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Udaipur is a beautiful city in Rajasthan, India famous for its lakes that have made it the historical home of royalty, a current tourist favorite, and the backdrop for several movies including the James Bond flick, "Octopussy".

Udaipur is referred to as the "Venice of the East" and the "Kashmir of Rajasthan" and not without reason. Tourists to this enchanting old-modern town in the heart of the Aravalli-Mountains, with tonnes of history, swear by the lovely sunsets in the backdrop of the lakes. There are three interconnected lakes within the town - the Fateh Sagar Lake, the Pichhola Lake and the smaller Swaroop Sagar Lake. Pichhola, incidently, is home to one of the most romantic hotels of the world, the Lake Palace Hotel.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Udaipur has a small airport called Maharana Pratap Singh Airport, after the legendary medieval Rajput King. Jet airways has a daily flight to Udaipur from both Delhi-Jaipur and Bombay. Indian Airlines also operates daily flights between Udaipur and major cities like Jaipur and Mumbai. Kingfisher is also now operating one daily flight from Delhi via Jaipur and Air Deccan is starting from March 2007 with 3 flights a week.

Flight schedule in to Udaipur

Flight#	Origin	Dep Time	Destination	Arr Time	Via	Days
IC7471	Delhi (DEL)	1100	Udaipur (UDR)	1400	Jaipur (JAI), Jodhpur (JDH)	Daily
IC7471	Jaipur (JAI)	1210	Udaipur (UDR)	1400	Jodhpur (JDH)	Daily
IC7471	Jodhpur (JDH)	1320	Udaipur (UDR)	1400	-	Daily
IC7472	Mumbai (BOM)	1500	Udaipur (UDR)	1640	Udaipur (UDR)	Daily

The city of Udaipur is about 20km from the airport. Taxis to the city cost nearly INR 200 and are the recommended and only means of transportation to and from airport.

[edit] By bus

Udaipur is connected by an efficient bus service with most Rajasthani towns including Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Mount Abu, etc. Buses also head south to Ahmedabad with connections to Mumbai but it is not a short journey. There are comfortable sleeper coaches available to most distant places, though.

[edit] By train

Train service has improved over the last few years after Udaipur was converted to broad gauge railway line. There are now daily trains from New Delhi and Jaipur. If you come from Mumbai you need to change in Ahmedabad, where the train leaves in the evening for Udaipur.

[edit] Get around

Most of the sights center around the Lake Pichhola and can be seen on foot. A rickshaw or taxi is needed for seeing more of the surrounding area including the nearby wilderness park and Monsoon Palace. Do ensure to bargain with the rickshaw drivers for the the cost of the trip. The rickshaw drivers are sometimes overly courteous, especially to single female foreigners. Use your better judgment while traveling to distant locations alone.

Udaipur is part of the legendary Mewar kingdom famous for its courtesy to guests. People here go out of their way to help guests. Do not hesitate to ask local folks for directions and tips. However, try to avoid seeking information from gifts/handicrafts shop owners.

You can rent scooters or motorcycles from Herra Tours & Travels (tel: 0294-5130625, at Hotel Badi Haveli, Gangaur Ghat Rd.). You don't need an international driver's license. Prices depend on the kind of transport you rent and the length of time you rent it for. We rented a small scooter for Rs 150 for 3 hours. Fuel is priced separately, but is relatively cheap.

[edit] See

• Fateh Sagar Lake
• Pichola Lake
• Sukhadia Circle
• Saheliyon ki Badi
• Sajjangarh Palace
• Udaysagar
• Duddhtalaii & Musical Garden
• Nehru Garden (Fateh Sagar)
• City Palace Museum
• Shilp Gram

[edit] Do

Horseback Riding: What Camel riding is in Jaisalmer, horseback riding is in Udaipur, a must! Situated in the middle of the Aravalli-Mountains, Udaipur offers a fantastic landescape and unrivaled views. Various operators offer horse rides here, but the best choice is definitely Princess Trails. They have superb Marwari Horses, well-kept and looked-after and they really pamper you on their rides. They organize both shorter and day rides and also horseback safaris with overnight stays in a camp in the middle of the wilderness. This is something very special away from the usual touristic routes. They can be contacted under (0091)-98290-42012 and their website is www.princesstrails.com

[edit] Eat

You are in Mewar! You must not miss the opportunity to have the really loaded Daal-Baati-Choorma. It is an experience you will remember forever. Look out for a helping of Gatte-ki-sabzi, as well. Udaipur is also famous for its spicy snacks - Mirchi bada, Kachori, etc.

Also, for those with insatiable appetites and no desire for self-service, there are a couple of worthwhile Thali restaurants where you can get unlimited servings of a selection of Rajasthani and Gujarati dishes (rotis, savoury bites, daals, vegetables, rice, sweets and more):

• Ambrai is a restaurant situated at water level right on Lake Pichola across from the Lake Palace Hotel and the City Palace Museum. Beautiful place to relax after a long jaunt on the road and to take in the nightly fireworks show. Most rickshaw drivers know the place by name.
• Cafe Edelweiss A 'must go' spot for cakes, real coffee, fresh breads, salads.
• Natraj - a new and very popular restaurant near the train station serves Gujarati (sweet) and Rajasthani Thali for Rs.75 per person - bluish lights but very good food, clean and modern (a bit flashy)
• Bawarchi - Thali at Rs.45 per person served upstairs at this popular restaurant in Delhi Gate - clean, bright and tasty
• Paratha Hut - Different tastes of Indian chapatis (paratha), Indian dishes, Chinese, South Indian, snacks and many more. On Lake Palace Road.
• Berry's - A decent indoor restaurant with good food at Chetak Circle.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Hotel Gangaur Palace at Gangaur Ghat is quite nice and reasonable at about 400 Rs for a double room, but a little bit noisy.
• Pleasure Guest House is a quiet place to take pleasure, about 350Rs with a restaurant in the middle of a verdant garden, a balcony with a lovely view, and is surrounded by famous tourist attractions such as the city palace, Pichola lake, markets, museums...
• Anjani Hotel a clean, quiet, safe and conveniently located budget hotel with swimming pool, rooftop restaurant and excellent lake views, run by a family, at Gangaur Ghat. Located within walking distance to the main tourist attractions and shopping, yet enough out of the way to be quiet for sleeping.

[edit] Mid-range

• Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel is located right on the lake, very nicely kept, has a fine restaurant and also some rooms with stunning lake views.
• The Tiger has a different style, very clean with 19 rooms, a spa, a restaurant, a beautiful lake with views, and fine food.
• Vishnupriya, Gulab Bagh. Three-star hotel. 51 rooms.
• Mahendra Prakash (Tel: (91-294) 2419811) has clean rooms ranging from Rs 800 (no AC) to Rs 3500. The courtyard has a pool and the restaurant serves pretty good food. On Lake Palace road.
• Lake Palace hotel () This is the best hotel in town with all luxary .

[edit] Splurge

• The Lake Palace Hotel, Tel: (91-294) 2528800, [1] is perhaps one of the most romantic hotels in the world, and is situated on an island in Lake Pichola.

[edit] Get out

Flights from Udaipur to Delhi

• Flight DN-502 (Air Deccan) leaving Udaipur 17:15, arriving in Delhi at 19:45 (duration 2:30 hrs). It makes a stop in Jaipur. See http://www.airdeccan.com/
• Tuesdays - Flight 9W3318 leaving Udaipur 13:35, arriving in Delhi 15:05 (duration 2:30 hrs).

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