Located in the state of Maharashtra, this city is now only next to Mumbai in terms of development and population. The cultural hub of Pune attracts a young crowd when compared to the already settled Mumbai. It has a history of almost 1600 years

Pune Travel Guide

It is a city of contradictions. The Pataleshwar Caves stand from the fifth century, and on the other hand, the Pune International Film Festival in January gives the city a modern vibe. 

The large student population in the city makes for a lively nightlife and vibrant atmosphere. Pune also houses fantastic restaurants, good museums and is well known for its surrounding hill forts which offer panoramic bird’s-eye views.

Things To Do In Pune

Shaniwar Wada

Shaniwarwada is a royal residence fortress in the Pune city of Maharashtra. It was worked in the eighteenth century by the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. It is a standout amongst the most went by authentic places in Maharashtra.

Though it is now in ruins, you should walk in and imagine the place in all its glory, take the feel of the palace and walk through the huge fort wall. 

Aga Khan Palace

Also called the Gandhi National Museum and is a piece of Indian freedom struggle The Aga Khan Palace is a monument on its own. It filled in as a jail for national pioneers like Mahatma Gandhi amid the Quit India Movement in 1942 thus making it rich in history.

Before it acted as the royal residence which had five corridors and extensive verandahs. Admire the amazing architecture of the palace as you walk through the palace lanes. Despite the fact that the castle is compositionally Islamic yet it incorporates clues of Italian workmanship with many curves.

Osho Ashram

This place has an aura of its own. Located amidst bubbling water, green garden, plants it makes for a beautiful stroll in the evening in a calm environment.  Sprawling crosswise over 32 section of land of land, the ashram incorporates a perfectly kept up stop known as Nulla Park or Osho Teerth.

Visit the Wada’s

Present in the old city of Pune, this is a collection of houses with a courtyard in the center, where the people gather and use as a common space for drying clothes, gossiping or just letting the sunlight and rain into their houses.  You need to ask permission before entering though it is their private spaces.

National War Museum

The National War Memorial is a great attraction here which attracts a lot of people around the world. The National War Museum was worked in 1997 and is a dedication to Indian soldiers who relinquished their lives for the country. It was built up by the citizens of Pune under the Express Citizen Forum which set up the War Memorial Fund.

Tribal Museum

Located off Koregaon Road to the east of Pune City Stn, this unique museum houses interesting artifacts from the Sahyadri and Gondhwa regions of Maharashtra

Sinhagad and Kadakwasala

This is a fort nearby which is a beautiful place to see. This is also a historic place in King Shivaji era. Khadakwasala has a dam and this place is famous for natural beauty around. A lot of people come here during the rainy season.

Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum

The museum is housed in a Rajasthani style building situated close to the hustle and bustle of the busy Bajirao Road. It holds a collection of the most fascinating Indian arts and crafts that you would have ever seen. Mastani Mahal which was brought and erected as it was from its original form is a masterpiece amongst its other exhibits.

It has 36 sections which include carved palace and temple doors, 2,000-year-old pottery, traditional Indian lamps and 17th-century paintings.

Some of the exhibits in the museum

Nature

Pune is known for its nature, many numerous treks are present all along the city and waterbodies. 

Pawna

An adventure day at Pawna is a great mix of activities. Upon arrival, you can trek to Tikona Fort and ponder on the scenic beauty of the region. Then descend back to the campsite by lunch. After Lunch Indulge in various water activities at the lakeside. After spending some leisure time have evening snacks and start your return journey.

Camp at Vehle

This is an ideal place for loads of fun along with entertainment like never before. You can just relax by spending time around the campfire and gaze at the night sky or you can be a part of a few of the nature sharing activities.

Mulshi Lake and Dam

Head out to the Mulshi Lake and Dam to spend some alone time along with your family and friends on a weekend. Mulshi Lake is framed in the catchment zone of Mulshi dam. Known for its beautiful excellence because of Sahyadri ranges, Koraigadh and Dhangad forts, it is an ideal portal for nature lovers.

Falyan Jungle Camp

This could be a 2 day one night arranged tour where you camp near Jambhulpada in a place called Falyan. It is filled with greenery making sure you forget everything related to work in the city and just a peaceful time here. You could try your hands at rope course, archery, rifle shooting, night trails or just have a campfire for the night at the camp.

