Sitting on the banks of river Sabarmati, the sprawling city of Ahmedabad mesmerises visitors with rich slices of its Hindu, Mughal, and Colonial historical legacies. This thriving business hot spot has always managed to grab attention. 

While, today the city stays in the news for its world renowned management institute named Indian Institute of Management, some sixty odd years back, Ahmedabad achieved global recognition when Mahatma Gandhi made it the base of his national movement. 

The abundance of direct flights to Ahmedabad makes the city conveniently accessible. The phrase, "simple living, high thinking" comes alive as one visits Gandhi's Sabarmati ashram. The ashram is a Spartan tranquil pool of serenity and houses nostalgia inducing relics of the Mahatma. The destination has some of the most spell binding structures in the country. 

Just an eyeful of the charmers like Tran Darwaja, Zulta Minar, Sidi Syed Jali, and Lal Darwaja induce flights of fancy to a rich royal past. The Zulta Minar is an unsolved architectural mystery. The structure has looming pillars, which can be shaken just with bare hands. Isn't that interesting?

The placid Kankaria Lake with its island summer palace, open air theatre, zoo, boat club, and aquarium makes for a splendid day of relaxed family outing. For food buffs, Ahmedabad is a treasure trove of cheap mouth watering vegetarian delights and ice creams. 

Shopping aficionados can take their pick from numerous swanky malls or traditional bazaars like CG Market and Relief Road Market. Not to be missed is the Calico Textile Museum, where one may choose from scores of displays of Gujarati's famed textiles. 

Try booking your tickets with the festivals like Makar Sankranti and Navratri in mind as these are the times when airlines dish out generous festive discounts.

Author : Experienced content writer and editor, Silvia has been working with http://www.southalltravel.co.uk for 1 year. She is also an expert travel consultant.