Skip to content
Excurze

Umaid Bhawan Palace

A palace built between 1929 and 1943 that is today a royal residence, a Taj hotel and a museum under one roof.

The photograph shows the region, not the hotel.

At a glance
Builder
Maharaja Umaid Singh; the current owner is his grandson, Gaj Singh
Built
Groundbreaking on 18 November 1929, completed in 1943
Architects
Henry Lanchester is named as architect and engineer; the infobox also lists Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob
Size
347 rooms in the palace as a whole; the page gives no separate count for the hotel
Three parts
The royal family's residence, a Taj hotel and a museum of the Jodhpur royal family

What it is

The palace is named after Maharaja Umaid Singh, who began it in 1929 and saw it finished in 1943. Wikipedia says it was built to give work to farmers hit by three years of drought and famine.

Henry Lanchester is named as architect and engineer. The page also lists Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob in the infobox, so the credit is shared in at least some accounts.

Three buildings in one

The palace has three roles. Part of it is still the residence of the former royal family, whose current head, Gaj Singh, is the founder's grandson. Part is a Taj hotel, called the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace Jodhpur. A third part is a museum of the Jodhpur royal family.

That mixture changes what you are booking. You are staying in part of a working royal house, and the hotel's share of its 347 rooms is not given on the page we read, so ask how many rooms the hotel itself has.

Rooms and the rate

Published rates run widely. A hotel rate sheet lists the standard room from US$382 to US$420 and suites from US$519 to US$5,407. A comparison site lists a king room from about US$388. Neither tells you which wing the room is in, which is the first thing to ask.

The gap between the cheapest room and the best suite is wide enough that the category you choose matters far more than the month. Our Jodhpur night in the India itinerary is priced at another hotel, so this page does not feed that total.

Who it suits

It suits travelers who want to stay in a palace that is still lived in, as the second or third palace stay of a Rajasthan trip, and who like having a museum on the premises. One or two nights is usual.

It is less suited to travelers who want a small hotel with a single owner and a single purpose. The three-part arrangement is the character of the place, and some guests find the sharing of space less intimate than a hotel alone.

What it costs
Published rates for Umaid Bhawan Palace
RateAmountSource
Standard room, published rate sheet, per nightSuites on the same sheet run from US$519 to US$5,407.US$382 to US$420Travel Weekly Asia, Umaid Bhawan Palace
King room, from, per nightThe listing does not show a year; other listings of the same page show higher figures.About US$388KAYAK, Umaid Bhawan Palace

Published prices read on October 11, 2026. They are not quotes: rates change by date, room and availability, and may exclude taxes and service charges. Ask us for a quote for your dates.

Check availability for Umaid Bhawan Palace

Search hotels in Jodhpur and compare current rates with Trip.com. The prices there are live and can differ from the published rates quoted above.

This is an affiliate widget: if you book through it, Excurze may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

When to go

For India, the best months are January, February, March, October, November, December. April, May are hard going. These are typical patterns, not forecasts; each month links to the full guide.

Best timeGoodMixedHard going
Ask the hotel
  • How many rooms and suites does the hotel itself have, out of the palace's 347?
  • Which wing is the quoted room in, and what is the difference between wings?
  • Is the museum included in the stay, and are there times when parts of the palace are closed?
  • Are meals and the pool open to guests only?
  • What are the current rates for our dates, with taxes and service charge?
Sources

This page is compiled from the sources above. A detail they did not give is left out, not guessed.