# Lake Pichola: boat rides, Jag Mandir and the Lake Palace

> Lake Pichola boat ride prices as listed, timings, the Jag Mandir stop, whether you can visit the Lake Palace, the ghats and a short history.

- Page: https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/lake-pichola
- Last updated: 2026-10-30

Lake Pichola is an artificial lake in Udaipur’s old city. Historic Resort Hotels runs the Jag Mandir boat from Rameshwar Ghat, by the City Palace. Its published tariff (₹600 adult, ₹800 at sunset) was valid only to 31 March 2026 and no newer one is published. Cheaper municipal boats are reported, with no official fare.

## At a glance

- **Official boat**: Historic Resort Hotels, from Rameshwar Ghat
- **Published tariff**: Valid to 31 March 2026 only
- **Lake Palace**: A hotel on Jag Niwas island
- **Jag Mandir**: Island palace, built 1620 to about 1652
- **From the hotel**: Rameshwar Ghat is about 10.1 km by road

Most visitors want one of two things from the lake: a boat ride at sunset, or a landing on Jag Mandir. Which boat you take decides whether you reach the second. The operators below are kept apart because only one of them publishes a tariff, and that tariff has expired.

## Which boat goes to Jag Mandir?

### Historic Resort Hotels boats from Rameshwar Ghat

[Historic Resort Hotels](https://www.hrhhotels.com/boat-charters.php) runs the Jagmandir Island Palace Excursion from the Rameshwar Ghat jetty. Its page describes visitors using the cafe, bar and heritage exhibition on the island, so this is the ride that lands there. The ride length is not stated on the page.

**The rates on that page are marked “with effect from 01-04-2025 to 31-03-2026”.** That period has ended and we found no newer table. Treat the figures below as last year’s, and ask at the jetty or write to boat.department@hrhhotels.com before you plan around them. The page says management may change time or price without notice. It does not say whether taxes are included.

**Historic Resort Hotels tariff as listed, valid 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 (expired). Source: hrhhotels.com.**

| Ticket | Adult | Child |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Regular | ₹600 | ₹300 |
| Sunset | ₹800 | ₹450 |

The same page lists regular runs from 10 am until 3 pm in summer and until 2 pm in winter. Sunset runs go until 6 pm in summer and 5 pm in winter. It does not say which months count as summer or winter. A [travel blog](https://travelcoffee.in/blog/udaipur-boat-ride-guide) reports the same four fares.

Whole-boat charters are also listed, from ₹6,500 for one to seven passengers on a regular run from Rameshwar Ghat, under the same expired validity.

### Other boats on the lake

A cheaper municipal ride also runs, but we found no official tariff for it. A [travel blog](https://travelcoffee.in/blog/udaipur-boat-ride-guide) reports around ₹180 and says the ride usually does not stop at Jag Mandir. [Trawell](https://www.trawell.in/rajasthan/udaipur/lake-pichola), undated, reports ₹400 adult and ₹200 child per hour, ₹700 at sunset, and 9 am to 6 pm.

These figures conflict and may describe different operators. All of this is reported, not confirmed. Before you pay, ask what the fare is, how long the ride lasts and whether it lands at Jag Mandir.

![Jag Mandir island palace on Lake Pichola, with white domed pavilions, palms and a wooded hill](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/_next/static/immutable/media/jag-mandir.03rw0uz7f61ib.jpg)
*Jag Mandir seen from the water: white domed pavilions and palms, with a wooded hill behind. · Photo: Jakub Hałun · CC BY-SA 4.0*

## Can you visit the Lake Palace?

The Lake Palace stands on the island of Jag Niwas. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Palace) says it is now operated as a hotel, managed by IHCL. We opened no source that sets out rules for visitors who are not staying, and the hotel’s own site would not load for us. So we cannot say whether a day visit, a meal or a tour is possible.

Ask the hotel directly. The island palace you can reach on the Historic Resort Hotels boat is Jag Mandir, a different island.

