Top 6 Things To Do in Gwalior India: An Essential Travel Guide

India is known for her old cities, colossal forts, grand palaces and ancient temples. And Gwalior is a place which checks all those boxes in bold. A stronghold from the ancient times, the history of Gwalior is fascinating. Right in the heart of the great country, this place is highly underrated and much lesser traveled than other fort cities like in the nearby state of Rajasthan. This travel guide will give you a quick peek into things to do in Gwalior and more details about this heritage city.

Gwalior is said to be founded around 8 AD and it has seen a lot of changes in dynasties thereafter. The primary attraction, the Gwalior fort, was constructed around the 10th century and at that time was one of the hardest forts to capture right on the top of a hill. And then there are the timeworn ancient temples in and around Gwalior, like the Bateshwar group of temples. Infact,  Chaturbhuj Temple at Gwalior Fort is mentioned to hold the world’s very first occurrence of zero as a written number.

On a more modern note, you can get amazed by the riches of the Jai Vilas Mahal, the home for the Gwalior’s royalty till today. With so much to offer, history buffs, shutterbugs and curious travelers, you won’t regret your decision to visit this magnificent city.

We are a roaming couple who likes to travel on a budget and we generally don’t spend a long time in a particular place. As our blog name suggests, we hop around quite frequently. So if our style, i.e., short trip on a budget, suits you, we believe the following guide will help you to understand the place better. There is also a suggested 2 or 3 day itinerary and an estimated cost at the end which we followed and might help you with planning your own trip. If you like our posts, please subscribe to us using email or through social media.

Top Things to do in Gwalior

1. Gwalior Fort

A fort in an ideal location, a military strategist’s dream! Right on top of a solitary rocky hill called Gopachal, protected by deep cliffs on all the sides and with very few entry points, this fort was estimated to be made around 4 AD. Now this fort is not a single point to make an easy visit. This is actually a vast complex with a lot of separate attractions to see.

Few of the attractions are noted down separately below. But the most magnificent and iconic structure inside the fort is the Man Singh Palace. Built by Maharaja Man Singh Tomar in the 15th century, this grand palace is studded with beautiful turquoise and yellow colored tiles and is a sight to behold.

Another significant structure inside the fort complex is the Jahangir Mahal. Contrary to the Man Singh Palace, this structure is majorly a Mughal architecture.

Even though there is no entry fee to roam around the fort complex, there is a fee to access the inside of the Palaces and the museums. It is INR 75 for Indians and INR 250 for foreigners.

2. Ancient Temples inside the fort complex

Now the palaces aren’t the only attractions within the Gwalior fort complex. There are multiple ancient temples too to visit. The most attractive one is the Sahastrabahu Temple, commonly known as the Sas Bahu Temple, and is actually a complex of two different structures. This is a temple dedicated to god Vishnu and is constructed of red sandstone. This temple has amazingly intricate carvings both on the body and the pillars inside the temple.

Then there is Teli ka Mandir which is one of the oldest structures in the fort complex and is unique as it is a mix of North Indian and South Indian architectural styles. Originally dedicated to lord Vishnu, this was later converted to a Shiva temple.

On the eastern slope approach of the Gwalior fort, there is the Chaturbhuj temple, which is excavated on a rock face and is known to be the place which has the first occurrence of zero as a written number, an achievement indeed to be eligible for a quick visit.

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3. Jain Statues

The Gwalior fort complex is also known for its stunning rock cut Jain statues. Now there isn’t a single spot where you can get to see these statues. Actually they are quite spread out. There are actually 11 Jain temples inside the fort. The most majestic one though is the Siddhanchal Jain Temple Cave. The huge Rock cut statues are actually dedicated to different Jain Tirthankaras and the tallest one of them is depicting the 1st Tirthankar, Adinatha, and is almost 58 feets tall.

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4. Bateshwar Group of Temples

Now this is not in Gwalior city per se, rather some 40 kms away from the city. But this is highly recommended as a half day trip. This place is unique because compared to other archeological sites in India, this one is rather a recent find. The Archeological Survey of India, lead by a determined gentleman named KK Muhammed, restored this ancient temple complexes tirelessly from 2004 – 2012.

