Sajjangarh Monsoon Palace: Sunset Timings, Tickets and the Ride Up

01Sajjangarh at a glance

02Monsoon Palace timings and ticket price

You pay twice: once for yourself and once for your vehicle, both at the sanctuary gate at the bottom of the hill.

• Timings: 9 AM to 6 PM. The ticket counter usually stops selling an hour before closing, so reach the gate by 4:30 PM if you’re going for sunset.
• At 6 PM the guards clear the top, and everyone rides down together. Don’t plan on staying late.
• The Biological Park at the foot of the hill is a separate place with its own ticket. You don’t need it for the palace.

Fees checked October 2026. Older websites still show ₹10–30 entry; that is out of date. Check at the gate, as rates are revised from time to time.

03When can you actually see the sunset?

This is the question we get most. The palace closes at 6 PM. Udaipur’s sunset is before 6 PM only from about the start of November to the first week of January. The rest of the year you get the view and the golden light, but you ride down before the sun touches the hills.

Times are worked out for Udaipur and rounded. On the hilltop the sun stays up a few minutes longer than in the city.

04The ride up

• 20 minOld city to the sanctuary gateHead out through Chandpole on the road towards the Sajjangarh gate. Normal city traffic, nothing difficult.
• 10 minTickets at the gateBuy the entry and vehicle tickets here. Keep both. They can be checked on the way up.
• 15 minThe hill roadThis is the real climb: steep, narrow and full of hairpins, through dry forest. Keep to the left and sound your horn before blind bends. You might see sambar deer or wild boar near the road.
• 60–75 minAt the topWalk around the palace terraces and find your spot on the west side for the sunset.
• 20 minDown and backLow gear, gentle brakes, everyone riding down at the same time. Then back into the city.

05What you see from the top

Maharana Sajjan Singh started the palace in 1884, high enough to watch the monsoon clouds roll in over the Aravallis, which is where the name Monsoon Palace comes from. He died young, before it was finished, and it was completed by Maharana Fateh Singh. Film fans may know it from the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy.

The palace itself is mostly empty rooms and terraces. You come for the view: Lake Pichola and the City Palace on one side, Fateh Sagar on the other, the whole city spread between them and the hills going on in every direction. In the monsoon the hills turn green, and the clouds sometimes pass below you.

06Riding up and down safely

• Two riders? Take a 125cc scooty such as a Suzuki Access 125 or TVS Ntorq. A 110cc with two people on board struggles on the steepest bends.
• Going down, stay in gear and use both brakes gently, a little at a time. Never coast down with the engine off.
• Helmets for both riders. The road is narrow and cars come down fast.
• In the monsoon the road can be wet and slippery. Ride slower and skip it in heavy rain.
• Fill petrol in the city. There is no pump on the hill.

07Which scooty for this ride

Solo, any of our scooties will make the climb. With two people, take the 125cc. See prices and models on our scooty on rent in Udaipur page, or take a bike if you are an experienced rider.