About Udaipur - The Most Romantic City in India & Venice of the East

Udaipur, the capital of the former princely state of Mewar is a beautiful city in Rajasthan, India. Udaipur is also referred to as the "Venice of the East", the "Most Romantic City of India" and the "Kashmir of Rajasthan". Udaipur the “City of Lakes” is one among the most romantic and most beautiful cities of India.

The city of Dawn, Udaipur is a lovely land around the azure water lakes, hemmed in by the lush hills of the Aravalis. A vision in white drenched in romance and beauty, Udaipur city of Rajasthan state is a fascinating blend of sights, sounds and experiences - an inspiration for the imagination of the poets, painters and writers. Udaipur's kaleidoscope of fairy-tale palaces, lakes, temples, gardens and narrow lanes strewn with stalls, carry the flavor of heroic past, epitomizing valor and chivalry. Their reflection in the placid waters of the Lake Pichhola is an enticing sight.

Know more about Udaypur, The Most Admired & Romantic City in World

Best City of the World - Awards won by Udaipur City

The city of lakes and the Venice of east Udaipur was declared as the world's best city in a poll by Travel and Leisure magazine. Udaipur was the first south Asian city to get this prestigious title. Udaipur won this award due to its respect for international travellers, safe environs, its age-old forts, city's rich culture, heritage and its lakes, palaces & relics. Even in today, Udaipur is a a preferred Heritage destination standing at one of the Top Five favourite Tourist spots in the World with one out of every three foreign tourists definitely visiting the city.

Travel & Leisure Magazine Editor-in-chief Comments about Udaipur

Travel + Leisure editor-in-chief Nancy Novogrod said: "I was, but I'm kind of intrigued. It's a city I love. It's in Rajasthan, it's an ancient city around a lake and it has a beautiful palace with some great hotels and superb resorts," including the Taj Lake Palace and the Oberoi Udaivilas. Luxury hotel companies are opening properties there because "they are looking for these very special destinations that are unspoiled, that do offer a very rich and real sense of the culture of the region to guests," she said.

UdaipurCityInNight

Why Udaipur was chosen as World's best City by Travel & Leisure Magazine

Novogrod also spoke highly of the city's art collections and shopping opportunities for fabrics, antiques and handmade clothing. Novogrod added that among her magazine's readers, she has noticed a "huge migration and interest away from the classic European capitals and classic resorts to destinations that offer a very particular sense of place. ... The world has gotten smaller in some ways and the traditional places have gotten less interesting and more familiar."

Another factor that may have contributed to the No. 1 ranking for Udaipur is that for the first time in the survey's 14-year history, results were included from readers of Travel + Leisure's international editions in South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, Australia and New Zealand, Turkey and Mexico.

Oberoi UdaiVillas Hotel

Typical Udaipur Tour Itinarary with Luxury

Typical Udaipur tour starts with checking into Taj Lake palace or Oberoi Udaivillas Hotels, Enjoy a romantic boat ride in lake Pichola amidst the backdrop of Aravli mountains and the setting sun. Visiting City Palace, Built in 1725, the City Palace is a blend of traditional Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. Within the Palace are several structures like the Chandra Mahal, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Museum, Mubarak Mahal and Diwan-i-Khas. 

Must see is the Durbar Hall at the Fateh Prakash Palace famous for its magnificent crystal chandeliers and velvet canopies, original portraits of the Maharanas of Mewar and a grand exhibition of armory. The galleries that surround it give you a magnificent view of Lake Pichola, Jagmandir, Lake Palace and the Sajjangarh Palace of Udaipur. 

When to Visit Udaipur

The months between September and March are the ideal time to visit Udaipur when the weather is pleasant. 

Some of the Best Heritage Luxury Hotels in Udaipur

• The Leela Palace - Udaipur
• Oberoi Udaivilas - Udaipur
• Taj Lake Palace - Udaipur
• Trident Udaipur 

                                                                                   Leela Hotel Udaipur

Udaipur Tourist Attractions

Udaipur City Palace

The splendid City Palace, posing over the fascinating Lake Pichola, is one of the most beautiful palatial structures. The elegant palace originally built by Mahrana Uday Singh II rises 30 meters above Lake Pichola and extends up to 244 meters.
 
The City Palace of Udaipur1 has number of small and big palaces, museums and the gardens. There are many popular palaces inside the City Palace Complex. The unique aspect of this conglomeration is that the architectural design (a rich blend of Rajasthani, Mughal, Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture) is distinctly homogeneous and eye catching.
 
