Looking for suggestions for weekend trips from Pune

jeanc

Hi! I will be in Pune for 6 weeks (for work) through March and early-April, and am looking for suggestions for weekend trips. Will definitely make a trip to Mumbai and Goa. Would love to see the Taj Mahal - is that doable? Any other itineraries?

I leave in less than 2 weeks (short notice) and am waiting for my guidebooks to arrive so I was hoping to get a head start on some planning here.

Thanks!

SHIMLA

Weekend visits from Pune may include Kolhapur+Panhala; Sholapur+Pandharpur; Mahabaleshwar+Panchgani; Khandala+Lonavala; Nashik+Trimbakeshwar; and Matheran.

The Taj Mahal is in distant Agra and is not doable over a weekend.

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Indiafan

Lonavala is a nice, small town, a hill station. The trains from Pune to Mumbai stop there. Nearby are Karla and Bhaja Caves. Not as fancy as Ajanta or Elloora but if you are there ...

TimMakins

If you do go for a weekend to Mahabaleshwar, don't forget to visit the Pratapgarh Fort - one of the better ones in India.

Matheran is a lovely hill station - well worth a weekend's visit. There are some gorgeous, easy walks around this table-top resort, and some spectacular views at all points. And don't forget the Chikki.

Nashik, too, is a wonderful and ancient city to visit. Shimla is quite right to suggest all of these. There's one thing for sure - you won't need to bother with Mumbai !!

Tim in Ireland

PS - in Pune itself, don't miss the fascinating Raja Kelkar Museum

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jeanc

Thanks for all the info! This is definitely helpful information.

jivan

Don't know whether would be still in town but can recommend one book :-
52 weekend trips from Mumbai- Outlook traveller series Rs. 225/- Anybody needs any further info. can mail me at jivan28@gmail.com
You're actually in the wrong season for making any weekend trips. Right now summer is sitting in & the day temperatures in the late 30's (centigrade don't know the equivalent in farhenheit). So anywhere u go it will be hot. Mahableshwar could be an exception as its more in altitude.

Another good book is something called with Sahyadris (don't remember the author's name some Dr. ) but is available at Utkarsh Prakashan's Deccan for about Rs. 500 ( the last time I enquired). A book worth its weight in gold if u're fond of nature/trekking/travelling. Gives info. on all the possible permutations/combinations one can have with notes on technicalities (gradients/rock climbing with difficulty measurements & all). The book was actually written in marathi first where it became a best-seller & then was translated (brilliantly) in English.
A book to die for as well as serves as a beautiful gift to somebody inclined to travel/trekking in the sahyadris.

A CD which atleast IMO is the Maps of India 2006 CD. http://www.mapsofindia.com/ Again it's a steal atleast for westerners with the 995/- tag & at some establishments one can get a 10% discount. It's very detailed. Have been using the 2003 versions still to do all my travel initeries although it has become dated quite a bit but a killer product.

jivan

Hi all,
This is going to be a long post with things added later as & when I think of things to add to this . Be aware that the city is slightly expensive compared to other cities. The police are usually very co-operative & its supposed to be safe city (as far as women are concerned) :-

Travel :- It is well connected by Rail, Road as well as Airways.
Rail :- The mode preffered by masses for long & semi-long journeys. If one is coming by Rail then the Pune railway station provides lots of amenities. Would post a pic. later.
1.There is an 24 hr restaurant in the premises itself so one can eat there. The food is hot, decent & reasonably priced. If coming at some unearthly hour then couple of hours or so in the restaurant is also not a bad idea. It has a TV & all.
2. There are retiring rooms on the 1st floor on Platform 1 next to the main gate. Again if it's a single white female/women travelling then they could/should use this.
3. There are about 4-5 official entrances/exits from the station. Use the main exit as the no. of touts are much less than the other exit where touts are hanging about (The other exit from where foreigners are usually taken is the parcel exit where one can extract money from them.)
4. There is a pre-paid autorickshaw stand just outside the main exit. It's usually manned by a policeman/policewoman.It's better to take a pre-paid rickshaw. The distance between the station & Koregaon Park (where most of the westerners/foreigners live is around 3 to 3.5 km from station).
The fare of the rickshaw is Rs. 8/- the 1st km. & then Rs. 6/- per km. So one shouldn't have to pay for more than 20-25. Also if travelling early morning or unsure the policeman/policewoman does take u'r details with the no. of the rickshaw driver with his details so there's never an issue.
5. There is also 2-3 phone booth for making PCO, STD, ISD calls from Platform 1 for sure. There was some talk of having the same on Platform 2 but not sure.

