Vadodara: India's largest royal palace

Former capital of the princely state of Baroda, Vadodara houses one of the largest royal palaces in all of India.

The center, which houses India's largest royal palace, can be comfortably visited by motorized rickshaw.

The Laxmi Vilas Palace, residence of the Maharajahs of Baroda, remains four times larger than Buckingham Palace and is still inhabited by the royal family.

A few minutes away, the Baroda Museum and Art Gallery, housed in a Victorian building in the city park, displays European paintings and local archaeological finds.

Continuing you visit Sayaji Baug, a spacious public garden with zoo and planetarium, among the largest urban parks in western India.

As evening approaches, the Mandvi quarter, with its 19th-century clock tower, comes alive with the evening market of the historic centre.

The Laxmi Vilas Palace, completed in 1890 with a style blending Indo-Saracenic and European architecture, remains today a private residence of the Baroda royal family, accessible to tourists only in part.

The maharajas of Baroda were among the first Indian sovereigns to invest in public education and modern infrastructure, making Vadodara an early cultural center compared to other Indian cities during the colonial era, with free public libraries already established in the nineteenth century.