- Best time
- November to February
- Main airport
- Ahmedabad (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International)
- Winter temperatures
- About 12°C to 28°C
- Key festivals
- Navratri, Kite Festival, Rann Utsav
What to see
Gujarat's history runs from the Indus Valley period to Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in Porbandar. Plan your route around a few themes:
- Heritage: Ahmedabad's old city and Sabarmati Ashram, Lothal and Dholavira, stepwells and old port towns
- Pilgrimage: Dwarka, Somnath and the Akshardham temple at Gandhinagar
- Wildlife: Gir National Park for lions and leopards, and flamingos on the Kutch salt marshes
- Culture and craft: Bhuj and the Kutch villages for embroidery, textiles and folk music
- Coast and hills: quiet beaches, fishing towns, Diu and the monsoon hill station of Saputara
Best time to visit
November to February is the most comfortable period, with days usually in the 12°C to 28°C range. This is the season for Rann Utsav in the white desert and for good lion sightings at Gir.
March to June is hot, often above 40°C inland, though Diu and Somnath are eased by sea breezes, and hotels are cheaper. From July to September the rains turn the countryside green, and Saputara is at its best.
Festivals
- Navratri: nine nights of garba and dandiya across the state
- International Kite Festival: Ahmedabad, January
- Rann Utsav: held on the white salt flats of Kutch through the winter months
- Janmashtami at Dwarka: the birth of Lord Krishna
Food
Gujarati cooking is mostly vegetarian, shaped by Jain and Vaishnav traditions, and balances sweet, salty and spicy flavours. Try a full thali with rotli, dal or kadhi, vegetables, rice and a sweet such as shrikhand. Snacks worth seeking out include dhokla, khandvi, thepla, fafda with jalebi and, in winter, undhiyu. Ahmedabad and Surat both have busy street-food areas.
How to reach
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad is the main gateway, with domestic and international flights; Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhuj and Jamnagar have airports too. Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhuj have good rail links to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata and Chennai. Highways are good, which makes a road trip linking Ahmedabad, Kutch, Gir, Somnath and Dwarka very practical. We can plan such a circuit with a car and driver.
Also nearby
Plan it with us
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