20 Best Places to Visit in Udaipur | Entry Fees, Timings & Tips

The City Palace of Udaipur is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan — a 400-year accumulation of palaces, courtyards, towers, and galleries built by successive Mewar Maharanas starting from 1553, when Maharana Udai Singh II founded both the palace and the city itself. The complex grew across 22 generations of rulers, each adding sections in a layered architecture blending Rajput, Mughal, European, and Chinese influences. It rises 30 metres above Lake Pichola, creating one of India's most dramatic palace-lake vistas.

Inside, the City Palace Museum houses an extraordinary collection: crystal furniture from Victorian England (the Crystal Gallery — commissioned in 1877 from Birmingham's F&C Osler, never used as the Maharana who ordered it died before delivery, and unopened for 110 years), miniature paintings of the Mewar school, armoury, elephant howdahs, and ornate royal apartments. The complex also contains two operating heritage hotels — Fateh Prakash Palace and Shiv Niwas Palace — so you can stay within the palace walls.

• Entry fee: ₹350 (Indians), ₹550 (foreigners), ₹100 (children 5–18)
• Timings: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM daily
• Audio guide: ₹200 (strongly recommended — the palace is vast and unlabelled without context)
• Sound & Light Show: ₹150; held at 7 PM and 8 PM in the palace amphitheatre
• Distance: 1.5 km from Udaipur City Railway Station
• Tip: Enter via the Tripolia Gate (the main historic gate) for the most dramatic first impression. The Crystal Gallery requires a separate ticket (₹850 combined with museum entry) — worth it for the surreal room of crystal furniture and chandeliers that gleamed for a century without an audience.

Lake Pichola is an artificial lake built in 1362 AD, over 660 years old, and the geographical and spiritual heart of Udaipur. The 4 km × 3 km lake contains four islands, each with a palace: Jag Niwas (now the Taj Lake Palace hotel, one of the world's most photographed hotels), Jag Mandir (the Lake Garden Palace), Mohan Mandir, and Arsi Vilas. The City Palace rises from the eastern shore; the Aravalli Hills frame the west. At sunset, when the palace facades reflect amber and gold on still water, it is one of the most romantic urban views in India.

Boat rides depart from Rameshwar Ghat or Bansi Ghat, making a circuit with a stop at Jag Mandir Island. The Taj Lake Palace, appearing to float in the centre of the lake, was featured in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy and is genuinely as striking in person as in photographs.

• Boat ride cost: ₹400 per person (includes Jag Mandir visit); royal boat ₹700 per person
• Departures: Rameshwar Ghat (near City Palace); Bansi Ghat (near Bagore Ki Haveli)
• Timings: 10 AM – 5 PM; sunset cruise 6–7 PM (₹700+)
• Best time: Late afternoon (4–5 PM) for golden light on the City Palace; sunset for reflections
• Tip: Non-guests cannot enter the Taj Lake Palace, but can see it from the boat. The floating white marble palace silhouette at dusk is among the iconic Indian travel images.

Built in 1651 by Maharana Jagat Singh I at a recorded cost of 1.5 million rupees, Jagdish Temple is the largest and most elaborate temple in Udaipur. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu (worshipped as Jagannath, Lord of the Universe), the three-storied structure is a masterpiece of Indo-Aryan (Māru-Gurjara) architecture. Thirty-two marble steps lead to the main gate flanked by elephant statues; the shikhara (spire) is carved with scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. A large brass Garuda (divine eagle, mount of Vishnu) stands on a pillar before the main sanctuary.

• Entry: Free (donation optional)
• Timings: 4:15 AM – 1 PM; 5:15 PM – 8 PM
• Distance: 1.5 km from station; 150 metres from City Palace Bara Pol gate
• Tip: Visit at 6 PM for the evening aarti — a 20-minute ritual with lamps, incense, and chanting. Far more moving than a daytime visit.

Jag Mandir is a three-storey marble and sandstone palace on the southern island of Lake Pichola, accessible only by boat. Construction began in 1551 under Maharana Amar Singh, continued by Maharana Karan Singh, and was completed by Maharana Jagat Singh I in 1652. Emperor Shah Jahan — who later built the Taj Mahal — was given refuge here by Maharana Karan Singh during his 1623 rebellion against his father Emperor Jahangir. Some historians believe the island palace's Mughal-influenced Rajput architecture partly inspired the Taj Mahal's design.

