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Vadodara, a town in Gujarat in India, also known as Baroda,
is named for the Vad (banyan) trees that flourish in the area.
Understand
The language spoken by people in Vadodara varies, but almost everyone speaks
Gujarati and Hindi. Most young people speak passable English, and in certain areas
you will meet people that are fluent in English. Alkapuri is heavily frequented
by NRI's (non-resident Indians) and has western restaurants (Pizza Hut, McDonald's,
etc.), stores (Adidas, Nike, etc.), etc. This area is frequented by highly affluent
individuals and you can generally find English speaking people by a large scale.
Get in
By plane
You can get into Vadodara on a domestic flight, and it is reasonably connected
to the rest of the country by domestic airlines like Indian Airlines, Kingfisher,
GoIndigo, Air Deccan and Jet Airways (there are several smaller and cheaper operators,
too. The nearest international airport is about 100 km away in Ahmedabad to which
is served by Air India, Emirates Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
By train
The Vadodara Junction Railway Station is the busiest Railway Station in Gujarat.
It is situated on the Mumbai - Delhi Western Railway Main Line. You can get premium
trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani from Vadodara. Humble Mail/Express Trains are
also available which connect you to almost the entire country. Passenger Trains
are also available which take you to small villages and towns nearby Vadodara and
even in Gujarat.
By car
The National Highway no.8 passes through Vadodara. It is connected by excellent
roads. There is an express highway to Ahmedabad, and highway travel is fairly speedy
by road, at least to other places in the western part of the country. Its going
to be a 6 Lane road soon.
By bus
The main bus station is the STC bus station that is a stone's throw away
from the railway station (Vadodara Junction). Non-airconditioned buses leave from
here which connect you to all the parts of Gujarat and the major cities of Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Intercity Buses leave every 15 minutes to Ahmedabad, taking 2 hours on the expressway
and costing Rs. 68 per person (Jun 08). These buses are available right opposite
to the Vadodara Railway Station after crossing the Road opposite to the Station.
Get around
Local transport consists mainly of City Buses and three-wheelers called auto-rickshaws
which are very cheap and easily available. Always insist on meter usage and the
rate payable is 10 times the amount shown plus 1. (for example, if it shows 2.80,
the fare is 28+1 = 29Rs for a 4-5km journey).
The VITCOS City Buses take you to all parts of the city and the VITCOS Bus Stand
is right opposite to the Railway Station. The buses are very comfortable and cheap.
It costs Re. 1/- per 1.2 km.
By car
You can easily move about in Vadodara by Car. There are many car rental companies
available which provide world-class services.
- Enterprises Car Rental
- Savaari Car Rental has a reputation for providing quality luxury
car rentals Vadodara. For more information on online booking of Rental Car in Vadodara,
- Hertz Car Rental
See
- Vadodara has an excellent golf course- "The Gaekwad Baroda
Golf Club". --
- The world famous Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) is in Vadodara and has one of
the largest campuses in Gujarat.--
- Travel to Sankheda near Vadodara to see the making of lovely lacquer
coated furniture.
- Travel to Champaner to be at a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and
see the remains of medieval mosques and a medieval city whose architecture is special
because it was islamic buildings executed by Hindu and Jain workmen...a very unique
style.
- Visit the Fatehsingh museum, to view several Raja Ravi Verma originals-
the royal family of Vadodara has a notable collection of his works.
- Check out the Tribal Academy at Tejgarh, near Chota Udepur.
Do
There are quite a few sights worth taking a look at such as the Lakshmi
Vilas Palace and the Sayaji Garden . The garden occupies
a total land area of 113 acres and lies by the pleasant river Vishwamitri. It has
earned a reputation as being the biggest garden in Western India. This attractive
garden boasts an extensive range of flora of over 98 species of trees.
The garden features a zoo, museum, gallery, a museum for health and hygiene, a toy
train for children, a floral clock, and various types of fun rides, artificial ponds,
a planetarium, a bird’s avenue, a bridge and numerous stone structures.
Inspired by the Victoria and Albert Science Museum of London, Vadodara Museum and
Picture Gallery at Sayaji Garden was built in 1894. This well known museum preserves
a large collection of important sculpture, art, ethnography and ethnology. The museum’s
highlights include work created by the renowned British painters Turner and Constable,
the Egyptian mummy and the remarkable skeleton of a blue whale.
The air conditioned planetarium positioned near the main entrance of Sayaji Garden
can accommodate a total number of 200 people. Apart from Thursdays, this unique
planetarium offers 3 shows in the evenings throughout the week.
If you're headed here plan a trip that lasts not more than three days because then
you'll run out of things to do. And because of the fact that it is cosmopolitan,
infrastructurally decent and well connected by rail, road and air, this is a good
place to have as your 'hub' and make day trips to other places.
