The Taj Mahal, Delhi, Mumbai, Goa. These are some of the places people think of visiting when contemplating a trip to India. Even the most experienced travelers, however, sometimes find that the sights, sounds, crowds and pace of life in India can take some getting used to. With this concern in mind, we decided to begin our trip to India with three days in the tranquil lakeside city of Udaipur.

Located about halfway between Mumbai and Delhi, Udaipur is a city of 500,000 people known principally for a series of lakes and the spectacular palaces built alongside them. The largest lake, Lake Pichola, is surrounded by hills, and the Old City located on its eastern shore contains most of the tourist attractions and hotels.

The best way to orient yourself to Udaipur is to take a boat ride on the calm waters of Lake Pichola. Three palaces dominate the view. First, there is the City Palace originally built by Udai Singh, the Maharana of Mewar who relocated the capital of his Rajput kingdom from Chittorgarh Fort to the area in the 16th century. Expanded by his 22 successors over the last five centuries, this hilltop palace is now several blocks long and is used as a museum, a heritage hotel and the residence of the current Maharana and his family. In addition to seeing bejeweled courtyards and harem quarters, visitors to the palace also can view the Maharana’s antique car collection, an entire banquet room filled with imported English crystal, the clothes and swords of numerous ancestors, and a wall used for elephant tugs of war.

A second palace, known as the Lake Palace, is located in the middle of the lake and appears from a distance to be a floating ship rather than a building. Constructed in the 1700s as a summer residence for the Maharana, it is built of white marble and used today as a private luxury hotel by the Taj hotel chain. Featured in many films, westerners recognize it as the place that served as the villain’s lair in the James Bond movie “Octopussy.”

A third palace at the southern end of the lake known as Jag Mandir Island Palace is used today as a popular restaurant. It is also a favorite venue for elaborate Indian weddings that often feature several days of festivities with fireworks and light shows that illuminate the palaces.

There are many other interesting places to visit in Udaipur and most can be reached by walking from the City Palace or by private vehicle. The 17th-century Jagdish Temple has engravings of various stories dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and provides a good orientation to the practices of devotees. You can respectfully observe people making offerings of flowers and singing songs of devotion in the temple by removing your shoes and leaving your camera behind. There are also some decent shops with handicrafts, clothes and other goods for sale in the area around the temple.

Glenn Carberry of Norwich is a local attorney who practices in New London. A frequent world traveler, he has visited more than 50 countries and more than 100 World Heritage sites. This series shows some of the sites he and his wife Kimberly visited on a recent trip that included India, Singapore and Cambodia.

TIPS FOR VISITING UDAIPUR

When to go: The best months to visit are between October and early April because the temperature and humidity rise dramatically in the spring and summer. Lake Pichola has dried up at times and become a series of mudflats, but this occurs only after periods of extended drought about every 10 or 20 years.

Where to stay: There are several modern luxury hotels located along the lake with spectacular views of the palaces and world-class service such as the Leela Palace and the Oberoi Udaivilas. The Shiv Niwas Palace is a heritage hotel that was once part of the City Palace, which allows its guests to live like royalty for a few nights at a surprisingly modest price.

What to see: There are several other places in the area worth seeing on a day trip. The huge mountaintop forts and palaces at Chittorgarh and Kumhalgrah demonstrate the martial history of the Rajputs and their determination to remain free of outside domination. The Ranakpur temple complex has 1,444 carved stone pillars and is located in a wooded valley close to Kumbalgrah. It provides useful insight into the Jain religion. It is useful in Udaipur to have a knowledgeable guide to assist you in finding your way through the narrow streets of the Old City, arrange for boat rides, and make recommendations as to which places and shops to visit. Farid Ahmed, who is a guide approved by the Department of Tourism, provides excellent information in a pleasant manner and knows all of the sites in the Udaipur region.