The morning Heritage Walk is the single best thing you can do in Ahmedabad. A local guide takes a group of around twenty visitors through the old walled city for about two hours, starting from the Swaminarayan Temple in Kalupur at 8am and ending at the Jama Masjid by 10. The route weaves through the pols — traditional Hindu, Jain, and Muslim neighbourhoods of carved wooden havelis, hidden courtyards, secret passages, communal water tanks, and shared cattle pens.
The guide explains the architecture, the social structure, and the survival of the pols through 600 years of changing rulers. Tickets are bought at the temple gate at 7:45 the same morning. Wear loose clothes, comfortable shoes, and bring water — the streets get hot fast. A separate evening night walk runs from Manek Chowk at 9pm in season.