Aura of India: Cities in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and More to Visit

The Atal pedestrian bridge over the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, lit up at night

Photo: Pravega, CC0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad at dusk, with the walled city across the water.

Gujarat's big cities are working cities first, and each one is best used as a door to the country around it.

Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar

Ahmedabad is the state's largest city by far: 5,577,940 people in its municipal area at the 2011 Census. Sultan Ahmad Shah founded it in 1411 on the east bank of the Sabarmati, and in 2017 UNESCO listed the walled city as a World Heritage Site for its mosques, gates and pols, the gated lanes of carved wooden houses. The modern city spreads west across the river. Give it two full days: one on foot in the old city, one for the riverfront, the museums and the evening food streets.

Gandhinagar, the capital, is a planned city of numbered sectors and trees just to the north. The Legislative Assembly sits there, but the High Court does not: it is at Sola, in Ahmedabad. Since January 2026 the metro runs all the way from Motera in Ahmedabad to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, with stops for the Akshardham temple and a branch to GIFT City.

Vadodara and Surat, the south

Vadodara, still often called Baroda, was the seat of the Gaekwad rulers. Their Laxmi Vilas Palace was built by Sayajirao Gaekwad III, and a museum in its grounds holds paintings by Raja Ravi Varma. The city is the best base for two day trips: the UNESCO-listed ruins of Champaner below Pavagadh hill, about 50 km away, and the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar, about 90 km and two hours by road, where tickets are booked online.

Surat, on the Tapi near the sea, is the second city, with about 4.47 million people in 2011. It lives by cutting diamonds and weaving cloth, and the rest of Gujarat comes here to eat. The stone castle on the river dates from the 1540s, and Dutch and English graves recall the European trading companies that settled in this port in the 1600s. A first metro line is due to open in late 2026; the bullet train to Mumbai is still being built.

Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar, the Saurashtra cities

Rajkot is the gateway to the Saurashtra peninsula, with a new airport at Hirasar and Gandhi's boyhood home in the old town. Jamnagar, to the west, is built round Lakhota Lake and known for bandhani workshops, on the road to Dwarka; its giant refineries lie outside town. Bhavnagar, on the Gulf of Khambhat, is the base for the Jain hill temples of Palitana. The old idea that it builds ships is wrong: about 50 km away, at Alang, ships are broken up for steel in the world's largest ship recycling yard, an industrial zone where entry needs permission. Junagadh, below the sacred hill of Girnar, rewards a visitor more than any of them.

Bhuj, Anand and the working towns

Bhuj, with its palaces of the Kutch rulers, is the base for the salt desert and the craft villages. Anand is where India's dairy co-operatives began: the Kaira union, now known as Amul, was registered there in 1946, and its dairy offers visits; check the arrangements on its website. Morbi makes ceramic tiles, and Vapi, on the Maharashtra border, is a chemical estate. Both matter to Gujarat's economy, but not to a traveller.

Three city bases and their day trips

Gujarat is large, and its cities work best as bases. From Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar is a metro ride away and Vadodara is 112 km south by road. From Vadodara, Champaner makes a long morning and the Statue of Unity a full day; private cars stop outside its core area, where free buses take over.

From Rajkot, Jamnagar lies to the west, Junagadh and Gir to the south, Bhavnagar and Palitana to the south-east. Bhuj is far from all of them and best kept for its own trip. The first bullet train section, near Surat, is not expected before August 2027.

Cities to know

Ahmedabad (Ahmedabad): 5,577,940 people in 2011 (Census of India); the walled city and the riverfront.
Gandhinagar (Gandhinagar): the capital, Akshardham and the metro to Ahmedabad.
Vadodara (Vadodara): Laxmi Vilas Palace, and the base for Champaner.
Surat (Surat): diamonds, cloth, the Tapi castle and the food.
Rajkot (Rajkot): the gateway to Saurashtra.
Jamnagar (Jamnagar): Lakhota Lake, bandhani and the road to Dwarka.
Bhavnagar (Bhavnagar): the base for Palitana.
Junagadh (Junagadh): the old town below Girnar.
Bhuj (Kutch): palaces and the road to the White Rann.
Anand (Anand): the home of Amul.

In Gujarat the city is where the journey starts; the stepwell, the salt and the lions are a drive away.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March is mild and dry. April to June is very hot.
How to reach	Ahmedabad's international airport is the main gateway; Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot (Hirasar) and Bhuj also have airports. Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat are on the main line from Mumbai.
Getting around	The metro runs from Motera in Ahmedabad to Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, with a branch to GIFT City. Surat's first line is due in late 2026; check before you go. GSRTC buses and trains link the cities.
Where to stay	Near the walled city or the riverfront in Ahmedabad; Alkapuri in Vadodara; near the station in Surat; the old town in Bhuj; Rajkot or Junagadh for Saurashtra.
How long to spend	Two days in Ahmedabad, a day each in Vadodara and Surat, and two or three days for the Saurashtra cities. More on the state in our Gujarat guide.
Bookings	Statue of Unity tickets are sold online at soutickets.in; carry the ID you booked with.

Open Ahmedabad, Gujarat in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Which is the largest city in Gujarat?

Ahmedabad, with 5,577,940 people in its municipal area at the 2011 Census. Surat was second, with about 4.47 million, then Vadodara and Rajkot. The 2027 Census, now under way, will give new figures.

Is there an official ranking of the most developed cities in Gujarat?

No. No official body ranks Gujarat's cities as 'developed', and old lists that do so are opinion. This guide chooses cities for what a visitor finds there.

Is the Gujarat High Court in Gandhinagar?

No. Gandhinagar has the Legislative Assembly and the state secretariat, but the High Court sits at Sola, in Ahmedabad, where it moved in 1999.

Can I take the bullet train between Ahmedabad and Surat?

Not yet. The Mumbai to Ahmedabad line is still being built. The first short section, around Surat, is expected to open in 2027, and the full line later.

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Cities in Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and More to Visit