For the vast majority of tourists, Rajkot is only a transit point from which you head to Gir or Dwarka, and any listings related to this place are just a string of parks, zoo, dams and dolls’ museum. It does not do justice to all of what you will find there.

Rajkot has something unique that no other city in India can provide, namely the entire trajectory of Gandhiji’s formation in just one walkable city: his birth house when his father was Diwan; his school where he studied and graduated, and which has been running for 164 years, closed its doors in 2017 and became a museum dedicated to Gandhiji; and institution which he visited and founded in 1921, which is operating till today. Birth place, educational institution and all that was done based on that. Within reach of a couple of kilometers.

On the top of that Rajkot features an almost perfect colonial civic center concentrated in one garden; some mysterious Buddhist caves located only an hour from Rajkot; and one of the most interesting food cultures of Gujarat. The guide will cover all tourist spots to visit in Rajkot, including costs in rupees and worthwhile day trips.

Rajkot at a Glance

Detail	What to Know
Where	Saurashtra, Gujarat, on the Ahmedabad to Dwarka corridor
Why it matters	Gandhi’s childhood, schooling and a later institution are all here
The standout	Mahatma Gandhi Museum, inside his actual former school
That museum	39 galleries, closed Mondays, around Rs 25 for Indian visitors
The colonial core	Jubilee Garden, with museum, library and hall together
Best season	October to February
Worst season	April to June, when Saurashtra gets very hot
Ideal trip length	1 full day in the city, 2 with day trips
Food reputation	Among the best street food towns in Gujarat
Also useful	The natural base for Gondal, Virpur, Junagadh and Gir

The Gandhi Arc, In Order

Do these three in sequence and they add up to something much larger than any one of them.

Stage	Where	What It Is
The home	Kaba Gandhi No Delo	The family house where he lived as a boy while his father was Diwan of Rajkot
The school	Mahatma Gandhi Museum, former Alfred High School	The school he studied and matriculated from, now a museum about him
The institution	Rashtriya Shala	The khadi and education centre he founded here in 1921, still working

Kaba Gandhi No Delo

A traditional Gujarati house in the old city, after the name of Karamchand, called Kaba, Gandhi’s father, who was the Diwan of Rajkot. Here they resided when Gandhi was a child, and this house is now a museum featuring photographs, artefacts and exhibits related to his life, as well as a khadi and craft area.

This is a humble museum, but it’s the correct one to begin with, as the museum in the school is more sensible after you’ve stood in the courtyard of the house.

Mahatma Gandhi Museum, the former Alfred High School

This is the one that your day should revolve around, and history itself can be attributed to the same.

Established in 1853 with a total of thirty-six students, this school is the pioneer English school of Saurashtra region. The school building that you see was constructed through the funding provided by Nawab of Junagadh and is named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. Gandhi had studied in this school and graduated in 1887. The school existed for 164 years before being shut down in 2017; however, the building has since been renovated and opened up in September 2018 as a museum commemorating the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

This place houses around thirty-nine galleries dedicated to the life of Gandhi, his philosophy, and the freedom struggle, with an interactive and audio visual approach instead of glass showcases.

• Entry is around Rs 25 for Indian visitors and Rs 250 for foreign nationals.
• Open roughly 10 AM to 6 PM and closed on Mondays, which catches out a lot of day visitors.
• The format works unusually well with children, which is rare for a museum of this subject.
• Go in the morning for a quieter run through the galleries.

Rashtriya Shala

Established in 1921 by Gandhi as a National Education Centre and as a centre for Khadi work, it is not a museum like the first two places. It operates, with weaving and craft works taking place and a few exhibits of Gandhi mementos.

Twenty to Thirty minutes, free or minimal cost, and the best place to purchase khadi in Rajkot. It rounds out the experience, since your visit concludes with something he made and not something that was made in his honor.

Places to Visit in Rajkot: The Shortlist

Place	What It Is	Time Needed	Cost (Rs)
Mahatma Gandhi Museum	His former school, now 39 galleries	2 to 3 hours	25, closed Mondays
Kaba Gandhi No Delo	His childhood home, now a museum	45 minutes	Nominal
Rashtriya Shala	The institution he founded in 1921	30 minutes	Free or nominal
Watson Museum	Saurashtra history, Harappan finds, Victoria statue	1 hour	Nominal
Jubilee Garden complex	Lang Library, Connaught Hall and the museum together	1 hour	Free
Rajkumar College	An 1860s princely school, viewed from outside	20 minutes	Free
Rotary Dolls Museum	Over a thousand dolls from across the world	45 minutes	Nominal
Pradyuman Zoological Park	A large zoo on the city edge	2 hours	20 to 50
Aji Dam and Randarda Lake	Water-side evening spots	1 hour	Free or nominal
Ishwariya Mahadev Temple	A temple complex with a garden	45 minutes	Free
Race Course and Khau Galli	Evening ground and the food street beside it	1 to 2 hours	Food only
Saurashtra Cricket Stadium	A modern international venue at Khandheri	Match days	Ticketed

