Udaipur Lake Palace Guide: “India’s Venice”

Udaipur, the Venice of India, is the most romantic city in the subcontinent. I was the loner watching the tourists honeymoon with candlelit dinners all over the city.

The Udaipur Lake Palace, now owned by Leela hotel, was once a tourist destination. Due to 2008 Bombay bombings you have to look at it by boat unless you can afford a room. It’s one of the most expensive hotels in India.

 

Udaipur is my favorite city in India. As you come into Rajasthan and look out the train windows, like I did for 17 hours from Bombay, you’ll notice more colors, higher turbans, impressive jewelry, lively sequined saris, less people than in the city, and cows with better accessories than me.

It’s more rural with naked kiddos running around, and women wearing quite revealing saris (which is not revealing in Indian’s eyes because the under boob- lots of it- and belly is no big deal… here it’s the legs you want to cover).

While you walk down the street you’ll see sadhus, kids doing traditional dances, and painted elephants swinging their tales.

Ah, it doesn’t get better than having to re-route your journey because an elephant is blocking the alleyway as he marches toward you.

The Ghats

Udaipur doesn’t just have one stunning lake, but four, as well as a mountain range backdrop: the Aravallis. Obviously the main lake has the floating palace.

But it’s not all tranquil and empty.

Just on the edges of the gorgeous palace are locals bathing their kids, doing laundry, and swimming in the Ghats. Tourists are covered in henna walking to the most hip rooftop restaurants…  past stray donkeys, cows, and persistent tuk-tuk drivers on their way.

 


 

 Getting There: I left Bombay from the Bandra Terminus. FYI this is not the same as Bandra Station.
I almost missed my train going to the wrong station! So much for the pre-ride shower I took- I was a sweaty mess from running to catch it.

I took a train from Bombay (17 hours) for “1755 rupees only!” as the ticket says. I love how Indians add in “only” after the price. That’s about 30 bucks.

It’s the most expensive train I’ve taken in India- reason being because it was my first one. I splurged for the 2^nd class A/C. After this easy ride I knew I could go lowest class (aka sleeper class) and be okay. It’s important to understand how to book a train and which class to take. That saved me a lot of money.

Make sure you ask for top tier on a long train ride. In the A.M. as people wake they want to sit on the bottom tier (bed) and eat breakfast, etc. You’ll be forced to wake up and share your bed. Top tier you can sleep until you arrive! I also found that the train was incredibly safe, although I locked up my bag.

Where to stay 

Being on a tighter budget than Leela quality, I opted for a mid-range stay at Hibiscus Guesthouse. It is run by Carol an English woman, and Babu.

They have a very cute, garden-side, house turned hotel with views of the palace and Lake Pichola from my window. My room had Rajasthani décor, A/C, and huge double wooden doors.





 

I splurged the 1200 rupees because I was tired from Bombay’s beating, but there are cheaper options that are nice like Dream Heaven, Lalghat, and Hotel Lake Star– they range anywhere from 150-300 rupees. Another midrange is Hotel Panorama. 

My hotel, Hibiscus picked me up for a 150 rupee charge. Later, I have come to find that you can almost always negotiate that for free. They want you to stay and are willing to cut small costs in order to get you there.

Where to eat & drink

Everything is hot in Rajasthan from the sun to the spicy food. That being said, while in Rajasthan stick to Indian food, just ask for it less spicy.

Some menus are a long list of all the foods in the world. You want a burger, you got it! Not not really. It’s a trick…. anything western on the menus in Rajasthan comes out Indian in my experience. They try so hard, but it’s just not right.Order Indian meals and you’ll be very happy.

I ate mostly palak paneer, chicken tikka masala, rice, and roti (or naan if I was feeling greedy). Make sure to try a Rajasthani Thali and start your morning with chai and a street-side aloo samosa with dipping sauce. Finding a good place to eat in Udaipur is all about finding one with a view.

 

• Lotus Café is where all the tourists meet and chill together. Food is decent but it’s worth going to make a few friends.
•  Sunset View Terrace for drinks
• Ambrai– this place is stunning. Food is great and views are better. Although to be fair not many places in Udaipur have a bad view.
• Udaivilas is a great place for a little upscale fun; where dinner comes with a show
• Jaiwana Havali rooftop restaurants for great views. Prices are mid-range.
• Pharohar to see the classical music

 

 

Udaipur was my introduction to India after Bombay. It was where I first tried sunrise Indian meditation and yoga. Udaipur is super safe for women and the pace of life is calm and slow. Take your time here and let yourself get settled into Indian life.