India Travel

Bharuch is on the main NH-8 highway and the main railway line between Vadodara and Mumbai, with multiple connections to the north and south; all express trains stop here.

Luggage can be left at the railway station parcel office, right of the mam exit, while you explore town. Most of the places to stay are near the railway station. The best budget option is the Hotel Classic (02642/32264), tucked behind the tall buildings on the south side of Station Road, which offers en-suite doubles with carpets, cable TV and balconies, or clean, windowless wood-partition cells. The modern Hotel President (02642/31957, 40376), right next to the station, is a reliable option, with clean rooms, all with TV.The smart Hotel Plaza near the bus stand (02642/30922) is centrally air-con-ditioned.

There is a hygeinic thali joint at the Hotel Palmland, close to the bus stand, or you could try the smartish restaurants at the President and Plaza hotels. Otherwise, take your pick from the lookalike veg cafes along Station Road, a little west of the Plaza, or grab a snack by the station.

Arriving in Junagadh by bus or train, you’re within easy walking distance of nearly all the hotels. From the long distance bus stand, turn right, then left at the main road and straight on across the railway tracks into the town centre; from the railway station, take a right down Station Road and a left at the end, by the petrol station. Local transport is provided by auto-rickshaws, though bicycles are great for getting around; with a bit of leg-work you can even cycle to the foot of Mount Girnar. Run-of-the-mill bikes can be had from 3 shop just west of Chittakhana Chowk, or from the Relief Hold.

The best information on the town’s sites and the religious significance of Girnar, as well as on Sasan Gir and further afield, is to be had from the friendly manager of the Reliefhotel. The GPO (with poste restante) is 2km south of town; 3 smaller branch next to the local bus depot sells stamps and aerograms.

The centre of town from a tourist’s point of view is Bedi Gate near the shopping centre and office complex of New Super Market. As its name suggests, this junction was one of the gates of the old city, which lies to its south, but most of the walls have long since been demolished. Northwest of Bedi Gate, Pandit Nehru Marg leads past Teen Bati, an imposing triple gateway, and on towards the railway station, 6km out. The ST bus stand is 2km or so west of Bedi Gate, on the other side of Ranmal lake, and the airport 8km west of that. Auto-rickshaw is the best way into town, though you could walk from the bus stand (20min), and some buses may drop you at Teen Bati. The State Bank of India in New Super Market (Mon-Fri llam-3pm, Sat If am-lpm) will change cash or travellers’ cheques. Savetime Travel (0288/553137) on Bedi Gate Road is an efficient agent for air tickers and other travel queries.

Three main roads radiate from the busy road junction at Sanganwa Chowk in the centre of Rajkot: Dhebar Road heads south, past the ST bus stand 100m away; Lakhajiraj Road goes east, through the old city; and Jawahar Road runs north, past Alfred High School (whose former pupils include M. K. Gandhi) and Jubilee Gardens towards Rajkot Junction station, 2km northeast (get off here rather than at City Station if arriving by train), and the airport 4km northwest.

Rajkot’s rather redundant tourist office (Mon-Sat 10.30am-6prn; ©0281/234507) is off Jawahar Road, north of Sanganwa Chowk behind the State Bank of Saurashtra - look for the blue ATM signs as the bank’s name is in Gujarati. You’ll find the Post Office (Mon-Sat 8am—7.30pm, Sun 10am 4pm) on Sadar Road, of jawahar Road opposite jubilee Gardens.