Travelogue Udaipur, part of a 13 days round trip through Rajasthan (India)
What highlights are there to discover in Udaipur? What is a must-see?
Our Udaipur travel report summarizes the best highlights for you so that you also have an unforgettable trip. These include the City Palace, the Lake Palace, the Court Dam Gardens, Lake Pichola and, of course, our restaurant tips for good food. Who wouldn’t want to follow in the footsteps of James Bond (Octopussy)?
Where is Udaipur in India?
What you should definitely think about when traveling to Udaipur
Local currency: Indian rupee (INR). You can use your credit card everywhere for payments or cash withdrawals. Cash is mainly needed for tips.
Vaccinations: No vaccinations are required if you are coming from Germany. However, it is advisable to see a doctor before your trip to have your vaccinations checked and to have a number of vaccinations, such as rabies, carried out. Any doctor can provide more detailed information or, if necessary, the Tropical Institute.
Visas: German citizens require a visa for India. The visa must be applied for at an Indian diplomatic mission or as an e-visa before entering the country. Visas on arrival are not possible. Here is the Link to the official Website for Visa.
As always, there are a number of websites that will apply for a visa for a fee. For people with a good knowledge of English, the Indian website is not a problem. As a rule, you need a 30-day tourist visa. This costs just under 30 USD including all fees. You can only apply for the visa 30 days before entry and it is then valid for 30 days from entry.
Taking a drone to Udaipur (India), is that allowed?
The short answer is NO. In India, Indians are allowed to have and fly drones, but it is almost impossible for tourists to get a drone permit. If you still want to try, you should have a look at Indian prisons or visit one of the numerous websites where you can try to apply for a permit. Neither is nice.
Detailed travelogue Udaipur - important questions:
Is India, is Udaipur cheap?
Udaipur is very touristy and therefore good hotels in particular are very expensive. There are a number of luxury hotels in and around Udaipur that leave nothing to be desired, but this comes at a price. If you want accommodation on a European standard, you can expect to pay several hundred euros per night for a double room with breakfast. Flights and transfers with a guide/driver, on the other hand, are really cheap. A tiger safari, on the other hand, is expensive, although not quite on a par with African safaris.
The highlights of Udaipur - walking in the footsteps of James Bond
Do I need a rental car in Udaipur?
Definitely NO. Udaipur is perfect for exploring on foot or by tuk tuk. Only those who want to go into the surrounding area can consider hiring a driver with a car. Many hotels also offer this service. You should therefore avoid hiring a car if at all possible.
Driving in India is definitely not for Europeans and is far too dangerous. The Indian way of driving has nothing to do with the way we are used to in Europe or the USA.
Udaipur - our Roundtrip Highlights
Routing
1.Day: We flew directly to Delhi from Germany
Hotel: Aloft New Delhi Aerocity, 5B IGI T3 Road, Delhi Aerocity New Delhi, 110037
2.Day: Delhi – Agra (Taj Mahal) Transfer with an AC Innova: Travel time approx. 4 hours.
Hotel: ITC Mughal, a luxury collection, Taj Ganj, Agra, 282001
3.Day: Departure to Ranthambore, travel time approx. 6 hours (!). 300km
Hotel: The Ranthambhore Bagh, Village Khilchipur, Off Ranthambhore Road, Sawai Madhopur 322001,
4.-7.Day: Tiger safari in Ranthambore National Park, 7 safari drives in total
8.-9.Day: Departure to Jaipur, driving time approx. 3:30h. Approx. 160km.
Hotel: ITC Rajputana, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Jaipur, Palace Road, Jaipur, 302006 India
10.-11.Day: Transfer to the airport, flight Jaipur (T2) with Indigo to Jodhpur
Hotel: The Ajit Bhawan – A Palace Resort, Near Circuit House Road, Jodhpur, 342006 Transfer from the airport to the hotel organized with the hotel (!)
11.-13.Day: Transfer to Udaipur organized by hotel (12k INR + Tax), Innova AC. Travel time approx. 5:30h (!) . ca 260km.
Hotel: Moustache Udaipur Luxuria, 25-26 Navghat, Next to City Palace,
Udaipur – 313001,Rajasthan
13.Day: Transfer to the airport organized by the hotel. Flight Udaipur with Indigo to Delhi. Visit Delhi city, then return to the airport.
Due to the early return flight (01:50 am), we booked another hotel room on the last day to rest before our departure.
Hotel (again):Aloft New Delhi Aerocity, 5B IGI T3 Road, Delhi Aerocity New Delhi, 110037
Udaipur- Arrival and highlights
You can travel to Udaipur by train, plane or car. We opted for the latter as we were coming from Jodphur and flying from there makes little sense. Coming from Delhi, there are several flights every day, for example with Indigo Airlines. These are also very cheap. Udaipur is located on Lake Pichola or, more precisely, halfway around it.
Moustache Udaipur Luxuria Hotel
This hotel is so centrally located in the city center of Udaipur that it cannot be reached by car and only the very small tuk tuks can really get there. So getting there is the first small challenge when our driver tells us about 2 km before the hotel that we now have to change to a tuk tuk. We then drive through narrow alleyways until the driver tells us that we have to walk the last 100m as the alleyway to the hotel is too wide or change to an even narrower tuk tuk, which we do because of our luggage.
The Moustache Udaipur Luxuria Luxuria is not actually a hotel but a B&B, which is still relatively new. We booked the “Presidential Suite”, the only room you should book here, although it has little in common with a presidential suite in a hotel.
