Tokyo to Surat Flights

  About Tokyo

Tokyo, one of the top cities in the world and the capital of Japan, is a busy hub for economic, finance, business, technology, culture and more. The city is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Best time to visit Tokyo

Tokyo's charm turns a notch more exquisite during the spring and autumn months. Come spring and the streets of Tokyo form blissful foliage of cherry blossoms. As for autumn, a new shade of beauty envelopes the city. September to November months in Tokyo are definitely the best time to visit Tokyo. As the summer heat and humidity declines, the city wraps itself with a new temperature that only gets better. While there is precipitation in the air with the possibility of light showers, the temperatures are quite friendly and ideal for tourism. Make sure to carry an umbrella with you when you peruse through the attractions of the city. Simultaneously, it is essential that you carry a light but comfortable jacket along with you during your trip. The light showers are often accompanied by brisk winter breeze. The city celebrates a different kind of air during the autumn season as it hosts Tokyo International Film Festival, Culture Day and Shichi-Go-San festival.

Spring actually starts seeing crowds, maybe not as much as summer, but tourists still flock over. Thanks to the appearance of the gorgeous cherry blossoms in the city parks, locals from and around Tokyo also head to the city. There are various special events that are held in the city parks to welcome the lovely spring and summer that follows. Not to mention how watching the cherry blossoms bloom is one of the biggest highlights that cannot be missed. The city doesn't just witness beautiful weather but also sees some events. These include AnimeJapan, Art fair Tokyo and Golden Week. You should know that AnimeJapan is a big deal in Tokyo and the city bustles with anime enthusiasts in Japan and international tourists too. Although it is known that spring is the best time to visit, it certainly comes with a humongous crowd, which means you will have to deal with the excess tourist crowd as well as high prices of hotels and travel scenes. No matter what the season might be, the hotel rooms and prices do not see a drop. So even if you do pick an offseason for your travel plans, you will still have to pay a hefty sum on hotels.

Places to visit in Tokyo

Tokyo has far too many tourist attractions that you cannot complete even if you stay there for a month. The neighbourhood is literally loaded with more than 13 million entertaining places to keep you engaged. You can start your day by checking out the Tokyo National Museum, to learn more about the country's history. To honour the culture and religious beliefs of the Japanese, it would be amazing to visit the Meiji Shrine and Sensoji Temple. From here, you can further head to the Imperial Palace, which is a major tourist attraction. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is also an interesting site to witness the fiery entrepreneurial spirit of young scientists. Edo-Tokyo Museum is another place which explores the past of the city and its architecture. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a vast expanse of over 144 acres with its traditional Japanese landscape that only add to the serenity of the place. Ghibli Museum is a totally cool place that you should check out if you are a fan of the studio that has created some award-winning anime movies. Also, do not miss Tokyo Tower, the remake of the famous Eiffel Tower.

Things to do in Tokyo

Tokyo's Ginza is what New York's Fifth Avenue is, or London's Oxford Street is, and Paris' Champs-Élysées is a haven for shopaholics. The town bustles with tourists and exquisite shops and restaurants. You can also opt for an authentic Geisha performance which can be followed by the traditional kaiseki course dinner. The city's karaoke parlours are a big hit too and something you should definitely try out. Tokyo also has robot show and kawaii monster cafes, tickets of which you can avail. Much like Ginza, Akihabara is a paradise for people inclined with technology. If you live and breathe gadgets, Tokyo's electronics district is the right place for you to go to. Aside from visiting the Imperial Palace, it would be amazing to pack a picnic and relish the tranquillity of the space. It is important that you get permission to visit the estate.

Food and Restaurants in Tokyo

Tokyo is known to have the highest number of Michelin-starrer food establishments in the world. That alone explains why it is revered to be the food capital of the world. Tokyo is a big hit among culinary critics and celebrated chefs from around the world. The city also boasts a whopping number of restaurants, 160,000, to be exact, to further strengthen its case as a stalwart in the culinary world. Tokyo reserves a very high position in the culinary world in terms of their choice of ingredients, their handpicked fresh products, quality of their ingredients and the careful precision with which they make their food. The remarkable consistency in their food validates the same and hence, helps its stand at a distinguished position. Many chefs actually spend their entire lives to perfect just one dish. In fact, Jiro Ono is one such chef who has mastered the art of making perfect sushi and is also the proud holder of the three-star Michelin restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. Some of their top-rated dishes include ramen, udon noodles, tempura, miso and soba noodles, to name a few. These meals are traditional and a staple of the Japanese.

