Most visitors sleep in Bhuj because roads to the Rann, Mandvi, Banni and the west all start here. The town itself is a full day if you want palaces and cloth: Aina Mahal and Prag Mahal in the old royal quarter, Smrutivan on Bhujiyo Dungar, Kutch Museum, a walk at Hamirsar Lake, then Bhujodi looms or Ajrakhpur blocks, and the evening market.
After the 2001 earthquake Bhuj rebuilt in a plainer key. The palaces and museum hold the older story. Craft villages a few kilometres out hold the living one.
Use the Bhuj heritage & handicrafts cluster so the day stays walkable.
Skip Khaari Nadi Caves — a gorge a few kilometres from town, not a Mandvi stop. Neglected and littered; not worth the hour.
Arrive on a train into Bhuj, a flight to Bhuj or Mundra, or a bus from Ahmedabad.