Truly impressive both in size and the beauty of structure the Fort's history which spans over twelve centuries is evident in the plethora of edifices that do the area; from old, crumbling ruins and exquisite palaces to the modern-day Scindia Public School. Gwalior's strategic position between north and south India made the Fort an important possession and it was captured by several ruling houses. Some left almost as soon as they came, while others stayed on to build and beautify the citadel. The first historical holders were the Huns. The Fort in 10th, 11th and 12th centuries was under the Kachwaha Rajputs, the Pratihars, Qutbuddin Aibak and Iltutamish and remained under Muslim possession till 1398. Under the Tomars, whose most important king was Man Singh (1486-1517), Gwalior rose to prominence. The Fort was finally surrendered to Ibrahim Lodhi in 1518.

Moving through the Urvashi gate, where the towering Jain monoliths, with straight, severe forms and staring eyes are cut out of the rock face, you will come to Man Mandir the Fort's 'piece de resistance,' the palace built by Man Singh Tomar in the 11th century. A delicate structure exhibiting a sense of joy and abandon through use of colour, motif and design, Man Mandir is at once delightfully spontaneous and yet exhibits a restraint that results in finished perfection. There are chambers for affairs of state as well as those for relaxation, adorned appropriately and ornately with carved animals, flowers and the human form; the yellow, green and bright blue tiles, adding a rich touch of colour, set off by the pale yellow sandstone base.

The Sas Bahu temples, in another part of the Fort are not, as people believe, dedicated to a mother-in-law (sas) and daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law (bahu). Sas Bahu is the name traditionally given to two adjoining temples of different sizes. Similar to the Sas Bahu temples near Udaipur, these were built at the time of Kirtiraj and Mahipal, both Kachwaha rulers. The larger of the two, is profusely sculpted with graceful figures and intricate patterns. This is more apparent in the interior where above the sculpted walls and pillars an elaborately carved lotus, similar to the Dilwara temple at Mount Abu, adorns the roof.
Mani-Kantha, an 11th century poet of Gwalior, describes the musicians and dancing girls who performed in the temple and how it took a whole village to serve both gods and devadasis.

Gwalior is on the Central Railways main Delhi - Gwalior and Delhi - Chennai lines, just as Agra. Among other major trains, and Gwalior connect with Agra.

There are regular bus service from Gwalior to Agra, Mathura, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Chanderi, Indore, Jhansi, Khajuraho, Rewa, Ujjain and Shivpuri.