Udaipur Lake Palace – India’s Most Romantic City

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
6
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
7
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
65 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
228th/454
Top 50%
continent
Asia
country
India
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$130 ($100-$400 in 2025 prices)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Fabulous hotel Lakes Palaces
All Tags
Boat trip Cable cars Gardens Mountains Temple complex
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

Udaipur is often called the most romantic city in India, and it lives up to the hype.  The stunning white Lake Palace sitting in the middle of Lake Pichola, surrounded by the Aravalli Hills, creates one of the most beautiful city settings in the Asia.  But it’s the relaxed atmosphere, rooftop restaurants and lakeside views that make it a special place to spend a few days.

Strong management regarding the use of the lake and buildings nearby, mean that it isn’t as mental as other parts of India.  The water is pretty clear, you can walk around the lakeside without rubbish everywhere, and generally find yourself being able to relax, which can be hard elsewhere in the country. 

Along with Jodhpur (see Jodphur’s Blue City and the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort)  and the Taj Mahal (see The Taj Mahal), this is one of the highlights of India and, if first time in the country, aim for these 3.

 

Udaipur Lake Palace – India’s Most Romantic City. Views from Karna Mata viewpoint

 

Highlights

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1. The gorgeous tranquil views of the Taj Lake Palace sitting in the middle of peaceful Lake Nichola

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2. Similar views, but with a monkey vibe from the Karna Mata Viewpoint

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3. Having a fancy lunch at the Oberoi to enjoy the gorgeous grounds and boat trip to get there

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4. Visiting the Lala Art School for a range of beautiful paintings, statues, clothes, jewellery, randomness . . . or just to sit in the pretty courtyard and have some tea

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5. Visiting the enthralling City Palace with so much history and depth to it

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6. Getting a boat across the lake, ideally around sunset time to see all the colours changing and contrasting withe the bright whites of the palaces

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7. Staying in the Little Garden Guest House, which felt like a home away from home and really added to the experience

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8. Dinner at the Syah Tasting Menu on the other side of the lake

Top tips for Udaipur

The highlight is the views of the lake itself, with the various palaces on its waters edge

Best places for this are: 1. Food at the Ambrai Restaurant at the southern point of Cheerwa (go for breakfast – cooler and way way less crowded); 2. Get a boat – either to Jagmandir Island or just make a lunch / dinner booking at the Oberoi and push them to allow you to take the boat from their jetty; 3. The walk / cable car up to the Karna Mata Viewpoint (plus get to see heaps of monkeys).

 

Breakfast at the Ambrai Restaurant at the southern point of Cheerwa. Udaipur, Rajasthan

Breakfast at the Ambrai Restaurant at the southern point of Cheerwa

 

Views of the lake from the Oberoi Hotel at lunchtime, Udaipur

Views of the lake from the Oberoi Hotel at lunchtime

 

The Lala Art School is surprisingly nice and well worth a visit

Even just to have chai in the courtyard.  It’s right next to the entrance to the City Palace and sells a range of beautiful paintings, statues, clothes, jewellery, randomness.

 

One of the doorway entrances to the Lala Art School right in the centre of Udaipur

One of the doorway entrances to the Lala Art School right in the centre of Udaipur

 

Get to the City Palace for when it opens

Sure there will be some tour groups, but you can have an hour or so with minimal crowds compared to later in the day.

 

Udaipur Lake Palace - Finding some of the more quiet spots - in this case looking across the lake from the Oberoi

Finding some of the more quiet spots – in this case looking across the lake from the Oberoi

 

Accommodation

We stayed at the Little Garden Guest House and would highly recommend. The owner Akshay is insanely helpful for anything you want to do on your stay.

 

 

For something a bit different

Try the Syah Tasting menu a bit further out of town.  Tasting menus are pretty rare in India, so go for it.

 

If trying to decide where to go in Rajasthan

 

As a long term Indian traveller, I see Rajasthan as the clear highlight of India.  Exotic deserts, magnificent forts and a feeling of adventure.  Plus the highest concentration of wow highlights anywhere in India.

 

If first time visitor and assuming you fly into Delhi, I would prioritise this way:

#1 Jodhpur ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Blue City: a maze of indigo houses beneath one of India’s greatest forts.  Magnificent and the highlight of Rajasthan.  See the travel entry for tips – Jodphur’s Blue City.

#2 Taj Mahal (Agra) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The most beautiful building in the world, and surprisingly emotional to see in person.  Lives up to the hype. The Taj Mahal.

#3 Udaipur – ⭐️⭐️⭐️ India’s most romantic city, all lakes, palaces and sunset views. A boat trip along the lake is magical.

#4 The Chand Bawdi Step-well ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – the world’s deepest step-well at 30m / 100ft, 3500 steps across 13 stories and is magnificent.  Visit as part of the drive through to Jaipur.

#5 Jaisalmer ⭐️⭐️ – A golden desert fortress and camel safaris into the Thar Desert.  Jaisalmer and camel desert safari.

Delhi – give yourself half a day as you will fly into here, but don’t prioritise. Delhi.

Jaipur – GASH.  The Pink City is a big disappointment and not in the same league as the above. Don’t bother.  Jaipur and the Amber Fort – The Pink City of Rajasthan.

 

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Lake Como – the world’s most beautiful lake
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Lago d’Orta
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The Byzantine Churches of Lake Ohrid
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Driving Argentina’s Seven Lakes drive from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes
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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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