This is actually a group of around 200 temples constructed during the 8th to 10th Century. The temples are curved of sandstones and are dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva deities. Since there is no public transportation available, the only easy way to reach these temples is by a car or by booking a cab from the Gwalior city. But this trip is totally worth it as it is still away from the touring map and almost devoid of crowds.

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While in the locality, there is another complex of temple that is worth checking out is the Garhi Padhavali. The interior of this magnificent temple is sculpted beautifully to depict stories from the ancient Hindu scriptures called Puranas.

5. Jai Vilas Palace

Any trip to Gwalior is almost invalid without a trip to this grand palace. This palace was established in 1874 AD by Jayajirao Scindia, the then Maharaja of Gwalior. The Palace, even though based on beautiful white European architecture, is decorated in Indian style with posh furnitures and glamorous paintings. This palace has two 12.5m-high, 3.5-tonne chandeliers, supposedly the largest pair in the world.

One portion of the Palace is converted to a museum consisting of around 35 rooms and holds a fantastic collection of  heritage items like paintings, decors, clothings, stuffed animals, weapons and more.

6. Sweets and street food

Ok so this is not a thing to see but an experience you must live. The street food and dessert culture of Gwalior is amazing. While you are there, you must try the deep fried snacks called Kachori and the more healthier option, the Poha.

Now you might find Kachori and Poha in other parts of the country, but there is something very different about the stuff that Gwalior makes and definitely in a good way. Also not to miss the famous Motichur Laddu and nowhere better to taste these sweet and melt in the mouth saviories than the famous and old Bahadura sweets. You can find most of these legendary shops in the Naya Bazar Main Road area of the city.

How to Reach

Gwalior, being an important city, is well connected to the rest of the country by Roads, Rails and Air. There are frequent buses running from Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Indore and is the most affordable mode to reach the city.

India has a world famous railway network and it only does good to the connectivity to Gwalior city. Gwalior is well connected to the whole country through trains, and there are regular trains from the capital city of New Delhi via Agra.

Gwalior has a small airport within the city which is served by direct flight routes from other important hubs like New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jammu, Bengaluru and Indore.

Where to Stay

We are generally a heavy user of Airbnb due to its affordability and more connected to the place feel and Gwalior has a lot of affordable options in that respect. We stayed within walking distance of the historic center without breaking our back with the cost.

If you want to spend a little more, Gwalior has a good number of choices for absolutely gorgeous hotels too. A few worth checking out are:

Budget | Hotel Grace

Close to the Railway station, all the basic amenities at an affordable price.

Mid Range | Dera Haveli Heritage Homestay

At a nice convenient location in the city, comfortable stay with each room having terrace.

Luxury | Taj Usha Kiran Palace

A famous property with all the luxury amenities as possible.

A Short Trip Itinerary for Gwalior

Here is a short itinerary for Gwalior from New Delhi if you want to visit it for a couple of days. This is based on what we did there.

Day 1:

• Reach Gwalior by an overnight bus or Train from New Delhi.
• Check  in to your hotel and have  a heavy breakfast to prepare for a long day of walking
• Head out to the Gwalior fort. And spend the whole day exploring this magnificent complex. Carry a lot of water and make sure of sun protection.
• If you are entering through the Urvai gate, make sure to visit the Siddhanchal Jain Temple Cave, Teli ka Mandir, Sans Bahu ka Mandir first before heading out towards the attractions.
• Once it gets dark, head back to your hotel, have a beer and sleep off your fatigue.

Day 2:

• Start this day early, book a cab (or rather arrange for it the previous day) and head for the Bateshwar group of temples near Morena. It will be a little more than one hour journey. You can spend maybe 2-3 hours there and then head back.
• Once back to the city, head to the Jai Vilas Palace. Spend the rest of the day there. You can flip the Jai Vilas Palace and Bateshwar trip too if you want to capture Bateshwar during the sunset.
• In the evening head to the Naya Bazar area of the city to indulge yourself in some street food especially the crispy Kachoris and the soul filling Motichur Laddos.

Day 3:

• Bade Gwalior goodbye and move to your next fabulous destination.

Having said all these, if you are really tight on schedule, you might want to check out some Gwalior day tours that can be availed from Agra.

Or check out this trip this trip that starts from Gwalior city itself.

That was a quick peek into things to do in Gwalior. Hope you have a great trip ahead!!!

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