Kutch Travel Notes: Mandvi, Vijay Vilas Palace and Gujarati Thali

On this part of our Kutch trip, we moved through Bhuj and Mandvi, visited Vijay Vilas Palace, stopped for a Gujarati meal, and later saw Swaminarayan Temple, Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal.

Quick summary

  • Good for: Bhuj and Mandvi travel notes, palaces, temples and a vegetarian lunch stop.
  • Food note: Gujarati thali-style meal with chaas, curries, sweet rice and hot pooris.
  • Family note: this route works better as a relaxed day from Bhuj, not a rushed stop.

Vijay Vilas Palace and Mandvi

Bhuj was our base for this road trip. From there, we travelled towards Mandvi and visited Vijay Vilas Palace, a summer palace known for its architecture and green surroundings.

Vijay Vilas Palace Mandvi Kutch
Vijay Vilas Palace near Mandvi in Kutch.

Vegetarian meal in Mandvi

One of my favourite food memories from this part of the trip was a simple vegetarian meal in Mandvi, with unlimited chaas, curries, sweet rice and hot pooris.

Gujarati vegetarian meal in Mandvi
Gujarati-style vegetarian meal from the Mandvi stop.

Bhuj temples and palaces

On the way back, we visited Swaminarayan Temple. The old post also notes Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal, both part of the Bhuj travel memories from this route.

Swaminarayan Temple Bhuj
Swaminarayan Temple in Bhuj.
Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal Bhuj
Bhuj palace stop from the Kutch travel diary.

Vegetarian and vegan notes

Our meal in Mandvi was vegetarian. We did not specifically check vegan options, and Gujarati meals can include dairy such as chaas or ghee.

Family travel notes

Mandvi and Bhuj work well as a relaxed family route if you keep enough time for the palace, meal stop, temple and return journey.

Related Kutch notes

Also see: Kutch Travel Notes: White Rann, Lakhpat and Bhuj Crafts.

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