Ask any Amdavadi where they escaped to as a child when the May heat became unbearable, and the answer is usually the same: Mount Abu. Rajasthan's only hill station sits barely 225 km from Ahmedabad — a 4–5 hour drive — which makes it, for all practical purposes, Gujarat's own hill station. And just 160-odd km beyond it lies Udaipur, the City of Lakes, where white palaces appear to float on Lake Pichola and rooftop restaurants glow at dusk. Put the two together and you get one of the most satisfying long weekends available to anyone in Gujarat: cool mountain air, thousand-year-old marble temples, a royal palace, a sunset boat ride — all without a flight, a visa or more than three or four days of leave. This guide covers the route, the sights, a workable day-by-day plan and the seasons that suit it best.
Getting there from Ahmedabad and Surat: road and rail
From Ahmedabad, Mount Abu is roughly 225 km via Palanpur on good highway — count 4 to 5 hours with a chai stop. Udaipur is about 260 km from Ahmedabad on the excellent six-lane NH48, typically 4.5 to 5 hours. From Surat, add another 260–280 km; most Surti families either leave before dawn or break the journey in Ahmedabad. Rail works beautifully too: Abu Road station, on the busy Ahmedabad–Delhi trunk line, sits about 28 km below Mount Abu town, with taxis and shared jeeps climbing the ghat in 45 minutes, and Udaipur City station has direct trains from both Ahmedabad and Surat. Petrol, tolls and a night halt still keep this among the cheapest getaways you can do — a couple can manage a comfortable 3-day trip in roughly ₹15,000–30,000 depending on hotels, a fraction of what a flight-based holiday costs. It is the same easy-drive logic that makes Saputara and the Statue of Unity at Kevadia such popular Gujarat weekends.
Mount Abu in a day and a half: Nakki Lake, Dilwara and Guru Shikhar
Start at Nakki Lake, the heart of the town — pedal boats and rowboats cost a modest ₹100–300, and the walk around the shore past Toad Rock is the classic Abu evening. The unmissable sight, though, is the Dilwara Jain temple complex, widely considered the finest marble carving in India: ceilings, pillars and doorways chiselled between the 11th and 13th centuries into lace-like patterns that photographs famously cannot capture — partly because photography is not permitted inside, and visiting hours for tourists are restricted to the afternoon (roughly noon to 5 pm on most days, with dress codes enforced). Drive up to Guru Shikhar, the highest point of the Aravallis at about 1,722 metres, for views over three states on a clear day, and end at Sunset Point, where half the town gathers on the rocks every evening. Jain and pure-vegetarian food is everywhere in Abu, which is one reason Gujarati families feel so at home here — the same comfort factor we map for international trips in our guide to Jain and vegetarian-friendly destinations abroad.
Udaipur: Lake Pichola boat rides, City Palace and rooftop evenings
Udaipur rewards slow mornings and golden evenings. Give the City Palace a full half day — it is Rajasthan's largest palace complex, a maze of courtyards, mirror-work chambers and balconies hanging over Lake Pichola, with entry tickets in the ₹300–400 range for Indian adults and more for the premium sections. The signature experience is the Lake Pichola boat ride from the palace jetty, circling past the Lake Palace and stopping at Jag Mandir island; sunset slots cost more (roughly ₹700–900 per adult, cheaper by day) and sell out first, so book ahead in season. Evenings belong to the rooftops of the old city around Gangaur Ghat — candlelit tables, the palace lit gold across the water, and a breeze off the lake. It is no accident that Udaipur tops so many couples' lists; we rank it alongside international favourites in our roundup of top honeymoon destinations for couples from Surat, and its palace hotels headline our destination wedding guide for Gujarati families.
A 3–4 day plan and the best time to go
Day one: leave Ahmedabad early, reach Mount Abu by lunch, boat on Nakki Lake and catch Sunset Point. Day two: Dilwara in the early afternoon (respecting the visitor hours), Guru Shikhar before it, then drive the scenic 3 to 3.5 hours through the Aravallis to Udaipur by evening. Day three: City Palace in the morning, Jagdish Temple and the old-city lanes after lunch, sunset boat ride, rooftop dinner; a fourth day adds Sajjangarh — the aptly named Monsoon Palace — Saheliyon ki Bari and the Shilpgram crafts village before the drive home, and if the road trip bug bites, our Rajasthan tour guide from Gujarat shows how Jodhpur and Jaisalmer extend this same loop into a full week. As for timing: July to September turns the brown Aravallis emerald, fills Udaipur's lakes and softens hotel rates, making the monsoon this circuit's most underrated season; October to March is classic peak, though December–January mornings in Abu can dip toward 5°C, so pack woollens. For couples, those quiet monsoon weeks are a brilliant-value honeymoon window — we feature the circuit in our monsoon travel destinations from Gujarat, and once winter arrives, the white desert of the Rann of Kutch takes over as Gujarat's showpiece. Many families also pair this with a Dwarka darshan on another long weekend — see our Somnath–Dwarka pilgrimage guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3 days enough for both Udaipur and Mount Abu? Yes — one full day in Mount Abu and one and a half in Udaipur covers the highlights comfortably, though a fourth day lets you add Sajjangarh and Kumbhalgarh-style detours without rushing.
Can I photograph the Dilwara temples? No, photography is prohibited inside the Dilwara complex and tourist entry is limited to fixed afternoon hours with a dress code, so plan it as your post-lunch activity and buy a picture book from the stalls outside if you want a keepsake.
Is the monsoon a safe time to drive this route? Generally yes — the highways are excellent and the Abu ghat road is well maintained, but drive daylight hours in heavy rain, check forecasts before Guru Shikhar, and keep a buffer day; our monsoon destinations guide has more wet-season driving tips.
A lake city and a hill station in one tank of fuel — that is the Udaipur–Mount Abu magic. Explera Vacations runs this circuit year-round from Surat and Ahmedabad with cab, hotel and boat-ride slots pre-arranged, whether it is a family Diwali break or a just-married escape. Browse our tour packages from Surat or message us on WhatsApp and we will have a day-by-day plan in your inbox before your chai goes cold.