Much of these buckwheat noodles are dated to the Edo period, which is pretty ancient in the Japanese period. The city also prepares dishes such as yakitori, takoyaki, sekitori, to name a few. These meals can be found in fine dining restaurants as well as small joints around the corner of the street. For a more formal dinner setting, you should opt for kaiseki, which is basically a multi-course dinner served on seasonal small plates. You can make these indulgences possible by checking out food establishments such as Butagumi, Toritama, Shorisaka, Yakiniku Jumbo Shirokane, Ishikawa, Kotaro, to name a few. Not just Japanese, though, Tokyo also celebrates international cuisine and brings forth flavours from around the world in one city. In fact, they are so authentic that even the natives of the cuisine would be surprised by the immaculate precision in the food created. From Italian to French, Tokyo serves cuisine from around the world, and they do it even better than the native lands. You might want to save some extra money to visit some of these amazing establishments.

How to reach Tokyo

Flight connectivity to Tokyo is excellent with regular direct flights flying from India. The demand for travel to Tokyo is quite high and hence, has enough options for travellers. There are provisions for direct and nonstop flights to Tokyo from India. It is essential that you know where you are staying as accordingly, you will have to choose between the two airports in Tokyo, Narita Airport and Haneda Airport. Luckily, there are nonstop flights to Tokyo's Narita Airport as well as Haneda Airport from Mumbai and Delhi. Airlines such as All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air China, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Vistara, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, to name a few, have regular flights flying to Japan. In fact, Vistara, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have direct nonstop flights to Tokyo from Delhi. The most popular route to Tokyo is from Delhi as the flight connectivity and options for direct flights is more. Not to mention how the city is well-connected as the capital of India. Many airlines take the international routes of Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, to reach Tokyo.

Not just the flight connectivity but even the duration of flights to Tokyo is less and available from India. The flight duration to Tokyo is approximately 7 hours 50 minutes from Delhi. The flight tickets to Tokyo are also cheap to expensive. Depending on which airlines and the flight duration you pick, the flight tickets would dwindle. However, there are provisions of cheap flight tickets to Tokyo. It is advised that you make prior flight bookings to Tokyo if you wish to avail some online flight deals. You can receive discounted rates for your flights to Tokyo as well as even accommodation. Since Tokyo is an expensive city, you will have to be extremely careful with your expenses. You cannot simply splurge if you're on a budget. Hence, try to make as many deductions in the travel and accommodation cost by making prior bookings. Hostels and homestays are not a big concept in Tokyo, so you must ensure that you are sorted with your accommodations before visiting the city. You might even find some combo deals for flights and hotels online. Tokyo doesn't require any transit visa as it is part of the same continent.

  About Surat

Nestled next to the banks of Tapi river is the flourishing city of Surat, also touted for its textile industry, in the state of Gujarat. While Surat is recognised for its textile prowess, the city also has a lot of historical and cultural significance. It is the second-largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and has impeccable flight connectivity to various big cities in India. As a developed city, Surat enjoys great connectivity with other cities as well as an upscale lifestyle.

Best time to visit Surat

Surat enjoys a tropical climate which means the summers here are extreme. The temperatures tend to rise to a staggering 45 degree Celsius. This could be extremely taxing for people who are not used to such climates. The days get very unpleasant due to the hot and humid summers. Hence, it is best to avoid summers in Surat. Unless you have some professional or personal commitment for which you must travel, do avoid Surat during summers. The flight tickets to Surat in summer do see a drop as it is off-season. The months from Match to June see barely many tourists as the city faces the harsh sun. Even the accommodation prices drop as there are fewer tourists in the city. This makes booking a hotel room in Surat cheaper and easy.

In contrast to the hot summers, the winters in Surat are cold and comfortable. October to February is considered to be the best time for a trip to Surat, especially if you wish to unwind and explore the city. The temperatures during winter range between 15 degree Celsius to 29 degree Celsius, making the weather pleasant. You can traverse through the city during the day, check out their textiles galore and indulge in some street food delights. Another perk of visiting Surat in winter is Navratri. Celebrated in October-November, Navratri means Garba and Garba means fancy attires. The Garba fervour is definitely a different kind of experience that you should check out.