Bonfire during the night stay at the camp

Bhandardara Lake Camping

At Bhandardara you get to live your dream of living by a lake while listening to the sound of water lapping on the shore by your side and the peaceful ambiance around. If you come during the right time with a clear sky, you can star gaze watching constellations and relax making it a perfect weekend getaway.

Vaitarna River Rafting

Not only is it an important water source to Mumbai, it also serves as a hotspot for river rafting near Pune. It is a dam-controlled river, offering exhilarating rapids that appeal you to plunge into the waters and challenge the gruesome rapids.

Conducted twice around the day for around 2 hours, you can also enjoy cliff jumping, jeep safari and river swimming during this amazing experience.

Trekking

There are numerous treks all around Pune, and since it is more a youth crowd in the city, during weekends the treks are a major hit. Few of the major ones are

• Bhimashankar Trek
• Harihar Trek
• Overnight Trek to Ratangad
• Harishchnadragad Trek
• Kalsubai Trek
• Andharban Trek

Wine Tasting

There are several vineyards in Pune/Nashik, including well-known ones like the Soma Vineyards, the Sula Vineyards, and the York Winery. Others include the Vallone, the Grover Zampa, the Chateau d’ Ori, the Four Seasons Winery and the Chateau Indage Winery/Vineyard. They each offer a different experience and selection of wines you can taste.

Shop at

Fergusson College Road

Referred to by locals as simply FC Road, this is apparently one of the most sought-after shopping destinations in Pune. A favorite amongst the college-going crowd, this strip has it all.

HongKong Lane

Located in Deccan close to the Garware Bridge, this market area offers a broad assortment of bags, clothes, accessories, books, and footwear. If you are good at bargaining you can get a lot of stuff for a good rate here.

Laxmi Road

The busiest and longest markets of Pune, Laxmi Road comprises of a number of narrow side streets and by-lanes. The market is famous for clothes and jewelry shops. The road is the venue for Laxmi puja during the festival of Diwali. Take a walk along its street to get the whole street shopping experience. 

M.G Road/ Camp

Mahatma Gandhi Road, popularly known as Camp, serves not only as a shoppers haven but also as a perfect place to window shop! M.G. Road has shops selling gift items and other such articles. Many old and well-known shops, restaurants, bakeries and medical or optical practices are based here. MG Road is the best place for an evening hangout.

Fashion Street

It is just fascinating, the variety of stuff you can buy at Fashion Street. Everything that fits the range of a super-super mall can be bought. It is one of the posh markets of Pune, developed on the lines of Mumbai’s Fashion Street. It has as many as 450 stalls and serves a multitude of shopping needs, right from clothes to footwear. 

Bazaar walk at Pune Kasba

This tour takes you on an exciting yet knowledgeable journey through the oldest part of Pune. It is also called Kasba Peth and Kasba means market town while Peth means locality. The area was part of the Maratha Empire and grew during the reign of Shivaji and the Peshwas.

Experiences to have

• Shopping – walk into one of their numerous malls to get away from the heat and spend your noon window shopping and trying out delicious food at their food center.
• Gliding – Go for a joy ride in a glider and experience flying like a bird. You can also learn to fly gliders at the Gliding Centre, which is India’s oldest and till date the most active hub for gliding. The center is located at Hadapsar on the eastern side of the city. Flying activity is conducted from Sunday through Thursday.\
• Pune Cusine – The tour starts with a visit to a local house in Pune where the session is hosted. You can choose either dinner or lunch and a vegetarian or non-vegetarian meal. A visit to the bazaar or neighborhood market along with your host is the next activity.
• Bird Watching – Tourists can enjoy boating and bird viewing in some of the city parks of Pune. Migratory parks can be viewed throughout the year in Pune. If tourists can make it at the right time they can view many migrated birds in the parks.
• Amusement Parks – There are numerous amusement parks where you can go for a day spent on rides and fun. Visit Adlabs Imagica or Diamond waterpark to experience the joy rides.
• Pune Heritage Walk – Go for heritage walk jointly organized by Janwani and Pune Municipal Corporation. It’s a 3-hour walk starting from the PMC main building. The walk extends into the core city area of Old Pune. This 2.5 km walk is multi-thematic wherein people can learn about the 2000 years old history of Pune and visit 18 spots of architectural, historical and cultural importance.

