Udaipur Lake City, India – What to See in 2 Days Kali Travel

Udaipur ‘Lake City’ in India – what to see in a 2 day visit to the stunning lakeside city of Udaipur in Rajasthan.

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I planned to get an overnight train from Jodhpur travelling south through Rajasthan province to Udaipur but there wasn’t a rail connection. However, the sleeper bus was really comfortable and a convenient alternative, quite luxurious really as the numbered bunks turned out to be glassed-in private compartments – ours was a comfy double. Our silk sleeping bag liners came in handy again as we cocooned ourselves in the berth and I used my fleece jacket as a pillow! Juan and I soon got used to the movement of the coach and fell asleep.

The hostel in Udaipur was bizarre as they had a small cow tied under the steps that led up to a rickety platform used as the reception, our bedroom had trendy coloured led lights and ornate pillars decoratively placed at head height which we knocked into more than once and the sheets smelt like they’d been dried in a stable. The landlord made up for all of this, he got up a five o’clock to let us into the room when we arrived, booked us connecting bus tickets for the next leg of our journey and made us tea and toast before our dawn checkout. You can’t really ask for more from a cheap hostel…well maybe they could move the poor calf out to pasture somewhere.

Udaipur is a picturesque lake city known as Venice of the East, a classy Indian summer retreat located in a stunning setting. The old town is built around the beautiful Lake Pichola, created in the 1300’s it is one of several artificial lakes in the area.

I walked out to explore the narrow streets and immediately discovered Gangaur Ghat, one of the ornate gateways to the lake, a place where the locals came to bathe. An archway comes out onto an ancient esplanade where grandmothers now sit chatting by the water’s edge oblivious of camera-happy foreigners and a cow eats grain thrown by an old man to feed the pigeons.

The busy main street is lined with an assortment of cafes, overpriced souvenir stalls, small art galleries and craft shops where they aren’t keen on you taking photos and holy cows eating trash on the sidewalk. Jagadish Temple has been the town’s focal point since 1561, flanked by huge stone elephants each side of a steep flight of marble steps leading up to an elaborate Hindu shrine. A chatty impromptu guide explained the significance of the various stone statues and ornately carved friezes…demons are portrayed as the lowest level of life, animals such as elephants and horses are above, over these are human figures, and the Gods are portrayed highest of all.

Not far away the City Palace takes pride of place on the top of a hill dominating the landscape over Lake Pichola. An impressive complex of palaces originally dating to the 1500’s, it’s free to walk around the courtyards, gardens and esplanade but an entrance ticket is required to see the palace museum. The panoramic views from Udaipur Palace over the town, lake and surrounding countryside are quite amazing.

There are some very exclusive hotels in Udaipur such as the iconic white marble Taj Lake Palace, sitting on a small island in the middle of Lake Pichola. It was built in the 1700’s as the summer residence for the Royal family. I could see flash private boats moored up there and it was rumoured that an eminent wedding was due to take place.

There are various boat trips available to tour around the lake although the most popular is the sunset cruise. Too lazy to go out on an excursion, we relaxed on the terrace of a rooftop restaurant sipping cool lager, watching the sun staining the lake red as it slowly went down over the horizon. It was a nice change to enjoy some international food and although the prices in Udaipur are not so pocket friendly as Jodhpur, the views of the sun setting over the lake are priceless. We made some new friends, an amazing retired English couple from London, Jan and Roy on a 10 week backpacking trip to India. They have some great tales to tell and are keeping in touch, sharing tips and experiences. On a similar route to ourselves, we literally bumped into each other again in the streets of Bombay several days later!

On day 2 in Lake City, Juan and I walked across the bridge to explore the west bank of Lake Pichola -there are five interconnecting main lakes around Udaipur which make a nice trip if you hire a tuk-tuk to drive out for the day.

This side of Lake Pichola has opulent lakeside hotels contrasting with poor shanty town backstreets. I wandered through an open gateway that led to the riverside not realizing it was the private property of a small monastery.

I chatted for a while to an orange robed monk who politely asked me not to post his photograph and saw another monk cleaning his plate and cup in the dirty lake water.

Two ladies were carrying a basket of laundry to wash in the lake and it was fascinating to watch. They each washed a dirty sari on the stone steps of the ghat, rinsed it in the lake water and wrapped the wet material around their clothes, then slipped off the sari they were wearing underneath to launder.

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In the afternoon we walked through the old town, away from the touristy areas, past the old clock tower which acts as a roundabout in the chaotic traffic and into Udaipur backstreets. The street bazaars are very low key, a place where local women shop for bright sari materials, admire jewellery for special occasions and buy fruit and vegetables from pavement vendors. Tailors sew in shop-front rooms and we saw a man pressing clothes with a period iron which should be in a museum.

On our last evening we dined at the Rainbow Restaurant again (I usually go back to a good eatery as it’s a pain to find decent places that fit a long-term travel budget) and spent our last hours in Udaipur contemplating the lake and that unforgettable Indian sunset.

Udaipur Lake City, India – What to See in 2 days

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