Monsoons in Surat are pretty decent as well. The rainfall is occasional and not very heavy. Unlike how some parts of India witness heavy rains during monsoon, Surat is safe from all the heavy rain. Instead, it receives moderate rains which leave a charming atmosphere. Also, the pleasant temperatures enable people to step out of their houses as the sun is not lethal. During monsoon, flight tickets to Surat come at an affordable rate. With less rain, flying to Surat is not risky as well.

Places to visit in Surat

People know Surat for their garments, textile industry and food. But here's a side of the city should definitely be explored. The city is blessed with some pretty and untouched beaches that should be explored. In fact, one specific haunted beach should be on your list of places to visit. Surat's Dumas beach has a reputation for being haunted with locals complaining of hearing screams and cries during nights. While the beach is beautiful, the nights could be haunting, but overall, it could be quite the experience. Another important beach that you should visit is Dandi beach. The popularity comes from the Salt Satyagraha that was headlined by freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi. Some of the other famous tourist attractions include the Dutch Garden, Vansda National Park, Hajira Village and Sarthana Nature Park. While these places celebrate the rich natural beauty of Surat, the Sardar Patel Museum has been founded to preserve the rich heritage of the city.

Things to do in Surat

As a developed city, Surat does have some fun activities that one can engage in. It doesn't have to be to explore the textile markets. Although, if you are a fashion enthusiast and wish to see some of the textile action, then you should definitely check them out. As for those who want to derive pleasure from their Surat rendezvous, you should check out the Surat Fort. You don't need to trek for this, and the scenic views are so good that they'll make for stunning pictures. For some leisure time, you can hang out at the Jawaharlal Nehru Garden with a picnic basket or just lay on the grass. The city also has recreational parks and complexes that gain quite some tourist attention. Neverland Water Park is one such place that is often chosen by locals and even tourists, when in the city. Blues Adventure is a similar setting that is perfect for recreational activities.

Food and Restaurants in Surat

Surat's popularity may come from the flourishing textile industry, but their food culture is just as illustrious. Being a city in Gujarat being following the traditional Gujarati cuisine with its delectable khandwas and khaman dhoklas. Interestingly, while Surat does propagate the Gujarati-ness in their cooking, the city also caters to varied cuisines that would get your attention. From the richness of North Indian cuisine's kitchen to a culinary bliss from the Mediterranean, Surat has a plethora of restaurants and food joints to elevate your dining experience. The city entertains some interesting delicacies from around the globe. But their slew of street food is what piques the excitement.

Some of the dining experiences in the city include Leonardo Italian Mediterranean Dining Falafel Lovers and Sizzling Salsa. These restaurants offer global cuisine with a touch of Indianness to them. From European, Mexican, Mediterranean, etc., the restaurants are mostly vegetarian. However, a handful of joints do offer lovely non-vegetarian food. In fact, you can head to Ziba, to get the best of tandoori and North Indian dishes. Their speciality includes the scrumptious rajma chawal and achaari fish tikka masala. Of course, it would be a shame to miss out Gujarati thali when in Surat.

For the best Gujarati thali experience, head to Kansar Gujarati Thali and Sasumaa. These restaurants would give you the best amalgam of fine dining and authentic Gujarati food. Expect lots of traditional dishes such as khatti meethi daal, undhiyu, aloo rasila, bhakhri, kadhi, kachumber salad and more.

How to reach Surat (Transportation)

By Air

Surat Airport is located in Magdalla, close to the Surat city. The airport has remarkable flight connectivity from Surat to major big cities in India. In fact, it is deemed to be the second busiest airport after Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Interestingly, the airport caters to the customs department for aircraft movements and simultaneously, works for commercial purposes. It also caters to the aviation field and allows flying schools to use the grounds around the airport for flying practices. Surat airport was built back in the 1970s and has since played a pivotal role in connecting Gujarat with other cities and states in India. The flight connectivity to Surat from other cities is excellent.

There are flights that fly to Surat from Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Bhopal, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jaipur and more. Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo, SpiceXpress, Air India Express, SpiceJet, to name a few, have regular flights flying to Surat. There are daily flights to Surat reserved from Delhi and Mumbai. Despite being a domestic airport, Surat sees a tremendous footfall of passengers as well as flights in the airport. The airport's location is close to 11 km away from the main city.

