mpkw

It's my first trip to India and I will have seen Varanasi and Agra but would like to spend 3-4 days in one more place. Trying to decide between Jaipur or Udaipur? Do you have a favorite? Why?

I'd appreciate any advice you can offer....it'll help me make my decision to learn about each place from someone who has been there.

-karen

rhkkmk

karen of the two we have only been to jaipur, but it is a great place to spend 3-4 days as there is so much to do there....we also found the city much more manageable than some of the other cities...

npjai

Jaipur also fits in better with Varanasi and Agra. Udaipur will be a longer hop.

mpkw

Which city is more walkable?
The flight schedules are odd. I'm coming from Varanasi, so either will have a

(1) 3.5 hr layover in Delhi to get to Jaipur, transferring from Jet Airways to Kingfisher

OR

(2) a 35min layover to get Udaipur staying with Jet Airways

...so, technically I'd arrive in Udaipur before Jaipur

CFW

You'll never make a 35 minute layover. Anyway, I think there is lots to do & see in and around Jaipur. Udaipur is beautiful & much quieter, and would be great if you had time to go to the Jain temples in Ranakhpur(sp?) too, but it sounds like you will have probs with flight connections.

vp_singh

Both destinations are excellant for sight seeing.
In Jaipur, the Amber Fort has some beautiful mirror mosaics & general layout of a fort. The City Palace museaum has some fine artefacts. Jaipur is good for shopping handicrafts as well. You have good hotels & fine dining. For the purpose of walking, the verandahs in the old market are colouful & remarkably interesting, for it is layed on the pricipals of Hindu caste system.
On the other hand, Udaipur has one of the best north indian city palaces located on the lake. You could do boating & the views from the Jagmandir island are excellant of the lake palace, the ghats & the city palace, in one sweep! The crystal gallery is breathtaking & atleast I have not seen anything so grand in my travels, even in Europe. The vintage garage has some interesting cars. The markets of Udaipur are not as crowded as Jaipur. You could easily stroll through them. Again good hotels & fine dining is possible.
However, if you do find time to travel on the road to Ranakpur & Jodhpur, you will see some most beautiful rural scenes in entire Rajasthan.
Happy Travels!

afterall

Been to both. Preferred Udaipur but it is more time-consuming to get to.

Best thing about Jaipur is Amber so if you go, don't miss.

amanu

Here i m out of the track!!!!

but again forcefully want to suggest u TO Visit Goa


http://www.indiandiscovery.com/goatourism

welltraveledbrit

I have visited both and FAR prefer Udaipur which I have visited twice. In terms of walking it's a much more walkable city. IMHO in Jaipur you'll be mobbed by touts if you try to walk anywhere in the center of town.

Both towns attract their share of tourists but Jaipur is far busier because of it's position in the "Golden Triangle". I love India and I'll be back for my third trip in December but I didn't like Jaipur at all

However, having said this I don't know that I would spend 4 nights in Udaipur. I would consider two nights in Udaipur and two out in the countryside to give you some sense of rural Rajesthan. You could visit Kumblugarh or Chittorgarh forts, the suggestion of Ranakpur is also good.

dogster

Hello welltraveledBrit! Haven't seen you in here for a while. Where have you been?

welltraveledbrit

Hey dogster,
I've been distracted!

We did our round-the-world and I now understand why there are so few rtw trip reports. I started but only managed to get through two countries! Although given your prodigious output I should just hang my head in shame!

We're heading back around in December. Crashing a friend's birthday party outside Delhi (with a bunch of reprobates) and then heading up, in your footsteps, to Assam for the ABN cruise. Then we're off to Calcutta and Athens before heading back to the west coast.

I've been looking for your report on the cruise but I can't find it. Could you point me in the right direction?

dogster

Excellent choice welltraveled. Which boat? Can I assume you've been smart enough to grab that nifty 50% off deal they're offering?

oh, I have lots to tell you. Look in the listing. There's a present for you. Part One of re-written Brahmaputra. It was buried deep in a long-forgotten report in an earlier, less structured form.

welltraveledbrit

Thanks dogster, I'm going to sit down and read it now.

Yes, we did manage to get one of their discounted departures which just happens to start right after the birthday party. We thought that something quiet could aid our recovery! Also this is the perfect excuse for not joining some of the others who are going to watch the cricket in Mumbai, I can't imagine cricket in India is any more fascinating than cricket anywhere else but then last time we were in the country everyone seemed mesmerized by the 20/20 matches.

Thanks for the post.

afterall

Ah, but cricket is one of the glues that holds India together, don't you think? Suggestions for other glues welcome.

I suspect, well I guess I know, that Dog is an American so he wouldn't have a clue. But welltravelled, you are not.

Are you honestly telling me that in all your Indian travels, cricket hasn't featured at all?

I find that hard to believe.

And I am chuffed for India and for a work mate that India has scalped Australia and is on the way to doing the same to England.

dogster

No-o-o-o-o I'm not American. I'm Australian. Once, flailing wildly, hoping to catch it, I had my nose broken by a well-aimed cricket ball. Never played it after that.

I'm sure welltraveled has come across cricket in India a million times. It's impossible not to. It's just that he/she/they ain't interested.

I share their lack of enthusiasm, but feign interest in cricket 'cos it's a great [and inevitable] start to a conversation. Even worse, I'm originally from Tasmania.

'Ricky Ponting!' they say. [Austyralian Test Captain, born in Tasmania]

Sigh. A hundred times a day.

'Ricky Ponting!'

I'm over it.

I think welltraveled is tremendously smart, fleeing to Assam. lol.