The choice in one minute
Choose Jaipur if: you want forts on ridges, the colour and noise of the bazaars, gems and block prints, and a city that shows you how the Rajput kings lived and ruled.
Choose Udaipur if: you want water, white palaces, private boats at sunset and long evenings on a terrace with nothing to do but watch the light.
- Jaipur founded
- 1727, by Sawai Jai Singh II
- Udaipur founded
- 1559, by Maharana Udai Singh II
- Jaipur's size
- More than three million people
- Udaipur's size
- A few hundred thousand people
- UNESCO
- Three listings in and around Jaipur
- Choose both if: you have seven nights or more. Most first journeys to Rajasthan include both, and they balance each other beautifully.
- For a honeymoon: Udaipur, almost every time. It is the most romantic city in Rajasthan, and we say that as people from Jaipur.
- For a first taste of India: Jaipur, because it sits on the Golden Triangle with Delhi and Agra, and it gives you the most of Rajasthan in the fewest days.
- The deciding question: do you want to be busy or do you want to be still? Jaipur rewards energy. Udaipur rewards doing very little, very well.
Two royal capitals with very different stories
Jaipur, a city drawn on a grid
The dynasty: the Kachwaha Rajputs, who ruled from the hill fort of Amer for about six centuries before moving down to the plain.
The founder: Sawai Jai Singh II, a mathematician and astronomer, who laid out the city in 1727 with the scholar-architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.
- The plan: broad straight bazaars meeting at great squares called chaupars, with lanes, or rastas, given to each trade.
- The colour: in 1876 Maharaja Ram Singh II had the walled city washed in terracotta pink for the visit of the Prince of Wales. Read why Jaipur is pink.
- The relationship with the Mughals: close alliance and high office at court, which brought wealth, Mughal garden design and a cosmopolitan outlook.
Udaipur, a city built around water
The dynasty: the Sisodias of Mewar, who had ruled from the great fort of Chittorgarh until it fell to Akbar early in 1568.
The founder: Maharana Udai Singh II, who founded the city in 1559 in the folds of the Aravalli hills, beside Lake Pichola.
- The plan: there wasn't one in the Jaipur sense. The palace grew along the ridge for four centuries, and the city grew around the lakes.
- The lakes: Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Udai Sagar and Swaroop Sagar were all dammed by people, so Udaipur is a city of water in a dry state.
- The relationship with the Mughals: long resistance. Maharana Pratap fought them at Haldighati in 1576, and the Mewar rulers were among the last to accept Mughal terms.
What you will see in each city
Jaipur's headline sights
Amber Fort: the palace-fortress above Maota Lake, 11 kilometres north, best at opening time. Its Sheesh Mahal turns a single candle into a sky of stars.
The City Palace: still the home of the former royal family, with private tours of the seven-storeyed Chandra Mahal.
- Hawa Mahal: the five-storey Palace of Winds, built in 1799, at its best just after sunrise.
- Jantar Mantar: Jai Singh's observatory of giant stone instruments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010.
- Nahargarh Fort: the ridge-top retreat where the whole pink grid spreads below you at sunset.
- The bazaars: Johari, Bapu and Tripolia, still sorted by trade almost three centuries after the plan was drawn. See the bazaars of Jaipur.
Udaipur's headline sights
The City Palace: the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, climbing in courtyards up the ridge above the lake.
Lake Pichola: first dammed in the fourteenth century, best seen from a private boat in the hour before sunset.
- Jag Mandir: the island palace where the future Shah Jahan is said to have sheltered in 1623.
- Saheliyon ki Bari: the garden of the companions, with lotus pools and fountains, quiet in the morning.
- The Monsoon Palace: Sajjangarh on its hilltop, for the widest view of the lakes at sunset.
- Bagore ki Haveli: an eighteenth-century minister's mansion on Gangaur Ghat, with a folk dance show in its courtyard each evening.
Day trips from each
From Jaipur: the stepwell at Abhaneri, the village palace at Samode, block printers in Bagru, and tigers at Ranthambore three to four hours south.
- From Udaipur: the great wall of Kumbhalgarh, the marble temple at Ranakpur, Eklingji and Nathdwara to the north, and Chittorgarh about two hours east.
- Which has more: Jaipur, by some distance. Udaipur's best excursions are better as overnights on the road to Jodhpur.
