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From start to finish, I loved every bit of the audio-assisted tour of Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara. Established by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the chief architect of the Palace was Major Charles Mant and it was later completed by Robert Chisholm. Once you have bought your tickets and entered, y ou have to take the tour slowly, listening to the information of what is conveyed through the ear phones. Pause the device at will, so that you can look at what you have been told to look at, and absorb the information about it. Thus, if you are told ‘turn around’ or ‘look up at the ceiling’ or ‘look at the mosaic tiles on the floor’ that’s exactly what you do! There is no rewind button, mind you, so take your time to really enjoy the whole experience of it. Keep in mind that when the Palace was first opened to the public some years ago, there was no audio support, so make the most of it now.

The highlight of our trip to Vadodara (formerly Baroda) was the tour of Lukshmi Vilas Palace (the old British spelling of Lukshmi is used by the management) and its adjacent Maharaja Fatesingh museum. It was enhanced by the superb audio narration, leading us step by step on a tour of the Palace.  Of course, it was restricted to the ground floor only, since the members of the erstwhile royal family are residing on the upper floors. Nevertheless, it was a delightful tour and we enjoyed it from start to finish and no way should you miss out on it on your trip to Vadodara. It is worth every rupee of the entrance fee. Know the details of timings and entry tickets .

Welcome Board In my earlier post, I had given a useful guide for first time visitors to Lukshmi Vilas Palace , Baroda. Now here's information on the timings when it is open to the public, the entry ticket fees and useful information on the audio device which guides you through the wonderful tour of the Palace.  You can either purchase an entry ticket only for the tour of the Palace or purchase a combo ticket of both, a tour of the Palace and of the nearby Fatesingh museum as well.