Jubilee Garden: A Colonial Town Centre in One Park

This is the second reason to go slowly in Rajkot, and it is truly unique. Rajkot used to be the capital of the British political agency of Kathiawar, and all the civic buildings that went along with this title have been constructed around one garden, which still exists. Here, in one park, you can see the Watson Museum, Lang Library, Connaught Hall, Masonic Lodge, and also the garden itself.

In most of the cities in India, you can find the colonial civic buildings dispersed and re-designed. Here they exist as a whole in one park, so that in forty minutes you can go through the whole administrative centre of the nineteenth century.

Watson Museum

This museum is named after a British political agent and is considered the best museum in Saurashtra other than in Ahmedabad. It houses artifacts starting from the Harappan period to sculptures to textiles, wooden carvings, and silver ware from Saurashtra along with a big statue made of marble of Queen Victoria.

One hour is sufficient for this museum. Entry fees are very small.

Rajkumar College and the Cricket Thread:

Rajkumar College was established in the mid-1860s to provide education for the sons of princely families in Kathiawar. It is still a functional school with a nice campus that can be seen from the outside. This is one of the reasons why visiting the place will take some extra 20 minutes.

Ranjitsinhji, better known as Jam Saheb of Nawanagar and as one of the best batsmen in his time, went to this college before he went to study in England. The trophy which is the most prestigious first-class competition in India bears his name.

The connection remains alive even today. Saurashtra cricket is organized in Rajkot, international matches are played in Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Khandheri, and a lot of Indian players have come out of this area in the recent years. Try to catch a game when you visit this place.

Eating in Rajkot

The street food culture of Rajkot is very strong in Gujarat and definitely requires some attention.

• Fafda and Jalebi in the mornings, which is a typical Gujarati thing and is executed very efficiently here.
• Penda, Rajkot, a thick and milky sweet famous to the city, along with Chikki.
• Gathiya in different ways, to be consumed as a snack during the day.
• Food streets of the Race Course area in the evenings, where there is only the local people around.
• Kathiawadi thali at least once, which is more spicy and garlic flavored than other Gujarati foods.

Day Trips From Rajkot

Rajkot is also the practical base for a large part of Saurashtra, and two of these are considerably better than anything in the city.

Destination	Distance	Why Go	Time Needed
Gondal	About 38 km	Naulakha Palace, a royal vintage car garage and an Ayurvedic pharmacy	Half day
Virpur	About 60 km	The Jalaram temple, which accepts no donations at all	Half day
Khambhalida Caves	About 60 km	Rock-cut Buddhist caves with large carved figures	Half day
Wankaner	About 50 km	Ranjit Vilas Palace, a striking Indo-Saracenic pile	Half day
Tankara	About 55 km	Birthplace of Swami Dayanand Saraswati	Half day
Jamnagar	About 90 km	Lakhota fort, the lake and a marine national park	Full day
Junagadh	About 100 km	Uparkot fort, Ashokan edicts and Girnar	Full day
Gir National Park	About 160 km	The only wild Asiatic lions in the world	Overnight

Gondal

The best half-day trip from Rajkot. Gondal was a rich princely state, and what remains is in remarkable condition. The Naulakha Palace has stone-carved balconies and a durbar room, and there is an auto gallery at the royal garage that includes some very old cars, which have been sitting right there in their sheds for one hundred years now.

Virpur

However, one aspect of the temple which is truly unique compared to any other large temple in India is that since the beginning of the twentieth century, this temple has not received any donations in whatever form, from whosoever. Instead of receiving donations, what the temple does is provide free food to all visitors.

One can eat; one cannot donate. It is indeed a rare experience for a country where generally it is vice versa.

Khambhalida Caves

Rock-cut Buddhist caves dating to roughly the fourth century, cut into a limestone outcrop about an hour from Rajkot. The central chaitya entrance is flanked by two large carved Bodhisattva figures, which is the reason to make the trip.

The site is small, unstaffed and almost never visited. Wear proper shoes, carry water, and expect no facilities.

