Lake Pichola was made in 1362, dammed to supply water to what became Udaipur. Two islands sit in it. On one, Jag Niwas, the Maharana Jagat Singh II built a summer palace in 1746 that covers the entire island so completely that the marble appears to float. It has been a hotel since 1963 and you reach it by boat.
That is the image of Udaipur and it is accurate. The city was built around the water, the City Palace runs along the eastern shore for about 250 metres, and the ghats step down into it.
The lake, and an honest caveat
Pichola is fed by monsoon rain and it is not deep. In years of poor rainfall the level drops substantially and in a few severe droughts parts of it have gone dry, which changes the experience completely — the island palaces sit on ground rather than water, and the boat crossings stop.
That has been rare in recent years and it is worth knowing about. Check recent conditions if the floating palace is the specific reason you are going.
Where the hotels are
On the water are the island palace and the two large modern palace hotels on the western shore, both with their own jetties and boat transfers.
In the City Palace complex on the eastern shore, two former royal wings operate as hotels inside the walls, which puts you inside the monument itself.
In the old city, the havelis along the ghats are converted merchant houses, small and close to the lanes.
Outside Udaipur, an eighteenth-century fort palace at Delwara and a resort in the Aravalli hills give you the countryside.
The nine below are grouped that way.
On the lake
Reached by boat, or with a jetty of their own.
Taj Lake Palace occupies the whole of Jag Niwas island, a 1746 marble summer palace with courtyards, a lily pond and a room count that fits inside the original walls. Guests arrive by the hotel's boat and there is no other way in. It is the most photographed hotel in India.
Taj Lake Palace
Jag Niwas island, Lake Pichola · 5★ · $$$$
A 1746 marble palace covering an entire island
Check availabilityThe Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur sits on the western shore on the site of a former royal hunting ground, with fifty acres of gardens, domed pavilions, a large pool and rooms with private pools facing the water. It is the finest hotel in Rajasthan and the boat crossing to the City Palace is part of the stay.
The Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur
Western shore, Lake Pichola · 5★ · $$$$
Fifty acres of gardens with private pools facing the palace
Check availabilityThe Leela Palace Udaipur occupies a lakeside position with a rooftop restaurant, a pool over the water and views straight across at the City Palace and the island. It is the most comfortable modern hotel in the city.
The Leela Palace Udaipur
Lake Pichola shore · 5★ · $$$$
Pool over the water facing the City Palace
Check availabilityInside the City Palace
Within the palace walls on the eastern shore, still owned by the royal family.
Shiv Niwas Palace by HRH Group of Hotels occupies a wing of the City Palace complex built in the early twentieth century, with a marble pool in a courtyard and rooms looking over the lake. It is the only way to sleep inside the monument.
Shiv Niwas Palace by HRH Group of Hotels
Inside the City Palace · 5★ · $$$
A marble courtyard pool inside the monument walls
Check availabilityTaj Fateh Prakash Palace Udaipur sits in the same complex in a building begun in 1758, with a Durbar Hall of considerable grandeur and rooms facing the water.
Taj Fateh Prakash Palace Udaipur
Inside the City Palace · 5★ · $$$
A Durbar Hall and lake-facing rooms in the complex
Check availabilityThe old city and the ghats
Converted havelis in the lanes above the lake.
Jagat Niwas Palace occupies a seventeenth-century haveli on the eastern ghat with painted rooms, a rooftop restaurant over the water and the best value on the lake by a wide margin.
Jagat Niwas Palace
Eastern ghat, old city · 4★ · $$
A seventeenth-century haveli with a rooftop over the lake
Check availabilityOutside the city
Hotel Raas Inn occupies an eighteenth-century fort palace at Delwara, thirty minutes north, restored over fifteen years with a minimal white interior against the original stone. It is the most striking building any hotel in Rajasthan occupies.
Hotel Raas Inn
Delwara, north of Udaipur · 5★ · $$$$
An eighteenth-century fort palace with a minimal interior
Check availabilityTaj Aravali Resort & Spa Udaipur sits in the Aravalli hills outside the city with a large pool, a spa and views over the ranges.
Taj Aravali Resort & Spa Udaipur
Aravalli hills · 5★ · $$$
Large pool and spa with views over the ranges
Check availabilityTrident Udaipur occupies a position on Fateh Sagar lake with a pool, comfortable rooms and reliable service at a lower rate.
Trident Udaipur
Fateh Sagar lake · 4★ · $$
Reliable rooms and a pool at a lower rate
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The small guest houses along the ghats are excluded, and Udaipur has a great many of them with rooftop views that cost very little. They are guest houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Take the boat at sunset. The standard trip from the City Palace jetty crosses to Jag Mandir, the second island, and it is the best hour of the day.
Tour the City Palace itself, which is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan and holds a museum of mirrored rooms, glass mosaics and courtyards.
Walk the ghats early, when the washing and the bathing are happening and the light is on the water.
See the Jagdish temple, the Saheliyon-ki-Bari garden with its fountains, and the miniature painting workshops, which are a genuine Udaipur tradition rather than a tourist product.
Drive out to Kumbhalgarh, two hours north, which has the second-longest continuous wall in the world after China's.
Practical notes
Udaipur's airport is 25 minutes east with domestic connections. Jaipur is six hours by road, Jodhpur five.
October to March is the season, with cool nights in December and January. April to June exceeds 40 degrees. The monsoon from July to September fills the lakes, which is when they look their best.
Book lake-facing rooms specifically. Many rooms in every hotel here face the other way.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Udaipur Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Can the lake really run dry?
It has in severe drought years, and the level varies with the monsoon. It is uncommon but worth checking if the floating palace is the point.
Is the island palace worth it?
For the arrival by boat and the fact that the building covers the entire island, yes. The rooms are historic rather than large.
City Palace or the western shore?
Inside the palace complex for the monument, the western shore for space, gardens and pools with the palace in view.
How many nights?
Three. Two for the city and a third for Kumbhalgarh or Delwara.