We were super excited to travel to Udaipur, Rajasthan this year, given its rich history, culture, beauty, palaces, lakes, endless list of photo opportunities! It was like going back in time and history and reliving moments of the Rajput Era. Our travels coincided with the controversy surrounding the movie Padmavat and the movie not being released in the state of Rajasthan, although we were nonchalant about it, thankfully there were no more cases of riots and chaos during our visit.
The city of Udaipur is beautiful and a must see in the state of Rajasthan. Beautiful palaces, lakes, sunrise, sunsets, 5-star hotels, Oberoi Udaivillas, bougainvilleas, pigeons and much more will make you instantly fall in love with this city!
Here we are blogging about the beautiful City Palace, Udaipur! It was built over 400 years ago by the Mewar Dynasty, the palace is located on the east side of Lake Pichola and has several palaces within its complex.
The street that leads to the city palace is narrow so most of the tourists have to walk to the palace! You can park your car/taxi about 10 minutes away and continue walking from there to the City Palace. There are several different street shops that offer clothing, accessories, paintings and trinkets, eateries, cafes along the way so expect some delay reaching the palace since it is hard not to stop at all of these curious little street shops along the way.
Tips for shopping: Bargain as much as you can, sadly the shop owners will try to swindle you with tall games and storytelling.
Hippie chic clothing, traditional skirts, intricate jewelry, embroidered bags, trinkets, beautiful paintings are just a few things we remember, there is much more to enjoy and view to your heart’s content! The clothes that are hung on the racks facing the streets are beautiful, however, they are dusty and will definitely require dry cleaning, sizes are free size so if you like a custom fit, it will need to be tailored further for that perfect fit.
Right outside the city palace is the Jagdish Temple, it is a Hindu Temple that was built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1651.
and finally, you arrive at the City Palace. On the left is a huge statue of an elephant that looks magnificent! At the entrance, you are greeted by several guides waiting to be hired, it is best to hire a guide to better understand the history and details of the palace and possibly ask any questions you may have. Next, you are greeted by photographers that offer a quick change to traditional clothes and portrait that will be available for purchase when the city palace tour is completed. You can choose to say yes or no but expect to hear some cajoling and convincing to try and get you to agree to their services.
As you enter the palace, you see an open courtyard with gardens and marble and granite structures. Several different smaller palaces are home to the city palace and take an hour and a half at least depending on each person’s interest in history, culture, photography. Amazing architecture, windows, balconies, views of the lake, maharaja’s room, maharani’s swing, gardens, paintings, peacock square, gold room, mirror room, colored glass, wall paintings, murals, museum’s featuring palanquins, horse carriages, clothes that the royal family wore etc to name a few.
Scroll to see some of our favorites for a glimpse of City Palace, Udaipur.
