By road
~190 km from Bhopal
Central India · Madhya Pradesh
Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Holkar palaces and India's street-food capital · ~190 km from Bhopal
Getting there
By rail
Indore Junction (INDB), On the Mumbai-Delhi and Bhopal lines
By air
Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore, ~8 km from the city centre
Best time to visit
October to March; the Sarafa night market runs year-round after dark
Don't miss
Rajwada Palace
Lal Bagh Palace
Khajrana Ganesh Temple
Sarafa Bazaar night market
56 Dukan (Chappan Dukan)
Patalpani Falls
Krishnapura Chhatris
Central Museum
Things to do
Sarafa night-market food crawl after dark
Rajwada and the Holkar chhatris
Lal Bagh Palace
Khajrana Ganesh darshan
Patalpani Falls in the monsoon
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Comfortable shoes for the old-city lanes, a small bag for the night market, an appetite
A quieter corner
Chappan Dukan at tea-time before the evening crowds, for Johnny Hot Dog and Vijay Chaat House
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Indore?
October to March; the Sarafa night market runs year-round after dark. What to pack: Comfortable shoes for the old-city lanes, a small bag for the night market, an appetite.
How do I get to Indore?
The nearest airport is Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore, ~8 km from the city centre. The nearest railway station is Indore Junction (INDB), On the Mumbai-Delhi and Bhopal lines.
What is there to do in Indore?
Sarafa night-market food crawl after dark, Rajwada and the Holkar chhatris, Lal Bagh Palace, Khajrana Ganesh darshan, Patalpani Falls in the monsoon. A quieter find: Chappan Dukan at tea-time before the evening crowds, for Johnny Hot Dog and Vijay Chaat House.
What should I eat in Indore?
Sarafa Bazaar stalls (bhutte ka kees, garadu, jalebi), Chappan Dukan (Johnny Hot Dog, Vijay Chaat House), Poha-jalebi breakfasts across the city.
About Indore
- Inland
Where it is
Indore is the largest city of Madhya Pradesh and its commercial centre, set at about 550 m on the Malwa plateau in the west of the state, on the banks of the small Khan and Saraswati rivers.
History
Indore grew as a trading town in the 18th century under the Holkars, a Maratha family granted lands here by the Peshwa; their most celebrated ruler, Ahilyabai Holkar, governed from nearby Maheshwar. The Holkars moved their capital to Indore in 1818, and after independence the city passed to Madhya Bharat and, in 1956, to Madhya Pradesh.
People
Indoris speak Hindi and the Malvi dialect of the Malwa region, and Marathi is still heard among families with Holkar-era roots. The city's food culture is famous, from poha and jalebi to bhutte ka kees and garadu, and Rangpanchami is marked with a great street procession, the Gair.
Known for
- Sarafa Bazaar's night-time street food
- Rajwada, the Holkar palace
- Lal Bagh Palace
- Poha and jalebi breakfasts
- Khajrana Ganesh Temple
Did you know?
Indore has topped the national Swachh Survekshan cleanliness survey for several years in a row, starting in 2017.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.