# Udaipur travel guide: how many days, when to come and where to stay > Udaipur travel guide for a first trip: what the city is, how many days to plan, the best months, getting around and where to stay, with sources. - Page: https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur - Last updated: 2026-10-30 Udaipur is a city in southern Rajasthan, founded by Maharana Udai Singh II as the capital of Mewar and built around its lakes. Plan two full days for the main sights and three if you add a day trip. October to March is cooler: the mean daily maximum in January is 24.5 °C, against 40.2 °C in May. ## At a glance - **Founded**: 1559 (Wikipedia) or 1553 (Rajasthan Tourism) - **Time to allow**: 2 days for the city, 3 with a day trip - **Cooler months**: October–March - **Airport**: Dabok, about 24 km from the City Palace - **Getting around**: Auto-rickshaw, taxi, or on foot in the old city ## What Udaipur is Udaipur is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, near the Gujarat border. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udaipur) says Maharana Udai Singh II founded it in 1559 as his new capital, after Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar. [Rajasthan Tourism](https://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/udaipur.html) gives 1553, so sources differ by six years; both agree on the founder and on the purpose. The city was the capital of the kingdom of [Mewar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewar) until 1818, when Mewar became a British princely state. The Aravalli hills lie to its west. Wikipedia says the city is surrounded by five major artificial lakes, among them [Lake Pichola](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/lake-pichola) and Fateh Sagar Lake, which is why Udaipur is called the City of Lakes. The [City Palace](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/city-palace) stands on the Pichola waterfront. ![The sun setting over Lake Pichola, Udaipur, with the hills beyond](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/_next/static/immutable/media/lake-pichola-sunset.1tv1ri9bh99pe.jpg) *Lake Pichola at sunset, with the ghats and palace buildings along the shore. · Photo: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0* ## How many days do you need? Two full days cover the City Palace, a boat on Lake Pichola, a walk through the old city and an evening by Fateh Sagar Lake. Add a third day if you want a longer trip out of town. That is our reading of how far apart the sights are, not an official figure. The [itinerary guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/itinerary) lays out one, two and three days. The [places to visit guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/places-to-visit) describes each sight, and the [day trips guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/day-trips) covers Kumbhalgarh, Nathdwara and others. ## When to come The India Meteorological Department’s 1991–2020 table for the Dabok station shows the mean daily maximum at 24.5 °C in January and 26.0 °C in December. It reaches 33.4 °C in October and 40.2 °C in May. Rain is concentrated: June to September brings about 93% of the 674.2 mm annual total, with 235.6 mm in July alone. Winter is the comfortable season for walking, and the monsoon months are green but wet. [When to visit Udaipur](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/best-time-to-visit) goes month by month, and our page on the [monsoon in Udaipur](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/monsoon-in-udaipur) covers the rainy months. Rajasthan Tourism lists the Mewar Festival for 9–11 April 2027. ## How to get to Udaipur Maharana Pratap Airport is at Dabok, about 24 km from the City Palace by road and around 1 hr 5 min by car. Udaipur City railway station is about 3.8 km from the palace and the central bus stand at Udaipole about 3.0 km. Flight and train timetables change, so check them with the airline or the railway before you book. The [how to reach guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/how-to-reach) has the routes from Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. For road distances to other places, see the [distances guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/distances). ## Getting around the city The old city around the City Palace and the Pichola ghats is best done on foot, since many lanes are narrow. Fateh Sagar Lake is about 3.6 km from the palace by road, which is a short auto-rickshaw or taxi ride. Sights further out, such as [Shilpgram](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/shilpgram), need a vehicle. The [places to visit guide](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/places-to-visit) gives a measured road distance for each sight, so you can see which ones sit together. ## Where to stay: old city, Fateh Sagar or Sukher **The old city** puts you within walking distance of the City Palace and the Pichola ghats. The trade-off is narrow lanes, which can make arriving with luggage awkward, and a busy centre. **Fateh Sagar** is about 3.6 km from the City Palace by road and suits people who want the second lake and its promenade close by, with the old city a short ride away. **Sukher** is north of the old city and is a drive from the sights, not a walk. From Hotel Rudra Kripa it is about 9.2 km to the City Palace (around 25 min by car) and about 7.9 km to Fateh Sagar Lake. Choose it if you would rather be away from the centre and are happy to take a vehicle each day. Read the [guide to Sukher](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/hotels-in-sukher-udaipur) and our [comparison of Udaipur hotels](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/blog/best-hotels-to-stay-in-udaipur) before you decide. **Distances by road, measured in October 2026 with OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors); car times allow for traffic and can vary.** | From | To City Palace | To Fateh Sagar Lake | To the airport | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | City Palace (old city) | Same place | about 3.6 km, 10 min | about 24 km, 1 hr 5 min | | Hotel Rudra Kripa (Sukher) | about 9.2 km, 25 min | about 7.9 km, 25 min | about 23 km, 1 hr | ## Where to go next Start with the [City Palace](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/city-palace), which has its own page on hours and tickets. Then see [Lake Pichola](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/lake-pichola) for boats and the ghats. For the places you can reach by road in a day, see [Kumbhalgarh Fort](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/kumbhalgarh-fort) and [Nathdwara](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/nathdwara). We also explain [how we write these guides](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/how-we-write-our-guides). ## Frequently asked questions ### How many days are enough for Udaipur? Two full days cover the main sights in the city, and three allow a day trip. This is our judgement from the distances involved. The itinerary guide sets out each option. ### What is the best time to visit Udaipur? October to March is the cooler half of the year. The India Meteorological Department’s 1991–2020 figures give a mean daily maximum of 24.5 °C in January and 40.2 °C in May. ### When was Udaipur founded? In 1559 according to Wikipedia, or 1553 according to Rajasthan Tourism. Both name Maharana Udai Singh II as the founder, as the new capital of Mewar. ### How far is the airport from the City Palace? About 24 km by road, around 1 hr 5 min by car, to Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok. From Sukher it is about 23 km. ### How far is the railway station from the City Palace? About 3.8 km by road to Udaipur City railway station, around 10 min by car. From Sukher it is about 10.8 km. ### Is Sukher a good area to stay in Udaipur? It suits people who prefer to be north of the old city, as it is about 9.2 km from the City Palace and you will usually travel by vehicle. If you want to walk to the palace and ghats, the old city is closer. ## Sources - [Udaipur, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udaipur): founding in 1559, Mewar, lakes, location, stations (read 2026-10-30) - [Udaipur, Rajasthan Tourism](https://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/udaipur.html): founding in 1553; undated page (read 2026-10-30) - [Climatological Tables 1991–2020, India Meteorological Department](https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/Climatological%20Tables%201991-2020.pdf): Udaipur (Dabok) station 42542, table p. 387 (read 2026-10-30) - [Fairs and festivals, Rajasthan Tourism](https://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/fairs-and-festivals.html): Mewar Festival 2027 dates, as listed (read 2026-10-30) - [Mewar, Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewar): region of Rajasthan (read 2026-10-30) --- Hotel Rudra Kripa, Sukher, Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001, India · Phone and WhatsApp: [+91 96100 04244](tel:+919610004244) · Email: [info@hotelrudrakripa.com](mailto:info@hotelrudrakripa.com) · [Send an enquiry](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/contact#enquiry)