Vadodara or Ahamadabad?

am20ub · Feb 8th, 2009, 15:56

We are travelling from Mumbai to Udiapur by train and don't know, if we should make a stop in Vadodara or Ahamadabad. According to the guidebook both locations seems to be not very exciting. Should we go directly to Udiapur and spend more time in Rajasthan instead?
Is there anybody how can give me a recommendation on this? That would be great help!

Greetings from Austria

AprilFlower · Feb 8th, 2009, 18:10

Well this kind of depends on you and what you are comfortable with. My advice to most of my family and friends would be to skip Gujarat and head directly to Rajastan. Here are the reasons why:
People in Gujarat generally do not speak English and communicating can be difficult if you don't know Hindi or Gujarati.
You will get stared at....NO, no, I mean REALLY stared at more then you would in any tourist place and you may occassionally feel like the looks are not curiosity but perhaps hatred.
There really is not that much to do but if you have to choose between the 2 I would say Ahmedabad is better connected and would give you more options for traveling to Udaipur.

This is not to say tht this state is not a wonderful place with many lovely people. This is just my overall take after having lived here for over 3 years and having traveled through much of Rajastan. I feel much more comfortable and welcome in Rajastan than I do here in Gujarat.

drsacha · Feb 8th, 2009, 18:43

People in Gujarat communicate in English better than any state or city in India. In large cities like Vadodara and Ahmedabad Gujarati itself is spoken with 40-60% English mix even in a local communication.
Not sure of you preferences but listing all I know about the two cities. Vadodara is the smaller of the two. Also nick named cultural capital of the state. Within the city the university campus itself is on a valuable archaeological past of the city. It is basically occupies the entire office blocks of the erstwhile ruler of the city. The palace and most of its attached places are accessible to visit. There are few museums mostly on historic artefacts. Since it is not on tourist map there are not much planned tours around.
Ahmedabad is large and can offer something to every interest group. Interested in shopping and concrete jungle drive to the Satellite – SG Highway junction area. The city centre itself has lots of historic places. You may be able to find organised tours here.
For dwellers of the two cities a day’s excursion makes a real good day.

jaws · Feb 8th, 2009, 19:17

Depends on travel plan. If you travel in Rajdhani express from bombay to vadodara .There is some nice places and clean city vadodara. if U traveling by train depend on time you have . i think it is worth visit to vadodara. nice university campus . Good gujarati thali food . good hotels. You take rixa for city tour .Please check what train you takink might help you to make mind .like you can go half way to ahmedabad then stay for day or two then catch train to udaipur. But if u want fast train rajdhani is best . goes from mumbai to delhi and nice train to travel. i have travel in this train to vadodara. In ahmedavad and baroda what to see look up in gujarat tourist info to help u make mind.

kutch · Feb 9th, 2009, 21:09

Greetings to you,

Routing Rajasthan through Gujarat sounds good while travelling from Mumbai to Udaipur. Gujarat has its own distinct flavour and would not like to compare with that of Rajasthan. The true flavours of Gujarat you will be able to appreciate if you go beyond the metropolis of Ahmedabad. Vadodara, as mentioned above is the cultural capital of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is more suitably connected with Udaipur. i hope you have a pleasant transit while you pass through Gujarat. And incase anyone stares just smile back!!

Please visit http://www.gujarattourism.com/ the tourism corporation site to help you with Gujarat.

Warm wishes from Kutch.

ronin2006k · Feb 10th, 2009, 10:48

hi....unfortunately..gujarat does not offer much in terms of tourist places....but u want to have a cool time....the people r friendly..the food is good....u can chill out for a day or so..before u went to rajasthan

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Bunkybest · Feb 21st, 2009, 18:49

WE travelled from delhi to mumbai via rajasthan and gujarat november last year and although I have been to india many times and generally love all the places i have visisted, i ahve to gujarat wasnt one of them. We stayed in Ahmedabad for 2 nights and it was dreadful. we found communicating with people difficult (whihc we have never hada problem wit before) and didnt find anyone particularly heplful or friendly.We had several failed attempts at going to the calicio textile museum and allin all we were glad to see the back of the place. MAYBE we were just unlicky , i dont know...
The only 2 places we enjoyed in gujarat were diu and gir national park- defintly worth visiting if you are on your way south. Rajasthan is far more tourist friendly, may be worth spending a bit more time there...