## Where to board and how to get to the ghats

Rameshwar Ghat is the City Palace boat jetty. From the hotel in Sukher it is about 10.1 km by road, around 30 min by car. That figure is to the palace area. We found nothing on whether cars may enter the lanes by the palace, so ask your driver where to stop and plan to walk the last stretch.

**Distances by road, measured in October 2026 with OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors); car times allow for traffic and can vary.**

| Ghat | Road from the hotel |
| --- | --- |
| Rameshwar Ghat (City Palace jetty) | about 10.1 km, around 30 min |
| Gangaur Ghat | about 9.3 km, around 25 min |
| Ambrai Ghat | about 9.7 km, around 30 min |

Gangaur Ghat is also where the Gangaur festival is held; see the [guide to the City Palace](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/city-palace) for the palace beside the lake.

- [City Palace](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/city-palace) (to the main gate, Badi Pol): 9.2 km, about 25 min by car

*Distances by road from the hotel, measured in October 2026 with OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors); car times allow for traffic and can vary.*

## When to go

The sunset run is the dearer ticket on the HRH list, and it ends at 5 pm in winter and 6 pm in summer, so the light and the last boat are close together. Go to the jetty early. For the seasons of the year, see [the best time to visit Udaipur](https://hotelrudrakripa.com/udaipur/best-time-to-visit).

![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 city across the water. · Photo: UnpetitproleX · CC BY-SA 4.0*

## A short history

Lake Pichola is artificial. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pichola) gives its origin as 1362 and says Maharana Udai Singh raised the embankment in 1560. It is about 4 km long and 3 km wide, with islands including Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir.

[Rajasthan Tourism](https://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/udaipur.html) dates Jag Mandir to 1620 to about 1652 and the Lake Palace to 1743 to 1746. Wikipedia agrees on the Lake Palace dates and names Maharana Jagat Singh II. The state page also repeats a tradition that Jag Mandir inspired the Taj Mahal. Treat that as a story, not a record.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much is a Lake Pichola boat ride?

The only official tariff we found, from Historic Resort Hotels, lists ₹600 adult and ₹300 child (₹800 and ₹450 at sunset), but it was valid only to 31 March 2026. Municipal boats are reported at about ₹180 to ₹400, with no official fare. Ask at the jetty.

### What are the Lake Pichola boat timings?

Historic Resort Hotels lists regular runs from 10 am until 3 pm in summer and 2 pm in winter, and sunset runs until 6 pm or 5 pm. Trawell reports 9 am to 6 pm for other boats. Both can change; check at the jetty.

### Does the boat stop at Jag Mandir?

The Historic Resort Hotels excursion does. A travel blog reports that the cheaper municipal ride usually does not, so ask before you board.

### Can you visit the Lake Palace if you are not a guest?

We could not confirm it. Wikipedia describes the Lake Palace as a hotel, and we found no published visitor rules. Contact the hotel before you plan a visit.

### Where do the boats leave from?

The Historic Resort Hotels boat leaves from Rameshwar Ghat, by the City Palace, about 10.1 km by road from the hotel in Sukher.

### Who built Lake Pichola?

Wikipedia gives 1362 as its origin and says Maharana Udai Singh built the embankment in 1560. It is an artificial lake.

## Sources

- [Historic Resort Hotels, boat charters](https://www.hrhhotels.com/boat-charters.php): tariff and runs; valid to 31 March 2026 (read 2026-10-30)
- [Travel Coffee, Udaipur boat ride guide](https://travelcoffee.in/blog/udaipur-boat-ride-guide): reported fares; not official (read 2026-10-30)
- [Trawell, Lake Pichola](https://www.trawell.in/rajasthan/udaipur/lake-pichola): reported fares and hours; undated (read 2026-10-30)
- [Rajasthan Tourism, Udaipur](https://www.tourism.rajasthan.gov.in/udaipur.html): building dates; undated (read 2026-10-30)
- [Wikipedia, Lake Pichola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pichola): history and size (read 2026-10-30)
- [Wikipedia, Lake Palace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Palace): dates and operation as a hotel (read 2026-10-30)

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