Title: The Lake Pichola Lake of Udaipur
Udaipur is a popular tourist city in Rajasthan, visited regularly by tourists all year around. The city of Udaipur is also known as the City of the Lakes, and one of them is “Lake Pichola”, which is visited by travellers regularly.
Lake Pichola is the first lake that you will get to see when you enter Udaipur, as this artificial lake is a favourite tourist destination for tourists and couples, visiting Udaipur, and is one of the best place to see sunset & sunrise.
Plus at this lake, you will also find beautiful ghats, temples, palaces and some mansions.
Timings:
From 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
You can visit Lake Pichola whole day, 24/7 and the official timings are 9 am to 6 pm.
Location:
Lake Pichola is near Udaipur City Palace and the most famous Ghat of Lake Pichola is Gangaur Ghat, whose details we have shared below. You can easily reach here by bus, auto and taxi from Udaipur Railway Station & Airport
Nearby Places of Lake Pichola and what activities you can enjoy here:
1. Sunset Boat Ride:
Boat ride are very popular activity in Udaipur and at Lake Pichola you can enjoy a private or shared boat ride, especially at sunrise or sunset time. The water here is pretty clean and an evening trip here will make your Udaipur visit more memorable. The boat ride here is paid and below we have shared its charges.
Charges for boat ride: Rs.400 of a group boat/ sharing one and Rs 1500-5000 for a private boat tour.
2. Jag Mandir:
Jag Mandir or Jag Mandir Island is a popular tourist site of Udaipur, which is close to Lake Pichola. Plus this island is also famous as many movies shots has been filmed here. There is also a Lake Garden Palace in Jag Mandir, where you can catch a good view of the lake & there is also a small museum.
If you are feeling hungry, you have a lunch break at the cafe, on the side of the lake, perfect for an evening snack and enjoy the sunset with a simple or fancy dinner. You will need to book in advance to eat in restaurants and cafes as the rush is always there.
3. Arsi Vilas:
Arsi Vilas is one of many islands attraction at Lake Pichola, where tourists come to enjoy/ see sunset, and this island is also a small bird sanctuary which is an excellent place for bird lovers. At this island you can easily spot birds like kingfishers, egrets. Ducks etc. Best time to visit Arsi Vilas is either morning or evening (sunset time)
4. Gangaur Ghat:
Gangaur Ghat is the main shat at Lake Pichola, and is also featured in two Bollywood movies (Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Ram Leela). You can come here to see an evening sunset, and also visit Bagore-ki-Haveli, which is a major tourist spot in Udaipur & just walking distance from the ghat.
Plus two major festivals are organized here every year, which are Gangaur festival (in March & April). And Jal-Jhulni Ekadashi (around September).
The best time to visit Gangaur Ghat is evening, as if you come here in morning then you will find many locals sitting here, and even washing their clothes.
5. Shopping Spree:
If you love shopping then this place will not disappoint you. There are many shopping spots and markets around lake Pichola. Some Shopping place where you must go are: Tibetan market, Chand Pole,Hathi Pole, Bada Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar and Artisan’s Boutique. Shop for juttis, kurtis, jewellery, Handicraft items, fabrics ,and unique souvenirs are easily available in these markets.
Landmarks near the Lake:
Tourist attractions like Udaipur City Palace, Bagore ki Haveli, Ambrai Ghat, Natini Chabutra, Swaroop Sagar Bridge and many sunsets’ points, are close to Lake Pichola.
If you hire a guide, then he can tell you well about the history of all the landmarks here. The cost of the guide anywhere here will cost you Rs 1,300 to Rs 4,000.
For more information on other lakes of Udaipur, do visit our blog on All famous lakes in Udaipur Rajasthan
Attend Events at Fateh Sagar Lake
A beautiful site like fateh Sagar lake, always attract many events and one of the best event that is annually organised at Fateh Sagar Lake is the World Music Festival. This is a 3 days festival that is organized in the month of February, where folk singers of Rajasthan gathers to present some of the finest music of the state.
Along with World Music Festival, the Hariyali Amavasya Mela (Green New Moon) is an anther annual even, which is organized at Fateh Sagar Lake. This again is a 3 days festival, organized in the month of Shravan (August) and is full of fun activities, cultural dance, music etc.
How to reach Udaipur?
Udaipur is connected with all major cities in India with train and Airport. Plus for travellers from Ahmedabad, Udaipur is just 5 hour driver, and that is a main reason that you will find a good number of Gujarati travellers in Udaipur.