if you want any oter inf send me a pm

kutch · Feb 22nd, 2009, 22:29

Well, Kutch though a part of Gujarat, it is very distinctive and has its own character too.

russnrob · Feb 28th, 2009, 16:49

Hi
Having visited India a few times now we have fallen in love with Gujarat, spend the time to visit the corners and you will be rewarded with friendship and warmth, from the maze of the teen dwarja to the warmth of Diu there is a wqealth of culture to explore without the hype of Rajasthan, I would recommend more time in Gujarat and less in Rajasthan... Go to bhuj and travel to the villages, then hire a motorbike and explore the road to Mandvi, there are few tourists and lots of smiles, I'm going back to India in April and the first stop will be Gujarat, just to rekindle an old flame!
Russell

kutch · Feb 28th, 2009, 17:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by russnrob

Hi
Having visited India a few times now we have fallen in love with Gujarat, spend the time to visit the corners and you will be rewarded with friendship and warmth, from the maze of the teen dwarja to the warmth of Diu there is a wqealth of culture to explore without the hype of Rajasthan, I would recommend more time in Gujarat and less in Rajasthan... Go to bhuj and travel to the villages, then hire a motorbike and explore the road to Mandvi, there are few tourists and lots of smiles, I'm going back to India in April and the first stop will be Gujarat, just to rekindle an old flame!
Russell

And while on that topic, i know people who have visited Kutch, incidentally on Christmas and since then have never missed visiting Kutch every Christmas.

Russell - thanks for the warm words for Kutch and yes Gujarat has its own uniqueness in comparison to the over exposed Rajasthan.

dcamrass1 · Feb 28th, 2009, 21:02

Some years back just before the big earthquake we had a month or more in Gujarat and had a nice time there, made friends, were invited to stay with a family and have pleasant memories of our time there, some of the Gujarati thalis were fantastic. As far as Ahmedabad we had I think 5-6 days there and was very intresting.
By the wat Diu is not Gujarat but still a nice place to chill off

Wildhorse · Mar 1st, 2009, 03:33

Hi,

I've been to India many times and was in Ahmedabad this past December and January. Ahmedabad is an interesting city (especially the old town) but as far as pollution is concerned, it is one of the worst I have been to ever, in any country, and I've been to some. The only day I could go out without covering my nose and mouth was Jan. 14th, the day of the Uttarayan festival, when there was no traffic and hence no pollution.

As for the Calico museum: A beautiful place but the guided tour (mandatory) was so incredibly rushed that it was absolutely impossible to spend even a few minutes to explore anything in detail.

wanderlustME · Mar 30th, 2009, 08:36

Both cities are definitely not the tourist kinds. Gujarat unlike Rajasthan isn't very tourist oriented but that said, Gujarat has its own charm. Vadodara or Baroda is called the cultural city of Gujarat. The Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda has great history and magnificent architecture. The people are friendly and many of the younger folks speak decent English. You can find more information at http://www.baroda.com/sights.html
Ahmedabad is a bigger city. More information at http://www.ahmedabad.org.uk/tourist-attractions.html

Again, for first time tourists to India, it would make more sense to spend more time in Rajasthan but Gujarat is a wonderful state in its own right and definitely worth visiting. http://www.gujarattourism.com/index1.html

aquila · Apr 1st, 2009, 19:17

Hi,
I'm from Holland and we visited Gujarat last february and we loved it. People are more friendly than in Rajasthan[not so pushy], the food is good and there is a lot to see. Also in Ahmedabad. Walk the Heritage tour, go to the City museum and/or Calico [which is indeed incredibly rush, but still worth a visit]

saumil98 · Apr 7th, 2009, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by am20ub

We are travelling from Mumbai to Udiapur by train and don't know, if we should make a stop in Vadodara or Ahamadabad. According to the guidebook both locations seems to be not very exciting. Should we go directly to Udiapur and spend more time in Rajasthan instead?
Is there anybody how can give me a recommendation on this? That would be great help!