Learn
If you want to learn anything related to the arts, Vadodara is a good place
to be - you can learn classical dance, pottery, whatever ... fairly inexpensively
and from good teachers.
Work
Vadodara has companies like L&T,IOCL,ABB, GSFC, ONGC, IPCL (now Reliance),
Bombardier, General Motors and Jyoti. Many other petrochemical companies like GACL
and pharma cos like Sun Pharma, Alembic and Sarabhai of the city are also well known.
It is also considered as good location for IT companies with coming SEZ. Also, a
new biotech park is coming up in the city.
Buy
Camel leather and related arts of embedding pure gold and stone colors, on
camel leather and hide vessels are well known here.
Eat
Dal vada, sev usal, kulfi, bhajia, khakhra, bhurji at Raju Omlet, the best
chaat at Mirch Masala. Azure is one of the most popular and favourite
eating destination of Vadodara. It serves Indian, continental, Gujarati, Punjabi,
South Indian, Chinese, Thai, Italian delicious dishes. at a very reasonable price.
The ambience of the Hotel is one of the most beautiful site in and around Vadodara.
This Hotel is just 0.9 km from the railway station and can be accessed by Taxi,
Auto, town bus. The Hotel has a open air restaurant and a beautiful indoor restaurant
with pleasant ambiance. The service quality and courtesy of the Hotel staff is excellent.
This is one of the most popular destination in the city.
There are plenty of eateries in and around the city and getting good food is not
a problem.
Budget
- Vishal Sandwich, near Vadodara High School in Alkapuri. Try their
Samosa Sandwich.
- Goodies, in Fatehganj and Natubhai Circle.. Excellent food
- Kalyan Restaurant, near the Railway station and the Central Bus
Station. Here you can get a variety of food choices from Chinese to continental
along with Chats, South Indian foods etc. Its a self service restaurant with good
quality food.
- Dairy Den, Sayajigunj area. This is Vadodara's first ice cream parlor
that serves soft cones. You can enjoy a variety of flavors over here.
- Mahakali Sev Usal Delicious Sev Usal near Kirti Stambh, Old City,Vadodara
- Vanity - At Sayajigunj near railway station; tasty non-vegetarian
food
- Decent - At Lalbaugh. Only vegetarian food.
Mid-range
- Hotel Sayaji - Offers buffet at Rs. 250 on weekdays and at Rs.
275 on Sundays. You get non-vegetarian delicacies also. For people who prefer something
other that buffet, there is a rooftop restaurant.
- Havmor (Near Kalaghoda Circle) - Offers excellent variety in non-vegetarian
as well as vegetarian delicacies. Try there Chicken Tikka Masala is too good to
resist. Plus they have there own Havmor ice-cream joint outside, so you can chop
onto it outside. Try Cookie Crunch or Coffee flavoured one they are the ones to
fall for.
- Zaika - Good taste. Recommended for non-vegetarian food.
- Periyaar - The only award winning restaurant of the city and the
only place where you get non vegetarian food from South India.
- Goodies Cafeteria. Decent Bakery and food to suit different tastes:
Vadodara's take on a 'modern' eatery.
- Pooran Singh's kababs and parathas near the Cafe Coffee Day by
the Birds' Circle at Race Course Road. He's an ex-Welcomgroup chef who runs his
own place now...very good food!
Don't forget to try the famous 'GUjarati Thali'...it is heaven on a plate :)
- The Gujarati (veg) Thali, at the Express Hotel (First floor). At
150 Rs is delicious and exceptional value in delightful surroundings. Opens at 19.30
for dinner. Recommended by locals.
Splurge
- Peshawari, at the Welcomgroup.
- STIR, at Taj Residency, Vadodara.
Drink
It is a nice place to be but lacks a nightlife altogether because of a
blanket ban on alcohol that coats Gujarat. Foreign nationals can procure
alcohol after getting a permit, but this procedure is not without its headaches.
You will need a your passport plus a photocopy of your passport data page and your
visa. You must ask your hotel to stamp this photocopy and write a simple statement
to say that "xxx is residing at this hotel room xxx. The fee for the permit
is 100 Rs. The permit is valid for one month during which time each person is limited
as to the quantity you can buy - 10 units at a time (one unit is 10 large bottles
of beer, or 3 bottles of wine or 1 bottle of spirits), no more than twice in six
days. This should satisfy all but the heaviest of drinkers. You can use the permit
at any location that sells alcohol.
The wine shop at the Hotel Kaviraj (the hotel is currently being refurbished but
the wine shop is open on the side of the building) is open from 12.00 to 20.00 and
always can issue a permit.
Sleep
Budget
Choose any of the hotels available besides the bus station.
Mid-range
Splurge
- ITC Welcomgroup Hotel
- Taj Residency Vadodara
- Express Hotel.
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