My sister who has come along on this journey, has a fairly predetermined rule regarding travel, no less than two ‘main events’ for any given day. I have generally resisted this philosophy during previous trips only to find myself completely drained. I thought I would give her method an opportunity on this trip to Dwarka, because I ultimately believe it was the best approach for a destination such as Dwarka, where a slower pace is much preferred over a busy itinerary.

Day One: Arriving Slow, Starting with the Sea in Dwarka

Our flight landed in Dwarka early afternoon and upon checking into our hotel, we intentionally chose not to visit Dwarkadhish temple right away. Instead, we headed straight to the shoreline and hung out doing nothing for an hour. This may seem like a strange way to kick off your stay at a temple town; however, by doing this, we immediately relaxed more than we had prior. Watching the Arabian Sea for an hour, I had nothing else planned except just to watch it helped to relieve the urgency of the rest of our trip before we ever set foot in the city!

Dinner that evening was at a small place near the market that did a simple Gujarati thali, and we made an early night of it, planning for a proper darshan the next morning.

Day Two: Dwarkadhish in the Morning, Rukmini Devi in the Afternoon

We went for the morning aarti, arriving around 6:30am, and the queue was manageable at that hour. The temple itself, five storeys with that distinctive spire, took close to ninety minutes to see properly, longer than either of us expected, but neither of us wanted to rush it once we were inside.

By midday the heat had built up enough that we retreated to the hotel for a couple of hours, which became a pattern for the rest of the trip. Afternoons were for resting, not for sightseeing. Late afternoon, once it had cooled slightly, we went to Rukmini Devi Temple, a few kilometres out and considerably quieter than Dwarkadhish. My sister, who isn’t particularly religious, said she preferred this temple precisely because of how calm it was. I understood why.

Dinner that night was at a small seafood place a short walk from the hotel, and the pomfret fry there was good enough that we went back a second time before leaving.

Day Three: The Boat to Bet Dwarka

The day my sister’s rule of only bringing two things with her on a trip truly mattered. We took the boat across to Bet Dwarka the morning before we were supposed to fly back home, i.e., twenty minutes each way. The pace was considerably slower than that of the mainland and because the temple was smaller than those in Dwarka and far less crowded at that time, we had a much better idea of what Dwarka was actually like as a coastal town and not just as a place for pilgrims to stop while travelling to their final destinations.

We had nothing planned for the rest of the day, so we went back to Dwarka, had an unhurried lunch, and went back out to watch the river where it meets the sea at Gomti Ghat for the remainder of the afternoon. If you have time to just sit and veg out, it is very satisfying to see the river actually meeting the ocean.

Day Four: A Quiet Departure

Our last morning was deliberately light. A short walk back to the temple lanes for a final round of prasad and gifts, and an early lunch before heading to the airport. Nothing dramatic, which felt like the right way to end a trip that had been built around not rushing anything.

What Made the Pace Work

Staying close to both the temple and the coast made this entire structure possible without long transfers eating into the day. Several hotels in Dwarka sit within easy walking distance of both Dwarkadhish and the shoreline, and choosing one of these meant we never lost time getting between the two halves of the town that mattered most to us.

If I were planning this again, I would keep the same rhythm. One main temple visit and one slower, food or sea-focused activity each day, with afternoons left empty on purpose. Dwarka gave back more this way than it would have on a tighter, more ambitious schedule.