#12 Ride the cable cars up to the summit of Machlan Magra
Just south of the old city, opposite Deen Dayal Park, ruby-red cable cars float up to the summit of Machlan Magra hill on the Ropeway. The panoramic views from its summit are stunning, taking in sights such as Lake Pichola, Jag Mandir and the Monsoon Palace – a particularly nice place to be at sunset.
East of the Dutch Tala Lake, a winding pathway provides an alternative ascent route used by pilgrims visiting the small hilltop Karni Mata temple; it’s a fairly gentle walk through pleasant scenery.
#13 Enjoy the rural arts and crafts centre of Shilpgram
The popular rural arts and crafts centre of Shilpgram was set up to promote the traditional architecture, music and crafts of the tribal people of western India. It has displays dedicated to the diverse lifestyles and customs of the region’s rural population.
Around thirty replica houses and huts in traditional style are arranged in a village-like compound, with examples of buildings from various states. Musicians, puppeteers and dancers – hijras (eunuchs) among them – hang out around the houses and strike up on the approach of visitors (tip expected). You may also see people weaving, potting and embroidering as they would in their original homes – though most of the actual handicrafts on sale are fifth-rate, if that.
#14 Seek out the Monsoon Palace of Sajjangarh
Some 5 km west of the city, inside the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary, the so-called “Monsoon Palace”, Sajjangarh, was begun in 1883 by Maharana Sajjan Singh to serve as a summer retreat. It comes complete with a nine-storey observatory from which the royal family proposed to watch the monsoon clouds travelling across the countryside below.
Unfortunately, the maharana’s untimely death the following year put paid to the planned observatory. Although the palace itself was finished by Singh’s successor, Maharana Fateh Singh, it was found to be impossible to pump water up to it, and the whole place was abandoned shortly afterwards.
The large though rather plain building is now a somewhat melancholy sight, but the views over Udaipur, more than 300m below, are unrivalled. The journey up to the palace takes a good fifteen minutes by taxi; really, the climb is too steep to tackle by bicycle, although some people try.