Vadodara’s Palace Lawns: Laxmi Vilas and Sayaji Baug
Photo: Emmanuel DYAN, CC BY 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Laxmi Vilas Palace lawns in Vadodara, Gujarat, in soft winter light.
Vadodara’s palace is still a home; the visitor’s share is the facade, the lawns and the public park beyond.
Facade and open ground
Laxmi Vilas — often spelled Lukshmi Vilas on older signs — rises in Indo-Saracenic stone: domes, balconies and a long front that faces parkland rather than a street canyon. Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III built it in 1890; Major Charles Mant is named as the principal architect. Gujarat Tourism notes grounds of some 500 acres, including a golf course, Moti Baug buildings and the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum. The palace remains a royal residence, so public access is limited to advertised visiting hours and routes; the exterior and the approach lawns are the clear first impression.
Sayaji Baug as the city’s lung
A short drive or auto ride away, Sayaji Baug (Kamati Baug) spreads along the Vishwamitri. Vadodara Municipal Corporation dates the park to 1879 under Sayajirao III and gives its area as about 113 acres. Locals walk the paths at dawn and after work; families use the lawns and the toy train when it runs. Inside the park sit the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, designed by R. F. Chisholm, with the picture gallery wing added later. The museum holds sculpture, paintings and curiosities such as an Egyptian mummy and a blue-whale skeleton — check current hours at the gate, as Monday closures are common.
Together the palace front and the municipal garden show the Gaekwad city’s public face: private grandeur on one side, a park given to the town on the other. Walkers, school groups and office crowds share Sayaji Baug without ceremony. This is not a stepwell story; Adalaj and Rani ki Vav belong to a different Gujarat post.
Why people come
They come to see the scale of the residence from outside, then to spend an easier hour under trees at Sayaji Baug. Art lovers add the Fateh Singh Museum on the palace estate when it is open. Cricket and sports grounds share Moti Baug land, a reminder that the complex is still in daily use, not a sealed ruin.
Getting there
Vadodara airport (BDQ) and Vadodara Junction on the Mumbai–Delhi line serve the city directly. Laxmi Vilas stands on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg at Moti Baug; Sayaji Baug is near Kala Ghoda / Sayajiganj. Autos are plentiful. Gujarat Tourism lists palace visiting hours as 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday (Monday closed). Confirm tickets, interior access and any photography rules at the entrance; fees change and are not always printed on the state tourism page.
Exterior first
Because Laxmi Vilas is still a residence, treat the visit as a controlled heritage stop, not an open palace crawl. Gujarat Tourism lists Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm. Confirm whether your ticket covers only selected rooms, a museum building, or grounds access that day.
Photography rules vary; ask at the gate. The Navlakhi stepwell on the estate is a water structure on the same land — still not the Adalaj or Rani ki Vav story covered in Gujarat’s stepwells.
A park afternoon
Sayaji Baug rewards an unhurried loop: shaded paths, the museum if open, and a pause by the river edge of the park. Pair palace morning with baug afternoon and you have a full Vadodara city slice without leaving the Gaekwad civic story.
For the wider state, see Gujarat.
Places to know
- Laxmi Vilas exterior: the main facade and approach lawns; respect residence rules.
- Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum: on the estate; closed Mondays in usual listings.
- Sayaji Baug: the large public garden on the Vishwamitri.
- Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery: inside the baug; allow an hour.
- Moti Baug grounds: sports and event buildings sharing the wider palace land.
Evening walkers fill Sayaji Baug while the palace roof catches the last gold.
Plan your visit
| Best season | November to February for comfortable lawn and park walking. |
|---|---|
| Laxmi Vilas hours | 10 am–5 pm, Tuesday–Sunday; closed Monday (Gujarat Tourism). Confirm tickets and interior access at the gate. |
| Entry fees | Palace and museum fees change; check at the ticket counter as of October 2026. Sayaji Baug park access is generally free. |
| Sayaji Baug museum | Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery sits inside the park; Monday closures are common — verify on the day. |
| How to reach | Vadodara airport (BDQ) and Vadodara Junction. Autos to Moti Baug / JN Marg and to Sayajiganj. |
| Where to stay | Alkapuri or Sayajiganj for central access to palace and park. |
| How long to spend | One to two hours at the palace complex as allowed; one to two hours in Sayaji Baug. |
Questions people ask
Can you go inside Laxmi Vilas Palace?
Limited public visiting is offered on advertised days and routes because it remains a royal residence. Confirm what your ticket includes at the entrance; Monday is closed on the Gujarat Tourism listing.
What is Sayaji Baug?
A large public garden on the Vishwamitri, founded under Sayajirao III, with the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery inside. Vadodara Municipal Corporation gives the park’s area as about 113 acres.
Is this the same as visiting Adalaj Stepwell?
No. This post is about Vadodara’s palace lawns and Sayaji Baug. Adalaj and Rani ki Vav are covered in a separate Gujarat stepwells story.
How do you reach the palace from the railway station?
Vadodara Junction is a short auto ride from Moti Baug / JN Marg, where Laxmi Vilas stands.
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Written by Muthu, editor of Aura of India. Sources: Gujarat Tourism: Lukshmi Vilas Palace, Incredible India: Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara Municipal Corporation: museums (Sayaji Baug). Last verified: 22 October 2026.
Your turn: Did you spend longer on the palace approach or under the trees at Sayaji Baug?
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