By Rail

Surat railway station is perfectly connected with other cities in the country. Since it is on the main domestic route from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, the station is always busy. There are more than four trains that leave from Mumbai to go to Ahmedabad on a daily basis and has Surat as one of the stops on the way. Much of the outstation trains that Surat witnesses at the railway station are on the popular domestic route between Mumbai and Delhi. This includes trains heading to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Ajmer, Delhi and more. The railway station is located in the main city, making travelling within the city far easier. Some of the frequented express trains include Bandra Surat Intercity Express, August Kranti Rajdhani Express, Indore-Mumbai Avantika Express and Karnavati Express. From the railway station, you can hire a cab to reach the hotel you have booked in Surat. The city is equipped with good hotels, so accommodation is never a matter of concern.

By Road

Surat's road connectivity is phenomenal. The city, with its impeccable infrastructure, has well-connected roads. There are major highways that pass through the city. Over the years, the growth and development of the city's infrastructure have enabled it to network with big cities via roadways. It is impressive to note how some of the roads that have been constructed are aesthetically pleasing too, aside from good connectivity. These points make travelling to Surat by road a viable option. The popular route to Surat is the Udhana Mumbai Highway and the Surat Ahmedabad Highway as these roads see tremendous traffic owing to the top-notch connectivity. AC and Non-AC Volvo buses are available from cities such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai to reach Surat. Due to the extensive infrastructural development phases, the city witnesses a lot of traffic so even if you do try to reach ahead of time, you might get stuck within the city.

  About Surat Airport

Surat Airport falls in the category of customs airport and serves the city of Surat in the state of Gujarat. The airport is situated in Magdalla and covers an area of 770 acres. Following Ahmedabad, Surat Airport is the second busiest airport in the state with respect to passenger traffic and aircraft movement. In 2018, the airport received the custom airport status from the aviation industry. The airport also caters to a flying training school in the country. Surat Airport came into existence in the early 1970s and was operated under the state government of Gujarat. The first airline to operate from the city was by the airline, Safari Airways. They chartered flights to Bombay and Bhavnagar and used the small aircraft such as Douglas DC - 3 Dakota for the same. However, the services were eventually discontinued after a year or two of functioning. In the 1990s though, the airport resumed flight operations with regional airlines Vayudoot and Gujarat Airways. They had dedicated flights to the city of Surat. However, activities of the same were also discontinued in 1994 and 2000 respectively. In 2003, the complete operations and management of Surat Airport were transferred to the Airports Authority of India. Under the new operational heads, the airport witnessed tremendous expansions and modernisation. The airport proposed and even restarted flight activities to Mumbai and Bhavnagar in 2004. But the attempts failed as the airport infrastructure couldn't accommodate flight activities. For a year, a new defunct Air Deccan had flights operating an ATR 42 aircraft to the cities that stopped in 2005.

The airport's runway faced an expansion in 2007 that was extended from 1,400 metres to 2,250 metres, with a view to allowing larger aircraft accommodation. Following the expansion, flight activities resumed yet again in 2007 with Indian Airlines operating Airbus A319 aircraft to Delhi. It was noted that the runway extension work was conducted poorly, resulting in reported damage to the path. With such limitations, Surat Airport officials announced that they would not allow more than two aircraft operations with the flight's weight not exceeding more than 75,000 kilograms. The conditions were levied until the repair and reconstruction of the new runway were completed. Since then, the airport authority has worked towards several expansion plans to make Surat Airport ideal for passenger flights.

About Surat Airport Terminal

Currently, Surat Airport has one integrated terminal building along with a cargo terminal. The integrated terminal building was inaugurated by then Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Dinsha Patel, in 2009. The construction of the new terminal cost about INR 400 million. It is sprawled across an area of 91,000 square feet and can handle 240 passengers in an hour. Various modern amenities have been installed at the airport with CCTV cameras, hand baggage X-ray machines, two air bridges with a visual docking guidance system, a 120-seater lounge, two baggage carousels in the arrivals section and a plethora of small shops. The airport recently inaugurated its cargo terminal in 2020 after a plan to expand and bring forth a modular cargo terminal was approved by the Airports Authority of India.

With the approval of the tender, the construction work for a new cargo terminal was offered to a Surat-based firm. The cargo complex is spread across 14,000 square feet in total with a ground-level area of nearly 10,800 square feet and the first floor covering 3,200 square feet. The project lasted for 13 months, following which the new cargo terminal was completed and ready for business. Additionally, Surat Airport plans to expand its cargo terminal and install a new international cargo terminal. Land for the same has already be acquiesced and would be provided once the bid is announced and sold to a company for construction.