Roads :- One has 2 options here. One is coming by Volvo & the other private car/taxi. Volvo usually do drop near to a place if requested before. Private taxis should drop you on the door-step.

Airport :- If flying in, then the Lohegaon Airport is where one is dropped. Its actually a military base which doubles up as a civilian airport. Hence international/domestic flights operate only in early mornings& late evenings. Don't know the latest as the last time to send/recieve a friend was about 6 months back. Outside the airport they say something absurd. You can get looted/cheated here quite easily. The best if possible is to have only an backpack/haversack & come outside on the highway. It's also something like 3.5 km from there to Koregaon Park.

Accomodation :- There are all kinds of accomodation available in the city. Koregaon park a single room with shared bathroom should set u back within Rs. 150-225 range while if looking for something better should get a good one with kitchen & all for about Rs. 8k for a month or something like this. A better bet if on budget is to have a room for couple of days & then hunt on one's own. Also Koregaon Park is home to the Osho commune which has its own blend of culture. More European/American casual culture & home to Bhagwan Rajneesh(controversial for his talks on sex,morality,Indian hyprocricy, spirituality). No flames here plz.

Meals :- This is where the city comes in its true colors. There is huge variety/diversity of foods available for a food connosieur to a roadie. One can survive/enjoy on Rs. 5 potato hamburger/Rs. 20 a thali to Rs. 300-400 for a 3-course buffet dinner. There are all sorts of different cuisine on offer right from indian, south-indian, north-indian to mexican, chinese, continental & what have u. Most of the good restaurants are open till 12:00-1:00 a.m.

Travel within the city :- Two options Rickshaw & 2-wheeler. 2-wheeler on rent should be within the Rs. 150-200 with petrol on oneself. There are now lots of ungeared vehicles for women.

Leisure activities :- There are too many places to see/share/know but would restrict to few which I find time just goes by :-

1.There are no. of multiplexes as well as couple of nature reserves around the city itself. There are no. of small hillocks/mountains as Pune is part of the Sahyadris but if alone (for women) then would suggest to come before the sun goes down.

2. Pune University/IUCAA :- http://www.unipune.ernet.in as well as http://www.iucaa.ernet.in/ can give insights about what goes on there. Suffice to say it has a huge botanical garden & a casual atmosphere with lots of green within the premises. The area is spread over something like 30 acres or more. Again, if alone not preferable after sun-down. If want to visit IUCAA then atleast a day or couple of days notice. Actually 28th Feb. would be an open science day (where the public gets to see what goes on/ is happening there.) Also the place is known for having the 1st super computer (Param) in its premises. Would be volunteering there the whole day.

3. Trekking :- If one is interested in trekking then suggest 2 organisations :-
1. Zhep parivar :- http://www.zatang.com/categories/lei...k/trekking.htm
2. Yuvashakti :- www.yuvashakti.org (they don't seem to have the site up but one can see the site from google's cache.
The difference between both of them is Yuvashakti is more targetted towards families & has a more picnic like atmosphere while Zhep tries to be a little raw but has tremendous community participation. Confession :- Last treks with both of them was around 4 yrs. back now do on my own hence no idea how the present is.

