Getting instant booking at UPRE 1559 restaurant might be difficult. It is good to make your reservations in advance. However, if you stay at Hotel Lake Pichola, you need not reserve a table in advance.
There are a lot of beautiful and historic locations surrounding Udaipur which can be covered on full day trips from Udaipur. Below are two separate day trips you can cover with Udaipur as base.
Chittorgarh( around 120 km by road from Udaipur) and Menal ( around 80 Km from Chittorgarh) Â can be covered in one day.
Eklingji temple ( 20 km from Udaipur), Haldi Ghati ( 30 km from Ekling Ji temple), Â Kumbhalgarh Fort(around 70 km) and Ranakpur Jain Temple( around 50 KM by road) can be covered in one day.
If you are visiting Udaipur on a road trip covering other major cities like Jaipur and Jodhpur, it is good to cover the above-mentioned places on the way. Chittorgarh and Menal can be covered while driving from Jaipur to Udaipur. Kumbhalgarh, Ranakpur, and surrounding places can be covered during the journey between Udaipur and Jodhpur. However, make sure you start early so that you will have enough time to cover the places in between and reach your destination city by late evening.
That was our short stint at the Lake City of Udaipur. Would you choose to visit all these places when you are in Udaipur?
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Very informative post !
Thanks Mahesh!
Too good. Very detailed info. Thanks Sindhu.
Thanks Poornima 🙂
Super distracted by that sunset picture. Also really great step-by-step info! Super useful. 🙂
Amazing post I like how you added the times and even the distance. The picture from the dinner looks so dreamy really enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks, Nadine. The night view of Udaipur palace and the lake Pichola was our favorite too.
I spent almost 48 hours in Udaipur but still couldn’t have enough of it. However, I must say you have made a beautiful and crisp itinerary out here for someone with limited time in Udaipur. It covers all the popular spots.
Agree Neha. You can never have enough of Udaipur. We realized we were short on time with only one day to spend at Udaipur. But fortunately, we could cover quite a lot within a day 🙂 Planning to go back some day to cover the places we missed.
That was a super itinerary. I am not a big fan of covering places based on time limit but your schedule seems doable. I will be visiting Rajasthan soon.
Hey Gokul. We too do not like to rush things up while exploring a destination. Unfortunately, with Udaipur, our plans for the next destination were made and we had to manage with the little time available. But we are glad we could cover much of Udaipur within a day.
Wow, Udaipur looks like an incredible place to visit!! Your suggested itinerary covers a lot of great sights, and it’s perfect for people who don’t have much time. Great post, thank you so much for sharing this!!
Thanks, Jackie. True that Udaipur is an incredible city. I would suggest spending at least two days to explore the city at leisure.
Great summary post of all the things you could fit into 24 hours here. I usually prefer to travel slow and really explore a place…but it’s amazing how much you can see in 24 hours. I love that you have shared the time and distances. The dinner setting looks very romantic.
Hey Soraya. Udaipur is a city to be explored at leisure. Unfortunately, we did not have the luxury of time. However, it is definitely to cover most of the important attractions within a day if you can stick to the schedule.
I know some people that are planning to travel this way in the near future. This is definitely a helpful post that they will find use from. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hey Adam. Thanks for dropping by. Though Udaipur can be covered within a day, I would suggest spending at least two days in Udaipur to soak in all that the city has to offer.
This looks like a lovely 24 hours. I like the thought of panoramic view of the city and watching the sunsets Shame the cablecart ride is only short though as that would have been nice to see for a bit longer. Great tips at the end too 🙂
Hi, Kathy. One can spend more time on top of the hill to enjoy the view of the sunset and city lights.
I have heard so much about this link and India is one of my dream destianation. I hope I can get there next year, so I will save your post. It is a really useful travel guide, so thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Milena. We are glad this post will be of help for your trip to India.
Fantastic and very informative post. This going to be helpful. I’ve bookmarked for when we get there later next year!
Hi Cameron. Glad to know that the post would be of help for your trip to India. Do let us know how you like it after you visit Udaipur.
I really enjoyed the photos and listened your advices. I hope it can be done as one day trip
Nicely done! I think the key here was visiting Sahelion-ki-Bari first thing in the morning; I went a bit later (after the City Palace) and so ended up having to stay a bit longer, which meant I had to stretch my visit to Udapiur over two days. Which I didn’t mind! But this is certainly a very useful post for the more time-pressed visitor 🙂
We have just returned from Rajasthan, and Udaipur was a big favorite. We had a little more time than you, but your schedule seems absolutely fine! 🙂
Wow. This looks amazing. I love the historical buildings and the UPRE 1559 looks awesome. Thanks for the great tips at the end too!
That is a wonderful article covering some amazing places. I particularly loved some of the photographs which are perfectly snapped. Udaipur is no doubt a beautiful city.
Thanks for sharing this. Rajasthan is on my radar. This has been insightful!
wow, its more than enough to the short time traveller for the successful ride to the rich historical city of palaces n pools…
Exploring 7 places within 24 hours in Udaipur is amazing. it will sure gonna travel the way you did.
You won’t believe. I have been many times in Rajasthan but never in Udaipur, it is a shame, I will be back again next Tuesday for 3 weeks, hope can make it this time. If I do, I will follow some of your suggestions. 🙂
Thanks Fabio. There are some amazing destinations which you can visit on day trips from Udaipur. Please check our other posts on Menal, Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh etc
Great article stating almost every tourist spot. Not only Udaipur but the nearby destinations are also worth to watch. The surroundings are full of rich natural heritage.
Very informative thank u
Very informative. Thanx alot for this post
Hi,
My wife and me are Sr citizen and reaching Udaipur on 23rd Jan 2018 . our travel plans are 3 nights in Udaipur , 2 nights in Mt Abu, 2 nights in Jodhpur, 2 nights in Jaisalmir(desert fest), 3 nights in bikanir, 3 nights in jaipur. Was desperately looking for inputs and loved reading Sindhus excellent info. Need suggestions on the following:- A) shoule we skip Mt abu(winter cold) and add one more day in Udaipur(and cover Kumbhalgarh as suggested by Sindhu) and one more day in Jodhpur? B) Any comment on number of days planned for each place? C) While we wish to travel in train, we welcome suggestion on segments where we need to travel by road for better time management. Pl also mention travel cost. Thanks to Sindhu and your travel forum
enjoyed your blog on Udaipur. we are intending on visiting this year in December. We were trying to work out where to stay as planning one night at Lake Pichalo hotel and one on the other side as have 3 days to explore. thanks
Wow, what a list. I am going to Udaipur tomorrow and can’t thank you enough for this post.
Really good!!
Your content is very helpful for me. places which you are listed here those all are tourist attraction and i visit this places with my friends and have lot of fun. You describe all most all famous sightseeing places here so anyone find them and have a wonderful trip to lake city.
I had visied Udaipur in the month of January with my family. I really like this place. Want to visit again and again.