The palace complex has been built entirely in granite and marble. The interiors of the palace complex with its balconies, towers and cupolas exhibit delicate mirror-work, marble-work, murals, wall paintings, silver-work, inlay-work and leftover of colored glass. The complex provides a fine view of the lake and the Udaipur city from its upper terraces.

Udaipur Lakes

Udaipur is a lovely blend of water, lush green hills that set fire and passion in poet and considered as Venice of East. The city has 5 beautiful lakes that adds to its kaleidoscope.

Fateh Sagar Lake - An artificial lake constructed by Maharana in north of Lake Pichola in 1678 and to the north-west of Udaipur. Within the confines of the Fateh Sagar Lake, there are three small islands.; the largest of these is called the Nehru Park, the second island houses a public park with an impressive water-jet fountain and the third island is the address for the Udaipur Solar Observatory. Every year a festival called the Hariyali Amavasya Mela (Green New Moon Fair) is organized at the lake precincts,in the month of August/September.
 

Pichola Lake - An artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. The lake’s surroundings and the several islands within the lake have been developed over the centuries, with palaces, marble temples, family mansions, and bathing ghats. The famous Lake Palace (now converted into a heritage hotel) is located in the middle of the lake. Two islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are located within Pichola Lake. Local buses, Tongas, auto-rickshaws and taxis provide the needed transport.

About Taj Lake Palace & Lake Pichola - Udaipur

Udaipur ( Udaypur) Particularly famous is its Lake Palace, now a Taj Hotel, it covers an entire island in the Pichola Lake. Lake Palace has been accredited for being one of the most romantic places all across the globe.

The Udaipur lakes arereminisense of city of Venice. But unlike Venice, these lakes are fresh water and Udaipur is not on coast, it is deep in the Indian Rajasthan Desert, so presence of fresh water lakes creates a lind of oasis impact in the scorching sun. In 1362, the beautiful lake was built by Pichhu Banjara during the ruling period of Maharana Lakha. Lake is 3 miles in length, 2 miles in width and has depth of approx 30 feet. 

Location of Pichola Lake:    Besides Udaipur City Palace
Built by               :    Pichhu Banjara in 1362
Significance         :    Oldest Lake of Udaipur that is known for its picturesque background & Taj Lake Palace.
How to reach:    One can easily reach Lake Pichola either by taking Local buses, Tongas, auto-rickshaws and taxis from the city

Pichola Lake Udaipur Pichola Lake is one of the most beautiful and picturesque lakes of Rajasthan, India. Located in the heart of the city, Pichola Lake is the oldest and one of the largest lakes of Udaipur. 

The beauty of this lake has not separated anyone to attract towards it. The lake looks more enchanting with its scenic surroundings. Maharana Udai Singh must have been certainly captivated by the charm of this pristine lake with the perfect backdrop of lush green hills as when he founded the city of Udaipur, he enlarged this lake. He also constructed a dam made in stone that falls under the 'Badipol' region on the shore of this lake. 

Pichola Lake is enveloped by lofty Palaces, temples, bathing ghats and elevated hills on all its sides. In the southern part of this lake, there is a hill that is known as Machhala Magra and one can see glimpse of Eklinggarh Fort from here. The City Palace of Udaipur broadens along the eastern banks of this lake. Built by Jagat Singh, Mohan Mandir is situated in the north-east corner of Lake Pichola. 

Lake Pichola comprises several islands that accompany the calm waters of the lake. The world-renowned Lake Palace is perfectly located on the Jag Island of this tranquil lake. Even the Jag Mandir, another destination of tourists, is located on an island of this lake. Above all, a trip to Pichola Lake would be incomplete with a boat ride. The pristine blue waters of the lake leave a soothing impact on the spectator. At the time sun-set, a boat ride in this lake is sufficient to enthrall anyone. 

Rudyad Kipling and Udaipur

Rudyard Kipling mentioned this lake in his Letters of Marque (1899), "If the Venetian owned the Pichola Lake, he might say with justice, `see it and die'". The beauty of Lake Pichola attracts people from all over the world, tourists come and fall in love with it. The mesmerizing beauty of Lake Pichola makes it worth visiting during your visit to Udaipur.

Festivals and Romantic Holiday in Udaipur

The festivals are a huge hit with tourists of Udaipur. Undoubtedly, Udaipur is undoubtedly a dream destination for a romantic holiday. Every year, thousands of tourists come from all over the globe to visit this romantic city. Udaipur is easily accessible from all the major cities of India including Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. So, if you are tired of your hectic schedules and daily routine, then plan a trip to the city of lakes to lighten up your worries and tensions. A tour to the romantic city of Udaipur would certainly become an unforgettable part of your memories and you will cherish these memories throughout your life.