Choosing an area in Ahmedabad before you move, and what it means on moving day

Two cities on either side of the river

Ahmedabad splits fairly neatly along the Sabarmati. East of the river is the old walled city, with its pols, temples, wholesale markets and the railway station at Kalupur. West of it is the Ahmedabad that grew up over the last few decades. Navrangpura and Ellisbridge came first, then Satellite, Vastrapur and Bodakdev, and now the towers keep running out along SG Highway to Gota, Bopal, South Bopal and Shela.

People relocating for a job usually land on the west side, and that makes sense. Most corporate offices sit along SG Highway, in Prahlad Nagar and on Ashram Road and CG Road, and the newer schools and hospitals followed them. Plenty of families still choose the east, though, either because they have roots in Maninagar or the old city, or because a flat in Nikol or Vastral usually costs less than a similar one in Bodakdev. We've shifted homes into all of these areas, and the one you pick changes almost everything about how your moving day runs.

SG Highway, Prahlad Nagar and Bodakdev

This belt is where most people moving here for a corporate job start looking. Prahlad Nagar has offices you can walk to, Bodakdev and Thaltej have larger, settled societies, and the stretch towards Gota and Science City has newer high-rises. SG Highway itself gets heavy at office hours, so a flat on the same side of the highway as your office saves a long U-turn twice a day.

For the move, these towers are simple once the paperwork is sorted. Expect a move-in letter from the society secretary, a booked lift slot and a guard who wants the truck number in advance. Many societies don't allow shifting late in the evening, and some are fussy about Sundays. Basements are built for cars, not trucks, so the truck stands at the society gate or on the service road while the crew wheels cartons in on trolleys. Ask how far that walk is. Two hundred metres in May is a very different day from twenty.

Satellite, Vastrapur and the Bopal side

Satellite and Vastrapur sit in the middle ground. Many societies are older, often four or five storeys, and some have no lift at all, which means sofas and double beds come down the stairs, sometimes in pieces. The upside is that you're close to both the newer west and the river, and the roads are wide enough for a full-size truck to stop outside.

Bopal, South Bopal and Shela are where a lot of young families end up now. Flats are roomier for the rent, the societies are new and many have clubhouses. The trade-off is distance. Getting to Ashram Road or the Kalupur station area takes a long while at peak hours, and some internal roads out there are still being built, so our surveyor checks the approach before picking a truck size. If you're moving in during the monsoon, ask the neighbours whether the society road floods. Newer layouts on the city's edge sometimes do.

What is it like to shift into a pol?

Living in a pol is a choice people make for the community, the old carved houses and being a short walk from Manek Chowk, Relief Road and the old markets. The walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage City, and many pol homes have wooden facades, small inner courtyards and very steep staircases. Those staircases are the real challenge.

A truck almost never reaches the door. We park the main vehicle on the nearest wide road and run goods in and out with a small tempo or by hand, carton by carton. Big wooden almirahs and double beds often won't turn on a pol staircase, so they're opened up in the room and rebuilt downstairs. Once in a while the only way out for a large piece is through a window or balcony, lowered on ropes, and only if the crew leader is sure it's safe. The surveyor settles all of this on the free visit, so it sits in the quote rather than arriving as a surprise.

Timing matters more here than anywhere else in the city. Start before shops open and the lanes fill with scooters and handcarts. Avoid Rath Yatra day completely, because the procession sets out from the Jagannath temple in Jamalpur and many old city roads close for it. And tell your neighbours. In a pol the whole lane will know you're moving anyway, and a friendly word gets parked scooters out of the way.

How your area changes the moving day

• West side towers need a society NOC, a lift booking and a gate pass. The truck waits at the gate, so allow time for trolleys.
• Older low-rise societies in Satellite, Vastrapur, Naranpura or Paldi often mean stairs without a lift, and bigger furniture gets dismantled.
• Bopal, South Bopal and Shela have wide main roads, but approach roads can be unfinished and a few pockets flood in heavy rain.
• Pols in the walled city need a shuttle vehicle, hand-carrying, a crew sized for the stairs and a start before the markets wake up.
• East side societies in Maninagar, Nikol and Vastral are usually easy for a truck, but check for a school on your road, since pickup time jams it.

Whatever the area, the heat sets the hours. Between April and June we like to load from early morning and be done by lunch, and anything that softens in the heat, like wax items or medicines, should ride with you in the car. Household goods coming from Mumbai, about 510 km away, or Pune, about 640 km, take 2–3 days in transit, which gives you time to get the society paperwork done before the truck arrives.

A short checklist before you sign the lease

1. Visit the flat at the hour you'd actually move and see where a truck could stand.
2. Ask the society office for its moving rules in writing, including any banned days or hours.
3. Check the lift size against your largest wardrobe or sofa, or measure the stair turn in a pol house.
4. Drive your office commute once at peak time before choosing between Bopal and Prahlad Nagar.
5. If the new flat won't be ready on your date, book storage for the gap rather than paying two rents.
6. Book the free pre-move survey once the address is final, so the quote reflects the real access.

We move people in Ahmedabad on both banks of the river. Our Ahmedabad packers and movers page covers the service itself, and if you're bringing a whole household from another state, the household shifting page explains how packing and loading work. For a gap between two homes, see our storage options, and glass showpieces travel well in our Perfect Box cartons.