Let’s talk about the best places to visit in Vadodara. The city might be infamous for its dry weather, but its tourist attractions are anything but dry. In fact, there are so many places to visit in Vadodara with friends and lovers that it’ll make you break some serious sweat (pun intended).
Yep, exploring cities can be exhausting. But it’s the kind of exhaustion you’d like to feel. And we want you to feel it too. We want you to go out, try new things, visit monuments, go for walks in parks. That’s why at Stanza Living residences, we take care of all the day-to-day chores for you. Chores like laundry, room cleaning, cooking and more. Chores that make you lazy just by thinking about them. And on top of that, we’ve also put together this list of the best places to visit in Vadodara. So be at your laziest and then go out to break that sweat.
25 best places to visit in Vadodara are:
Want all your daily needs sorted so you can spend time exploring Vadodara? Then you’ve got to stay in a PG in Vadodara! |
This was once the biggest private residence in the world. How big, you ask? Four times the size of Buckingham Palace. Also, the lavish darbar hall features Belgian glass and Venetian floors. ‘Live life, king size’, done right.
The garden houses 98 species of trees and more of each of them. So you can find good picnic spots in the garden. And without worrying about other tourists taking your place. Because Sayaji Garden is big. Maybe, even bigger than your ‘emotional baggage’. Oops!
Baroda museum houses rare artifacts and paintings. And after King Kong vs Godzilla, its architecture is the greatest crossover in ‘history’ – a mix of maratha and european styles. You don’t believe us? Visit to find out for yourself.
Built in 1870, the Makarpura place is run by the Indian Air Force as a training school. But earlier, the palace was used as a lavish summer house by the Gaekwad rulers. And then there’s us common folks, for whom summer house meant grandma’s home. Lol.
It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Pavagadh hills. These hills are believed to be the part of the Himalayas that Lord Hanuman carried to Lanka. He literally ‘moved mountains’, so to speak.
The EME temple is unique. Because it’s made with aluminium and war scraps. It kinda looks like a museum from a distance. But unlike a museum, you don’t have to pay an entry fee. You just need to want to pray.
The wildlife sanctuary is one of the best places to visit in Vadodara with friends. Why? Because you can go camping or trek through the forest. But watch out for the wild bears. They might not be as friendly as Baloo in Jungle book.
The temple is dedicated to the sun god and attracts devotees all year around. After you’ve prayed to the sun god, make sure you visit the vegetarian restaurant within the complex. They serve scrumptious food. You’ll want to eat so much, you’ll be praying to the food-god for some extra space.
The Sursagar Lake offers boat rides. If your relationship is going downhill, this will be a good place to visit You and your partner might not be on the same page. But at least, you’ll be on the same boat. Geddit?
The ashram is an abode for spiritual healing and meditation. Also, it features a library that archives some of the rarest books with untouched subjects. But no, your college books that never saw the light of the day, don’t count as ‘untouched’, okay?
The Nyaya Mandir or “temple of justice” serves as the District Court of Vadodara. The building features Mughal, gothic, and renaissance styles of architecture. So you can visit this place just for the architecture. But we wish you never have to ‘appear’ in the actual court.
The Gaekwads were rulers who liked pretty things. This is evident when you see this place built in honour of Maharaja Gaekwad III. The pretty domes, grand terraces and balconies make Kirti Mandir a name that appears often in the list of best places to visit in Vadodara.
The Narmada canal is one of the best places to visit in Vadodara at night. You can take a walk from the main tourist market along the canal. And without worrying about noisy tourists. Probably because they’ll be too busy eating at the bazillion food stalls and won’t give a ‘dam’!
Every city must have one famous amusement park, and this one’s for Vadodara. The famous waterpark has plenty of fun rides and thrilling water slides. But we suggest you take a proper bath when you come out of the pool. Coz public pools contain plenty of you-know-what!
The temple has large open gardens to sit back and relax with your friends. Or by yourself. But the best time to visit is during festivals – the complex is lit up with really bright earthen lamps. Even brighter than the future of that topper cousin, whom your parents constantly compare you with.
Kabirvad is one of the best places to visit near Vadodara within 50kms. You get a road trip and a boat trip all within a short distance. How? Because it’s a river island right in the middle of Narmada. So it’s kinda like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara meets Dil Dhadakne Do.
If you’ve been looking for a good picnic spot in the city, this is the place for you. Also, the musical fountains here are repetitive but still listenable. And definitely better than your roommate’s bathroom singing.
The ISKCON Baroda is a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. You can grab some peace and quiet in this place. Maybe, after a hectic week of assignments. Also, there’s a delicious eatery called Govindas right outside the complex. Grab a quick bite when your empty tummy is not so peaceful and quiet!
If you look at this place from far, it looks like a giant relic dropped by an alien spaceship. The planetarium features an audio-visual system that will immerse you in outer space. It’s the closest thing you’ll ever get to being an astronaut. Unless you have a billion dollars in your account (We’re looking at you, Mr. Bezos!)
This is one of the top places to visit in Vadodara for couples. You can dip your feet in the chilly stream as you watch the snow-like water fall against the rocks. When it comes to asking out your crush, this is the kind of cold feet you want to get.
Imagine a highway toll gate but in the Mughal era. However, the Mandvi Gate is much more gorgeous than a simple toll gate. Especially during festivals, when city authorities light it up. The only lights you see at a normal toll gate are the rear lights of cars during peak traffic hours.
If you have a thing for meditative chants, you can come by and find a corner to sit in the temple. The hymns sung here are soothing and blissful. If you have a habit of getting into heated arguments with people on social media, you should head there in the morning or in the evening during aarti.
The Hazira Maqbara houses the tombs of Qutubbuddin Mohammed Khan and his son. The gardens here are a good place to read a book in. So ‘bookmark’ this place, will you?
We get you, if you’re stuck in a city for long, you start missing the hills and beaches. The Hathni Waterfalls is neither a hill nor a beach, but you will get where you need. A place of zen!
The sanctuary attracts thousands of migratory birds every year. And hordes of bird watchers every day. Go there if you’ve got a pair of binoculars. Or if your phone camera has 25x zoom.
It’s hard to say ‘best’ when describing places to visit in Vadodara because honestly, there are so many.
But here’s a few of them:
The city of Vadodara is famous for its historical landmarks such as the Laxmi Vilas Palace and its magnificent temples such as the Surya Narayan temple.
Vadodara was listed as the second safest city in India after Chandigarh. So yeah, pretty safe, we’d say.
You’ll find loads of options in food when it comes to Vadodara. Here’s a few of the most popular:
Gotri is said to be the best residential area in Vadodara. But whichever the area might be, nothing compares to the comforts of a Stanza Living residence.