Lothal

4,500 years ago, this was a port city with the world's first known tidal dock, a sophisticated bead-making industry, and a drainage system better than most Indian cities managed until the 20th century. The Lothal Museum is understated and excellent. Bring a child.

The excavated site itself is flat and requires imagination — the structures are mostly foundations now, outlined in brick. But the museum next to the site does the heavy lifting: scale models, artefacts, explanations of the drainage systems, the granary, the dockyard. The finds include a game board that looks remarkably similar to ludo.

About 80km southwest of Ahmedabad, roughly 90 minutes. Easy half-day trip. Combine with the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary (20km away) for a full day. The museum is run by the ASI and entry is ₹30 for Indians.

— Dev Patel · Visited Feb 2026