Nicknamed the city of lakes, Udaipur is a beautiful place to visit in India. But there’s certainly more to Udaipur than just these picture-perfect bodies of water. You can also visit stunning palaces, amazing temples, delicious restaurants, and fabulous viewpoints. You can enjoy all of these Udaipur highlights during this fantastic 2-day Udaipur itinerary.
That said, remember that this itinerary is just a structured suggestion. So feel free to add, remove, or rearrange any part of this itinerary to better suit your needs.
Udaipur Itinerary Day 1: Visit the Most Popular Highlights
From palaces to lakes to temples, day 1 of this Udaipur itinerary is jam-packed with amazing things to do in the city center!
Explore the City Palace Museum
To start your first day of this Udaipur itinerary, you’ll head to the most popular attraction in town: the City Palace Museum.
Technically, the City Palace is composed of 11 separate palaces, along with the courtyards and squares connecting them all. People typically visit the part of the palace complex that has been turned into a museum, which is filled with all sorts of royal memorabilia.
But you can visit more than just the museum portion of the City Palace. While not all of this attraction is accessible to the public, at the very least you can visit Fateh Prakash Palace and Shiv Niwas Palace, as they have both been converted into hotels. On top of that, many of the greenery-filled courtyards are open to the public as well.
Take a Ride on Lake Pichola
The City Palace Museum is located right on Lake Pichola, the second stop on this amazing Udaipur itinerary. While you can certainly stroll along its banks, we recommend taking a boat ride on Lake Pichola. Along the way, you’ll also get to see many of Udaipur’s best sites.
Stop by Gangaur Ghat
In order to understand the significance of Gangaur Ghat, you first have to understand what a ghat is. Ghats are steps that lead to a river or lake. That alone guarantees that they’ll have amazing views. But ghats are significant, because they are used to hold many Hindu festivals. So not only are they great viewpoints, they are cultural and religious landmarks as well.
Gangaur Ghat is the most popular ghat in Udaipur. While there, you can simply take in the incredible views of Lake Pichola. And if you’re lucky, you can watch and maybe even participate in a Hindu festival.
Pop By Bagore Ki Haveli
Right next door to Gangaur Ghat is Bagore Ki Haveli. A haveli is basically a historic mansion, and they are spread all across the city. Bagore Ki Haveli was originally built for Shri Amarchand Badwa, the Prime Minister of Mewar (the region) for 27 years! When Shri Amarchand Badwa passed away, the haveli then passed onto the Mewar Royal Family.
Today, Bagore Ki Haveli has been transformed into a cultural museum. While there, you can see everything from turbans to weapons to puppets to glasswork. If you time it right, you can even see a cool cultural show!
Visit Jagdish Temple
After you finish up at Bagore Ki Haveli, you can make the short walk to Jagdish temple. There are both Jain temples and Hindu temples dotted throughout Udaipur, but Jagdish temple is an example of the latter.
With dozens of Hindu temples in Udaipur, you may be wondering what sets Jagdish temple apart. For the most part, it’s popularity is due to its intricate carvings of Hindu deities and two large elephant structures at the entrance.
And once you step inside, the creativity continues! With colorfully painted walls, rhythmic chanting, and beautiful singing, Jagdish Temple is absolutely amazing.
Do note that it’s tradition to walk clockwise through the temple. Locals believe that’ll bring you a bit of good luck!
Catch the Sunset from Ambrai Ghat
If you enjoyed the stop at Gangaur Ghat in the morning, you’ll definitely like the visit to Ambrai Ghat at sunset. The ghats in Udaipur are always gorgeous viewpoints, but, with the golden glow of sunset, they’re particularly breathtaking.
Dine at One of the Best Restaurants in Town
Udaipur is filled with fabulous restaurants. While you can dine on traditional Rajasthani food, you can also enjoy international food as well.