• Entry: ₹550 per person (includes boat transfer from Bansi Ghat)
• Timings: 10 AM – 6 PM daily
• Tip: The open-air Darikhana restaurant on the island serves Rajasthani cuisine with lake views (₹800–₹1,500 per person). Book in advance during peak season.

Built in the 18th century by Amar Chand Badwa (Prime Minister of Mewar), Bagore Ki Haveli is a 138-room mansion on Lake Pichola's waterfront at Gangaur Ghat — the largest private haveli in Rajasthan. The rooms display elaborate mirror work, murals, royal costumes, and jewellery. What makes it essential is the Dharohar Dance Show held nightly from 7–8 PM: Rajasthani folk dance forms — ghoomar, bhavai, kalbelia, fire dance — performed in the courtyard with the lake as backdrop. It is one of the most authentic evening cultural performances in Rajasthan.

• Museum entry: ₹50 (Indians), ₹100 (foreigners)
• Dharohar Show: ₹150 per person; show only (no museum entry required)
• Timings: Museum 9:30 AM–5:30 PM; show 7–8 PM daily
• Tip: Arrive 15 minutes early for a front-row seat. The ghoomar (circular skirt-twirling Rajasthani folk dance) is particularly mesmerising in this lakefront setting.

Built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh II as a pleasure garden for the royal ladies-in-waiting, Saheliyon Ki Bari is one of the most beautiful Mughal-Rajput gardens in Rajasthan. Lotus pools, elephant fountains, and marble pavilions are arranged in a formal geometric layout. The fountains run entirely on natural pressure from a water channel from Fateh Sagar Lake — no pump has ever been used.

• Entry: ₹50 (Indians and foreigners)
• Timings: 9 AM – 7 PM daily; Distance: 3 km from city centre
• Tip: Visit at 9 AM for soft light and no crowds. The elephant-head fountains are turned on at 9 AM and 4 PM.

Fateh Sagar Lake, built by Maharana Fateh Singh in the late 19th century, is Udaipur's second-largest lake (3.5 km × 2 km). Its three islands include the Solar Observatory Island — the only solar observatory in India located on an island, modelled on Big Bear Lake Observatory in California. The promenade circling the lake (Fateh Sagar Pal) is the best evening walk in Udaipur — 5 km with food stalls, sunset views, and a lively local atmosphere.

• Entry: Free; boating ₹30–₹200
• Distance: 4 km from city centre
• Best time: Evening (6–8 PM) for sunset and the promenade food scene
• Tip: The mawa kachori stalls on Fateh Sagar Pal are local institutions — try the sweet kachori filled with mawa (reduced milk) for ₹15–₹20.

Built in 1884 by Maharana Sajjan Singh atop Bansdara Peak (944m) to watch monsoon clouds, the palace's exterior was used in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy as the villain's headquarters. The Maharana died at 26 before completion and it was never fully occupied. Today, it offers a 360-degree panorama of Udaipur — all five lakes, the city, and the Aravalli hills. The sunset from here is the single best photograph in Udaipur.

• Entry: ₹50 (Indians), ₹100 (foreigners); vehicle entry ₹80 extra
• Timings: 8 AM – 6 PM; Distance: 8 km from city centre
• Best time: Arrive 1 hour before sunset (5 PM in winter)
• Tip: Agree a return cab fare before going up — few taxis wait at the top.

The Mewar royal family's private automobile collection, 22 rare vintage and classic cars including a 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom, 1939 Cadillac convertible, and a silver-liveried "Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost" customised as a tiger-hunt shooting brake. Each car has its royal provenance documented.

• Entry: ₹250 (Indians), ₹300 (foreigners)
• Timings: 9 AM – 9 PM daily; Distance: 2 km from city centre (within City Palace complex)
• Tip: Combine with lunch at the adjacent Garden Hotel — Rajasthani thali from ₹450 in a heritage setting.

A 70-acre Government of India complex with 26 traditional huts from five western states, with live daily demonstrations of pottery, weaving, leather work, bamboo crafts, and painting. The annual Shilpgram Utsav (December 21–30) is one of Rajasthan's finest craft festivals.

• Entry: ₹30 (Indians), ₹50 (foreigners)
• Timings: 11 AM – 7 PM daily; Distance: 3 km west of the city near Fateh Sagar