Things to Do in Ahmedabad This Weekend: 35 Ideas (2026 Guide)

The best weekend in Ahmedabad follows the city’s own rhythm: out early, indoors through the afternoon and out again from sunset until well past midnight. Do the heritage walk through the old city at 7.45 am, see a museum or Science City after lunch, cross the Atal Bridge as the lights come on, and end at Manek Chowk’s food stalls. Below are 35 ideas grouped by time of day, with the area and nearest metro for each. For what is actually on in the next few days, open our this weekend page, which is refreshed every morning.

The season at a glance

October to March is when Ahmedabad’s calendar is fullest. These are the fixed points for the 2026–27 season.

When	What	Where
11–19 Oct 2026	Navratri garba (Dussehra on 20 Oct)	Grounds and party plots across the city
8 Nov 2026	Diwali; Gujarati New Year on 10 Nov	Old city markets, temples
1 Nov 2026 – 7 Mar 2027	Rann Utsav	Dhordo, Kutch (trip from Ahmedabad)
27 Nov – 13 Dec 2026	Abhivyakti city arts festival (free)	Venues announced by the festival
29 Nov 2026	Adani Ahmedabad Marathon	Starts at Paldi, Sabarmati Riverfront
13 and 19 Dec 2026	India v Sri Lanka ODIs	Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera
25–31 Dec 2026	Kankaria Carnival	Kankaria Lake
1–13 Jan 2027	Saptak classical music festival	Venue announced in December
14–15 Jan 2027	Uttarayan and Vasi Uttarayan	Every rooftop; kite festival on the riverfront
27 Feb – 3 Mar 2027	India v Australia, fifth Test	Narendra Modi Stadium, Motera

Navratri is on as this guide is published: garba runs every night until Monday 19 October, and Gujarat Tourism’s state festival at the Gujarat University Ground near Helmet Circle has a different act each evening. Cricket fixtures are from the published home schedule and can change. Each of these has its own page on Ahmedabad2Go, including Navratri, Uttarayan and the Kankaria Carnival.

Saturday morning: the old city

1. Take the heritage walk. The municipal corporation’s walk starts at the Swaminarayan Temple in Kalupur, with reporting between 7.30 and 7.45 am. It covers about 2 km and 20 stops in two and a half hours and ends at the Jama Masjid. The standard fee is ₹200 for Indian citizens and ₹300 for foreign visitors. Details are on our heritage walks page.

2. See the Sidi Saiyyed jali. The carved stone lattice of the 1572–73 Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, with its tree-of-life window, is the city’s unofficial emblem. It stands at a busy junction near Lal Darwaja and takes ten minutes.

3. Walk from Bhadra Fort to Teen Darwaza. Ahmad Shah built the fort in 1411, and the pedestrian plaza between it and the triple gateway is the heart of the old city. The Blue Line’s Gheekanta station is about 800 metres away.

4. Step inside the Jama Masjid. Completed in 1424, with a forest of carved pillars around a wide courtyard. Dress modestly and avoid Friday midday prayers.

5. Visit Rani no Hajiro. The tombs of Ahmad Shah’s queens sit in a courtyard surrounded by a market for fabric and costume jewellery, a few steps from Manek Chowk.

6. Explore a pol. The old city’s gated lanes of carved wooden houses, bird feeders and hidden passages are best seen with a guide, but you can wander respectfully on your own.

7. Drop in at the Conflictorium. This small participatory museum in Mirzapur is open from 11 am to 7 pm, Tuesday to Sunday, and is unlike anything else in the city.

Late morning: Gandhi and the museums

8. Sabarmati Ashram. Gandhi lived here from 1917 to 1930 and began the Dandi March from its gate. Entry is free, and Charles Correa’s museum building is worth the visit on its own.

9. Calico Museum of Textiles. One of the world’s great textile collections, in the Sarabhai family’s house in Shahibaug. You cannot walk in: visits are by guided tour, reserved in advance.

10. Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum. Miniature paintings and modern Indian art in a restored mill-owner’s bungalow, also in Shahibaug, also by guided tour.

11. L. D. Museum. Sculpture, manuscripts and miniatures on the campus near Gujarat University. A calm hour indoors.

12. Hutheesing Jain Temple. Built in white marble in 1848, just north of Delhi Darwaja.

Afternoon: indoors and out of the sun

13. Gujarat Science City. The aquatic and robotics galleries are air-conditioned and absorbing. Entry is ₹50, and each big gallery costs ₹200. It is closed on Mondays. See Gujarat Science City.

14. Amdavad ni Gufa. B. V. Doshi’s domed underground gallery with M. F. Husain’s paintings on the walls opens only from 4 pm to 8 pm, so time it for late afternoon.

15. The Kanoria Centre for Arts. Free exhibitions and working studios on the same campus as the Gufa, in the Gujarat University area.

16. Take a workshop. Pottery, block printing, painting and baking classes run every weekend. Our workshop listings show what is on.

17. Shop at Palladium or Nexus Ahmedabad One. Both malls run free atrium events. Palladium is beside Thaltej metro station.

18. Auto World Vintage Car Museum. More than a hundred vintage cars on an estate at Kathwada, on the eastern ring road. A long drive, but children love it.

