Places to visit in Gujarat - Ahmedabad Part 1

Places to visit in Gujarat 

A trip to Gujarat - Ahmedabad - Day 1

It was our long dream to visit Gujarat as we were excited and eager to visit the state which got much of its advertisement and importance with Modi during General Elections. I am from Hyderabad and was planning to take my wife and my 3 years old son along with me for the trip. Since getting leaves was a problem I had to squeeze as much as I could in 5 days so following was my tour plan.

Hyderabad – Ahmedabad – Somnath – Diu – Dwarka – Ahmedabad – Hyderabad.

We achieved this in 5 days and 5 nights and we took Air, Rail and Road transportation to expedite the tour and minimize the expenditure.

We travelled HYD – AMD and AMD – HYD by Air and booked 2 months ahead and I paid Rs. 15,000 for 3 tickets both ways. I think it is a reasonable price considering the price fluctuation in Indian Airline Sector. The flight travel time is 1.5 hours and all major Airlines operate daily flights from Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Day 1.

Ahmedabad:  We took an early morning flight and reached there by 8 AM and checked into the Hotel. If you are booking through any travel website, then make sure you call the Hotel directly to inform them about your early arrival so that they will keep the rooms ready.

Ahmedabad is a stunningly developed and a good example of Urban Planning. The roads are very much spaced out and ample parking lots on either sides of the road. The city has annexed Gandhinagar as well and there are ample buses plying from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. The city is cut across by Narmada River and the newly developed Riverfront Park is the main attraction on its banks.

The best way for sightseeing is to take Dekho Ahemdabad Daily City tour service operated by Gujarat Tourism. There are two services every day and Mondays are holiday. The tour takes us to some of the prominent places in the city like Adalaj Lake, Gandhi Ashram, Kankaria Lake etc. The buses start from Law Garden which is near Navarangpura. I found that the blogs and websites are not having the updated phone number of the Gujarat Tourism and especially the bookings for Dekho Ahmedabad. For the benefit of all I have posted the pic with the information below.

Gujarat Tourism Information Desk 

Since we were running short of time and we were not too keen to visit some of the places mentioned in the tour so we picked few places on our own and visited them.

Akshardham: Located in Gandhinagar and Akshardham is around 20 Kms away from Ahmedabad. You can hire a cab for about 250 rupees or you can take public transportation as there are ample buses from Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar.

Front view of Akshardham. There is a counter to deposit your belongings like Phone and Bags.

Akshardham is an Architectural splendor of the modern times. This temple is of SwamiNarayan and it is run by the trust called BAPS. It is built in around 100 acres and it takes about 2 hours to visit the whole place. As there was a terrorist attack on this temple, now it is a high security zone with lots of restrictions. No phones, electronic items are allowed in the temple. One has to deposit the phones and bags at the counters located outside the temple for free of cost. The temple has some stunningly beautiful carvings and amazing architecture. The landscape is well maintained and it has a food court as well which will serve all kinds of cuisines at reasonable price.

It is my personal opinion that except to look at the marvelous construction this place doesn’t stimulate the spiritual essence as one gets when visiting some heritage sites. May be because the temple is too stereotyped in propagating how SwamiNarayan is equal to an incarnation of the God.

Kankaria Lake: Located in the heart of the city this is one of the major tourist attractions. The lake has a shore length of about 3 Kms and which has a Mini Zoo, Joy rides, Eateries, Boating and Park. Depending on the interest to participate in the various activities it may take 2-4 hours to see this place.

Kankaria Lake Shore View

 The Speed boat costs 100 per head and will not take more than 3 mins to complete the ride.

Boating at Kankaria Lake

One can take a Toy Train for Rs.25 and go round about the lake and enjoy the ride. 

Train Ride at Kankaria Lake

There is a Butterfly Park and you have to buy a ticket for it. It costs 10 rupees to enter and has various varieties of Butterflies and is a visual beauty.

Butterfly Park at Kankaria Lake.

Sabarmati Ashram

Sabarmati Ashram: This is the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent his life after coming from South Africa and this is where he started his Independence Struggle.

Sabarmati Ashram Entrance

Mural of MK Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram

 Historically important and brings in a serene atmosphere as the ashram is well maintained and got its facelift after new halls being built. 

There are ample portraits of him around and it is a museum in itself. 

House where Mahatma Gandhi Lived

The ashram is on the banks of Narmada River and you can spend hours in a peaceful environment and get completely lost under the shades of the Neem trees that adorn the backyard.

Riverfront from Sabarmati Ashram

Riverfront Park: On the other side of the banks of Sabarmati Ashram is Riverfront Park, a newly constructed corridor which extends on the banks of Narmada for more than 10 kilometers is a new entrant to their list of places to visit. 

Riverfront Walkway

One can go boating on Narmada River and since the Riverfront is a long corridor there are boating venues at regular intervals. 

There is a play area for kids and there is a batter car and you can take a ride from Gate 2 to Gate 3 which is around 1 Km and it costs around 50 rupees.

Riverfront Amphitheater

Riverfront is more suitable for joggers and casual visitors, you can go there and just have a look but nothing much to do there.

Sunset at Ahmedabad

We called it a day as we had to take a train the next day at 8 AM to Somnath.

I will continue my Blog about Day 2 which will cover the trip to Somnath and Diu