Udaipur to San Jose Flights

  About Udaipur

Udaipur is one of the most beautiful cities in Rajasthan and definitely worth a visit. The city of lakes is ideal for a backpacking trip as well as for your honeymoon. Udaipur is a city that you will love, and you'll never really get lost. With an unexpected turn, you might discover an undiscovered restaurant or a shop that's hidden from the main street. You can also pick up hobbies while you're in the city. You'll find a lot of cooking classes, arts and crafts classes and the friendliest teachers, too. Not just the lakes but the city are also known for the palaces, palaces that are surrounded by lakes but also for the rich culture and the stories that come with it. You can catch the talent show at the Baghore Ki Haveli and be amazed by how easily they pull off performances that you will take ages to perfect. You can sit by the lake and just admire the sheer beauty of the city.

Sitting by the steps of the Ambrai Ghat and looking at the reflection of the City Palace falling on the lake is a view you'll never get tired of ever. Since Udaipur is a very popular holiday destination in Rajasthan, you find it easier to book a hotel room of your choice and necessities. For all you backpackers out there, there are lots of hostels like the Moustache, Zostel, Banjara and so on that will provide accommodation at minimal rates and you won't regret it at all. Getting around the city is not very difficult. You'll find rickshaws and taxis as per your convenience. People are also quite helpful when it comes to directing you.

The Jagmandir Island Palace, City Palace, Baghore Ki Haveli, Lake Pichola, Saheliyon Ki Baari, a Vintage Car Museum are only some of the most popular places in the city. Udaipur is also like paradise for all you shopaholics out there. You'll find a market in every lane that sells clothes, souvenirs, mojaris, handmade paper, handcrafted diaries, artefacts and jewellery. The city also has some famous temples, and you can attend the pujas in the evening. Apart from Lake Pichola, there is also the Fateh Sagar lake, yet another popular lake in the city. You can go boating at the lake, and you can also enjoy chaat from a series of stalls. The chaat corner near the Fateh Sagar lake is called Bombay Chowpatti, and the entire stretch of the lake is a sight to behold. There are several carvings on the walls on the other side of the road that will demand your attention.

Udaipur also has a Saas-Bahu temple, which is on the outskirts of the city. According to the stories, King Mahipala of Kachchhwaha Dynasty built the temple for his wife, who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He named it the Sahastrabahu temple, which means 'the one with a thousand arms'. Later, the King's son got married to a woman who was a devotee of Lord Shiva. A temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built right next to the Vishnu temple for the daughter-in-law. The temple later derived the name Saas-Bahu temple because of this connection. Though it's in ruins now, it is a place worth visiting.

Best Time to Visit Udaipur

November to February is when the city experiences winter, and it is the best time to visit. The weather is pleasant and the night, chilly. It is ideal if you have any outdoor activities planned or want to spend the day outside. It goes without saying that summer is not the most perfect time to visit Udaipur. March through May is summer and the heat can get pretty intense. You will not feel like stepping outside your hotel room. However, if you do have a trip planned during summer, make sure you get an air-conditioned room. The evenings will be pleasant as compared to the day. June to September is monsoon, and it doesn't rain too frequently in the city. While monsoon is also quite pleasant, it will take the fun away from a perfect day outdoors.

Places to Visit in Udaipur

Udaipur City Palace, located in the city centre, is one of the main attractions that you cannot miss. You'll have to get the tickets outside the palace gates. You will also get a combined ticket to Jagmandir Island Palace if you wish to see the beautiful palace that's right in the middle of the lake, too. Only part of the City palace is open for people since the royal family still resides in it but in a separate section of the palace. If you think the City Palace is breathtakingly beautiful, wait till you get to the Jagmandir Island palace in a boat.

The Sajjangarh palace is another most visited palace in the city. While you're at it, do not miss out on visiting the Monsoon palace. The whole reason this palace was built was to watch and admire the clouds during monsoon. The city also boasts of a Vintage Car Museum for all you car enthusiasts. Every car that's on display at the museum has a story behind it and a famous person having driven it. Don't forget to add the Kumbalgarh Fort and Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary to your list.

Things to do in Udaipur

Take at least 2-3 days out to visit all the palaces in the city. Most palaces also have restaurants inside the complex, and you'll be treated with the best kind of hospitality that you've come across yet. When you enter the City Palace, you will also have the option to dress up in traditional Rajasthani clothes and take pictures by the royal fountains. You can also take up cooking classes and learn to make some traditional yet easy dishes.

