Holiday in Vadodara

What makes Vadodara special as a destination?

Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is the third-largest city in the western Indian state of Gujarat and was the capital of the princely state of Baroda until 1949. The city combines royal heritage with vibrant culture and is the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Champaner-Pavagadh. The Laxmi Vilas Palace is the crown jewel of Vadodara: built in 1890, it covers 12,000 square meters, making it four times the size of Buckingham Palace and considered one of the largest private palaces in the world. The blend of Indo-Saracenic, Gothic, and Mughal architecture is breathtaking, and the palace is still inhabited by the royal Gaekwad family. Parts of it are accessible as a museum. The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, located 50 km east of Vadodara, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the least visited UNESCO sites in India. The ruins of the medieval city of Champaner, with its mosques, temples, forts, and wells from the 15th and 16th centuries, are remarkably preserved. The Kalika Mata Temple on Pavagadh Hill (830 m) is a significant Hindu pilgrimage site, accessible by cable car. The Sayaji Baug garden complex, named after the reformist Maharaja Sayajirao III, houses the Baroda Museum with Egyptian mummies, European paintings, and an impressive collection of natural history — a surprisingly cosmopolitan museum in an Indian mid-sized city. Vadodara is known for its Navratri celebrations: for nine nights, Garba is danced, a circular community dance with clapping sticks that brings hundreds of thousands to the streets — Vadodara is considered the Garba capital of India.