The Taj Mahal, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa. These are some of the places people think of visiting when contemplating a trip to India. Even the most experienced travelers, however, sometimes find that the sights, sounds, crowds and pace of life in India can take some getting used to. With this concern in mind, we decided to begin our trip to India with three days in the tranquil lakeside city of Udaipur.

Located about halfway between Mumbai and Delhi, Udaipur is a city of 500,000 people known principally for a series of lakes and the spectacular palaces built alongside them. The largest lake, Lake Pichola, is surrounded by hills, and the Old City located on its eastern shore contains most of the tourist attractions and hotels.

Three Palaces and Lake Pichola

The best way to orient yourself to Udaipur is to take a boat ride on the calm waters of Lake Pichola. Three palaces dominate the view. First, there is the City Palace originally built by Udai Singh, the Maharana of Mewar who relocated the capital of his Rajput kingdom from Chittorgarh Fort to the area in the 16th century. Expanded by his 22 successors over the last five centuries, this hilltop palace is now several blocks long and is used as a museum, a heritage hotel and the residence of the current Maharana and his family. In addition to seeing bejeweled courtyards and harem quarters, visitors to the palace also can view the Maharana’s antique car collection, an entire banquet room filled with imported English crystal, the clothes and swords of numerous ancestors, and a wall used for elephant tugs of war.

A second palace, known as the Lake Palace, is located in the middle of the lake and appears from a distance to be a floating ship rather than a building. Constructed in the 1700s as a summer residence for the Maharana, it is built of white marble and used today as a private luxury hotel by the Taj hotel chain. Featured in many films, westerners recognize it as the place that served as the villain’s lair in the James Bond movie “Octopussy.”

A third palace at the southern end of the lake known as Jag Mandir Island Palace is used today as a popular restaurant. It is also a favorite venue for elaborate Indian weddings that often feature several days of festivities with fireworks and light shows that illuminate the palaces.

Jagdish Temple

There are many other interesting places to visit in Udaipur and most can be reached by walking from the City Palace or by private vehicle. The 17th-century Jagdish Temple has engravings of various stories dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and provides a good orientation to the practices of devotees. You can respectfully observe people making offerings of flowers and singing songs of devotion in the temple by removing your shoes and leaving your camera behind. There are also some decent shops with handicrafts, clothes and other goods for sale in the area around the temple.