There are myriad places in Udaipur that organise hikes and treks since there are so many forts and hills in the city. You can also rent a cycle or a scooter and go wandering the city. Make sure you catch the sunset by the Ambrai Ghat. It's one of the most beautiful sights and sunsets that you'll catch. Udaipur is not all sightseeing, but you will also find a lot of cultural shows and performances put up by the locals.

Catch the sound and light show at the Kumbalgarh Fort. It's a treat to the eyes and the ears. You must also catch the cultural show at Baghore Ki Haveli during evenings. It has folk dance, folk music and even puppet shows and the seating arrangement takes you back to a totally different time. Udaipur also has quite a lot of lake facing rooftop restaurants that will make your evening quite romantic.

Food and Restaurants in Udaipur

The Ambrai Amet restaurant in Udaipur that overlooks the City Palace and is near the Ambrai Ghat is one of the most popular restaurants in the city. You can order anything from a traditional Rajasthani meal to a western or continental cuisine of your choice. The setting is so pleasant and romantic you'll want to take a nice, long walk after dinner to soak in the view. Since the city has a lot of international travellers, too, there are a lot of cafes and restaurants that add gluten-free and vegan dishes to their menu. Satori, a cafe near the Jagdish Temple is one of the cafes you must visit.

Rooftop restaurants are the highlights of Udaipur, and while the food they serve is mouthwatering, it's the view that adds all the charm to the place. Jheel's Rooftop Restaurant at Chandpole offers a spectacular view of the lakes and is quite popular, too. Upre by 1559 AD is another restaurant that offers a panoramic view of the city and the lakes.

How to reach Udaipur

By Air

The closest airport is the Maharana Pratap airport with spotless flight connectivity to and from Udaipur. The city is well-connected with various metropolitan cities in India such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Surat and more. These cities have airlines reserving flights to fly to Udaipur. Air India, Alliance Air, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara are some of the domestic airlines that fly to Udaipur from the mentioned cities. Depending on when you plan your trip to the palatial city, you can make your flight bookings. But if you wish to get some good flight deals and cheap flight tickets, then it is recommended that you peruse through the site more and find online flight deals. Aso, it would be ideal for hotel bookings to be made ahead of the trip. There are no international routes that converge with Udaipur as the airport only caters to domestic flights.

By Rail

The Udaipur railway station is aptly connected to all the metropolitan cities in the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai. You also get a train to Ajmer, Khajuraho and a couple of other cities in the country.

By Road

Reaching Udaipur from one of the cities in Rajasthan is no trouble at all. There are quite a few government-run buses and AC, Volvo buses, too, that will help you reach Udaipur. Not to mention, you'll also easily get a bus from cities like Mumbai and Delhi. It takes about 10-12 hours to reach Udaipur from Mumbai.

  About San Jose

San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley, prominently recognised as the technology hub of the world, nestled perfectly in California. The city is surrounded by hills and Silicon Valley and is known to be a prominent and expensive city. Owing to the rich high-tech industry that it inhabits, the city's cultural, economic and political stance is quite high.

Best time to visit San Jose

San Jose is more of a dry city which has favourable winters as opposed to much of the cities in the US. You will notice that the city's best and most pleasant weather is in the months from December through April. The temperatures during the months of December to February are decently ranged between 16 degree Celsius to 25 degree Celsius. This is a good time to visit the city as the air is calm and perfect. However, you should ensure to carry a light jacket along with you to avoid the cold breeze. It can get pretty cold, and you wouldn't want to be in a position where you don't have the right clothes. You should know that San Jose also witnesses rain, in fact, heavy rainfall. The months from July through August are rather risky for you to travel to the city due to the excess rain. It might be a little inconvenient for you as excess rains in the city bring roadblocks and other such travel conundrums. It might not even be favourable for you to venture out to explore the city during the rains. Overall, it would be a sad trip if you opt for those months.

The dry winter season though is pleasant. With bare chances of snow and favourable cold weather, you will be able to soak in the city's beauty and its calm air. Summers might be perfect if you want to take in the sunlight and lit vibe of the city. However, the heat can get a little too much, since it is clubbed with humidity. The air is humid in San Jose most of the years. This makes their summers extremely hot. Spring surely makes the city pleasant and ideal for a tourist excursion. Plus, the city does not experience an excess crowd during the winter and spring months, adding to your benefit. You can make hotel reservations in San Jose without having to worry about the expensive hotel costs or anything. In fact, these seasons see fewer travellers which bring down the accommodation prices. You can actually make your hotel bookings in San Jose for a cheap and considerable cost. It would totally be worth the trip as you will get to save money and you might even be able to visit San Francisco, which is quite close to San Jose.