Entry Fees and Costs

These are approximate figures for planning. Rates are revised periodically, so confirm at the counter before you visit.

Item	Approximate Cost (Rs)	Notes
Mahatma Gandhi Museum, Indian	25 approximately	Closed Mondays, allow 2 to 3 hours
Mahatma Gandhi Museum, foreign national	250 approximately	Same galleries
Kaba Gandhi No Delo	Nominal	Small museum in the old city
Rashtriya Shala	Free or nominal	Buy khadi directly here
Watson Museum	Nominal	Closed on some days, check first
Jubilee Garden	Free	The whole colonial ensemble
Rotary Dolls Museum	20 to 50	Good with children
Pradyuman Zoological Park	20 to 50	Allow two hours
Khambhalida Caves	Free or nominal	No facilities at the site
Gondal palace and garage	100 to 300	Separate charges may apply
Virpur Jalaram temple	Free, and donations refused	Free meals served
Full-day cab from Rajkot	2,000 to 3,000	For Gondal and Virpur together
Rajkot to Gir taxi	3,500 to 5,000	About 160 km

Best Time to Visit Rajkot

Months	Conditions	Verdict
November to February	Cool, dry, comfortable for walking	Best window of the year
October and March	Warm but manageable	Good, and quieter
April to June	Very hot across Saurashtra	Avoid, or plan mornings only
July to September	Monsoon, green, occasional heavy rain	Workable, and the countryside looks best

If you are combining Rajkot with Gir, note that the park closes for the monsoon, generally from mid-June to mid-October, so plan that leg for the cooler months.

A 2-Day Plan

Day	Morning	Afternoon and Evening
Day 1	Kaba Gandhi No Delo, then the Gandhi Museum	Rashtriya Shala, Jubilee Garden and Watson Museum, then Khau Galli
Day 2	Drive to Gondal for the palace and car garage	Virpur for the Jalaram temple, back by evening

If you would rather have the obscure version of day two, swap Gondal and Virpur for the Khambhalida caves and Wankaner. If you are heading on to Gir or Junagadh, do day one and leave the next morning.

Practical Tips Most Rajkot Guides Skip

• Visit the sites of Gandhi in their chronological order, house first then school then institution. It connects three different destinations in a single experience.
• The Gandhi Museum remains closed on Mondays. As the reason for visiting Rajkot, this fact alone should determine your schedule.
• Give yourself two to three hours at the museum. The average time taken by tourists for visiting thirty-nine galleries is forty minutes and many leave in between.
• Gujarat is a state that prohibits alcohol and one must not have any with them.
• Get a driver hired along with the vehicle for Gondal and Virpur. Both these places face each other in the same direction and can be covered on a single day.
• Have fafda and jalebi in the mornings and not evenings as this is what Rajkot does.
• If you are heading to Gir, pre-book permits from the website.

Trivia You Can Use to Sound Like a Regular

• The Mahatma Gandhi Museum is situated in the very school that Gandhi attended. The museum is located in the building that operated as a school from 1853 to 2017 and has been functioning since 2018 as a museum dedicated to its most distinguished student.
• It is the first English school in Saurashtra whose buildings were sponsored by Nawab of Junagadh and named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.
• Rajkot is the only Indian city where you can visit Gandhi’s childhood home, the school that Gandhi matriculated from, and his own educational institution on the same day.
• Ranjitsinhji, after whom the Ranji Trophy was named, received his education at Rajkumar College, Rajkot.
• The temple of Jalaram at Virpur does not accept any donations for several years and still serves free food to everyone every day.
• Two huge Bodhisattva sculptures are present in the entrance to the Khambhalida caves near Rajkot, and they are hardly visited by anyone.

Final Take: One Day, One Story

The sights to see in Rajkot revolve around one theme. You would start at Kaba Gandhi No Delo, his house, then stay for most of the day at the museum in the school where he actually studied and then end at Rashtriya Shala that he started himself. Add to this a visit to the Jubilee Gardens that houses Watson Museum as well as the collection of buildings from the colonial era, and enjoy the Race Course food streets in the evening.

Spend an entire day there, but remember that day should definitely not be a Monday. Should you have another day to spend, take a drive to Gondal where you can see the palace and vintage cars, then go to Virpur where you can eat for free and pay nothing. And finally use Rajkot as a gateway to Junagadh, Jamnagar and the lions in Gir.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: Museum timings, closing days and entry charges change periodically, and access to institutions such as Rajkumar College is limited as they are working schools. Everything here is indicative. Confirm locally before your visit.

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