The most popular short day trips from Ahmedabad are northbound. The Adalaj Stepwell at 18 km and the giant Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar can be combined in a half day. The Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary at 30 km is the local birding stop, with winter flocks of flamingos and migratory waterfowl.
For longer trips, Lothal — the 4,000-year-old Indus Valley dockyard — lies 78 km southwest. Champaner-Pavagadh UNESCO archaeological park is 150 km east and combines well with the city of Vadodara for an overnight. Modhera Sun Temple at 100 km north makes a good full-day excursion combined with the Patan Stepwell (Rani-ki-Vav) — both World Heritage sites.