How each city feels from morning to night
A Jaipur morning: shutters rattling up on Johari Bazaar, kachori frying, temple bells, and the first scooters threading past cows at Badi Chaupar. Read our piece on a Jaipur morning.
An Udaipur morning: mist on Pichola, women washing clothes on the ghats, a boatman bailing out his boat and the bells of Jagdish Temple above the lanes.
- Jaipur's afternoons: long drives between sights, private tours and a retreat behind a palace wall for a swim and a rest.
- Udaipur's afternoons: most guests barely move. A long lunch by the water, a nap, a book, then the boat.
- Jaipur's evenings: Albert Hall lit up, street food at Masala Chowk, dinner on a palace lawn or in a haveli courtyard with folk musicians.
- Udaipur's evenings: the City Palace turning amber, lights coming on along the ghats, dinner on a rooftop or by boat on Jag Mandir.
- Traffic and noise: Jaipur is a big, working state capital, and its traffic is real. Udaipur's old city has narrow lanes and fewer cars, though it is busier than it used to be.
- Walking: both old cities are best on foot. Jaipur's walled city is flat and wide. Udaipur's lanes climb steeply up from the ghats to the palace.
Where to stay in each
In Jaipur
Rambagh Palace: a garden house of 1835 that became a royal residence and, in 1957, a hotel. The grandest address in the city.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: 32 acres of gardens and pools outside the city, with a restored eighteenth-century Shiva temple inside its walls.
- Samode Haveli: a nobleman's townhouse inside the walled city, for waking up within walking distance of Hawa Mahal.
- Also worth knowing: The Leela Palace, Jai Mahal Palace and, an hour out, Samode Palace in its Aravalli village.
In Udaipur
Taj Lake Palace: built as Jag Niwas between 1743 and 1746, a hotel since the 1960s, and reached only by the hotel's boats.
- The Oberoi Udaivilas: domes and courtyards on Pichola's western shore, looking back across the water at the City Palace.
- Inside the City Palace: Shiv Niwas and Fateh Prakash, both run by the family's own hotel group.
- Also worth knowing: The Leela Palace on Pichola, Raffles Udaipur on its island in Udai Sagar, and RAAS Devigarh in the hills to the north.
Food and shopping compared
Eating in Jaipur
Breakfast: pyaaz kachori, a flaky pastry filled with spiced onion, then a clay cup of lassi from Lassiwala on MI Road before it sells out.
The royal table: laal maas, mutton in a fierce red sauce of Mathania chillies, and the gentler safed maas in cream and ground nuts.
- Street food: Masala Chowk beside Albert Hall, which gathers well-known stalls into one open courtyard.
- In season: ghevar, the honeycomb sweet of the monsoon, around Teej in July or August. Our rajasthani sweets guide has the rest.
- The full list: our food of Jaipur guide.
Eating in Udaipur
Breakfast: hot kachori with a thin, tangy kadhi at stalls around the old city.
Maize country: in winter, makki ki roti, flat maize breads cooked over wood, with ghee, jaggery and greens.
- The royal table: maas ke soole, smoked skewers from the old hunting kitchens, cooked well in the palace hotels.
- Vegetarian depth: Mewar's Jain merchant families and the temple kitchens of Nathdwara shaped a superb vegetarian tradition.
- Where you eat: on rooftops facing the lit palace. Our Udaipur rooftops piece names the terraces.
Shopping in each
Jaipur leads: gemstones, especially emeralds, silver and meenakari enamel, hand block prints from Sanganer and Bagru, blue pottery, rugs and lac bangles.
- Udaipur's strengths: Mewar miniature paintings from working studios, silver jewellery, puppets, wooden toys, and pichwai cloth paintings from nearby Nathdwara.
- In both: never follow a driver or stranger to a showroom. Commission shopping is the oldest trap in Rajasthan. Our shopping guide explains how to buy well.
When each city is at its best
October and November: both cities are fresh after the rains. In Udaipur the lakes are usually full, and in Jaipur the gardens are green.
December and January: cold dawns and bright days. Jaipur's kite festival on 14 January and the literature festival later in the month fill the city.
