5 days, 4 nights ยท Ahmedabad, Modhera, Patan, Statue of Unity
Five-day Gujarat tour package: stepwells, a sun temple and the tallest statue on earth
Gujarat is under-visited relative to what it holds, and the five-day circuit is the case for it: a UNESCO-listed walled city at Ahmedabad, the eleventh-century sun temple at Modhera, the Rani ki Vav stepwell at Patan that is on the two-thousand-rupee note, and the Statue of Unity, which at 182 metres is the tallest statue in the world. Four very different things inside about 600 kilometres.
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The case
Why Gujarat is the best-value circuit in western India
Gujarat gets a fraction of the foreign visitors that Rajasthan does, and it has comparable architecture. Rani ki Vav at Patan is a seven-storey inverted temple dug into the ground, carved with over five hundred major sculptures, and it appears on the currency; on most days you can walk it almost alone. Modhera's sun temple, with its stepped tank of subsidiary shrines, is the equal of anything in the north.
Ahmedabad itself was inscribed as India's first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017, for the walled old city of pols — dense residential clusters with carved wooden facades, shared courtyards and bird feeders, organised by community. The morning heritage walk through them is genuinely one of the better urban experiences in the country and costs almost nothing.
The contrast with the Statue of Unity, opened in 2018 and built on a scale that has to be seen, is part of what makes the circuit interesting. It is about 200 kilometres south-east of Ahmedabad on the Narmada, with a viewing gallery inside the chest at 153 metres. The city guides cover the Ahmedabad and Vadodara ends.
The four places
What each one holds
A walled city, two eleventh-century masterpieces and a twenty-first-century one.
Ahmedabad
The pol heritage walk through the old city, the Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1930, the Jama Masjid, the Adalaj stepwell 18 km north, and the Calico Museum of Textiles, which requires advance booking and is worth it.
Modhera
The Sun Temple, built about 1026 and aligned so the equinox sunrise reaches the sanctum. The stepped kund in front, with its 108 subsidiary shrines, is the part people photograph.
Patan
Rani ki Vav, a UNESCO site and the finest stepwell in India — seven storeys down, with over five hundred principal sculptures. Patan is also where Patola double-ikat silk is still woven by a handful of families.
Statue of Unity
At 182 metres the tallest statue in the world, on an island in the Narmada with a viewing gallery at 153 metres, a valley of flowers and a jungle safari park around it.
The driving
Two day trips and one transfer
About 600 kilometres over five days, all on good roads.
- Ahmedabad to Modhera and Patan — about 100 and 135 km, a day out and back North-west on good highway; the two sites are 35 km apart so both fit comfortably in one day.
- Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity — about 200 km, 3.5 hours South-east through Vadodara on the expressway and then the Narmada road.
- Statue of Unity to Ahmedabad via Vadodara — about 200 km, 4 hours with a stop Back through Vadodara, with Champaner-Pavagadh, another UNESCO site, about 50 km east of the city if you want it.
Practical notes
Three things specific to Gujarat
Gujarat is a dry state. Alcohol is prohibited, and while foreign visitors and out-of-state Indians can obtain a permit through licensed hotels, it is a formality that takes time and the selection is limited. This surprises travellers more than anything else about the state, and it is better known in advance than discovered at dinner.
The food compensates. Gujarati thali is one of the great regional cuisines of India and it is almost entirely vegetarian, served as an unlimited succession of small dishes. Ahmedabad's street food around Manek Chowk after dark is a genuine attraction, and the chauffeur will know where to stop.
Timing: November to February is comfortable, March and April are warm, and May and June are extremely hot. The monsoon is short here. Two festivals are worth planning around or avoiding — Navratri in September or October, when Ahmedabad dances for nine nights and hotels fill, and Uttarayan, the kite festival, on 14 January, which is spectacular and books out months ahead. The events page carries the dates.
Booking
How to book the five-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. If you want the Calico Museum, say so at booking — entry is by advance reservation only and places are limited. For hotels and the liquor permit if you want one, ask through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100%.
Day by day
The five-day itinerary, leg by leg
Two day trips out of Ahmedabad and one overnight at the Narmada, with good roads throughout and no leg over about four hours.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ahmedabad | Met at the airport. The Sabarmati Ashram in the afternoon, the Jama Masjid and Sidi Saiyyed mosque, and Manek Chowk after dark for the street food. | Airport to the city ~10 km; about 30 km all day |
| Day 2 | Ahmedabad and Adalaj | The pol heritage walk at dawn through the old city, then the Adalaj stepwell north of the city and the Calico Museum in the afternoon if booked. | Adalaj ~18 km |
| Day 3 | Modhera and Patan | North-west to the Modhera sun temple and its stepped tank, then Patan for Rani ki Vav and the Patola weavers, returning to Ahmedabad. | Ahmedabad-Modhera ~100 km; Patan ~35 km further; ~270 km round trip |
| Day 4 | Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity | South-east through Vadodara to the Narmada. The statue, the viewing gallery at 153 metres and the valley of flowers. Overnight nearby. | Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity ~200 km, 3.5 hrs |
| Day 5 | Back via Vadodara | The dam and the surrounding parks in the morning, then north through Vadodara — with Champaner-Pavagadh if time allows — to Ahmedabad airport. | Statue of Unity-Ahmedabad ~200 km, 4 hrs |
What it costs
The 5-day Gujarat circuit: two ways to buy it
Five charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. The Statue of Unity charges separate entry and gallery tickets, billed at cost like any other entry fee.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 5-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 5 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $9,750 - $11,700 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 5-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $9,750 - $11,700 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $8,500 - $10,200 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $11,250 - $13,500 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $16,000 - $19,200 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 5-day Gujarat circuit: frequently asked
Is Gujarat really a dry state?
Yes. Alcohol is prohibited; foreign visitors and out-of-state Indians can get a permit through licensed hotels, but it takes time and the selection is limited. It surprises people more than anything else about the state.
What is Rani ki Vav?
A UNESCO-listed stepwell at Patan — seven storeys dug into the ground with over five hundred principal sculptures. It is on the two-thousand-rupee note and, on most days, almost empty.
Is the Statue of Unity worth the drive?
At 182 metres it is the tallest statue in the world, with a viewing gallery at 153 metres. It is about 200 km from Ahmedabad and, for most visitors, worth the overnight rather than a day trip.
Can we visit the Calico Museum?
Only by advance reservation, with limited places. Tell the desk at booking and it will try; it cannot be arranged on the day.
When should we avoid Gujarat?
May and June are extremely hot. Navratri in September or October and Uttarayan on 14 January are both spectacular and fill the hotels months ahead — plan for them or around them.
Can we add Gir and Somnath?
Yes — that is the seven-day version, which runs south-west to the temple at Somnath and the last wild Asiatic lions at Gir.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Gujarat in a different number of days
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Book
Book the five-day Gujarat circuit direct
Five charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Mention the Calico Museum at booking — it needs advance reservation.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
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Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
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Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
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Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 7-day Gujarat tour · Cities · City to City · Charter · Rates · Tourists.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Motor Vehicles Act rules for commercial permits, licences and passenger carriage.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.