Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, is also a UNESCO World Heritage City steeped in history, heritage and culture. The city offers a plethora of experiences to pick and choose from. If you want to explore the city, you will have to spend a week to a good ten days. Read on to know what are the things to do in Ahmedabad.
Sign up for a Heritage Walk
This walk organized by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation or House of MG will take you on a heritage walk as you acquaint yourself with the city. En route, you will walk through a maze of pols or gated communities, wooden havelis with intricate carving, mosques and tombs in Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, Hindu temples and Jain Derasars and lots more. The walk begins at a temple and ends in a mosque signifying the friendship and harmony shared by people from different religions.
Heritage Walk @Rafiq Somani
Go back in history at the Sabarmati Ashram
It is also called Gandhi Ashram or Satyagraha Ashram and is located on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad. It was home to Gandhiji and his wife, Kasturba Gandhi, for 12 years from 1917 to 1930. If you want to walk back in history and know about the Mahatma and his struggles for India’s independence, then do visit the Sabarmati Ashram. The ashram has several notable structures like the Gandhi Memorial Museum with different galleries, Magan Niwas where you will see different types of charkhas, Hriday Kunj or Gandhiji’s home, Vinobha Mira Kutir where Vinobha Bhave lived, Somnath Chhatralaya or student’s living quarters and Upasna Mandir.
Sabarmati Ashram @Rafiq Somani
Visit a stepwell
Stepwells or Vavs have flights of stairs from the ground level all the way to the water. Elaborate carvings adorn their walls. Adalaj ki Vav that is located 18 km from Ahmedabad. It is five stories deep, and intricate Islamic floral patterns, carvings of elephants, birds, fish, Hindu and Jain gods, and mythological scenes adorn the walls of the well. Dada Hari ni Vav in Asarwa is 15 km from Ahmedabad. The seven stories deep well has an architectural style that is a fusion of Islamic and Hindu styles.
Eat local delicacies and snacks
The Amdavadis treat food as serious business, and their lip-smacking delicacies and nasto or snacks are a must-have. Whether it is the wafer-thin khakhras, fafda, gathiya or the freshly made dhokla, paatra and khandvi. You can also savour a Gujarati thali, a medley of dishes served on a platter in small bowls or vatis beginning with starters and ending in desserts. The endless varieties of Mukhwas or mouth fresheners sold at Rani no Haziro are also to die for. Manek Chowk, Khau Galli, Law Garden are best for street foods, but if you are particular about hygiene, there are restaurants like Swati Snacks where you can savour the local delicacies.
Law Garden food street
Snacks and Mukhwas @Rafiq Somani
Admire the collection at Calico Museum of Textiles
Owned by the Sarabai Foundation, the Calico Museum of Textiles it has the finest collection of textiles from India. South Indian bronzes, Vaishnava picchavais, Jain art, and miniature paintings are other priceless collections you will see here. No photography is allowed in the museum. You need to register at least four weeks in advance for a guided tour that is conducted from 10:30 am – 1:00 pm. Only 20 people are allowed at a time, and you cannot afford to be late as you are not allowed to join the tour midway. I registered a week in advance and didn’t have a confirmation before our trip. But as luck would have it, I received a confirmation email when I landed at the Ahmedabad Airport.
Boat ride on Kankaria Lake
The Kankaria lake is very popular with locals and tourists alike. There is a boating facility, a toy train ride, an amusement park, Bal Vatika, a butterfly park, a hot air balloon ride, a zoo, etc. Entry fees for Kankaria lake are Rs. 25 per person for Adults, Rs. 10/- per person for Children and Free entry for senior citizens and children below three years of age. Avoid weekends and festivals as there could be serpentine queues for tickets and the park can is overcrowded.
Boating at Kankaria Lake
Butterfly Park and Train Ride at Kankaria Lake
Shop at Law Garden
If you’re looking for chaniya cholis and ethnic wear, a visit to the Law Garden is mandatory. Not just ethnic wear, you will even get colourful jutties, oxidized jewellery, embroidered and printed bags and even home furnishings like bedsheets, cushions and quilts. Do bargain but don’t short-change the shopkeepers. Most of the embroidery is machine-made, unlike earlier when hand-embroidered pieces were available. Festive times like Navratri and Diwali are when the street buzzes with tourists.
Law Garden Shopping
Wander around Sarkhej Roza
Sarkhej Roza is a complex made up of a mosque, tombs, and a palace with a water tank dedicated to Ahmed Shah’s spiritual guide Ahmed Khatti Ganj Baksh. Since it is 8.5 km away from Ahmedabad, not many tourists visit it. But for us, it turned out to be a hidden gem, and we were mesmerized by its architecture and aura.
Sarkhej Roza
Pay respects at the Hutheesing Jain Temple
The temple is built in marble and has stunning cravings. Sculptures of figurines, lions, and floral and geometrical patterns cover the temple. Photography inside the temple is not allowed. A 78 feet high Manasthamba, or column of honour, can be seen in the courtyard in front of the temple. They are so-referred to as they are believed to shed the pride of the faithful before entering the temple.
Admire the cars at Auto World Vintage Car Museum
Vintage cars, bikes and carts of well-known automobile companies like Rolls Royce, Ford, Bentley, Cadillac, etc. are on display here. You can even pay Rs. 1000/- for a vintage car ride on the museum’s premises. The Auto World Vintage Car Museum is open all days a week from 8 am to 9 pm. The entry fees are Rs. 50/- per person, and a digital camera will cost you extra payment.
Vintage Car Museum
Besides these, you can also visit the other museums in Ahmedabad, like the Veechar Cultural and Heritage Museum for Utensils which has a collection of utensils from different eras. The City Museum has India’s only Kite Museum. Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Memorial is an ode to the great leader called ‘The architect of Modern India.’ If you are a science and technology lover, visit The Gujarat Science City. You may also want to admire MF Hussain’s wall paintings at Ahmedabad ni Gufa which has an offbeat structure consisting of undulating interconnected domes.
Gujarat Trails helped us plan and explore our Ahmedabad trip
GETTING THERE:
Nearest Airport: Ahmedabad has an airport for both domestic and international flights. The other option is Vadodara and after landing you will have to drive down to Ahmedabad.
Travel Tip: You will need at least a week to ten days explore Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Trails helped us with exploring Ahmedabad.