The fascinating walled city of Udaipur, India, sits on the shores of Lake Pichola, 385 mi/620 km north of Mumbai. It presents an enchanting landscape of man-made lakes and gentle hills, dotted with fairy-tale palaces. It is known as the Venice of the East.
Udaipur is renowned for its palaces—the white marble Maharajah's Palace, the Winter Palace with its inlaid tile, mirrors and mosaics of peacocks; the 18th-century yellow-sandstone palace Jag Mandir; and Jag Niwas, an 18th-century granite and marble palace-turned-luxury-resort. Because this hotel also featured briefly in 1983's Octopussy with Roger Moore, the movie plays daily on rooftop restaurants around the city starting promptly at 7 pm.
Also see the Victoria Hall Museum (local historical displays and antiques), Sahelion-ki-Bari (a garden) and the Jagdish Temple. The Lake Palace Hotel is the former summer palace of the local maharajah. Even if you don't plan on staying there, take the launch over for lunch or dinner. It's a fantastic building, and the restaurants are good. The Haveli Museum is home to the world's largest turban.
You can take a rewarding day excursion to Chittorgarh, which has the spectacular Victory Tower and the Kumbha Shyam Temple.
Plan to spend two nights in Udaipur.
To request access to the full version of this destination guide, please provide your email address below. Your email address will only be used for verification purposes and will not be used for marketing purposes.