The magnificent city palace, originally built by Maharana Udai Singh of the Sisodia Rajput, is situated at the east bank of Lake Pichola in the heart of Udaipur city. A merge of Medieval European and Chinese architecture, this palace, built in granite and marble is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. The palace is approached from the main road through the 'Hathi Pol' or the 'Elephant Gate'. On the northern end, there is a great gate called 'Bara Pol' that leads to the first courtyard, which then joins Tripolia or the 'triple gate'. Between these two gates, there are eight carved marble arches or 'Toranas' under which the rulers in the past were weighed against gold and silver, the value of which was then distributed to the poor.

Almost all the rooms of the palace have beautiful paintings, inlay glasswork, antique furniture and colourful enamel. The main part of the city palace with its several mahals is now preserved as a museum. There are many enclosures inside the palace with good views of the city and the lake. Within the city palace complex, there is a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu known as Jagdish Temple.