How Gujarat fits together
Gujarat is a big state, and its sights fall into four groups that sit a long way apart. Knowing which ones go together is what stops a holiday from turning into a week in the car.
- Ahmedabad and the north: heritage. Ahmedabad was India's first city to be named a UNESCO World Heritage City, for its walled old quarter of pols (gated lanes of carved wooden houses). A day trip away are the 11th-century Sun Temple at Modhera and Rani ki Vav at Patan, a UNESCO-listed stepwell (vav) built in the same century as a memorial to a king. It is the stepwell on the back of the ₹100 note.
- Saurashtra: pilgrimage and lions. The south-western peninsula holds Dwarka, one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites; Somnath, traditionally counted as the first of the twelve jyotirlingas, Shiva's most sacred shrines; Porbandar, where Mahatma Gandhi was born; and Gir, the last wild home of the Asiatic lion.
- Kutch: the White Rann and crafts. In the north-west, the Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh that turns white in winter, with Bhuj's craft villages and the Harappan city of Dholavira nearby. Our Rann of Kutch guide covers it in detail.
- The east: the Statue of Unity. The 182-metre Statue of Unity, of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, stands at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada, about 90–100 km from Vadodara. Champaner-Pavagadh, a UNESCO-listed archaeological park of mosques and fort walls below a hill topped by the Kalika Mata temple, is about 45–50 km from Vadodara.
Most trips pick one or two of these groups. Fitting all four into a week means long days on the road.
Sample routes for 5, 7 and 10 days
These are sample plans, and every day can be changed. The drive times are realistic averages with short stops, not the best case.
5 days: Ahmedabad, Modhera, Rani ki Vav and the Statue of Unity
| Day | Route and highlights | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Ahmedabad. Sabarmati Ashram, Gandhi's home from 1917 to 1930; the carved stone lattice windows of Sidi Saiyyed Mosque; the night food stalls of Manek Chowk. | Ahmedabad |
| 2 | An early-morning heritage walk through the old city's pols, then Adalaj stepwell, built in the late 15th century, north of the city towards Gandhinagar. | Ahmedabad |
| 3 | Day trip to the Sun Temple at Modhera (about 100 km, 2–2½ hours) and Rani ki Vav at Patan, with a stop at a workshop where patola silk is woven in double ikat, with both sets of threads dyed before weaving. | Ahmedabad |
| 4 | Drive to the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar (about 200 km, 3½–4½ hours). Evening at the dam viewpoint, or the light show if it's running. | Ekta Nagar |
| 5 | The viewing gallery inside the statue in the morning, then Vadodara (about 2 hours) for your flight or train. Add a sixth day for Champaner-Pavagadh. | — |
The Statue of Unity usually closes on Mondays, so plan days 4 and 5 around it. See also our Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity tour.
5 days: Kutch and the White Rann (November to February)
A night in Bhuj, two near the White Rann at Dhordo and a last night in Bhuj, with the craft villages, Kalo Dungar and Mandvi in between. Our Rann of Kutch guide has a day-by-day plan, and there is a sample Rann of Kutch tour too.
7 days: Dwarka, Somnath and Gir
| Day | Route and highlights | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fly to Jamnagar and drive to Dwarka (about 135 km, 2½–3 hours), or start from Rajkot (about 225 km, 4–5 hours). Evening aarti (the lamp ceremony) at the Dwarkadhish temple. | Dwarka |
| 2 | Bet Dwarka, the island reached by the Sudarshan Setu bridge from Okha; the Nageshwar temple, revered as one of the twelve jyotirlingas; and the Rukmini temple. | Dwarka |
| 3 | Down the coast to Porbandar (about 105 km, about 2 hours) for Kirti Mandir, beside the house where Gandhi was born, then on to Somnath (about 130 km, 2½–3 hours). | Somnath |
| 4 | Darshan (seeing the deity) at the Somnath temple by the sea, a slow afternoon, then the evening aarti and the light-and-sound show (check current timings). | Somnath |
| 5 | Drive to Sasan Gir (about 45–50 km, 1–1½ hours) for an afternoon safari in Gir National Park, if you hold a permit. | Sasan Gir |
| 6 | Early-morning safari. In the afternoon, rest, or visit Junagadh (about 60 km) and its old fort, Uparkot. | Sasan Gir |
| 7 | Drive to Rajkot (about 160 km, 3–4 hours) for your train, or to Rajkot's airport, about 30 km beyond the city. | — |
Gir's safari permits are limited and booked online on the Gujarat Forest Department's official site; beware of lookalike sites that charge extra. Sightings are never certain, which is one reason to book two safaris. See also our Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour and our pilgrimage holidays.