4. City/Bhavani Peth/ Shukrawar Peth :- Most of the city is being built European style (atleast that's what most of my European/American friends say, haven't been outside India so can't give an opinion) but these places one can see lots of the Peshwa culture as well as architecture/drawings. One has to see it to form an opinion. Can simply say it's different.

Shopping :- For shopping there are 2 places, namely:-
1. Camp (Main Street) which is around 3 1/2 kms 45 mins from Koregaon park. The fare should be in the 30's. It's being converted into a walking plaza & there are lots of places to shop/see & just enjoy the hustle/bustle of a growing metropolis. The goods are more up-market & are generally 15-20% higher than other places. Some places are highly efficient as well as honest while others just suck. Lots of malls have kicked in with all kinds of things so getting one's needs is not an issue. The good thing is that most of the Jeans/Shirts/T-shirts are of European size so if fat
in some places (ass, abdomen, stomach) then u should find u'r thing there. Most of the American/European labels exist. The place for classes. Most of the shops close by 8:30 p.m.

2. Laxmi Road :- This is the old time place. This is where the masses shop. It's more down-to-earth. Fully chaotic with traffic from all sides. Humans, vehicles & animals all share the same road & co-exist patiently. If wanna hear shrill voices with activity all around. One can get good chappals/sandals customized with soft leather (good stuff). Again most of the shops close by 8:30 p.m.

Lastly the dress code :- Around Koregaon Park one can dress anyway one wants but if going to the older part of the city City/Bhawani Peth/Shukrawar Peth atleast for women better if in a salwar-kameez with a chunni overhead. I know I might be sounding like a lame person but my thing why one needs to draw attention to oneself unnecessarily. For guys a kurta with some pants/jeans is o.k. Guys can get away almost with whatever they wear. Worse case - one is a crack head. Again, no flames here plz.

Hopefully somebody finds all this helpful.

P.S. :- Also there is a nice visa extension thing (Pune Commisionerate) where one can apply for extension of visas. A friend of mine got it done about 6 months back. Her experience was good.

prichh

Hi,

Definately helpful! I am visiting the Osho Meditation Center from Jan 23 - Jan 26. I enquired with the hotels and they are charging around $125 per night so..finally decided to stay in a share apartment. I am not sure how safe and decent would that be.

Any ideas?

-- Priyanka

nex815

Ajanta - Ellora Caves are a 6 hr drive from Pune. A place you can go ( even if you do not have company) and enjoy

new_traveller

Weekend trip to Tajmahal might be doable in case money is not a constaint. But still it would be too hectic.
I would say there are quite a lot fo other option for weekend trips from pune.
Just understand you can not travell and also enjoy the whole of india in 6 weekends, you will definetly miss viewing a lot of places. Just accept this fact and look forward to what all is doable. Let me know in case you need any help as I would be in Pune.

aviram

Prichh, sharing a place could be ok...but solely depends on who u r sharing it with. You may want to talk with me in private regarding the area and the $$$ that you are paying...or will pay.
You should be able to find decent hotels for $30-50 once u are there (though not in the heart of Koregaon Park).

There is also a backpackers lodge at Koregaon Park...dont remember the name.

@Nex815

Do keep in mind that Ajanta is 100 kms away from Ellora...i got caught in the AJanta-Ellora crap...as they are usually named together...but in reality are 2 1/2 hrs apart...and have nothing to do with each other historically either. But brilliant nevertheless...

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nex815

Yep ... I knew about it. I planned my day trip accordingly.

A tip - You can by pass Aurangabad when travelling from Ajanta to Ellora (or back). You have to go through Phulambari. Most buses pass through Phulambari. Worked brilliantly for me. I was able to save atleast an hour.

jivan

Mind telling me/us the location of this lodge. Is it or North Main Road or the South Main Road or somewhere in-between. If you wanna take the conversation via PM even then no issue with me. This would be interesting to know.