How the light works in Udaipur
Why the palace glows: the long white front of the City Palace faces the water and the western hills, so the last sun falls straight onto it.
Why the west shore matters: from Ambrai and Hanuman Ghat you look east, with the sun behind you, at a palace lit like a stage.
- The City Palace
- Begun 1559, a facade of about 244 metres
- Lake Pichola
- About four kilometres long and three wide
- Faces west
- The palace front, towards the setting sun
- Best light on the palace
- From the western shore or the water
- The afterglow
- Twenty to thirty minutes of pink and blue
- Why the hills matter: from Sajjangarh or Machhla Magra you look down on the lakes, with the sun setting over the hills beyond.
- Why the water matters: a lake doubles every colour. When Pichola is full after the monsoon, sunsets here are twice as good.
- Why you should stay: the best colours often come after the sun has gone. Most visitors leave five minutes too early.
A boat on Lake Pichola
Private, not shared: a private boat lets you choose where to stop and when to drift. The shared boats are fine, but crowded and on a fixed loop.
Set off early: about an hour before sunset, so you are not rushing for the moment itself.
- Stop at Jag Mandir: the island palace begun around 1620, where Prince Khurram, later Shah Jahan, found refuge in 1623. Walk its gardens, then return to open water.
- Pass the Lake Palace: Jag Niwas, now Taj Lake Palace, rises straight from the water. Only hotel guests and diners with a booking may land.
- Drift for the afterglow: ask your boatman to turn back towards Gangaur Ghat as the sun goes down, with the palace on one side and the hills on the other.
- Wear the life jacket: whatever the boatman says. It is the one rule we never bend.
Read more
- The full guide: our boat on Pichola page and our Lake Pichola guide cover the islands, the ghats and the history of the lake.
Ambrai Ghat and Hanuman Ghat
The view: the whole facade of the City Palace across the water, with the Lake Palace to one side.
The moment: the palace turns gold at sunset, then its lights come on one by one after dark. Stay for both.
- The crowd: photographers, couples and local families. It is lively, friendly and never silent.
- How to get there: walk across the Chandpole bridge from the old city, or ask your chauffeur to drop you on the western side.
- A table with a view: several haveli hotels and restaurants on this shore look straight across the water. We book a terrace table for dinner afterwards.
- Best season: the clear winter months, and after the monsoon when the lake is full.
Sajjangarh, the palace in the clouds
The view: the lakes, the city and the ranges of the Aravallis rolling away into the haze.
The drive up: a winding road through the sanctuary, where you may see langurs, peacocks, nilgai and sambar.
- Begun
- 1884, by Maharana Sajjan Singh
- Completed
- By Maharana Fateh Singh
- Setting
- An Aravalli hilltop west of the city
- Around it
- Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary
- Best hour
- An hour before sunset
- Arrive early: about an hour before sunset, to walk the terraces before the light goes.
- Come back slowly: at the foot of the hill, ask your driver to stop where the last light often catches the water of Pichola below the road.
- The monsoon: in the rains the palace sits among cloud, and the view can vanish and return in minutes. We love it.
Our full guide
- Read more: the history and the best hour are in our Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace guide.
The ropeway to Karni Mata
What it is: a ropeway up Machhla Magra, the hill above the lake, to the small Karni Mata temple at the top.
The view: Pichola below, the City Palace and the old city spread along the shore, and the sun dropping behind the western hills.
- Who it suits: families and anyone who wants a big view without a long drive. Children love the ride.
- Then walk down: to the Doodh Talai gardens below, where local families gather on the steps at dusk.
- Watch for: queues on weekends and holidays. Go a little earlier than you think, or on a weekday.
Fateh Sagar, the people's lake
The history: first dammed in the late seventeenth century by Maharana Jai Singh, and rebuilt in the late 1880s by Maharana Fateh Singh.
The evening: families, students, snack carts, coconut sellers and the smell of roasting corn in the monsoon.
- The view: sunset over the hills to the west, and from the eastern embankment the Monsoon Palace on its hilltop.
- Moti Magri: the hill beside the lake, with its memorial to Maharana Pratap, gives a quieter view over the water.
- Who it suits: travellers who want to see Udaipur as Udaipur sees itself. Pair it with Saheliyon ki Bari in the afternoon.
Our full guide
- Read more: the islands, the observatory and the best hours are in our Fateh Sagar guide.
Gangaur Ghat and the old city
The ghat: the triple-arched gateway of Bagore ki Haveli, built in 1878, opens straight onto the steps. Sit there as the light softens over the water.
The show: the Dharohar evening of folk dance at Bagore ki Haveli begins after sunset, so you can do both.
- The rooftops: around Lal Ghat and Gangaur Ghat, small haveli hotels and cafes have rooftops over the water.
- The festival: at Gangaur, in March or April, women carry images of the goddess Gauri to this ghat to bathe them in the lake.
- The temple: the Jagdish Temple is a short walk up the lane, for the evening bells.
Sunset from a palace terrace
Fateh Prakash Palace
- Why: its terrace over the lake, inside the City Palace complex, is one of the loveliest places in Udaipur for tea in the late afternoon.
- Bonus: the Crystal Gallery above the old Durbar Hall is in the same building.
Taj Lake Palace
- Why: watch the City Palace and the ghats turn gold from the middle of the lake. Only guests and diners with a booking may cross.
- Who it suits: couples, and anyone celebrating.
