Gujarat Attractions Guide 2026

Top attractions

The most popular and significant attractions in Gujarat.

1. 1

   Statue of Unity

   landmarkAdult Entry ticket INR 150 (~$1.56); viewing gallery ticket INR 380 (~$3.96); express entry from about INR 1,000 (~$10.42) · Child INR 90 (~$0.94) ages 3-15; free under 34-6 hours for the statue and the surrounding Ekta Nagar attractions

   The world's tallest statue at 182 metres, honouring Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, rising from Sadhu Bet island in the Narmada river facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam at Ekta Nagar (formerly Kevadia). A high-speed lift carries visitors to a viewing gallery inside the statue's chest at about 153 metres, and the surrounding Ekta Nagar precinct holds a museum, the Valley of Flowers, a jungle safari park and a laser-and-light show after dark. Tickets are sold on soutickets.in and at the counters near the bus bay; the site closes on Mondays for maintenance.

2. 2

   Sabarmati Ashram (Gandhi Ashram)

   museumAdult Free · Child Free1-1.5 hours

   Mahatma Gandhi's home on the west bank of the Sabarmati river from 1917 to 1930, and the point from which he began the Dandi Salt March in March 1930. Hriday Kunj, the simple tiled cottage he shared with Kasturba, stands preserved with his spinning wheel, writing desk and sandals, while the adjoining Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya museum designed by Charles Correa holds letters, photographs and original manuscripts. Entry is free and the riverside grounds are open every day of the year.

3. 3

   Adalaj Stepwell (Adalaj ni Vav)

   landmarkAdult INR 25 (~$0.26) Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals; INR 300 (~$3.13) other foreign nationals · Child Free under 1545 minutes-1 hour

   A five-storey octagonal stepwell sunk into the ground north of Ahmedabad, completed in 1499 by Queen Rudabai of the Vaghela dynasty and finished under the Sultanate, which is why Hindu, Jain and Islamic motifs share the same carved pillars. Flights of steps descend past three landings to the water, and the temperature at the bottom stays several degrees cooler than the surface. The site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and charges a nominal ticket; drones are prohibited.

4. 4

   Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar

   landmarkAdult Temple and gardens free; exhibitions INR 60 (~$0.63) age 11+; water show INR 100 (~$1.04) age 11+; abhishek ritual INR 50 (~$0.52) · Child Exhibitions INR 40 (~$0.42) and water show INR 70 (~$0.73) for ages 3-11; free under 32.5-3 hours, or 4 hours including the evening water show

   A pink sandstone temple complex in Gujarat's capital, built without structural steel and opened in 1992, set in 23 acres of landscaped gardens with a 49-foot gilded statue of Nilkanth Varni. Temple darshan and the gardens are free; separate tickets cover the exhibition halls and the 45-minute Sat-Chit-Anand water show projected after sunset onto a screen of falling water. Security is airport-style and cameras, phones and bags must be left in the free cloakroom.

5. 5

   Rani ki Vav, Patan

   landmarkAdult INR 40 (~$0.42) Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals; INR 600 (~$6.25) other foreign nationals · Child Free under 151-1.5 hours

   An eleventh-century subterranean stepwell built in memory of King Bhimdev I by Queen Udayamati, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014 and depicted on the Indian 100-rupee note. Seven levels of stairs descend past more than 500 principal sculptures, most of them of Vishnu in his ten avatars, and the well shaft is lined with tiers of carved panels. Silt from the Saraswati river buried the well for centuries, which is why the carving survives in such sharp condition.

6. 6

   Modhera Sun Temple

   landmarkAdult INR 25 (~$0.26) Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals; INR 300 (~$3.13) other foreign nationals; the evening show carries a small separate charge · Child Free under 151-1.5 hours

   A Solanki-era temple to Surya built around 1026-27 under King Bhima I, consisting of a sabha mandapa, the main shrine and a vast rectangular stepped tank, the Surya Kund, ringed by 108 miniature shrines. No worship takes place here now, which leaves the carving and the geometry of the tank open to unhurried study. Modhera village became India's first fully solar-powered village in 2022, and a projection show lights the temple most evenings.

