I have a feeling of the jittery butterflies that flutter through my stomach as I start packing my bag.
We never thought of travelling to the Udaipur but suddenly it came to our mind when someone posted a picture on instagram story of their excursion to Udaipur. It’s like finding a gold coin in the middle of the old house you just purchased. We decided to explore the magnificent beauty of Udaipur for obvious reason which we were rewarded by more than one interesting trouvaille almost accidentally.
Udaipur, the most romantic spot on the Indian continent thanks to its abundance of dreamy lakes and spontaneous palaces known as the City of Lakes, Venice of east and white city of India.
This city is truly a traveller’s paradise and famous for its Rajputana forts, royal richness, artistic prowess, land of puppeteers and Churma.
Udaipur is a picturesque centre on the earth, a human fairyland with best living environment and an Elysian full of sunshine of harmony.
It has everything from vibrant aura, cultural lifestyle and rajputana forts, royal touch, temples, monuments and sparkling lakes but most importantly, it’s the most romantic place if you are coming up with someone you love and relaxed place for those who are coming up to find peace.
You can enjoy the artistic view in every nook and cornor of the city and the city is fully influenced by the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. One can admire the beauty of the city while looking at the people of this place. They are genuinely good. Udaipur is a colourful city known for its mesmeric architecture, aesthetic beauty, ecological richness, pleasant gardens, lush green vegetation, and grandiose hilly ranges amidst of Aravallis.
With so much of unique offering one can hardly bored with Udaipur ancient beauty. Udaipur has connectivity with all the routes by bus, trains and flight from Delhi, Mumbai & Jaipur.
Over the years, Udaipur has earned a significant place on the tourist map of India owing to its royal and cultural heritage.
When we baorded the train to Udaipur from Nizamuddin railway station, we have never imagined that we will get the best memories there. Waiting at Cumsum, Nizamuddin for the train to arrive, we started discussing about where to go in Udaipur and what is the main attraction of the city and started making a schedule which place to visit first.
Reaching to Udaipur, We hired an auto, driver name is Vishnu for the whole day. We first took us for the breakfast to a shop where we had a samosa, jalebi and spicy onion (pyaaz) kachori.
He dropped us to hotel that we booked earlier. The best view on the top of the city perched with mountains, greenery and sparkling lakes. One can see the city from the top of the hotel. Everything was going perfect and then we explored entire hotel. We called Vishnu for the site scene and other things in Udaipur. He guide us everything we have asked for.
Then we starts our day with a healthy Rajasthani Thali at Chaapan Bhog near Saheliyo ki Bari and it was Awsome.
Things to do in Udaipur
We made our first visit to impressive City palace in Udaipur situated on the banks of Lake Pichola, largest palace of Rajasthan. It has actually contains 11 palaces from courtyard, gates, temples, corridors, rooms, towers, hanging gardens, pavilions, terraces and arches in total to explore, which were built by different rulers still they resemble each other. City palace has a museum inside where traveller’s spend some time to know the royal heritage and vibrant culture of India. Towering on the banks of Lake Pichola, City Palace is truly a feast to the eyes. In 1974, a part of the City Palace and Zanana Mahal have been transformed into a museum and the museum is open for public.
City Palace has several gates that are known as ‘Pols’. Bara gate is the main gate to the City Palace complex that will take you to the first courtyard. With the perfect glimpse of unique painting, antique furniture and exquisite glass mirror & ornamental tiles work of these palaces, will make you wonder about the marvel miscellany of City Palace.
Two popular manmade lakes in the city are Lake Fateh Sagar and Lake Pichola are connected by canal. Evening boat ride is one of the attraction on the lakes which you’ll never afford to miss while your visit to Udaipur. The ride to the calm lake last for an hour and gives you a Trouvaille experience. All the best hotels in Udaipur are situated around Lake Pichola, which is the centre of the city. Wake up to the serenity of the lake and watch the spectacular sunset over its shimmering palace, the lake was teardrop sliver in color and shaped like a perfectly flat disc of metal. The scene was so glorious that I had a lightning bolt moment. Even the depth of the lake was vodka clear and looked simply amazing.
In the evening we headed back to the hotel after the tiring day. All thanks to the weather it was rainy all the time when we were outside. The cool and refreshing weather with rajasthani snacks we ended our day.
We were wanted to dine in Jag Temple which came to know when we were doing boat ride. One of the major attraction in Jag Temple with exotic dining but unfortunately it was full.
So we decided to dine in Upre AD Bistro, located near Lake Pichola, rooftop restaurant with a spectacular lake view. It was very decent place and all thanks to Vikram for the wonderful gesture as we have not done the booking in advance but still he managed to arrange one table for us. Fabulous place and beautiful location made my day.
Many Hollywood movies and Bollywood movies scenes like Mera Saaya, Guide, Octopussy, Heat and Dust, Phool Bane Angarey, Khuda Gawah, Yaadein, The Fall, Eklavya, Dhamaal, The Cheetah Girls-One world, The Best exotic marigold hotel, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Goliyo ki Raasleela-Ram-Leela, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Mirzya, etc. were shot in wonderful Udaipur.
There are many markets and bazaars in Udaipur, but one of the best and biggest to visit if you want to do some souvenir shopping is Hathi Pol. The Place where you can pick local art and handicrafts including the unique Rajasthani miniature paintings, bandhani fabrics, leather diaries and articles. Udaipur has great markets to shop for jewellery especially earrings. Badi Pol, Hathi pole and Lake palace road is famous among tourists and locals, has a lot of potential for bargaining on whatever you buy. You can also brush up your bargaining skills before encountering autowalas and shop owners. If you’re a student, keep your IDs with you to enjoy the discounted rate on City Palace entry fee.
Bagore ki Haveli has 138 rooms, as well as numerous corridors, balconies, courtyard and terraces with displays of costumes and modern art. The interior of haveli is embellished with mirror art work.
Saheliyon ki Bari is one of the most beautiful garden and major tourist attractions in Udaipur. Garden is famous for its marble art (black & white), art and fountains. The Superb architecture of the garden provides a breath-taking view. The main reservoir has four black marbled kiosks in its corner and one white marble kiosks in its centre. One of the Bollywood movie song Tumsa koi Pyaara koi masoom nhi hai picturized in Garden of maids starring Karishma Kapoor and Govinda.
Nehru Garden- Nehru garden is an idyllic spot in the middle of Fateh Sagar Lake. It is a wonderful picnic place and has a restaurant as well.
Fateh Sagar Lake is an ethereal sight best experienced in the evening on the boat ride of the day.
Udaipur is blessed with various timeless jewels that leave visitors awestruck and Jag Island Mandir is one of these. Beautifully snuggled in the middle of Lake Pichola. Its unique location makes it a highly sought after venues for marriages in Udaipur. Equipped with seven tastefully adorned suites this regal palace turned into hotel offers a succulent food there is all-day café, restaurant and bar. Wedding events at this palace are adding a new chapter in the glorious history of the palace. You can see the 4 elephant statues on the frontage of this palace.
Udaipur is blessed with various timeless jewels that leave visitors awestruck.
Secondly, one should visit the Mansoon Palace also known as Sajjan Garh Fort perched high on the Aravalli Hills above the city overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. This 19th Century Palace was constructed by Maharana Sajjan Singh, now taken care by Government, is sadly in a tumbledown state. The Palace is a popular among visitos for the marvellous views particularly at sunset.