Best known as the city of lakes, Udaipur is one of Rajasthan’s most beautiful gems. With palaces and forts, great food and culture, its inherent charm lies in its ancient history. However, as locals or regulars having visited it often, you can be forgiven to seek other, more different locales for a short weekend away from Udaipur. For this purpose, here’s a list compiled of the best places to visit near Udaipur, that makes your weekends fun and thrilling. From religious and historical destinations to quaint lakesides and hill stations, you will find your ideal pick here. 

The famed mountain pass where the valiant horse of Maharana Pratap jumped across mountains to save his master's life and died in the process, Haldi Ghati is a scenic place with folk and history making it ripe. It is also the birthplace of Maharana Pratap and home to the battlefield where his army of a mere 20,000 fought off 2 lakh Mughals. The soil itself is reddened by all that blood and gore, even today. Located 40 km from Udaipur, Haldighati lies in the Aravali mountain passage and can be reached within an hour. The famous Haldighati Museum is a must visit for its stunning relics, audio visuals and a tour of Maharana Pratap’s personal items, including the magnificent armour he wore.

Famously known as the Apollo of Mewad, this little charming temple town situated in the hills of Mewad is the perfect getaway, 52 km from Udaipur. Home to the deity Shrinathji, a life size 7-year old Shri Krishna swaroop, Nathdwara is famous for the Shrinathji Temple, where even on the most normal days you would find a maddening crowd for darshan. The markets surrounding the temple are famous for things like meenakari handicrafts, picchwai paintings, leheriya and bandhini sarees, mothda fabric and seva shringar. Eateries like chowpatty and local dining halls are famous for things like sabudana wada, fried kand, potato chips, Gujarati thali, poha, jalebi and dhokla. The tea vendors here serve the best tea, especially after an early morning mangala darshan of Shrinathji at 5 am. Nearby places to visit include Lal Bagh, the Tilakayat Museum, Bhul-bhulaiya maze at Vrindavan Bagh and Eklingji Temple.

60 km away from the hubbub of Udaipur is the serene Jaisamand Lake & Sanctuary. This is the perfect getaway to just refresh yourself and sit by the Dhebar Lake with a picnic basket and your family. The lake is dated back to Maharana Jai Singh in 1685 and has since been maintained so well that the wildlife around it is untouched. From leopards to birds, sloths and wild bears, even fishes and crocodiles abound here. You can go boating in the waters or enjoy a lavish lunch at the Jaisamand resort. Winter is a great season for a rejuvenating visit.

Almost at the boundary of the city, Chandni Village is a small weekend getaway located on the Rajasthan-Ahmedabad highway, near Aarambagh Palace. It is approximately 27 km away from the city centre of Udaipur and boasts of waterfalls and rice fields, streams and windy plains. Monsoons are great for a day’s bike ride or hike, or even just a small impromptu picnic out here. You can even dive into one of the streams and swim with your friends. But ensure to return before it gets dark as the area has a very small, scattered population and no street lights to guide you back.

A small town located in the Hadoti region, Bundi is a symbol of history and valour. With its natural and geographical beauty, Bundi is also blessed with great architecture in the form of palaces and havelis and forts built here over many centuries. The pattern of meshing streams and lakes makes for a mesmerising view, with waterfalls connecting many intermittently. Take a trip here for a long weekend as Bundi is more than 210 km from Udaipur. While here, do visit the Moti Mahal, Garh Palace, Badal Mahal, Nawal Sagar Lake and Sukh Mahal.

Known to be the most haunted place in the country, the small village of Kumbhalgarh with its massive Kumbhalgarh Fort is the best weekend trip from Udaipur, especially with friends who enjoy talks of the paranormal. Located in the Rajsamand region of the Aravali Hills, Kumbhalgarh is also known for Jain temples, the great wall of China-like fortress walls and the Kumbhalgarh sanctuary with its jackals and hyenas and sloth bears. Kumbhalgarh is 103 km from Udaipur and should be visited during autumn and winter. Summers are just too hot to handle.

A hill station in Rajasthan, Mount Abu is renowned for the Jain Dilwara temples carved out of marble, along with palaces and forts that were summer houses of the Maharanas of the past. Perched on a height, Mount Abu is some 164 km away from Udaipur and makes for a nice summer destination to escape the heat. You can spend the weekend boating in Nakki Lake and picnicking by its banks, sightseeing up palaces and eating the locally famous Puri-bhaji.

The stronghold of Rajputs for the longest time, Chittorgarh is famous as the kingdom of Queen Padmavati, whose ethereal beauty brought upon the invasion of Allaudin Khilji to this kindgom. Located on a plateau (garh), this town within a fortress is the best place to go if you want to spend a weekend lost in valiant history and interesting stories. Visit the Fateh Prakash Palace, Sanwariaji Temple, Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary, Tulja Bhawani Temple, Jogniya Mata Ji Temple and Bhainsrorgarh Wildlife Sanctuary.

Rajsamand is a district of par-superior stone carved temples and lakes. The Rajsamand Lake is the second largest manmade lake on earth and attracts hoards of tourists. You can boat in here, or visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site — Kumbhalgarh Fort perched on a hill. Temples like Shri Dwarkadhish Ji Mandir, Charbhuja Mandir and the Nathdwara Shrinathji Temple are famous for darshan. Shopping for things like marble souvenirs, show pieces, vases etc is ripe here. Rajsamand is 62 km from Udaipur and encompasses places like Haldighati too.