Things to do in Vadodara
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Vadodara
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter is the season to come: days around 29 to 33 degrees C, cool nights and almost no rain.
Uttarayan kite festival on 14 January fills the old city rooftops.
Sharad Navratri brings the great garba nights, including the United Way of Baroda and the palace grounds garba.
Summer heat runs 38 to 41 degrees C; sightsee at opening and at dusk, and use mango season as the compensation.
Monsoon brings heavy rain and waterlogging, but Zarwani Waterfall and the Pavagadh countryside are at their best.
What's on
- United Way of Baroda Garba Mahotsav Nine nights of Sharad Navratri, usually late September to October
One of the largest garba gatherings in the world, in traditional dress, with passes booked ahead.
- Lukshmi Vilas Palace Heritage Garba Nine nights of Sharad Navratri, usually late September to October
Traditional garba on the palace grounds, priced as a premium ticket.
- Uttarayan 14 January
The kite festival fills old city rooftops all day, with festival undhiyu on thali menus.
Best things to do in Vadodara
Lukshmi Vilas Palace
The Gaekwad palace of 1890, still a family home, seen by audio guide with its Durbar Hall, armoury and peacock gardens.
Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum
The palace estate museum holding the Gaekwad collection, above all the Raja Ravi Varma paintings they commissioned.
Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery
An encyclopaedic museum in Sayaji Baug, from Akota Bronzes and Mughal miniatures to Turner, a mummy and a whale skeleton.
Sayaji Baug
The city's green living room since 1879, holding the museum, a zoo, a planetarium, a floral clock and a toy train.
EME Temple
An Army run Shiva temple under a geodesic dome, ringed by over a hundred ancient stone statues in quiet grounds.
Kirti Mandir
The Gaekwad cenotaph of 1936, with Nandalal Bose murals and Raja Ravi Varma paintings of the Mahabharata and Meera.
Sursagar Lake
An 18th century lake in the old city with a tall Shiva statue in the water, best walked at dusk before dinner.
Where to stay in Vadodara
Alkapuri
default first trip base
The best hotels and restaurants on and around RC Dutt Road, a short ride from the station and the palace.
Gotri and Vasna
modern mid range comfort
A newer residential side of the city with the Hyatt Place, reached by car or ride hailing for every sight.
Fatehgunj
budget and the university
Quieter and cheaper by the MS University campus, with the Ginger as the reliable budget chain option.
Think twice about
- Old City (Mandvi)
Atmospheric to visit for Sursagar Lake and Mandvi Gate, but no hotel there is worth recommending. Sleep in Alkapuri and visit by day.
Best restaurants in Vadodara
Peshawri by Welcomhotel Vadodara
The city's fine dining institution, Frontier tandoor cooking and dal Bukhara style dishes inside the Welcomhotel.
Mandap The Authentic Gujarati Thali Restaurant
The reference unlimited Gujarati thali since 1974, served on a bronze plate with farsan, dals, kadhi and a daily sweet.
Shree Kathiyawadi Khadki
Kathiyawadi thalis that are spicier and less sweet than the Gujarati standard, the second regional style to try in the city.
Jay Mahakali Sev Usal
Vadodara's signature sev usal at its most famous address by Kirti Stambh, a spicy pea curry under crisp sev with pav.
Shree Jagdish Farsan
A farsan house founded in 1938, famous for bhakarwadi and lilo chevdo, the take home taste of Baroda since before independence.
Outdoor things to do in Vadodara
Gaekwad Baroda Golf Club
A nine hole course inside the palace estate, played under the palace skyline, and the city's one splurge outdoor booking.
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
A UNESCO listed pre-Mughal capital of mosques and stepwells below Pavagadh Hill, an hour from Vadodara by road.
Statue of Unity
The world's tallest statue at 182 metres above the Narmada, a full day complex about 90 km from Vadodara.
Zarwani Waterfall
A forest waterfall in Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary on the Statue of Unity road, worth the detour only in and after monsoon.
Ajwa Nimeta Garden
The locals' picnic garden on Ajwa Road, with lawns and a musical fountain, a gentle family half day out of the city.
Best hotels in Vadodara
Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Alkapuri, Vadodara
The city's prestige ITC address on RC Dutt Road, booked for Peshawri and reliable service rather than grounds or views.
Hyatt Place Vadodara
A modern international mid range hotel with large rooms and a big restaurant, on the Gotri to Vasna side of the city.
Ginger Vadodara
The budget chain pick by the university in Fatehgunj, small clean rooms at chain prices in a city with no hostel scene.
Is Vadodara expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹5,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹14,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lukshmi Vilas Palace: a few days ahead
- Gaekwad Baroda Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Statue of Unity: a few days ahead
- Peshawri by Welcomhotel Vadodara: a few days ahead
- Book Statue of Unity tickets online ahead, especially the viewing gallery, and remember it closes on Mondays.
- Book Navratri garba passes and hotels ahead; the palace grounds garba is a premium ticket.
- Arrange Gaekwad Baroda Golf Club access well ahead through the club or your hotel and confirm visitor terms.
Is Vadodara safe?
- Vadodara is comparatively calm; keep to lit main roads late at night and use metered or app booked cars.
- Gujarat is a dry state: no bars, no hotel alcohol service, and only permit holders may buy from authorised permit shops.
- Satellite phones and standalone GPS devices are restricted in India and can lead to arrest. Emergency number is 112.
Vadodara travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not carry alcohol into Gujarat without a permit, and never buy from unofficial sellers.
- Do not build a trip expecting a packed sights list; the city itself is two full days, plus day trips.
- Zarwani Waterfall is thin or dry in the hot season and only worth the detour in and after the monsoon.
Getting around Vadodara: public transport and more
- Auto rickshaws and app based cars cover the compact city; the palace, museums and Sayaji Baug sit within about 15 minutes of Alkapuri.
- Vadodara Junction has fast trains to Ahmedabad in about two hours and Mumbai in about five, and Ekta Nagar station serves the Statue of Unity.
- The municipal AC Darshan bus covers the main sights from the station area for about INR 100 and does not run on Thursdays.
Who Vadodara suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Vadodara your trip
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