Royalty meets fairytale at the Taj Lake Palace poised gracefully above the waters of Lake Pichola.
There are hotels that dazzle, and then there are those that seem to float between worlds. The Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, its white marble walls rising from the still surface of Lake Pichola, belongs firmly in the latter category.
From the moment your boat glides away from the city’s edge and the ripples carry you toward its glimmering silhouette, there’s a sense you’re crossing not just water, but centuries.
Built in 1746 as a royal summer retreat by Maharana Jagat Singh II, the palace remains an exquisite tribute to Mewar artistry. Each corridor unfolds into another vignette of regal life: intricate jali screens filtering golden light, domed pavilions reflected in the lake below, and courtyards scented with jasmine and rose.
Though impeccably restored by the Taj Hotels group, the property feels less like a hotel and more like a living museum of beauty and devotion.
Dining here is theatre. Traditional Rajasthani dishes are served, each plate a celebration of spice and ceremony. For something dreamlike, a private dinner can be arranged on the Lily Pond or Mewar Terrace, where candlelight dances on marble and the reflection of the palace trembles across the water. Even breakfast feels indulgent — taken on the terrace as the first boats cut across the morning mist. Beyond its obvious splendour, what sets this place apart is its stillness. Despite its fame, the Taj Lake Palace remains a sanctuary — a cocoon of calm in a country of exhilarating contrasts. It is the India of your imagination: poetic, proud, and impossibly romantic.
At the heart of the palace, framed by arcades of carved marble and cascading bougainvillea, lies the Taj Lake Palace pool — a vision of stillness and shimmer. Floating high above the lake, it feels suspended between sky and water, its turquoise surface mirroring the shifting blues of Udaipur’s horizon.
Attendants glide past with chilled towels and rose-scented water, while the call of temple bells drifts faintly across Lake Pichola.
By day, the pool invites languid swims under the Rajasthan sun; by dusk, it transforms into a quiet stage for reflection as lanterns flicker and the marble glows warm gold. It is not merely a place to cool off, but a scene from a bygone dynasty – serene, cinematic, utterly timeless.
Here, you will step into the opulent world of the Maharanas – the ultimate monarchs – who graced these halls for centuries.
Inside, every suite tells its own story. Hand-painted murals recall tales from Rajput legend, while antique furniture and mirrored mosaics reflect the craftsmanship of generations.
Step through arched windows and the outside world dissolves into silver water, distant hills, and the faint sound of temple bells drifting across the lake.
At sunset, the city turns to gold – City Palace glows on one shore, Jag Mandir on the other – and the Taj Lake Palace seems to hover weightless between them.
For bookings please visit tajhotels.com
