On 13th of August, 2023, few lucky local guides (joining from all across India) were able to participate in an amazing Local guides Meetup organized by Naresh, Ashish and Tejal from Gujarat Local Guides community. This meetup was held at the “Laxmi Vilas Palace” of Vadodara, Gujarat. This post is about the location and so will limit all the fun that we had together at the place, it demands a separate post.
About the place:
Laxmi Vilas Palace is as huge as 4 times the Buckingham palace thus one could easily imagine the scale at which this palace would be. The palace was build way back in 1890 and took 12 years to complete. It is one of the most iconic places of Vadodara and Gujarat, and is a symbol of outstanding modern architecture and design.
Best part:
It is said that the Maharaja who built this Palace, wanted everything to be modern, and thus it has a lot of paintings, all of which were crafted by artists from across the globe. One will find Roman, Italian, European vibes along with very traditional Indian styled structure. This combination is rare to find. From the time you are on the road outside of the palace, you will start getting the vibes of this place. Its entrances are huge, good parking facility, very well maintained, and had a great green cover all across the palace.
About Tourism:
The place is open on Wednesday to Sunday from 9:30AM to 5PM (IST). Entry ticket for a tour is INR 225/-. This an all season attraction and you will find a lot of peace at this place. It offers an amazing self guided tour, where you will feel like a king/queen roaming around the palace. You can also opt for a guide. The Palace tour generally takes 45-60mins. It also have a good parking space for 2 as well as four wheelers, which is free of cost.
The place also houses a gift shop, a banquet hall (can be rented for Corporate gatherings/meeting and Marriages), and a restaurant which has unlimited buffet options (currently INR 555/- for Lunch and INR 999/- for Dinner).
However, it is important to note that photography is strictly prohibited inside the palace while you are on a tour. You can take pictures from the outside, and it is extremely picturesque.