Sunset: the riverfront

19. Walk the Sabarmati Riverfront. The lower promenade runs for about 11 km on each bank and is free. The stretch between Ellis Bridge and Sardar Bridge is the liveliest.

20. Cross the Atal Bridge. The 300-metre, kite-inspired footbridge opened in 2022. Entry is ticketed, and it is best just before dusk.

21. Riverfront Flower Park. Five hectares of planted beds at the bridge’s western end, and the centre of the January flower show.

22. Kankaria Lake. A toy train, a zoo, a balloon ride and food stalls around a 15th-century lake, lit up after dark. The Kankaria lakefront is a short auto ride from Kankaria East metro station.

23. Vastrapur Lake. A neighbourhood walk with an amphitheatre, opposite Nexus Ahmedabad One and next to the Ahmedabad Haat craft bazaar.

Evening: shows

24. See a Gujarati play. Thakorbhai Desai Hall at Law Garden and Tagore Hall in Paldi stage plays most weekends. The theatre listings have this week’s shows.

25. Catch stand-up. Touring comics play the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Bodakdev; café open mics are cheaper. See comedy this weekend.

26. Hear live music. From classical recitals to Bollywood nights, all in our music listings.

27. Watch something at Natarani or Scrapyard. The Darpana Academy’s riverside amphitheatre and Paldi’s independent theatre are where the experimental work is.

28. Go to a match. If India or the Gujarat Titans are playing at Narendra Modi Stadium, the metro to Motera Stadium station drops you at the gate.

Night: where the city eats

29. Manek Chowk. A vegetable market in the morning, a bullion market by day and, from about 8 pm, an open-air food market known for pav bhaji, sandwiches, dosas and kulfi. More on the Manek Chowk page.

30. Law Garden. Shop the evening stalls for mirror-work chaniya cholis and bandhani, then eat at the food street next door.

31. Sindhu Bhavan Road. The café and dessert strip where younger Ahmedabad spends its Saturday night.

32. The night heritage walk. It starts at the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque at about 8.30 pm and costs the same as the morning walk.

Sunday: markets and day trips

33. Ravivari market. The Sunday flea market on the riverfront’s east bank near Ellis Bridge. Go before noon. More markets on our flea markets page.

34. Adalaj stepwell and Akshardham. The five-storey stepwell at Adalaj, 18 km north of the city, pairs with Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar, where entry is free and the water show starts after sunset. The Yellow Line now has an Akshardham station.

35. Sarkhej Roza. The 15th-century Sufi complex that Le Corbusier compared to the Acropolis, about 7 km south-west of the centre. Follow it with dinner at a village-style restaurant nearby.

Practical notes for a weekend in Ahmedabad

It is a dry state. No restaurant, club or event in Ahmedabad serves alcohol. The licensed wine-and-dine venues in GIFT City are the exception, with their own entry rules.
Mondays are for closures. Science City, Akshardham, the Gufa and the Conflictorium are shut, so a weekend visit suits these better.
Use the metro where it goes. Blue Line for Thaltej, the university area, Navrangpura and the old city; Red Line for Paldi, Ashram Road and Motera; Yellow Line for Gandhinagar. Check the last train before a late show.
Dinner runs late. Restaurants are busiest between 8.30 pm and 10 pm, and street food carries on past midnight.
From April to June, swap the middle of the day for indoor plans. Museums, galleries and auditoriums fill that gap.

Travelling with children? See weekend activities for kids in Ahmedabad. On a budget? Read free things to do in Ahmedabad for ideas that cost nothing.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do in Ahmedabad this weekend?

Start with the 7.45 am heritage walk in the old city, spend the afternoon at a museum or Science City, walk the Sabarmati Riverfront and Atal Bridge at sunset and finish with street food at Manek Chowk. Ahmedabad2Go's This Weekend page lists the shows and events on top of that.

Is there nightlife in Ahmedabad on weekends?

Yes, but it is alcohol-free, because Gujarat is a dry state. Weekend nights revolve around Manek Chowk and Law Garden, the cafés of Sindhu Bhavan Road, comedy and theatre shows and, during Navratri, garba.

Which places in Ahmedabad are closed on Monday?

Gujarat Science City, Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar, Amdavad ni Gufa and the Conflictorium are all closed on Mondays, and the Kankaria lakefront has traditionally been shut on Mondays too. Plan those for Saturday or Sunday.

How do I get around Ahmedabad on a weekend?

The metro's Blue Line links Thaltej, the university area and the old city, the Red Line runs from Paldi to Motera, and the Yellow Line continues to Gandhinagar. SG Highway, Sindhu Bhavan Road and Science City need an auto or cab.

What is the best time of year for a weekend in Ahmedabad?

October to March. Navratri, Diwali, the Kankaria Carnival, the Saptak music festival and Uttarayan all fall in these months, and the weather suits walking and open-air events.

What can I do in Ahmedabad for free?

Sabarmati Ashram, the riverfront promenade, the old city's mosques and pols, art shows at the Kanoria Centre and the Sunday Ravivari market cost nothing. Our free events page lists free shows and talks.