Gujarat Itinerary 7 Days: Ahmedabad, Patan, Bhuj and the Rann of Kutch

Half an hour, free. The airport is 10 km from the centre by taxi or ride app. After check-in, head to the 1573 mosque near Lal Darwaja: its carved stone lattice window, with the branches of a tree intertwined, became the emblem of Ahmedabad. Women view the window from outside.

Half an hour, free, with shoulders and legs covered, 600 metres east of Sidi Saiyyed. The great 1424 mosque has 260 yellow stone pillars around a marble courtyard. Take your shoes off at the entrance; Manek Chowk is right behind it.

An hour and a half, at night. By day the square is a jewellery market; when the shops close around 8 pm, food stalls take over until after midnight. Order pav bhaji, a griddled cheese sandwich and kulfi for dessert. Almost everything is vegetarian.

Two and a half hours, from 8 am. The municipal heritage walk leaves the Kalupur Swaminarayan temple and winds through the pols, gated lanes of carved wooden houses in India’s first UNESCO World Heritage city, ending near the Jama Masjid you saw on day one. Book the day before; private guides run the same route.

An hour and a half, free, in the afternoon, by taxi or ride app. Cross the river to the ashram where Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1930 and from where he set out on the 1930 Salt March. His house, Hriday Kunj, keeps his spinning wheel, and the museum tells the story through panels and letters.

Forty-five minutes, free, at 8 am, 18 km from the centre. Leave early: it is a road day. The 1499 stepwell drops five storeys to the water, with pillars and friezes of elephants and flowers, and stays cool even in the heat.

An hour and a half, about 300 rupees for foreigners, 90 km from Adalaj. The 1026 temple was built so the equinox sun would light the image of the god. In front, the stepped tank has 108 small shrines on its steps.

An hour and a half, about 600 rupees for foreigners, 35 km from Modhera. It is India’s finest stepwell, printed on the 100 rupee note: seven storeys and more than 500 sculptures of gods and dancers. The drive back to Ahmedabad takes 3 hours.

One hour, a token 10 to 20 rupees, 9 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 6 pm; closed on Thursdays. Leave Ahmedabad at 7 am: it is 330 km and about 6 hours to Bhuj. The 18th century palace has a hall of Venetian mirrors and tiles, restored after the 2001 earthquake.

Forty-five minutes, next to Aina Mahal. The 1865 Gothic Revival palace has a durbar hall and a tower looking over the city and Hamirsar Lake. Hours vary and it sometimes closes on Saturdays: check on the spot.

One hour, 40 km from Bhuj. The Khatri family is one of the last to practise rogan painting, a castor oil paste drawn over cloth with a stick. The same village has copper bell and lacquer artisans.

One hour, free. The 458 m hill is the only place to see the Great Rann from above, with the Dattatreya temple on top, where the monks feed the jackals at dusk. It is close to the Pakistan border and the army checkpoint may ask for ID.

Two hours, until sunset, with a permit of about 100 rupees per adult bought at the Bhirandiyara checkpoint on the road from Bhuj, or online for Indian nationals. The Rann is only white from November to March, when the monsoon water evaporates and leaves the salt. On a full moon night, stay to see the desert glow.

From 1 November 2026 to 7 March 2027 the Rann Utsav festival fills the Dhordo tent city.

An hour and a half, paid entry at the gate, 60 km from Bhuj. The golden sandstone palace of 1929 blends Rajput domes with colonial verandas, and the terrace looks over the Gulf of Kutch. It has starred in Bollywood films.

In Mandvi port, carpenters still build wooden dhows of up to 400 tonnes by hand.

An hour and a half in the late afternoon, free. The beach is wide and shallow, with camel rides and food stalls. Try dabeli, the spiced potato bun with pomegranate and peanuts that was born in Mandvi.

Half an hour, free, at 7:30 am. The 16th century lake sits against the walled city and draws pelicans and egrets in winter. The sandstone chhatris of the Kutch kings are a 10 minute walk away.

An hour and a half, 8 km from Bhuj on the way out. Nearly every house in this village of Vankar weavers has a handloom, and the Hiralaxmi craft park gathers artisans from across Kutch. Nearby, in Ajrakhpur, ajrakh cloth is block printed with natural dyes.

Then drive back to Ahmedabad or fly from Bhuj to Mumbai.