An evening in the old city before dinner

Many guests visiting Ahmedabad for the first time ask what to do before dinner. Our suggestion is to spend the late afternoon in the old walled city, then take an auto back to Navrangpura for a 7.30 pm table.

Start around 4.30 pm near Teen Darwaza and walk into the pols, the old neighbourhoods of carved wooden houses that open off narrow lanes. Look up at the bird feeders, called chabutros, that stand in the small squares; some are more than 150 years old. The lanes are cool in the evening and people sit out on their otlas, the raised front steps of each house.

Walk slowly towards Manek Chowk, which is a jewellery market by day and fills with food stalls after 8 pm. You will be leaving before the stalls are fully set up, which is the point: save your appetite. Bhadra Fort is a short walk away and worth ten minutes as the light goes.

An auto from Lal Darwaza to our door takes about 20 minutes in evening traffic and costs around ₹120. Tell the driver Navrangpura, near the Swastik crossroads. If you are walking with elders, the route is flat but crowded; mornings before ten are calmer than evenings for a first visit.