The Pichola shore hotels
- Why: The Oberoi Udaivilas and The Leela Palace Udaipur look across the lake to the City Palace and the Lake Palace.
- Who it suits: guests who would rather watch from their own terrace than join the crowds.
Shiv Niwas Palace
- Why: a crescent of rooms around a marble courtyard, high on the ridge above the lake, with old-world calm at dusk.
Quieter sunsets most visitors miss
The royal cenotaphs at Ahar
- Why: rows of white domed chhatris, memorials of the Mewar rulers, east of the city. The late light falls softly on the domes.
- Who it suits: history lovers and photographers who want stillness rather than water.
A hill palace outside the city
- Why: RAAS Devigarh, about 30 kilometres north, looks over the Aravalli valley at Delwara. Sunset from its terraces is very calm.
- Who it suits: couples ending a journey, or anyone heading on to Nathdwara.
The walls of Kumbhalgarh
- Why: a few hours north, the great wall of Kumbhalgarh runs over the hills, and the fort is lit after dark.
- How: stay a night nearby rather than driving back in the dark.
Your own terrace
- Why: in the lake hotels and haveli rooms over the water, the best seat may be outside your door. Order chai and stay put.
Sunrise, the other golden hour
The ghats at first light: women bathing and washing, priests at the small shrines and the first boats pushing off. Walk, watch and keep the camera low.
The Jagdish Temple: the morning bells and aarti, a short climb from Gangaur Ghat. Shoes off, shoulders covered.
- Mist on the water: in winter, a thin mist lies on Pichola at dawn and the palaces seem to float.
- The City Palace at opening: go straight in after sunrise, before the tour groups. See our City Palace guide.
- By bicycle: an early ride around the lakes and out to the farms. See cycling the old cities at dawn.
After the sun goes down
Folk dance: the Dharohar show at Bagore ki Haveli, with pot-balancing dancers and puppets, begins soon after dark.
Dinner on the water: a terrace over the lake, or dinner on Jag Mandir by arrangement.
- A walk in the lanes: the old city around the Jagdish Temple is lively until late, with miniature painters still at work in their shops.
- Mewar food: ask for dal baati churma, gatte and a Mewari thali. Our food of Udaipur guide names the dishes.
- An early night: if tomorrow starts at dawn, the best plan is chai on the terrace and bed by ten.
A sunset evening, the way we plan it
Evening one, on the water
Late afternoon: the City Palace has emptied of groups. Walk down to the jetty.
- Sunset: a private boat to Jag Mandir, then back onto open water for the moment itself.
- After dark: dinner on a terrace over the lake.
Evening two, up high
Late afternoon: Saheliyon ki Bari and the embankment of Fateh Sagar.
- Sunset: the Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace, arriving an hour before.
- After dark: an early supper and a quiet night.
Evening three, in the old city
Late afternoon: the ropeway to Karni Mata, or tea at Fateh Prakash.
- Sunset: Ambrai Ghat, watching the palace lights come on across the water.
- After dark: the folk dance at Bagore ki Haveli, then a walk through the lanes.
Udaipur sunsets through the year
After the monsoon: October and November, when the lakes are full and the air washed clean, are our favourite sunset months.
Winter: clear, dry skies and sharp colours. Bring a shawl for the boat.
- October and November
- Full lakes, clear air, the best of the year
- December to February
- Crisp and clear, cool on the water
- March and April
- Gangaur and warm evenings
- May and June
- Hot and hazy, lakes low
- July to September
- Clouds, rain and green hills
- Spring: warm evenings and festival life on the ghats around Gangaur and the Mewar Festival.
- Summer: heat haze softens the light and the lakes can run low in a dry year. Sunsets are gentler and paler.
- The monsoon: dramatic skies and sudden rain. Some evenings are lost, others are unforgettable. See our monsoon in Mewar journey.
- Month by month: our best time to visit Udaipur guide has the detail.
Photographing an Udaipur sunset
Shoot the palace, not the sun: the City Palace lit gold from the west shore is the classic picture. The sun itself is behind you.
Wait for the blue hour: the twenty minutes after sunset, when the lights come on and the sky is still blue, is when the best frames happen.
- Steady hands: a small tripod or a wall at Ambrai Ghat helps in the blue hour. On a boat, raise your shutter speed instead.
- People for life: a boatman, a family on the ghat steps, a woman bathing at dawn. Ask first, always.
- More tips: see our photography tips and our photographer's Rajasthan journey.
For couples, proposals and quiet celebrations
A boat for two: a private boat with a picnic basket, timed for the last light. Our Rajasthan honeymoons often end here.
A private dinner: on a rooftop, in a palace courtyard or on an island. See a private dinner in a palace.
- A proposal: we have planned many, discreetly. Read our proposal ideas in Udaipur.
- A vow renewal: a palace setting by the water. See vow renewals in a palace.
- Keep it simple: sometimes the best plan is two cups of chai at Ambrai Ghat and no plan at all.
Before you go
Check the sunset time: it shifts by more than an hour between June and December. We check it for your dates.
Arrive early: an hour before sunset for Sajjangarh and the boat, half an hour for the ghats.
- Wear the life jacket: on every boat, every time.
- Bring a shawl, water and a small torch: for the cool breeze, the walk back and the lanes after dark.
- Mind the steps: ghat steps can be wet and slippery near the water, especially for children.
- Respect the ghats: people bathe and pray here. Ask before photographing, and leave space for them.
- Our wider list: see the best sunsets in Rajasthan.