10 days: Ahmedabad, Kutch and Saurashtra (November to February)
| Day | Route and highlights | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Ahmedabad: Sabarmati Ashram, the old city and Manek Chowk. | Ahmedabad |
| 2 | Day trip to the Sun Temple at Modhera and Rani ki Vav at Patan. | Ahmedabad |
| 3 | Drive to Bhuj (about 330 km, 5½–7 hours). | Bhuj |
| 4 | The craft villages of Bhujodi and Ajrakhpur, then north to Dhordo (about 85 km from Bhuj) for sunset on the White Rann. | Near Dhordo |
| 5 | Sunrise on the salt and Kalo Dungar, then back to Bhuj. | Bhuj |
| 6 | The long road day: Bhuj to Dwarka (about 390–400 km, 7½–8 hours). | Dwarka |
| 7 | The Dwarkadhish temple, Bet Dwarka and Nageshwar. | Dwarka |
| 8 | Porbandar's Kirti Mandir on the way to Somnath (about 235 km, 5–6 hours with stops), in time for the evening aarti. | Somnath |
| 9 | Morning at the Somnath temple, then Sasan Gir (about 45–50 km) for an afternoon safari. | Sasan Gir |
| 10 | Early safari, then Rajkot (about 160 km, 3–4 hours, with the airport about 30 km beyond the city) for your flight or train, or the long drive back to Ahmedabad (about 350–360 km). | — |
This is the fullest of the three routes, with two long road days (days 3 and 6); a night in Jamnagar, about 255–270 km from Bhuj, splits the second. It works best from November to February, when the Rann is dry and Gir is open. Outside the Rann season, swap the Kutch days for the Statue of Unity and Champaner-Pavagadh, and remember that Gir's safaris close from 16 June to 15 October.
Distances, airports and realistic driving
Gujarat's highways are mostly good, but distances add up, and towns, trucks and village crossings slow things down. As a rule of thumb, plan on 50–60 km an hour including short stops, and keep long drives to daylight.
| Route | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmedabad – Modhera | about 100 km | 2–2½ hours |
| Ahmedabad – Statue of Unity | about 200 km | 3½–4½ hours |
| Vadodara – Statue of Unity | about 90–100 km | about 2 hours |
| Ahmedabad – Bhuj | about 330 km | 5½–7 hours |
| Bhuj – Dhordo (White Rann) | about 85 km | 1½–2 hours |
| Bhuj – Dwarka | about 390–400 km | 7½–8 hours |
| Ahmedabad – Sasan Gir | about 350–360 km | 7–8 hours |
| Sasan Gir – Somnath | about 45–50 km | 1–1½ hours |
| Somnath – Dwarka, via Porbandar | about 235 km | 4½–5½ hours |
| Jamnagar – Dwarka | about 135 km | 2½–3 hours |
| Udaipur – Ahmedabad | about 260 km | 4–5 hours |
- Ahmedabad has the most flights, domestic and international, and is the usual starting point.
- Vadodara is the closest airport for the Statue of Unity.
- Jamnagar and Rajkot serve Saurashtra: Jamnagar is the usual airport for Dwarka, and Rajkot is central.
- Bhuj has a small number of flights for Kutch.
- Trains link Ahmedabad with Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Dwarka and Bhuj, among others, and an overnight train can replace a long drive.
When to go
- October to March is the main season, with warm days, cool nights and clear skies in most years. December and January are the coolest months.
- The White Rann is usually at its whitest from about December to February. The Rann Utsav tent city usually runs from November to February, sometimes into early March, with dates announced each year.
- April to June is hot, with temperatures often above 40°C in May. If you travel then, start early, rest through the afternoon and go out again in the evening.
- Late June to September brings the monsoon. Saurashtra turns green, but the Rann is flooded and Gir's safaris are closed.
- Festivals: Janmashtami (Krishna's birthday, usually in August or September) draws very large crowds to Dwarka, and the holy month of Shravan (usually July to August) does the same at Somnath. Navratri, nine nights of garba (a circle dance) usually in September or October, and Uttarayan, the kite festival around 14 January, are worth planning around. The Diwali holidays are among the busiest travel weeks in the state.
Food, alcohol and temple visits
Gujarat eats largely vegetarian, and eats well. The meal to try is the Gujarati thali, a platter of small dishes refilled as you eat: dal, kadhi (a yoghurt curry), two or three vegetables, rotli (thin wheat flatbread), rice, farsan (savoury snacks such as dhokla and khandvi) and a sweet. Many dishes balance sweet, sour and spicy. In Saurashtra, Kathiyawadi cooking is spicier, with bajra rotla (millet flatbread); in Kutch, try dabeli. Jain food, made without onion, garlic or root vegetables, is easy to find. Non-vegetarian food is available in the cities but harder to find near the big temples.
At Dwarka, Somnath and the other big temples, dress modestly, expect security checks, and leave phones and cameras at the counters outside where they aren't allowed in. Queues for darshan are longest at weekends, at festivals and around aarti times, so an early start helps.
Combining Gujarat with Rajasthan
Southern Rajasthan and Gujarat join up naturally. Udaipur is about 260 km from Ahmedabad (4–5 hours), and the hill station of Mount Abu, just inside Rajasthan near the state border, is about 225 km from Ahmedabad (4–5 hours).
- Rajasthan first: Jaipur, Udaipur and Mount Abu (see the Udaipur and Mount Abu tour), then a long day down to Ahmedabad with Rani ki Vav and Modhera as stops, and on to Saurashtra or Kutch.
- Gujarat first: Ahmedabad and its heritage, then up to Udaipur for the lakes and palaces, finishing in Jaipur or Delhi.
Remember Gujarat's alcohol rules when you cross the state border. For the Rajasthan side, see our Rajasthan itinerary guide and the best time to visit Rajasthan.
Planning your Gujarat trip
Tell us how many days you have and what matters most — temples, lions, crafts or the White Rann — and we'll suggest a route with honest driving times. Get a quote for a private tour of Gujarat with a car and driver.
