Built 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II as the royal summer palace floating on Lake Pichola. Sixty-five rooms in white marble, accessed only by boat. The most photographed Indian luxury hotel.
"Built 1746 as the Maharana's royal summer palace floating on Lake Pichola. 65 rooms in white marble. The most photographed Indian luxury hotel."
The Taj Lake Palace was built in 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II of the Mewar dynasty as the royal summer palace of the Udaipur royal family — constructed entirely in white marble on a four-acre island in Lake Pichola, with the original purpose of providing the royal family a cooler retreat from the heat of the City Palace on the lake's eastern shore. The palace served as a royal residence for two centuries; it was opened as a luxury hotel in 1963 by Maharana Bhagwat Singh and operated as Lake Palace Hotel before passing to the Taj Group in the 1970s. The 65 rooms across the original palace structure have been continuously refurbished while preserving every period architectural feature.
The 65 accommodations split between the entry-level Luxury Rooms (in the palace's secondary quarters, with lake views), the Grand Royal Suites (in the main palace structure, with restored period furniture and the original royal-era frescoes), the Royal Suites in the original royal apartments, and the Grand Presidential Suite — formerly the Maharana's own apartments, the property's flagship single accommodation. Every room retains the white marble, the carved jharokha balconies, and the lake-view design that defines the palace.
The grounds — the four-acre island, the lily-pond courtyards, the rooftop terrace, and the Jiva Spa — are the property's defining advantage. The lily ponds and the white-marble courtyards have appeared in countless photographs and films (Octopussy filmed extensively here in 1983, and the palace remains the visual reference point for Indian luxury internationally). The Jiva Spa runs traditional Ayurvedic treatments alongside contemporary luxury spa programmes.
Dining is at multiple restaurants. Neel Kamal is the headline royal-Mewari fine-dining restaurant (Mewari cuisine is the original royal cuisine of the Udaipur ruling family). Bhairo is the rooftop European fine-dining at sunset over Lake Pichola — one of the most visually distinctive dining experiences in India. Jharokha is the all-day. The wine and Indian-spirit programmes are exceptional. Service is the consistent global Taj standard at its highest historical-property expression. Taj Lake Palace is the most photographed Indian luxury hotel and the property that defines what an Indian luxury honeymoon means in the international travel imagination.
The Indian honeymoon at the Taj Lake Palace. Book a Grand Royal Suite or, for milestone honeymoons, the Grand Presidential Suite. Bhairo rooftop dinner at sunset over Lake Pichola; the lily-pond courtyards; the boat ride to and from the property. The honeymoon at Taj Lake Palace is the historic-photograph version of the Indian luxury experience — the property other Indian honeymoons measure themselves against.
For milestone anniversaries — particularly silver and golden — the Grand Presidential Suite or the Royal Suites are the right scale. Taj handles vow renewals on the rooftop pavilion at sunset, private dinners on the lily-pond terraces, and milestone arrangements with the discretion of an institution operating since 1963 (and 1746 as a royal palace before that).
The rooftop pavilion at sunset over Lake Pichola is one of the most photographed proposal locations in India. The hotel's events team handles the orchestration with the precision of a property that has hosted many such moments.
Pichola, Udaipur
Udaipur 313001, Rajasthan
On Lake Pichola — accessed by boat from the City Palace landing; 25 min from Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR)
65 rooms in original 1746 palace
Luxury Room from $700/night
Grand Royal Suite from $1,500
Royal Suite from $3,500
Grand Presidential Suite from $12,000
Check-in: 2:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Minimum stay: 2 nights
Built 1746 as Maharana's royal palace
Four-acre island in Lake Pichola
Boat-only access
Bhairo rooftop dinner at sunset
Featured in Octopussy (1983)
Open year-round
Peak: October–March (book 4 months ahead)
Best value: April–September (warmer, monsoon)
High-speed WiFi throughout
Reliable signal in all rooms
In-suite office setups on request
From $700/night. Royal Suites and Grand Presidential Suite need direct Taj contact. Peak season books 4 months ahead.
Book This Hotel →Built 2002 across 30 acres on Lake Pichola's western shore. The contemporary palace-luxury Indian answer.
80 rooms on Lake Pichola's southern shore. Indian luxury with palace-architecture aesthetic.
Restored 18th-century palace in the Aravalli foothills outside Udaipur. 39 suites in white marble.