7. 7

   Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park

   landmarkAdult Ticketed monuments INR 40 (~$0.42) Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals, INR 600 (~$6.25) other foreign nationals; Pavagadh ropeway about INR 150 (~$1.56) one way and INR 300 (~$3.13) return · Child Free under 15 at the monuments; reduced ropeway fare of about INR 80 (~$0.83) one way for children 90-110 cm tallHalf to full day

   A UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 2004, covering the ruined Sultanate capital of Champaner at the foot of Pavagadh hill and the temple-crowned volcanic outcrop above it. The Jami Masjid of 1513, with its twin minarets and 172 pillars, is the finest of the surviving monuments, alongside the Kevada Masjid, Nagina Masjid, Saat Kaman and a network of helical stepwells. A ropeway carries pilgrims most of the way up Pavagadh to the Kalika Mata temple.

8. 8

   Dholavira

   landmarkAdult INR 40 (~$0.42) Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals; INR 600 (~$6.25) other foreign nationals · Child Free under 153-4 hours at the site and museum

   One of the largest Harappan cities ever excavated, occupying Khadir Bet island in the Great Rann of Kutch and inscribed by UNESCO in 2021. The site preserves a citadel, middle town and lower town laid out on a grid, a cascade of stone-lined water reservoirs, and the famous ten-character signboard in the Indus script found at the north gate. An on-site museum displays seals, beads, a graduated bone scale and pottery, and the causeway across the salt flats to the island is itself a highlight.

9. 9

   Gir National Park

   natureAdult Permit, gypsy, guide and taxes together typically INR 5,500-8,000 (~$57-83) per vehicle for Indian nationals and INR 15,500-17,500 (~$161-182) for foreign nationals, shared between up to six people; camera charges from about INR 200 (~$2.08) Indian and INR 1,400 (~$14.58) foreign · Child One child aged 3-12 is permitted in addition to the six adults on each permit3 hours per safari; two nights allows three safaris

   The only place on earth where the Asiatic lion survives in the wild, covering roughly 1,400 square kilometres of dry teak and acacia forest in the Saurashtra peninsula. Jeep safaris run on fixed morning and afternoon slots from Sasan Gir on permits issued through the Gujarat Forest Department portal at girlion.gujarat.gov.in, and each gypsy carries up to six people with a compulsory guide. Leopards, chital, sambar, nilgai, marsh crocodiles and more than 300 bird species share the reserve; the park closes for the monsoon.

10. 10

    Somnath Temple

    landmarkAdult Darshan free; sound and light show about INR 25-50 (~$0.26-0.52), sold at the counter rather than online · Child Free1.5-2 hours, or 3 hours including the evening show

    The first of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva, standing on the Arabian Sea shore at Prabhas Patan near Veraval. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly since antiquity, most famously after Mahmud of Ghazni's raid in 1026; the present Chalukya-style structure was completed in 1951 at the initiative of Sardar Patel. An arrow pillar on the seaward wall marks an unobstructed line of ocean south to Antarctica, and a sound-and-light show narrates the temple's history each evening.

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Off-the-beaten-path attractions worth seeking out.

Practical information

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Hours

Archaeological Survey of India monuments such as Rani ki Vav, Adalaj, Modhera and Champaner open daily 8:00AM-6:00PM; state museums and palaces including Laxmi Vilas Palace, Smritivan and Gujarat Science City close on Mondays, and the Statue of Unity and Akshardham also close on Mondays. Temples including Somnath and Dwarkadhish keep split morning and evening darshan hours, and national parks run fixed morning and afternoon safari slots

Fees

ASI World Heritage sites charge INR 40 (~$0.42) for Indian and SAARC/BIMSTEC nationals and INR 600 (~$6.25) for other foreign nationals; other ASI monuments charge INR 25 (~$0.26) and INR 300 (~$3.13). Temples, mosques and Sabarmati Ashram are free. The Statue of Unity costs INR 150 (~$1.56) to enter and INR 380 (~$3.96) with the viewing gallery, Laxmi Vilas Palace INR 250 (~$2.60) Indian and INR 525 (~$5.47) foreign, and a Gir safari permit with gypsy and guide runs INR 5,500-8,000 (~$57-83) for Indian nationals and INR 15,500-17,500 (~$161-182) for foreign nationals

Best Times

October to March is the only comfortable season across the whole state; November to February is the Rann of Kutch window and the peak of bird migration at Nalsarovar. Gir closes from 16 June to 15 October, Velavadar closes through the monsoon and on Wednesdays, and Shatrunjaya at Palitana closes during the monsoon months

Booking

Statue of Unity tickets are sold on soutickets.in, Gir safari permits only on girlion.gujarat.gov.in, White Rann entry permits on rannpermit.gujarat.gov.in, and Calico Museum tours must be reserved in advance because only one small guided group is admitted each day. Girnar ropeway tickets can be bought online and are suspended during the Shivratri fair

Tips for visiting attractions

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