Flights to Ahmedabad

Lively City of Festivals

Ahmedabad is a city which boasts a wide variety of festivals and celebrations. This vibrant city offers visitors exciting cultural events and great food year-round.

Festivals and climate tips

Ahmedabad is an alluring destination throughout the year with attractions such as the food stalls and markets in Manek Chowk, or Sabarmati Ashram, one of Mahatma Gandhi's residences and a piece of history you won't want to miss. Summers can be very hot, reaching temperatures of 45 °C mid-March through mid-June. Monsoon season starts in mid-June and is marked with special monsoon foods sold in the street stalls. The major festivals in August are Rakshabandhan and the festival of Janmastami, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. With luck you might be in Ahmedabad during Eid al-Fitr which celebrates the end of Ramadan with a feast, or during the Muslim month of Muharram when you can experience the procession of Tajia.

The best time to visit Ahmedabad is during the winter when temperatures range from 5-20°C.  Around September-October is the festival of Navrati. Nine days of festivities are celebrated with performances of local dances, Garba. The festival of Deepavali, a festival of lights, is held in October-November. If you're travelling in January, make sure you stay between the 12th and 15th to celebrate the arrival of spring, Makar Sankranti, and participate in Uttarayan, the kite flying festival.

Pre-Travel checklist

Visas are required to visit Ahmedabad by those with British passports. Travellers with a British passport may be eligible for an e-Tourist Visa. Ensure your passport has two blank pages for the visa and a minimum of 6 months validity.

Check with your doctor to make sure that your routine vaccinations are current and to see about getting other recommended vaccinations for the region.

Although the local language is Gujarat, Hindi and English are spoken and understood widely.

When budgeting for your trip remember that cheap thali cost around INR100 while restaurant meals cost around Rs250.

Tips for the savvy traveller

Cheap hostels can be found for about INR700 in Old Town, while mid-range hostels cost about INR1700 and luxury accommodation in Navrangpura is about INR3400. The main mode of transportation in Ahmedabad is either bus or auto rickshaw with very few taxis to be found around the city itself. The fares must be negotiated in advance for both taxis and rickshaws. A day pass for buses costs approximately INR45 but be aware that buses do not operate between 11pm and 6am.

Airport Ahmedabad AMD

Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbai Patel International airport is one of the 10 largest airports on the Indian subcontinent by passenger numbers and traffic volume. It is directly on the north eastern outskirts of the largest city of the north-west Indian state of Gujarat, which borders on Pakistan. There are regular flights to Ahmedabad from London and Birmingham for example.

• URL: Official website
• Parking: Yes; paid short and long-term parking
• Nearby cities: Ahmadabad (5 km), Nadiad (48 km), Anand (65 km), Patan (99 km)
• Directions by car: The airport is about 11 km or 6 miles northeast of the city centre near the motorway NH-8.

Location

The airport is about 11 km or 6 miles northeast of downtown Ahmedabad and about 7 km or 4 miles north of the main railway station. By car, please use the motorway NH-8 to Ahmedabad that connects Ahmedabad with the next largest town Himatnagar. Between the airport and downtown (Lal Darwaja bus station) the buses 105, 101, and 103 operate regular services to the airport. Otherwise please use another means of transport (pre-paid taxi, Tuk-Tuk, car hire, coach).