From the years of Portuguese exploration to the heyday of the Raj in India, Surat was a major trading port, favoured for its protected access to the Arabian Sea via the Tapti River. That all changed when the river was dammed, and Surat embraced its new role as one of the major diamond-cutting centres of the globe. Its nickname, the Diamond City of India, belies that fact that over 90% of the world's precious stones are cut in the town's warehouses and factories. The city also proudly sports another epithet as the Textile Capital of India, home to the famous indigenous Zari craft, cotton mills and the largest number of embroidery machines in the country.

Not many travelers choose to pass through Surat, but those who do, get an authentic slice of Gujarati life. The cleans beaches of Dumas, Suvali and Tithal, the promenade around Gopi Talav, and temples such as the Swaminarayan temple are where the locals hang out. There are but a few remnants of the older eras as well, which you can find with help from a Surat tour guide in the Surat Castle dating to the 1500s, or the Dutch Gardens near the Katargam gate that house mausoleums of British and Dutch officials amid manicured gardens.