Surat was Suryapur—city of Sun God and was as a part of the Western Chalukya Empire till 12th century. 

The present day city is believed to have been founded by a Brahman named Gopi, who built the Gopi Tank (water reservoir) in 1516 and renamed the area Surat in 1520 who was an important official of the Gujarat Sultanate. In the mid15th century, Surat was one of the India's most important port cities. In 1759, The British rulers took its control from the Mughals till the beginning of the 20th century.

Modern day Surat is specialized diamond cutting center for suppliers from all over the world and called as the "The Diamond Capital of India". Despite many historical travails and battles, the city retains an intriguing medieval charm. Historic romanticism, along with the coastal graciousness, is what makes Surat an important tourist destination in Gujarat. There is lot of places to visit in Surat like Dutch Garden, Sardar Patel Museum, Sarthana Nature Park, Vansda National Park, Jagdishchandra Bose Aquarium, Sneh Rashmi Botanical Garden, Ambaji Temple, Surat Fort, Jawaharlal Nehru Garden, Mughal Sarai and Tomb of Khudawand Khan.