About airport authority

Surat Airport is owned and operated under the Airports Authority of India. The airport authority has been responsible for the consistent expansion and upgradation of Surat Airport. Over the years, the airport has witnessed some growth, and also several concerns have been solved. In 2014, a massive collision of a buffalo with a SpiceJet Boeing 737 brought forth the safety concerns that were soon addressed by the Airports Authority. The runway extension work was divided into three phases to ensure that the airport's regular functions are not affected. The first phase saw an extension of the runway by 655 metres. Following this move, the airport also constructed adjoining concrete apron that measured at 235 x 90 metres. It has been linked by two taxiways and is the only runway of the airport. The authorities also added high-tech night landing amenities along with an instrument landing system and navigation systems to enhance the efficiency of Surat Airport.

The airport has announced that they will continue working on the expansion of the terminal building of the Surat Airport. The project's budget has been estimated at INR 3.50 billion with the project expected to take off in two years. The terminal building will comprise of a total area of 25,520 square metres. With the extension complete, Surat Airport'sAirport's terminal building will have the capacity to handle about 1,800 passengers, 1,200 from domestic and 600 from international, at peak hours. The new terminal will also be equipped with modern facilities and essentials such as 20 check-in counters, five aerobridges and 26 immigration counters, to name a few. They also plan to extend the parking space for cars to accommodate more than 500 at once. Along with this, the airport plans to extend the apron to accommodate ten more number of bays for aircraft of Type C.

Facilities at the Surat Airport

Baggage and trolleys – The baggage services at Surat Airport include free trolleys, baggage wrapping, porter services and more. You can also store your baggage in the airport premise if need be.

Wheelchair – For passengers who are disabled and require wheelchairs and special assistance, Surat Airport has reserved staff to take care of this as well. Trained staff will also accompany the passenger and wheel them past the security checks.

Medical assistance – Special medical assistance experts have been hired to take care of emergency cases that might take place in the airport premise. The trained professionals are well-equipped with medical emergency cases and also have the necessary first aid kits to tend to the patients. The airport also has pharmacies in the departure sections of the terminal.

ATMs – Multiple ATM kiosks have been put up in Surat Airport. For passengers who need to withdraw money or have some last-minute expenses for which they need to pay in cash, the ATMs are ideal. They are also placed in perfect distances to make it accessible for passengers from all corners of the airport.

Restaurants – There are a bunch of restaurants and cafes in the airport premise. These can mostly be found in the airport terminal's departure halls. With a view to ensuring that the passenger is entertained and well-fed, Surat Airport has installed a few restaurants and cafes in its food court. One can relax here and also indulge in some traditional Gujarati cuisine while they wait for boarding.

Travel agents – In case you haven't figured out your accommodation and travel itinerary in the city, at the airport's travel agent desk, you will be able to figure your plans out. A dedicated booth has been maintained by Surat Airport to cater to the traveller's needs. Car rentals, hotel accommodations and other such bookings can be made from the airport's travel booth.

Smoking zones – Surat Airport does not allow smoking in public spaces. Instead, they have installed dedicated smoking zones for passengers to enable clean air in the airport premise. The smoking zones have been installed in the terminal's departure as well as arrivals halls.

Top airlines flying from the Surat Airport

Presently, Surat Airport accommodates flight activities of airlines such as Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. Out of these, Air India Express is the only international airline that Surat Airport can manage for now. While it caters to connect to Indian cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Goa, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar, Surat Airport also has one international city connection as one flight networks with Sharjah. Along with this, the airport also has one cargo carrier, SpiceXpress, that connects to destinations such as Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata.

How to reach Surat Airport

Surat Airport is about 12 km away from the city centre. However, as a big city in the state of Gujarat, the city has a phenomenal network of transport facilities that will help you reach Surat Airport. A slew of ridesharing platforms such as Ola, Meru, Uber, Savaari Car Rentals, Oneway and Jugnoo, to name a few, function from the city. These taxi cab services have fixed fares to reach Surat Airport. They are the most convenient and comfortable means of reaching Surat Airport. The city bus stand also has dedicated services to reach Surat Airport. However, buses might not be as comfortable as taxi cabs, even though they are affordable and cheap.