When we arrived, we were in for a lovely surprise in our room: we were given a bathtub full of rose petals and the view from the room is priceless. It gets even better on the roof terrace. This is (still) the absolute insider tip at sunset and if you are lucky enough to sit in the cabana – as we were – it will be an unforgettable moment.
As a suite booker, you get high tea for free and a range of other small amenities. Dinner is also highly recommended, as you can see from the Google reviews.
Some shortcomings in the hotel
Unfortunately, there are also a few unpleasant things about the hotel. If you are used to good and above all efficient service, you have to be able to put up with a lot here. Nothing actually works without repeated requests and if you want to make a reservation for the next day, you can forget about it. You also need to know that your room will only be cleaned if you let them know, which unfortunately nobody tells you at check-in, as the two owners are too focused on selling you additional services such as guides, shows etc., all of which you should refuse.
The B&B is really nice, but somehow – except in the suite – you don’t really feel at home and even here there are drawbacks. The shower flooded the whole bathroom every time and in the morning it smelled badly of sewage from the drains. You can quickly get rid of this by running water, but it doesn’t feel hygienic.
Scammers and touts - is Udaipur safe?
As always when traveling, you should exercise a certain amount of caution and not be too trusting. You should also be wary of being too friendly in Udaipur. The guys on the street are extremely well trained to inspire a certain amount of trust and to show you something that regularly ends up in a store. Nothing usually happens to you, but you are left with a more than strange feeling. Our advice is never to go along and to thankfully decline and leave if you are approached.
City Palace and Jagdish Tempel
We start with the Jagdish Temple, which is less than 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel. It is very beautiful to look at and our guide explains a lot of historical facts, but apart from that the temple is not that special. In all temples in India, you also have to take your shoes off “outside”.
We then head to the City Palace, the highlight of Udaipur, which our guide has already shown to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones in 2019 (photo evidence was provided). The tour of the palace is long, very long (a good 2.5 hours).
Afterwards, we head into the hustle and bustle of Udaipur’s old town lanes. These are beautiful, but not as beautiful as those in Jodhpur. There is the part for tourists and the part for the others, which we take. One wonders how all the small stores survive, but they do.
Courtyard gardens of Udaipur
Directly from the bustling city center, we take a tuk tuk to the courtyard gardens. The gardens are beautiful and a thousand times better than the dilapidated gardens of Mandakor in Jodhpur. It is a place of tranquillity and even though there are many people in the park, it still doesn’t feel crowded.
Tapri Restaurant
After the park, we go to a non-touristy restaurant nearby. It’s called Tapri and our guide orders lots of delicacies to try. Absolutely great and highly recommended.
Boat trip on Lake Pichola to Jagmandir Island
From the Tapri Restaurant, we return by tuk tuk. The day ends with a boat trip and a visit to Jagmandir Island, through which you can also see the Water Palace, at least from the boat. The Water Palace is now a Raj Group hotel and only hotel guests are allowed on the island. So you can’t get any closer to the palace than by boat.
There are 3 top hotels in Udaipur, the Raj Lake Palace, the Oberoi and the Leela Palace. However, none of them are located in the city center.
The boats leave every hour or when there are enough people. The price is expensive for India. 600INR before 12 noon and 800INR after 12 noon.
Rooftop Bar Moustache Luxuria
As described, the Moustache Luxuria has a rooftop bar with a truly fantastic view and if you can, you should visit the roof terrace for a sundowner or high tea if you are not staying at the hotel like us.
After the boat tour, we made it just in time for sunset and enjoyed the last rays of sunshine at high tea.
Rooftop and Hotel Bar Jagat Niwas
For dinner, we decide on another rooftop hotel, which was really our highlight in Udaipur and which we might also book for an overnight stay on our next visit. It’s called Jagat Niwas and has by far the best viewing terrace, except at sunset, when unfortunately the Moustache is slightly ahead. But the service, the atmosphere and everything around it make up for it. The food is excellent and the prices are moderate. Our clear recommendation for anyone who doesn’t want to pay upwards of €700 per night in one of the three top hotels.
Distance to Udaipur Airport
Udaipur airport is 22 km from the old town and our driver is waiting for us at 7 am on the dot. The journey takes about 30 minutes, the airport is small and tranquil. You don’t have to expect long queues here. As we didn’t know this, we arrived 90 minutes early.
Fazit
Udaipur is a nice stopover on a round trip through Rajastan. You can easily stay here for 2-3 nights and see the cultural highlights and enjoy good food. The choice of hotels ranges from cheap to very expensive, so there is something for everyone. If you really want to discover Udaipur, then you should definitely take a guide for a day who will give you an understanding of the city and its history. James Bond is still a theme even after many years and therefore an unforgettable impression for visitors.
Calendar from our Phototours online?
as of 18,90€, Sizes A2-A5
Which photo equipment for Udaipur in India?
The photographic equipment we took with us to Udaipur is listed below. You also have the option of ordering the photographic equipment we used directly via our Photo-Shop and requesting further technical details. There are also lots of extras available there.
Cameras:
- Z8 (Nikon)
- Z7ii (Nikon)
- Apple Iphone 14pro
- Go Pro Hero 8
Lenses:
- Z 24-120mm f/4 (Nikon)
- Z 70-200mm f/2.8 (Nikon)
- Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 (Nikon)