Jagmandir

The other island palace, Jagmandir, was commenced by Maharana Karan Singh, but takes its name from Maharana Jagat Singh (1628-52) who made a number of additions to it. 
It is said that the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, derived some of his inspiration for the Taj Mahal from this palace after staying here in 1623-24 while leading a revolt against his father, Jehangir. 
Flanked by a row of enormous stone elephant, the island has an impresive chhatri carved from grey-blue stone. The view across the lake, to the city and its glorious golden palace, is a scene of rare beauty.

City Palace Museum

The huge City Palace, towering over the lake, is the largest palace complex in Rajasthan. Actually a conglomeration of buildings added by various Maharanas, it still manages to retain a surprising uniformity of design. The building was started by Maharana Udai Singh II, the city's founder. The palace is surmounted by balconies, tower and cupolas and there are fine view over the lake and the city from the upper terraces.

The palace is entered form the northern end through the Baripol (built 1600 AD) and the Tripolia Gate (1725 AD) with its eight carved marble arches. It was once a custom for Maharanas to be weighed under the gate and their weight in gold or silver distributed to the populace.

The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum. It includes the MorChowk with its beautiful mosaics of peacocks, the favourite Rajasthani bird, the Manak (or Ruby) Mahal has glass and mirrorwork, while Krishna Vilas has a remarkable collection of miniatures (no photography allowed). In the Bari Mahal, there is a pleasant central garden. The Moti Mahal has beautiful mirrorwork and the Chini Mahal is covered in ornamental tiles. There's an armoury section downstairs. More paintings can be seen in the Zenana Mahal. There's a large tiger-catching cage near the Zenana Mahal entrance.