🛫 Terminal 1 — Domestic

Carriers (from 29 March 2026): IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa Air, Star Air, Alliance Air — the LCC + regional segment.

Layout: single domestic concourse with the Plaza Premium Lounge + The Lounge both airside; food court at the centre.

🌍 Terminal 2 — International + Air India

Carriers (from 29 March 2026): Air India + Air India Express (both moved from T1), Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Arabia, flydubai, Oman Air, SriLankan, Saudia, KLM (codeshare).

Immigration: Indian Bureau of Immigration handles arrivals; e-Visa holders use the designated e-Visa counters.

India e-Tourist Visa — Apply Before Travel

Apply online at indianvisaonline.gov.in at least 4 days before your travel date. Approval usually within 72 hours; in practice often within minutes. Three duration tiers: 30-day double-entry, 1-year multi-entry, 5-year multi-entry. Not available to Pakistani passports, Afghan passports (separate AFGHAN portal), or anyone with a defence, military, security, or police background.

Gujarat Dry State + Tourist Liquor Permit

The Gujarat Prohibition Act 1949 makes manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcohol illegal in the state. Foreigners and non-residents can apply for a tourist liquor permit via the state E-permit portal (eps.gujarat.gov.in) within 4 days of arrival. Valid 7 days, extendable thrice (28 days max). 21+ only. Permitted purchases at designated outlets in major hotels.

Indian Rupee + UPI

Currency is the Indian rupee (INR). ₹1 ≈ $0.012 / €0.011 (May 2026; verify XE.com). Cards work in malls, hotels, lounge food courts; UPI (BHIM, Paytm, PhonePe) is the working layer for almost everything else, including BRTS, auto-rickshaws, and street food. ATMs at arrivals; avoid the airport bureau-de-change — markup is typically 5-8% vs the SBI rate.

⭐ Janmarg BRTS — The Default Public Bus

• Line 15: Airport → RTO Circle → 132 Feet Ring Road → Iskcon Cross Road (near ISKCON Ahmedabad Temple) — useful for west-end hotels.
• Line 18: Airport → Old City heritage area → Ahmedabad Junction (Kalupur Railway Station) → Maninagar — the more useful route for tourists, connecting to the Old City and the main train station.
• Fare: ₹50 per person flat for the airport route (BRTS); AMTS city buses ₹10-20 depending on distance.
• Daily ~06:00 to 23:00; frequency every 10-15 min in peak.
• Pay the driver in cash, debit/credit card, or with the Janmitra Smart City Card.

🚕 Uber / Ola / Prepaid Taxi

• Uber + Ola — both active in Ahmedabad, the door-to-door option. ₹250-400 to central Ahmedabad, 25-35 min. Surge pricing in evening peak. Confirm pickup at the dedicated ride-share zone at the arrivals exit.
• Prepaid taxi counter at AMD arrivals: standard option with the receipt-and-driver system; ₹350-550 to centre depending on destination zone.
• Prepaid auto-rickshaw counter: ₹120-180 to the Old City. The cheapest legitimate option but bumpy and noisy — not recommended after a long-haul.
• Unauthorised drivers in the arrivals hall: ignore them. Use the rank or the app.

🚆 Onward Rail from Ahmedabad Junction (Kalupur)

Kalupur is Ahmedabad’s main long-distance railway station, 8 km from AMD by BRTS 18. Indian Railways tickets via IRCTC.

• Mumbai Central: 5h 30m on the Tejas Express, 6h on the Shatabdi — ₹600-2,000 chair car / AC.
• Delhi: 13-14h on the Rajdhani — ₹2,500-5,000 AC tier.
• Jaipur: 9-10h on the Aravali Express — ₹600-1,800.
• Surat / Vadodara: 2-3h, ₹200-800; frequent IRCTC service.
• Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train: under construction (Japanese Shinkansen technology); 2027-2028 target opening per recent NHSRCL statements.

🛋️ Plaza Premium Lounge — T1 + T2

Location: airside post-security at T1 and again at T2.

Walk-in: approximately ₹1,500-2,500 (verify Adani SVPI listing at the door).

Access: Priority Pass, LoungeKey, DragonPass, Diners Club, AmEx Platinum, plus Indian credit-card Diners/MasterCard World/Visa Infinite programs.

What’s inside: Gujarati-leaning buffet (dhokla, khaman, thepla, fafda, theplas, masala chai), South Indian hot mains (dosa, vada), continental options. No alcohol (Gujarat dry state). Espresso machine, work stations, runway view.

🛋️ The Lounge — T1

Location: airside T1, separate operator.

Access: Priority Pass, LoungeKey accepted; walk-in similar to Plaza Premium.

Format: smaller footprint than Plaza Premium, more modest buffet, less crowded at peak times — the “overflow” option when Plaza Premium hits capacity.

Khaman is the bright-yellow gram-flour (besan) variant; dhokla uses rice + gram flour fermented batter. Both steamed in flat cakes, then cut into squares and tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli and grated coconut. Eaten at breakfast or as a snack with green chutney and a slice of fresh ginger. ₹40-80 a plate at street stalls; ₹150-250 at restaurants like Das Khaman or Agashiye. The airside food court does a decent version at ₹180-250.