Greetings from Austria

Can give some more details about your travel plan.. i.e. - Have you visited India before? For how many days are you visiting India this time? What time of the year are planning to visit? Which places are you planning to go besides Rajasthan?

Lot of things will depend on your above answers.

Each place in India has something to offer. It just depends on what you like more.

Feb 8th, 2009, 15:56	#1
am20ub Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austria Posts: 1	Vadodara or Ahamadabad? We are travelling from Mumbai to Udiapur by train and don't know, if we should make a stop in Vadodara or Ahamadabad. According to the guidebook both locations seems to be not very exciting. Should we go directly to Udiapur and spend more time in Rajasthan instead? Is there anybody how can give me a recommendation on this? That would be great help! Greetings from Austria

Feb 8th, 2009, 18:43	#3
drsacha Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 32	People in Gujarat communicate in English better than any state or city in India. In large cities like Vadodara and Ahmedabad Gujarati itself is spoken with 40-60% English mix even in a local communication. Not sure of you preferences but listing all I know about the two cities. Vadodara is the smaller of the two. Also nick named cultural capital of the state. Within the city the university campus itself is on a valuable archaeological past of the city. It is basically occupies the entire office blocks of the erstwhile ruler of the city. The palace and most of its attached places are accessible to visit. There are few museums mostly on historic artefacts. Since it is not on tourist map there are not much planned tours around. Ahmedabad is large and can offer something to every interest group. Interested in shopping and concrete jungle drive to the Satellite – SG Highway junction area. The city centre itself has lots of historic places. You may be able to find organised tours here. For dwellers of the two cities a day’s excursion makes a real good day. __________________ Regards,

Feb 28th, 2009, 16:49	#9
russnrob Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 13	Gujarat Hi Having visited India a few times now we have fallen in love with Gujarat, spend the time to visit the corners and you will be rewarded with friendship and warmth, from the maze of the teen dwarja to the warmth of Diu there is a wqealth of culture to explore without the hype of Rajasthan, I would recommend more time in Gujarat and less in Rajasthan... Go to bhuj and travel to the villages, then hire a motorbike and explore the road to Mandvi, there are few tourists and lots of smiles, I'm going back to India in April and the first stop will be Gujarat, just to rekindle an old flame! Russell

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Feb 8th, 2009, 18:10	#2
AprilFlower Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Surat, India Posts: 325	Well this kind of depends on you and what you are comfortable with. My advice to most of my family and friends would be to skip Gujarat and head directly to Rajastan. Here are the reasons why: People in Gujarat generally do not speak English and communicating can be difficult if you don't know Hindi or Gujarati. You will get stared at....NO, no, I mean REALLY stared at more then you would in any tourist place and you may occassionally feel like the looks are not curiosity but perhaps hatred. There really is not that much to do but if you have to choose between the 2 I would say Ahmedabad is better connected and would give you more options for traveling to Udaipur. This is not to say tht this state is not a wonderful place with many lovely people. This is just my overall take after having lived here for over 3 years and having traveled through much of Rajastan. I feel much more comfortable and welcome in Rajastan than I do here in Gujarat.

Feb 8th, 2009, 19:17	#4
jaws Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: LONDON Posts: 298	Depends on travel plan. If you travel in Rajdhani express from bombay to vadodara .There is some nice places and clean city vadodara. if U traveling by train depend on time you have . i think it is worth visit to vadodara. nice university campus . Good gujarati thali food . good hotels. You take rixa for city tour .Please check what train you takink might help you to make mind .like you can go half way to ahmedabad then stay for day or two then catch train to udaipur. But if u want fast train rajdhani is best . goes from mumbai to delhi and nice train to travel. i have travel in this train to vadodara. In ahmedavad and baroda what to see look up in gujarat tourist info to help u make mind.