Places to visit in San Jose

San Jose is often crowded by business travellers who take a pit stop, especially to discuss business with potential clients. However, there are a few tourist attractions in the city that would captivate you. With proximity to Silicon Valley, there are only a handful of places to visit. Visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph and marvel at the beautiful architecture of the white structure. You can also check out the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, which holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian relics that can be found on the West Coast. The city also has a museum dedicated to technology and innovation as the home to Silicon Valley. The Tech Museum of Innovation would be quite an experience to undertake as the air is quite thriving. San Jose also has the Children's Discovery Museum, something to engage your minds if you're travelling with family. San Jose's very own theme park, California's Great America is a brilliant place to enjoy with water parks, adrenaline-charged rides and entertaining acts. The city also has the Winchester Mystery House, a tourist trap.

Things to do in San Jose

You can start by Santana Row, which is a lovely shopping spot with an array of shops to excite your shopaholic soul. The street also has fascinating eateries and food joints to elevate your experience. You can travel a little away from San Jose to make a day trip to Calypso Tortuga Island. You can make the most of it here by engaging in some cruise activities and beach fun. Further, you can check out the Arenal Volcano and take up zip lining as one of the activities to engage in. There is a Japanese Friendship Garden too that is calm and tranquil. It will be a good way to relax and step away from all the noise of the city.

Food and Restaurants in San Jose

San Jose faces tough competition with San Francisco when it comes to the dining experience. More like, San Francisco is acing the game. A majority of the crowd often head to San Francisco to explore the culinary delights of the city. However, that doesn't mean San Jose doesn't have a food scene. In fact, the city reflects the cuisines of its rich and diverse population. The crowd is majorly Hispanic and Asian, and much of the food culture is also inspired by the same. You can find some amazing food joints that glorify the food curated by many cuisines. San Jose witnesses a lovely melange of food culture, which you can find at the San Pedro Square Market. Located in downtown San Jose, the market has an abundance of local food vendors preparing snacks and dishes that can be purchased to go. Interestingly, you will find a vast diversity of food ranging from pizzas to coffee. There are over 20 vendors who are indulged in varied businesses which give a tourist enough options top peruse through before deciding which food to buy. It is the ideal place for you to visit if you're travelling with a group.

The city also has a slew of steakhouses. A majority of the crowd that visits San Jose are mostly from the business background. Hence, the crowd often expects steakhouses as the best place to dine and unwind. You will find many steakhouses in the city such as LB Steak, Morton's and The Grill on the Alley. The juicy meat and sides are a big hit among tourists who have raved about these places. However, if you want more than steak on your menu, you can visit Santana Row. It is a restaurant that caters to all kinds of moods that you might have in terms of trying out cuisines. They have Mexican, Asian, French and Italian. You can also check out Le Papillon, which is San Jose's famous French food establishment. It is also one of the best and is an upscale from the usual restaurants in the city. You might need to make reservations before visiting the restaurant.

How to reach San Jose (Transportation)

Flight connectivity to San Jose from India is quite poor. There are not many flights that directly fly to San Jose, even from the US. Most of the flights to San Jose are directed towards San Francisco as it is the closest international airport. There are extremely few options to fly to San Jose and only airlines such as Alaska Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, American Airlines and United Airlines have provisions of flights to San Jose. In fact, flights to San Jose often require far too many connecting flights to reach from India. There are options from Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi but they are very few. The most popular international route to San Jose is from San Francisco. Travellers often opt to fly to San Francisco from India as the availability of flights is high and the connectivity is also good. Dedicated airlines such as Cathay Pacific travel from India to San Francisco and from here, provisions of rentals, taxi cabs are available to reach San Jose. Flying to San Jose can be quite tedious as there are far too many layovers and connectivity errs to deal with.

Aside from San Francisco, there are connecting flights to San Jose from Los Angeles too, which many prefer. United Airlines has flights flying to San Jose from Los Angeles on a regular basis. The flight tickets to San Jose are quite steep. Owing to the bare minimum connectivity and many layovers, the flight tickets to San Jose automatically become expensive. Another reason why many opt to take a flight to San Francisco and drive down from there. Some even opt to fly to Oakland and drive down to San Jose. The airports surrounding San Jose have better flight connectivity. The living expenses in San Jose are quite decent and can be maintained. However, it is advised that you make prior hotel bookings in San Jose to avoid a surge in the prices of rooms. The city witnesses a lot of travellers and hence, accommodation can get a little expensive. As long as you're able to save up on the flight ticket cost to San Jose, you wouldn't have to worry about the accommodation. There are always some great online flight and accommodation deals running online that you can avail.