Top places to visit in Vadodara

• Laxmi Vilas Palace

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 2 h · check the fee at the gate

  The opulent 1890 Indo-Saracenic palace of the Gaekwads, reputedly the largest private residence in the world — four times the size of Buckingham Palace.

• Sayaji Baug (Kamati Baug)

  Nature · 4.4 rating · about 2 h · free entry

  A sprawling 19th-century garden with a zoo, planetarium, a toy train and the Baroda Museum — the green heart of the city.

• Champaner-Pavagadh

  Heritage · 4.6 rating · about 4 h · entry ₹600, ASI ticket: Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals Rs 40, other foreigners Rs 600, children under 15 free. Online (ASI e-ticket) rates are slightly lower than cash.

  A UNESCO World Heritage archaeological park ~47 km away with Sultanate mosques, the Jami Masjid and the hilltop Kalika Mata temple reached by ropeway.

• EME Temple (Dakshinamurthy)

  temple · 4.4 rating · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate

  A unique geodesic-dome Shiva temple clad in aluminium sheets, run by the army's EME corps, blending modern engineering with several faiths' symbols.

• Sur Sagar Lake

  Nature · 4.2 rating · about 0.8 h · free entry

  A central lake ringed by a promenade with a towering Shiva statue rising from the water, lit beautifully in the evenings.

• Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum

  Museum · 4.4 rating · about 1 h · entry ₹200, Indian adult Rs 80, Indian child Rs 50, foreign adult Rs 200; school groups (20+) Rs 500. Photography/videography not permitted.

  A museum within the palace grounds displaying the Gaekwad royal art collection — European masters, Raja Ravi Varma paintings and royal artefacts.

• Ajwa Nimeta Garden

  Nature · 4.2 rating · about 1.5 h · check the fee at the gate

  A musical-fountain garden by the Ajwa reservoir ~20 km out, with landscaped lawns and an evening light-and-water show, a family favourite.

• Baroda Museum & Picture Gallery

  Museum · 4.3 rating · about 1.3 h · entry ₹200, Indian adult Rs 10, foreigner Rs 200, student groups Rs 5. Photography Rs 100, videography Rs 500 (with permission letter to Director).

  A grand Indo-Saracenic museum in Sayaji Baug with Egyptian, Mughal and European art, a blue-whale skeleton and Gaekwad-era collections.

• Mandvi Gate & Old City Bazaars

  Market · 4.2 rating · about 1 h · check the fee at the gate

  The historic Mandvi gateway pavilion at the heart of the walled old city, surrounded by bustling bazaars, havelis and street food.

• Kirti Mandir

  temple · 4.3 rating · about 0.8 h · check the fee at the gate

  The Gaekwad family's memorial cenotaph (1936) with a soaring shikhara and murals by the painter Nandalal Bose, near the old city.

Things to do

• Laxmi Vilas Palace Tour Cultural · 2 h · from INR 225 per person
• Champaner-Pavagadh Heritage Trip Cultural · 6 h · from INR 1,800 per person
• Vadodara Heritage & Museum Walk Cultural · 2.5 h · from INR 600 per person
• Vadodara Food Trail Cultural · 2.5 h · from INR 800 per person

Day trips and tours

• Vadodara City Heritage Tour 8 h · from INR 1,500
• Champaner-Pavagadh UNESCO Trip 8 h · from INR 1,800
• Vadodara Arts & Food Evening 5 h · from INR 1,000

Where to stay in Vadodara

• City Center about INR 2,500 per night

  Main commercial area with mid-range hotels

Hotels

• Vivanta Vadodara (Taj) 5-star · INR 6,000 to INR 11,000 per night
• Welcomhotel by ITC Vadodara 5-star · INR 5,500 to INR 9,500 per night
• Grand Mercure Vadodara 4-star · INR 4,500 to INR 7,500 per night
• Express Hotel Vadodara 4-star · INR 4,000 to INR 7,000 per night
• Hotel Surya Palace 4-star · INR 3,500 to INR 6,000 per night
• Hotel Express Residency 3-star · INR 3,000 to INR 5,500 per night

Where to eat

• Mandap Gujarati Thali (Rajdhani) Gujarati, Rajasthani · about INR 450 per person
• Mahakali Sev Usal Gujarati, Street Food · about INR 100 per person
• Canon (Continental) Continental, Italian · about INR 550 per person
• Jagdish Farsan Gujarati, Sweets, Snacks · about INR 120 per person
• Mandap (Welcomhotel) Gujarati, North Indian · about INR 900 per person
• Peshawri / Barbeque Nation North Indian, Barbecue, Continental · about INR 800 per person
• Vadodara Coffee Culture Continental, Italian, Cafe · about INR 350 per person
• Duliram Lakhmichand (Sweets) Sweets, Gujarati, Snacks · about INR 120 per person

Getting around

• Auto Rickshaw main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Ride Hail main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

More in India

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• Jaipur
• Panaji
• Mumbai
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