Is it worth paying more for a lake-view room in Udaipur?

For one or two nights, yes: the view of the City Palace across Pichola at dusk is the reason most people come, and the lake-facing havelis put it outside the window. On a longer stay, a hill or old-city property with a rooftop terrace gives you the same view at dinner for noticeably less, and usually a bigger room.

How many nights do I need in Udaipur?

Two nights is enough for the City Palace, a boat on Lake Pichola and one evening rooftop dinner. Three lets you add the Monsoon Palace at sunset or Eklingji and Nagda, and a fourth suits anyone using Udaipur as a base for Kumbhalgarh or Ranakpur, each a couple of hours out.

When is the best time to visit Udaipur?

October to March is the comfortable window, with December and January coolest and busiest. The lakes look their fullest just after the monsoon, from late September, which is a quieter and cheaper time to come. April onward gets hot, and by May daytime temperatures make midday sightseeing hard work.

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Experience India

India · 18 hand-picked stays

Boutique hotels
in Udaipur

Udaipur is small, and almost everything worth seeing sits around two lakes. What changes between our 18 stays here is whether you are on the water, above it, or out of town entirely.

On the ghats of Lake Pichola the old havelis face the City Palace across the water. Jagat Niwas holds 27 keys on the ghats themselves; Lake Pichola Hotel is an 18th-century noble house looking straight at the palace; Amet Haveli was built between 1734 and 1752 and keeps a courtyard pool. Rooms are characterful rather than large, lanes are narrow, and you walk everywhere. This is the view people come for.

The old city behind the lake is a few minutes further back and noticeably cheaper. Mahendra Prakash is family-run around a fountain courtyard, Chunda Haveli is six minutes from Pichola with a rooftop pool, and Vasant Vilas sits in Mali Colony within reach of both the City Palace and the lake.

Above the town, on the hills, the buildings are newer or rebuilt and the views are long. Fateh Garh was raised stone by stone on a hilltop, Khas Mahal is all suites with heated plunge pools, Premkunj is a homestay ten minutes' walk down to the water.

Fateh Sagar, the second lake, is quieter and about 3 km from the centre: Rampratap Palace has 24 rooms on its shore.

The Mewar family properties are a category of their own. Shiv Niwas Palace occupies a crescent wing of the City Palace complex. Shikarbadi is the family's old hunting lodge on 250 acres, and Chunda Shikar Oudi sits on a 150-hectare private reserve outside town.

Udaipur's airport, Maharana Pratap, is about 22 km east of the city. Jodhpur is roughly five hours by road and Jaipur about six.

Planning the rest of the trip? Read our Udaipur travel guide.

Where they are

14 of the 18 stays in Udaipur; the rest are not pinned yet. Tap a pin for the stay.

Udaipur · Boutique hotel

Udai Kothi

Sixty four rooms above Hanuman Ghat and the oldest rooftop pool in Udaipur, by the house's own telling. Dusk up there outshines the palace bars.

Rates on request, usually back within the hour

Boutique hotels in Udaipur

Where they are

Common questions

The whole Udaipur trip,planned for you

Never overpay for ordinary

Boutique hotels
in Udaipur

The whole Udaipur trip,
planned for you

Never overpay
for ordinary