Central Pune

Former capital of the Maratha Empire, with Peshwa palaces, a Gandhi memorial and Ganesh temples in the city, and Shivaji's hill forts such as Sinhagad and Rajgad nearby, best hiked in the monsoon.

Pune is the second-largest city in Maharashtra, India, lying on the western edge of the Deccan Plateau about 150 km southeast of Mumbai at an altitude of about 560 m. In the 18th century it was the seat of power of the Peshwas, the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire; today it is a major centre for education, IT and the car industry, nicknamed the Queen of the Deccan. The city has two main areas. The old city's peths are home to Shaniwar Wada, Lal Mahal, Dagdusheth Ganpati Temple, the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum and Vishrambaug Wada, and can be explored on foot in half a day. To the east, the Cantonment and Koregaon Park area has the Gandhi memorial at the Aga Khan Palace, the Osho meditation resort, the National War Memorial, and cafés and bars. Trips around Pune revolve around Shivaji's hill forts: Sinhagad Fort to the southwest is a half-day trip, while Rajgad and Torna forts make full-day hikes. To the north are Shivneri Fort, Shivaji's birthplace, and the Lenyadri Ganesh caves; to the northwest is the jyotirlinga shrine of Bhimashankar; to the southeast are the Khandoba Temple at Jejuri and Purandar Fort; and in the monsoon, head to Mulshi Lake and Tamhini Ghat for waterfalls. Lonavala, the Karla Caves and Mahabaleshwar are covered as separate destinations. The best season is Oct–Feb, when it is cool and dry; during the Jun–Sep monsoon the mountains are at their most beautiful with mist and waterfalls, but trails are slippery; Mar–May is hot. Ganesh Chaturthi in Aug–Sep is Pune's biggest festival. Getting there: Pune Airport has domestic flights; from Mumbai, trains such as the Deccan Queen take about 3 hours, as does the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. Traffic in the city is heavy, so ride-hailing or a hired car is the usual way between sights. Allow 2–4 days.

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Itineraries