Udaipur Travel guide on a Budget – @ Rajasthan Tour

The distance between Mt Abu to Udaipur is about 3-3:30 hours, but this will take longer, when making an en-route stop at  Haldighati, which is a not to be missed from the itinerary.

Haldighati, Rajasthan

Udaipur is the vibrant and elan city of Rajasthan, it has the biggest and the magnifique palace of this state. The lake city of Rajasthan, built in the mid of Aravalli hills, is a rich flamboyant town; especially for women, because there are loads to shop. Lets quickly finish up the sightseeing first:

Top Places to visit in Udaipur, Rajasthan:

Monsoon Palace:

Start fresh, early in the morning (not right after the hen’s call of course) and let’s go to Monsoon Palace first. Built up on the hills of Aravalli, the palace was planned to be built to keep a watch on the movements of the clouds, to understand the arrival of the monsoon, but due the sudden death of Maharaja Sajjan Singh under whose supervision the construction started, this place finally became a hunting lodge for the royal family. The bird’s eye view of the city from the top of the palace is enigmatic. Though one can spend some good quality time here, but please get done within an hour as there are more to see for the day.

**Entry fees: Rs. 10.00 per person for Indians, and 1 EUR for foreigners.

** There is also another rope-way ride available outside the Palace overlooking the city, which is very beautiful. The ticket cost is Rs. 80.00 per person.

City Palace Udaipur:

This was kind of the pudding of the trip. Constructed on an enormous land, this palace, so far the most sophisticated palace visit in Rajasthan for me, is again built in 3 parts, one resided by the royal family, one part is turned to a museum and is open to the visitors and the final part is heritage property and yes, one can plan a royal, big fat Indian wedding in here.

Coming back to the museum visit, as a visitor we have access till this much, a good 2 hours is must to look around the place, gauge on the beauty of the place, history, art work, mix of old-charm and modern architect, and if you need to recollect what all you saw in the last hour, sip some coffee at the cafeteria inside the palace courtyard just beside the entrance, it won’t be a bad idea eh!

There is also some souvenir shop inside, for some royal expensive shopping, I’m sure you would like at least one peek in there.

Entrance fees: Rs. 350.00 per person for Indians.

** it is said Udaipur palace was resided by the kings during winter times, and summers were spent at the Lake Palace.

Lake Palace Udaipur:

All those poor common visitors like me; you can only watch this palace from a distance, only from the entrance of Udaipur palace overlooking the Pichola lake and the Lake Palace. Why? Because Lake-Palace Udaipur is a private property owned by The Tata group and at present converted into a luxury heritage property. So either one has to book a stay to experience the beauty of the palace, or a pre-reservation of a lunch or dinner may serve a partial purpose, even that ain’t too bad, is it!!

**A royal stay at Lake Palace Udaipur may cost about INR 50K per room per night (minimum).

Sahelion ki bari:

An early evening visit when the sun if soft to the skin, to this place is a good idea, exactly when the sun is mellow at the west and the sky is getting a bit pink but still in its clear light blue shades.

So Sahelion ki Bari or the garden of the maids is an man made lush green and heavenly garden filled with fountains, just think about it, when back in 18^th century when there was no electricity these water fountains used to run incessantly! Whatever science had been behind it, the place is a must visit and it should take about an hour’s time.

** Entry fees Rs. 5 or 10 per person for Indians

• 

• 

Puppet Show @ Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal:

Very close to Sahelion ki bari is Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal which is the place to enjoy Puppet show. So there is also a museum which gives a history of making puppets, puppet show as an entertainment etc, followed by the show is for about 20 minutes, which is really entertaining and fun. One who hasn’t seen a puppet show before or have seen anyway should go for this dancing puppets gracing with Rajasthani folk music.

*** There are different kinds of entry tickets available starting for Rs. 75.00 per person.

Shopping in Udaipur:

The one tip I have—don’t go to a particular shop in Udaipur, go to a market, like big shopping market area. First have a round at all the shops and then finally decide what you want to buy. I would suggest buying souvenirs, handmade purses, bags, Bandhni dupattas, mojris (flat palms), home decors etc. (with little bit of bargain) Bada Bazar, Bapu Bazar are some of them, offering good prices and so many things to choose from.

*** Stay in Udaipur: A minimum 2 nights stay is required to cover the main attractions in Udaipur, 3 to 4 nights stay is lot better.