Feb 9th, 2009, 21:09	#5
kutch Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kutch Posts: 56	Greetings to you, Routing Rajasthan through Gujarat sounds good while travelling from Mumbai to Udaipur. Gujarat has its own distinct flavour and would not like to compare with that of Rajasthan. The true flavours of Gujarat you will be able to appreciate if you go beyond the metropolis of Ahmedabad. Vadodara, as mentioned above is the cultural capital of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is more suitably connected with Udaipur. i hope you have a pleasant transit while you pass through Gujarat. And incase anyone stares just smile back!! Please visit http://www.gujarattourism.com/ the tourism corporation site to help you with Gujarat. Warm wishes from Kutch.

Feb 10th, 2009, 10:48	#6
ronin2006k Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: agra Posts: 22	hi....unfortunately..gujarat does not offer much in terms of tourist places....but u want to have a cool time....the people r friendly..the food is good....u can chill out for a day or so..before u went to rajasthan Moderator Note: We do not accept SMS or text-language Abbreviations such as "u", "r" in posts. Our members and readers come from many different countries, with many different mother tongues and age groups. Please take the trouble to spell out your posts in English so that all may easily understand.

Feb 21st, 2009, 18:49	#7
Bunkybest Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: England Posts: 17	WE travelled from delhi to mumbai via rajasthan and gujarat november last year and although I have been to india many times and generally love all the places i have visisted, i ahve to gujarat wasnt one of them. We stayed in Ahmedabad for 2 nights and it was dreadful. we found communicating with people difficult (whihc we have never hada problem wit before) and didnt find anyone particularly heplful or friendly.We had several failed attempts at going to the calicio textile museum and allin all we were glad to see the back of the place. MAYBE we were just unlicky , i dont know... The only 2 places we enjoyed in gujarat were diu and gir national park- defintly worth visiting if you are on your way south. Rajasthan is far more tourist friendly, may be worth spending a bit more time there... if you want any oter inf send me a pm

Feb 22nd, 2009, 22:29	#8
kutch Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kutch Posts: 56	Well, Kutch though a part of Gujarat, it is very distinctive and has its own character too.

Feb 28th, 2009, 21:02	#11
dcamrass1 Senior Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Kibbutz Hamadia. Israel Posts: 229	Some years back just before the big earthquake we had a month or more in Gujarat and had a nice time there, made friends, were invited to stay with a family and have pleasant memories of our time there, some of the Gujarati thalis were fantastic. As far as Ahmedabad we had I think 5-6 days there and was very intresting. By the wat Diu is not Gujarat but still a nice place to chill off

Mar 1st, 2009, 03:33	#12
Wildhorse In search of greener pastures Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Here, there, and everywhere Posts: 310	Hi, I've been to India many times and was in Ahmedabad this past December and January. Ahmedabad is an interesting city (especially the old town) but as far as pollution is concerned, it is one of the worst I have been to ever, in any country, and I've been to some. The only day I could go out without covering my nose and mouth was Jan. 14th, the day of the Uttarayan festival, when there was no traffic and hence no pollution. As for the Calico museum: A beautiful place but the guided tour (mandatory) was so incredibly rushed that it was absolutely impossible to spend even a few minutes to explore anything in detail.

Mar 30th, 2009, 08:36	#13
wanderlustME Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Seattle, USA Posts: 2	Both cities are definitely not the tourist kinds. Gujarat unlike Rajasthan isn't very tourist oriented but that said, Gujarat has its own charm. Vadodara or Baroda is called the cultural city of Gujarat. The Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda has great history and magnificent architecture. The people are friendly and many of the younger folks speak decent English. You can find more information at http://www.baroda.com/sights.html Ahmedabad is a bigger city. More information at http://www.ahmedabad.org.uk/tourist-attractions.html Again, for first time tourists to India, it would make more sense to spend more time in Rajasthan but Gujarat is a wonderful state in its own right and definitely worth visiting. http://www.gujarattourism.com/index1.html

Apr 1st, 2009, 19:17	#14
aquila Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: netherlands Posts: 16	Hi, I'm from Holland and we visited Gujarat last february and we loved it. People are more friendly than in Rajasthan[not so pushy], the food is good and there is a lot to see. Also in Ahmedabad. Walk the Heritage tour, go to the City museum and/or Calico [which is indeed incredibly rush, but still worth a visit]