Our first recommendation is Upré by 1559 AD. This lovely restaurant is located on a terrace overlooking the beautiful Lake Pichola. And while the atmosphere is amazing, it’s the food that really sells it. While you can order an international favorite, we recommend trying one of the local dishes, like laal maans (mutton in a spicy Indian sauce), safed murg (chicken in yogurt, cashews, and poppy seeds), or govind gatta curry (dumplings in a tomato onion sauce).
Ambrai is another fantastic Udaipur restaurant. Situated right on Lake Pichola (and right next to Ambrai Ghat), it’s absolutely picture-perfect. You’ll actually be able to see a couple of stops that you visited earlier in the day, including Ganguar Ghat and the City Palace. As for what to order, you can’t go wrong with the chicken jhangiri (chicken in an Ambrai specialty sauce) or the aloo chatni wala (stuffed potatoes with a mint, mango sauce).
Udaipur Itinerary Day 2: Explore A Bit Further Beyond
Day 1 of this Udaipur itinerary crossed off all of the best Udaipur sites. So day 2 allows you to venture out a bit further and see sights that aren’t in the heart of the city.
Admire the Ekling Ji Temple
First stop: Ekling Ji Temple! You’ll have to drive a bit out of the way to get to this Hindu temple, but once you get a glimpse of it, you’ll understand why it’s worth the 21 kilometre drive.
This massive temple was built in 734 BC. Rather than being just one temple, the Ekling Ji Temple is actually a collection of 108 temples of varying sizes.
Unfortunately, you can’t visit all 108 temples – both due to accessibility and time constraints – but there’s still loads to do! You can visit the fifty-foot-tall black marble Shiva statue, admire the thousands of intricate carvings, and maybe even experience a spiritual breakthrough.
Pay Your Respects at the Ahar Cenotaphs
The Ahar Cenotaphs is another Udaipur site that’s a bit out of the way but worth the drive. But in order to understand why it’s worth it, you first have to know what a cenotaph is.
Simply put, a cenotaph is a monument created for those who are buried elsewhere. Typically, cenotaphs are used to honor those who have died in war, but that is not the case for those represented at the Ahar Cenotaphs.
The Ahar Cenotaphs were built in honor of the Mewar maharajas (royals from the region). There are 372 memorial cenotaphs created over a 400-year period. Today, many people visit these intricately carved memorials in order to pay their respects to those who have passed.
It is important to note that, despite the fact that the Ahar Cenotaphs have become a popular Instagram photo spot, visitors are actually not supposed to take pictures at the Ahar Cenotaphs. This rule is put in place to help visitors to be respectful.
Stroll Along Fateh Sagar
Next up Fateh Sagar. While Lake Pichola is by far the most famous lake in town, Fateh Sagar is nothing to balk at either.
There are three islands in the center of the lake that are definitely worth a visit. While on these islands, you can pop by the Udaipur Solar Observatory and explore the thriving Nehru Garden.
But you don’t have to sail to these islands to take in the beauty of Fateh Sagar. As a matter of fact, there are loads of things to do on the banks of the lake as well. You can stop and smell the flowers at the Saheliyon ki Bari gardens, relax at Guru Gobind Singh Park, or simply admire the wonderful views.
Pop by Swaroop Lake
But there’s more than just two lakes in town! After all, Udaipur is called the city of lakes. There’s also Swaroop Lake (or Swaroop Sagar). While Swaroop Lake is the smallest of the three lakes on this itinerary, it’s no less stunning.
There are loads of restaurants, parks, and temples lining Swaroop Lake. If you have time to spare, you can certainly visit a few of them. That said, we’d simply recommend finding a place to sit and watching the brightly colored sunset paint the sky.
Delight in Another Delicious Dinner
Odds are, there’s more than one restaurant in Udaipur that you want to try. Day 2 is the perfect time to try another one on your list!
If you’re looking for an incredible restaurant on Swaroop Lake, we recommend Tribute. With live music, a romantic atmosphere, and delicious food, it’s definitely top-notch. Try the laal maans (mutton in a spicy Indian sauce), chicken jhol (chicken curry), or aloo gobhi matar (a vegetarian Indian curry).
And that rounds out our 2-day Udaipur itinerary. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments! Enjoy!