‘The Venice of the East’…
Udaipur is considered the most romantic city in India. It’s also a city of artists, with many small galleries and hand panted crafts around the city, along with numerous souvenir shops. It’s famous for the Lake Palace, situated in the lake of course! And it’s also the setting of Bond movie ‘Octopussy’. The palace is actually a 5* hotel and can only be accessed by boat. It has been voted the most romantic hotel in India.
Sunset Boat Cruise
The closest I get the beautiful hotel is by a boat cruise on the lake. Drifting past the hotel as the sun goes down highlights how stunning it really is. Glowing golden in the middle of the lake, you don’t need to be close to see how intricate the architecture is. Indian sunsets are some of the best and this one is right up there and the city definitely living up to it’s romantic appeal.
Udaipur’s Art Scene
A town full with hand made crafts, paintings and textiles, all reasonably price too. There are many small shops and stalls selling all sorts of artistic things. I wander in to a small store where the owner shows me his paintings. Slightly creepy as he keeps trying to hold my hand and read my palms, but putting that aside he is friendly so I’m not too freaked out! He shows me photos from when he first opened his shop, with many pictures of his past customers. I end up buying a couple of miniature paintings from him. Back with my tour group I then head to an artists workshop where he draws tiny paintings onto your finger nail and amazingly quickly too.
The town is busy as everyone’s getting ready for Diwali. Flowers cover the temples, people are painting their doorsteps and lights are being hung across the street. Everyone seems to be excited for the upcoming festival.
Shopping
Udaipur is a great place to shop, whether its for hippy trousers or more Indian style clothes, they have it all. Ladies, if you’re looking for an Indian sari to really look the part then this is the place to buy. They are pretty well priced and you can pick the material from endless beautiful fabrics and they will fit it for you in the shops.
The Gardens
Taking a stroll around the Saheliyon-ki-bari gardens is a relaxing break from the long train and bus journeys. It’s feels like I could be anywhere. The gardens are really green, with ponds, flowerbeds, lotus pools and elephant fountains. I think there’s a small zoo in the middle as well. 2 young boys start talking to me and show off how they can skim stones on the water. They point out the crocodile pond although I’m not sure if there are any crocs actually in there (lets hope not!). I say bye to them and continue my walk along the pretty garden path, thinking what a nice oasis it is away from the city centre.
I can see why Udaipur has been labelled most romantic city. It’s worth a visit here if not only to see the palace at sunset. With a European feel to a lot of the buildings but with much cheaper prices, you can grab a great bargain here. Palaces, shopping, arts and crafts, lakes- what more could you want? Come away feeling romanticised, refreshed and inspired.
From romantic to rural…check out my post on Meeting the Villagers of Tordi Sagar, India.
