Experience the best of Vadodara

Vadodara, long known as Baroda, grew under the Gaekwad rulers of the Maratha state of Baroda, who built many of its landmarks. Laxmi Vilas Palace, finished in 1890 in the Indo-Saracenic style with domes and towers, stands in broad grounds, and the Sayaji Baug public garden holds a zoo, a museum and a picture gallery with European art. The city is often called Gujarat's cultural capital, helped by the arts faculty of its university.

Sursagar Lake, with a tall statue of Shiva, lies at the old town's heart. Champaner-Pavagadh, a UNESCO-listed archaeological park of mosques and fortifications around a hill, is to the north-east. The Statue of Unity, a 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, rises beside the Narmada to the south-east, and the fort at Dabhoi has carved stone gateways.

Sev usal, a spicy curry topped with fried gram-flour noodles, is Vadodara's best-loved street dish, alongside Gujarati snacks such as dhokla and fafda. At Navratri in autumn, nightly garba dance gatherings fill grounds across the city.