India · State of Rājasthān
Where to Stay in Udaipur, State of Rājasthān
Palaces mirror in the still water at Udaipur, a lake-ringed city in north-western Rajasthan and the old capital of Mewar.
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Where to stay in Udaipur
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Udaipur wraps around its lakes, and where you stay depends on whether you want a waterside room or the calm of the surrounding hills of Mewar. The old city on the lakeshore, below the City Palace Museum, puts you among havelis, rooftop restaurants, and stepped ghats that drop straight to the water. This lakeside heart suits romantics and first-time visitors.
Rooms here look across the lakes to the palaces on the far bank in north-western Rajasthan. Away from the crowded waterfront, the districts near Gulab Bagh and Zoo and the Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal offer gardens, folk-art museums, and quieter nights. It is greener here.
These areas suit travellers who want space, with the Sajjangarh Biological Park and the craft village of Shilpgram within easy reach on the city's edge. Choose the lakeshore for the views and the palaces. Choose the garden districts for calm, for the museums, and for a still night away from the busy ghats of Udaipur.
About Udaipur
What is Udaipur known for?
Udaipur is known as the City of Lakes, ringed by five artificial lakes in north-western Rajasthan. Water defines it. The city was the capital of the kingdom of Mewar, and its palaces, gardens, and temples crowd the shores, with the grand City Palace Museum looking out over the water toward the surrounding hills.
Films were shot here. Travellers come for the lakes, the Sisodia palaces, and the gardens of Gulab Bagh and Zoo.
What are the main landmarks in Udaipur?
Udaipur's landmarks gather around its lakes and palaces. The City Palace Museum rises above the water as the largest royal complex in Mewar, while Gulab Bagh and Zoo spreads its gardens nearby in north-western Rajasthan. The Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal preserves folk art and puppetry, the Vintage and Classic Car Museum keeps royal automobiles, and Shilpgram gathers rural crafts on the city edge.
Water and stone define every view.
What is the history of Udaipur?
Udaipur was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, who moved his capital here after Akbar besieged the old fortress at Chittorgarh. The lakes drew him to the site. He built a new capital in the sheltered valley of Mewar in north-western Rajasthan, and its rulers dammed the streams to raise the artificial lakes that still ring the palaces and give the City of Lakes its name.
Mewar held out here for centuries. The royal court gathered wealth and art, and the vast City Palace Museum grew along the lakeshore as generations of the Sisodia line added to it. Mewar remained the capital until 1818, when it became a British princely state.
After India gained independence in 1947, the Mewar province joined the state of Rajasthan. The water shaped every chapter. From Udai Singh's flight from Chittorgarh rose the lake city of Udaipur.
Where is Udaipur?
Udaipur lies in a valley of the Aravalli hills in north-western Rajasthan, ringed by five artificial lakes. Green ridges rise on every side. The lakes fill the low ground of Mewar and the old city presses close to their shores, while the surrounding hills shelter the valley from the dry plains beyond.
The Aravalli range walls it in. Water sets this city apart from the desert cities of Rajasthan.
What is the climate of Udaipur?
Udaipur has a warm subtropical climate, milder than the deserts to its west because of the surrounding Aravalli hills. Before the monsoon breaks, the Udaipur summer turns hot and parched. A monsoon then fills the lakes of Mewar with the year's rain, before pleasant, cooler air settles over north-western Rajasthan through the winter months.
The hills and water temper the heat.
How do you get to Udaipur?
Udaipur is reached by air, rail, and road across north-western Rajasthan. Its airport serves domestic routes. Trains and highways link the city south to the coast and north toward Jaipur and Chittorgarh, winding through the passes of the Aravalli hills.
The lake city sits well off the main desert corridor.
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Updated July 2026