The Gujarati thali is a vast circular platter of small steel bowls (katoris) holding seasonal vegetables, dals, kadhi (yoghurt soup), farsan (snacks), rotli/puri, rice, papad, chutneys, pickles, salad, sweets, buttermilk, and a refill policy that is functionally unlimited until you wave the server away. Agashiye on Lal Darwaja, Vishalla on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway, and Gordhan Thal are the central reference points. ₹400-900 per head for an unlimited thali.

Fafda is the crisp gram-flour cracker, deep-fried, sliced into strips. Paired with hot jalebi (the syrup-soaked spiral sweet), green chillies, and papaya chutney — the classic Gujarati Saturday breakfast. Streetside fafda-jalebi vendors operate in Old City and the airside food court has a passable version. ₹80-150 per portion.

Undhiyu is the winter-season casserole — mixed vegetables (purple yam, baby aubergine, surti papdi beans, sweet potato), spices, ghee, slow-cooked sometimes in inverted earthenware pots (the name undhu means “upside down”). Theplas are the flatbreads laminated with fenugreek or methi, the universal Gujarati travel snack — literally what locals carry in their luggage to international destinations. Both at Agashiye and the airside food court at AMD.

🍵 Indian Tea & Chai Masala

₹200-1,500 per pack. Loose-leaf Darjeeling first flush, Assam Tippy CTC, Nilgiri black, plus packaged chai-masala blends. The Old City spice shops on Manek Chowk are the better quality; the airport stocks Tata, Tetley, and the heritage Hyson Tea brands.

🧵 Patola Silk & Block-Print Textiles

₹500-50,000. Patan’s GI-tagged double-ikat Patola silk is the marquee Gujarati textile; Sanganeri and Bagru block-print cotton, plus the Kutch embroidery in mirror-work form. The Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan on Ashram Road and the Gurjari government outlet are the credible city sources; the airport has small representations.

🌶️ Gujarati Pickles & Theplas

₹100-500. Vacuum-packed methi thepla, instant khakhra, and the Gujarati mango/lime/chilli pickles — tin-packed, customs-friendly for personal use. Lijjat and Karachi Bakery are the recognised national brands; the heritage stuff is at the AMD food-court vendors.

📿 Sandalwood + Brassware

₹300-3,000. Mysore sandalwood incense and Moradabad/Surendranagar brassware are stocked at the AMD landside crafts emporium. The legitimate Indian Government Emporium (Gurjari) tag certifies authenticity.

The Sabarmati Ashram on the western bank of the Sabarmati river was Gandhi’s home and the organising headquarters of the Indian independence movement from 1917 to 1930. The Salt March (12 March 1930) departed from these grounds. The ashram is a working memorial — Gandhi’s spinning wheel, his charpoy, his sandals, his letters — preserved by the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust. Free entry, daily 08:30-18:30. 8 km from AMD by Uber/Ola (~₹200-300, 20 min). Allow 1-2 hours minimum.

Ahmedabad became India’s first city to receive UNESCO World Heritage status on 8 July 2017 — recognising the 600-year-old Old City and its dense pattern of pols (traditional cluster-neighbourhoods, walled with single entrances, each housing extended-family or caste groups), heritage havelis, mosques, Jain and Hindu temples. The 2.5-hour AMC Heritage Walk starts at 08:00 from the Swaminarayan Temple in Kalupur and ends at the Jama Masjid, led by official guides for ₹150-200. The Heritage Trust of Ahmedabad also organises night walks in winter months.

Built in 1572-1573 by the Abyssinian general Sidi Saiyyed Sultani, this small mosque is famous for the ten stone jaali (lattice) windows on its rear and side walls — among the finest examples of stone carving in the world. The intricate “Tree of Life” jaali has been adopted as the unofficial emblem of Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM Ahmedabad) logo. Free entry, daily sunrise-sunset (sunset prayer time restricts non-Muslim visits). Central Old City; combine with Bhadra Fort and the Teen Darwaza.

The Adalaj ni Vav (Adalaj Stepwell), built in 1498 by Queen Rudabai of the Vaghela dynasty, is a five-storey-deep octagonal well 18 km north of central Ahmedabad. Indo-Islamic carving on every column, geometric jaali screens, and the year-round 6°C-cooler air inside — the well was the practical Indian response to the desert summer. Free entry, daily 06:00-18:00. 30 min from AMD by Uber/Ola. Allow 1-1.5 hours.

All visitors: Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vi (Vodafone Idea) prepaid SIMs available at the AMD landside arrivals kiosks. Passport + Indian visa + photo required — activation takes 24-48 hours by Indian DoT rule, so the SIM you buy on arrival usually doesn’t work until next day. eSIM via Holafly, Airalo, Saily is faster and skips the activation delay.
5G: default in Ahmedabad and the airport (Jio + Airtel both have 5G live since 2023).
UPI: almost every Indian merchant takes UPI payment via BHIM, Paytm, PhonePe, GooglePay — useful if you can link to a foreign card via Wise or similar.

With 4+ hours airside-to-airside, the move is the Ashram. Uber/Ola to Sabarmati Ashram (20 min, ₹200-300), 1 hour at the memorial, return to AMD. Round trip ~1 hour 30 min in transit + 1 hour at site — clean fit inside 4 hours. With 6+ hours: add the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque jaalis and a 30-min Old City wander on the way back. For 8+ hours plus a Heritage Walk slot: book the 08:00 AMC walk in advance via the Heritage Walk Ahmedabad Facebook page or AMC Tourism office. Allow 60 min for return security at peak.