By Airways: Various domestic airlines connect Mumbai and Bhavnagar to Surat.
By Railways: Surat is a main junction on the Mumbai - Delhi - Ahmedabad broad gauge line.
By Roadways: State transport buses and private luxury coaches connect various centres of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Surat is 262 kms. from Mumbai, 129 kms. from Baroda and 230 kms. from Ahmedabad.
History
Surat, the capital of South Gujarat, was India`s most prosperous port and ancient trading centres in the 17th and 18th centuries. Located on the southern bank of Tapti, Surat is renowned for its fine silk and exquisite brocades like the Tanchoi, Gajee and Kinkhab styles sometimes woven with gold and silver threads. It is also famous for spices and its diamond market as well as ivory and wood artwork of rare beauty.
Surat has the distinction of being the first European settlement in India besides being host to the Dutch and the Portuguese, a fact reflected in its little streets, which are charmingly European. The East India Company established its initial warehousing facility here in 1612 A.D. Sir Thomas Roe landed at the port of Surat before proceeding to the court of Emperor Jahangir to present his credentials as the Ambassador of England.
dandi.gif
Places to Visit : Old Fort Dumas, The Textile Market, Makaipul, Ukai, Hajira and Tithal