- Main season
- October to March in both cities
- Coldest mornings
- December and January, a shawl at dawn
- Hot season
- April to June, often near or above 40°C
- Monsoon
- July to September
- Udaipur's secret
- The monsoon, when the lakes fill
- February and March: our favourite balance in both. Warm days, cool nights, and Holi and Gangaur in one or the other.
- April to June: hot in both. Jaipur's monuments are hard work at midday, and Udaipur's lakes can fall low in a poor year.
- July to September: Udaipur turns a startling green, the Monsoon Palace finally makes sense, and rates soften. Jaipur is green too, with short downpours and Teej.
- Month by month: our guides to the best time to visit Jaipur and the best time to visit Udaipur.
Festivals in each city
Festivals Jaipur does best
Makar Sankranti, 14 January: the whole walled city climbs onto its roofs to fly kites, and the sky over Hawa Mahal fills with paper.
- Jaipur Literature Festival, late January: writers and readers from all over the world, and the best rooms booked well ahead.
- Teej, July or August: the goddess leaves the City Palace in procession through Tripolia Gate, with women in green leheriya along the route.
- Diwali, October or November: the bazaars are lit end to end. If you only see Jaipur once, this is the week we'd choose.
Festivals Udaipur does best
Gangaur and the Mewar Festival, March or April: women carry images of the goddess Gauri to the lake at Gangaur Ghat, with music and boats on Pichola.
- Holi, February or March: bonfires the night before, and colour in the morning. Our Holi in Udaipur piece explains how to play it gently.
- Diwali on the water: lamps line the ghats and the lake doubles every one of them.
- Weddings, November to February: Udaipur is one of India's favourite wedding cities, so fireworks over the lake are common on winter nights.
Which city suits you
First-time visitors to India
- Our pick: Jaipur, as part of a journey with Delhi and Agra, then Udaipur if time allows.
- Journeys that fit: Golden Triangle and Udaipur or the shorter Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur.
Honeymooners and couples
- Our pick: Udaipur, for at least four nights, split between a lakeside hotel and a hill palace outside the city.
- Journeys that fit: Udaipur romance in four nights and our Rajasthan honeymoons.
Families with children
- Our pick: Jaipur, for forts with ramparts to run along, kites, puppets and a cannon on wheels at Jaigarh.
- Add Udaipur for: boats, which children love, and a slower few days at the end. Our piece on Rajasthan with children has more.
Shoppers and craft lovers
- Our pick: Jaipur, without question. The printing towns, gem lanes and potters are all within an hour.
- Go deeper: our block print buying guide and gem shopping tips.
Photographers
- Our pick: both. Jaipur for the bazaars, forts and street life, Udaipur for water, reflections and soft evening light.
- Where to point the lens: our Jaipur photo spots and Udaipur sunset spots.
Travellers who want to rest
- Our pick: Udaipur, with a book, a pool and a boat at five o'clock. Nobody will think less of you for skipping a museum.
Seeing both on one journey
Which first: Jaipur first, then Udaipur. Busy days come first, and the lakes make a calm finish before the flight home.
Drive it in two days: with a night in Chittorgarh or Bundi, the road becomes part of the holiday. Our Jaipur to Udaipur by road piece compares the routes.
- Distance
- About 400 km by road
- Drive time
- Around six hours without long stops
- By air
- About an hour
- Good overnights
- Bundi, Chittorgarh, Pushkar or Deogarh
- Udaipur airport
- Dabok, about 22 km east of the city
- Or fly: when time is short, the hour's flight saves a full day.
- Add Jodhpur: the classic circle of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur is the journey we plan most often.
- Nights we suggest: three in Jaipur, three in Udaipur, and one on the road between them.
Before you go
Book winter early: palace hotels in both cities fill months ahead for Christmas, New Year and Diwali.
Ask for the view: a lake-facing room in Udaipur and a garden room in Jaipur make a bigger difference than the room category.
- Dress for temples: shoulders and knees covered, with shoes left outside. Our temple dress guide has the detail.
- Carry small notes: for tea, boatmen, tips and temple offerings.
- Time the boat: in Udaipur, book the last hour of light, never the middle of the afternoon.
- Time the forts: in Jaipur, be at Amber as the gates open. Our sunrise at Amber Fort piece explains the morning.
- Learn one greeting: khamma ghani, the Rajasthani hello, works in both cities and always brings a smile.