Recently, a classmate reached out to get a three-day itinerary for Udaipur. As we dug through our emails, photographs, and memories, we couldn’t help compiling an itinerary of the city of lakes…

Day 1 – City Palace Museum, Jagdish Mandir, Bagore Ki Haveli & Lake Pichola

1. Start at the City Palace Museum. It opens at 9:30 AM. Get here as early as you can as it tends to get crowded as the day progresses. Also, this is the most time taking activity today. Take a guide as it may be difficult to understand things on your own.

The best parts about the Museum are Mor Chowk & Zenana Mahal.

• Exit from the Tripolia Dwar of the City Palace Museum & walk to the Jagdish Mandir via the Hathipol Bazar. Jagdish Mandir has amazing carvings in its architecture. It’s a small temple; so, you’ll not take much time here.

Note – it involves climbing about 30-40 steep steps.

• If you entered the City Palace Museum at 9:30 AM, you’ll be done there by noon (if you see each part properly). Walking till Jagdish Mandir & darshan will take another 30-45 minutes. We suggest lunch now.

The area is full of rooftop restaurants with Lake Pichola views.

• Post lunch visit Bagore Ki Haveli Museum. This was the residence of the prime minister of the Mewar dynasty. It was falling to pieces but has been painstakingly restored. See the before & after of restoration.

Plus, this museum has made galleries of traditional Mewari life. Lastly, it has a collection of turbans worn in different cultures. This museum isn’t crowded, mostly foreigners. So, you can be done here in an hour.

• If the sun isn’t too strong, boat on Lake Pichola.
• For the evening, you’re spoilt for choice. Sunset boating at Lake Pichola is a popular activity. & once the sun sets, the City Palace Museum has its Light & Sound Show (L&SS). The Bagore Ki Haveli Museum has a dance show – Dharohar. Watch the sunset from The Sunset Terrace.
• End your day with dinner at one of the lake – facing restaurants.

Day 2 – Monsoon Palace, Fateh Sagar Lake, Sukhadia Circle Fountain, Shilpgram

1. Start day two at the Monsoon Palace. It was the hilltop residence of the Mewar royal family. The Palace has great views of the lakes & countryside. It opens at 9 AM. Vehicles go up the hill; so, getting there wouldn’t be a problem.

You’ll typically take an hour or so to see this (modest) palace. But the drive up the hill is nice.

• Head to the Fateh Sagar Lake. If the sun isn’t strong, opt for either boating or a tanga ride around the lake or just walk around it. There are ample food stalls around the lake. Cold coffee with ice cream, served in kulhad, is a visitor’s favourite here.

Fateh Sagar has two parks on two of its islands, a solar observatory & an aquarium. See either of these.

• Another place for boating (when you go to the City of Lakes, boating is unavoidable :D) is the Sukhadia Circle. It’s a roundabout but has a garden & a pond (in which boating takes place). Quite a few street foods options here.
• Go to Shilpgram next. It is a village created to give visitors a taste of Rajasthani art, craft, culture, folk dance, food etc. Camel riding, puppet show, pottery etc. Pick souvenirs from here – ceramic, pottery items, oxidized jewellery etc. Spend a good amount of time here, if interested.
• In the evening, you’re again spoilt for choice. Sunset views from Monsoon Palace are excellent. (There is a dedicated sunset point.) So, maybe you can opt to go to the Monsoon Palace towards evening, rather than morning. See the palace, catch the sunset & return.

Else, sunset boating at Fateh Sagar Lake is hot. Or catch City Palace L&SS or Bagore Ki Haveli Museum Dharohar Dance, whichever you missed the first evening.

• End with a lake – side dinner.

Day 3 – Day Trip

1. Done with the main attractions, you can either relax & just walk around today. Or catch up on anything you missed from the above. The third option is to take a day trip from Udaipur. A few options:
2. Start early & go to Haldighati (about 45 KMS from Udaipur). The drive is through the Aravalli mountains. At Haldighati is the Maharana Pratap Museum. A good place to learn more about Maharana Pratap’s life & the battle of Haldighati.

They show a good small film. The museum is conceptualized & run by a history – loving individual. Just passing through Haldighati gives goose bumps. There is a place called Rakht Talai a little ahead of the Museum which is where the actual battle took place.

It’s said the color of the soil changed with all the blood that was spilled. Also, at the museum, there is a special kind of rose water available for purchase. It’s made from cheti Gulab, a species brought by Akbar to this region.

On your way back from Haldighati, take a slightly different route to visit Eklingji. It’s a temple dedicated to Eklingji (a form of Lord Shiva), the ruling deity of the Mewar dynasty. (In fact, Eklingji is considered the king, & the ruling Maharana is considered His dewan.)

The temple has suffered repetitive attacks from the Islamic invaders but the Mewaris rebuilt it every time. It’s an 8^th century temple!

From Eklingji, return to Udaipur. Make a stopover at Forum Celebration Mall to grab a bite.

• Another day trip option is Kesariyaji Rishabhdev Mandir. However, it’s in a different direction altogether & can’t be combined with any of the above. It’s about 75 KMS from Udaipur. It opens at 6:30 AM. The temple is worshiped both by Bhils & Jains.

The Mewar dynasty followed four religious’ institutions; this is one of them. Like all Jain temples, this one is artistic.

While we like to maximize our trips with as much sightseeing as we can, we don’t believe in overdoing it. & we recommend the same – don’t treat sightseeing as a competition or a checklist. So, even if you don’t manage to see a few of the above, it’s okay. It’s more important to enjoy yourself. Happy sightseeing!