Glide and explore the city from top

Temples and Churches

Daghdusheth Halwai Temple

If you are a Ganapati Bhakt and looking for some holy and spiritual place to visit while you are in Pune than Dagdusheth Halwai Temple is one of the must things to do in Pune. The deity of Lord Ganesha was incepted by Shri Dagdusheth Halwai and his wife Lakshmibai route back when they lost their lone child to the torment plague. Here every year the Ganapati festival is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm.

Omkareshwar Temple

It is one of the biggest and oldest temples present in Pune and stands proudly in all its glory even today. It was built during the Peshwa regime near the Mutha river. Its splendid architecture and massive domes are its major attractions. It is closed during the afternoon though so plan accordingly.

Parvati Hill

The Parvati Hill is a huge hillock that rises to 2100 feet above sea level. Parvati temple located on the top is one of the primary reasons why the hill is quite famous among the tourists and the locals. It possesses a special feature of being the oldest heritage structure in the city and it was built during the period of the Peshwa dynasty.

All Saint Church

The Church was consecrated on 29th October 1869 during the British regime. The Flags of those times are still preserved. Beautiful colored designs are made on the glasses. Glasses are imported from Belgium. wood for the Doors, Windows and other wooden articles was imported from Burma. The entire Church except the Pulpit is made up of stones.

Christ Church

Christ Church is said to be the biggest Church in Maharashtra and there are about 2000 members of the Church. A missionary from Scotland established this Church in 1831. Previously the worship used to take place in the bungalows of the missionaries, schools and after that in a rented hall in Sachapeer Street. Hence in 1895, the present day Church was built.

Nightlife Hot Spots

There are many places you can head to, for a good time out with friends but few of the famous ones are

• High Spirits
• Mi A Mi
• Mix@36
• Swig
• Stone Water Grill
• The Ship
• Area 51

Getting Around

The airport in Pune is a military base, and it caters mostly domestic flights; the only international flights are to Dubai and Frankfurt. It takes about an hour to reach the city from the airport. There is an exhaustive network of railways connecting Pune to all the key cities including Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai.

Buses also play a significant role in short distance travel. However, trains and planes are the best means of transportation. You can also use the taxi service with online service like Uber and Ola.

Best Time to Visit Pune

The student population in Pune dominates. Consequently, there are tons of festivals held in Pune every year. The Osho Festival and the Pune International Film Festival are crowd pleasers. January, February, and March bring tolerable temperatures and exciting festivals to town.

Local cuisine

Like most regional cuisines of India, the Maharashtrian thali is arranged to achieve a balance of flavors and nutrition.

So alongside chutneys, wafers (papad), chopped/grated salad (koshimbir), sprouts (usal) and lentils, both tempered (amti) and untempered (sadha varan), you will also find vegetables cooked in different ways (bhaji), rice (bhaat), rotis, yoghurt or buttermilk, and sweets (the popular ones being shrikhand/amrakhand, Gulab jam, kharvas, puran poli), followed by betel leaves stuffed with spices (vida).

For variety, head out to Koregaon Park. North Main Road is a lane with more than 50 restaurants. It offers a choice of cuisine including Italian, French, Mexican, Thai, Japanese and a variety of local Indian food; there is a restaurant to fit every taste and mood.

A full meal of Thaliin Pune

Where to stay

Backpackers can not get a budget location unless they book it ahead of time. Sumangal Youth Hostel gives you a clean bedroom with sunrise and sunset views at only 800 INR. If you participate in the Osho Festival, then Living Beautifully is the resort for you.

 Airbnb also is a good option in the city. If you want to make it to most of the tourist places it is now ideal to look for a place near one of the metro stations. It will save you a lot of time and money spent on travel. 

Depending on your budget you can check in on online sights like Make my trip or Yatra or Trivago to get the best deal.

How Safe is Pune

Pune isa safer city in India. There are numerous cops patrolling the roads in their vehicles, be it 4 wheelers or 2 wheelers. The cab and auto rickshaw drivers are also generally kind and help people when they are lost or in need of guidance.

December 22, 2017 1:15 am Published by Staff Writer