Pune Travel Guide: Shaniwar Wada, Forts, Festivals and Flights
Pune is a city in the western part of Maharashtra. Maharashtra Tourism, the state's tourism body, and Incredible India, the Ministry of Tourism's website, both call it the "Oxford of the East", a name Incredible India links to the city's educational institutions. The city's sights include Shaniwar Wada, once the seat of the Peshwas, and the Aga Khan Palace.
Pune district has rock-cut caves and hill forts, among them Shivneri and Lohagad, which are components of a World Heritage site inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Flights land at Pune International Airport (PNQ), at Lohegaon, and the main direct routes recorded from there are named below. The India travel guide covers the rest of the country.
What to see in Pune
The sights below are Shaniwar Wada, the Aga Khan Palace, the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, the Pataleshwar Cave Temple, the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple and some other places in and around the city.
Maharashtra Tourism says Pune became the centre of political and administrative activity for the Maratha Empire in the early 1700s, under Balaji Vishwanath. Peshwa rule ended in 1818, when the British won the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
Shaniwar Wada
Shaniwar Wada was the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire. Incredible India says construction began under Peshwa Baji Rao I in 1732, that a fire consumed the palace in 1828, and that today only its foundation remains standing.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) lists it as a centrally protected monument, under the name "Old citadel known as Shanwar Wada".
Aga Khan Palace
Incredible India says Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III built the Aga Khan Palace in 1892. Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Sarojini Naidu were held there during the Quit India Movement, and Maharashtra Tourism describes the building today as a museum of Gandhi's life.
The ASI lists the Aga Khan Palace Building as a centrally protected monument.
Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum
The Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum was established in 1962. As of October 2026, the museum's own visiting page gives its hours as 10.00 am to 5.30 pm and says it is open throughout the year, except on 26 January, 15 August, Anant Chaturdashi and the day after Anant Chaturdashi.
Anant Chaturdashi falls on a different date each year, so check it for the year you travel. Admission is charged, and the current hours and holidays are on the museum's plan a visit page.
The same page lists Shaniwar Wada, Laal Mahal, Vishrambaug Wada, Sarasbaug, Parvati and the Dagdusheth temple among the places near the museum.
Pataleshwar Cave Temple
Incredible India describes the Pataleshwar Cave Temple as a rock-cut temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, carved out of a single rock. The ASI lists it as "The Cave Temple of Bhamburda (pataleshwar)".
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple
The Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha, built in the late 19th century. The temple trust's own festivals page lists the Ganesh Utsav; a music festival, held from Gudi Padwa to Ram Navami to mark the temple's foundation day; and a mango festival on Akshaya Tritiya.
Other places in and around the city
Parvati hill, the Pune Okayama Friendship Garden (also called Pu La Deshpande Udyan), the Darshan Museum and Khadakwasla Dam on the Mutha River are among the other places Maharashtra Tourism lists for Pune district, and it calls Morachi Chincholi "renowned for its peacock population".
Forts and caves around Pune
UNESCO inscribed the Maratha Military Landscapes of India as a World Heritage site in 2025, and Shivneri Fort and Lohagad are among its component forts. The ASI protects both, and its list places both in Pune district, along with the forts at Rajmachi and Visapur.
Shivneri is in the Junnar taluka of Pune district, and Maharashtra Tourism calls it the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Its Lonavala page lists Lohagad among the town's sights, with views over Pawna Lake and the surrounding hills.
Sinhagad Fort, originally called Kondhana Fort, is a popular trekking destination, according to Maharashtra Tourism. Incredible India names the Rajmachi, Sinhagad and Harishchandragad treks.
Maharashtra Tourism lists the Karla and Bhaja Caves, both Buddhist rock-cut caves, among Lonavala's sights, and says the Karla Caves house the largest rock-cut chaitya in India. The ASI protects the cave temples at Karla, Bhaja, Bedsa and Junnar, and the caves at the Nana Pass.
Lonavala and Bhigwan
Lonavala
Lonavala is a hill station in the Sahyadri range, with its own railway station. Besides Lohagad, Rajmachi and the Karla and Bhaja Caves, Maharashtra Tourism names Bhushi Dam, Tiger's Leap, Pawna Lake, Ryewood Park and Shivaji Udyan, and chikki as a local sweet.
According to Maharashtra Tourism, Lonavala is a year-round destination, the monsoon, from June to September, is the most popular time to visit, and winter, from October to February, brings pleasant, cool weather. Monsoon visits need rain gear, as roads can be slippery.
Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary
Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary is on the backwaters of the Ujani Dam on the Bhima River. Maharashtra Tourism says it attracts a wide variety of migratory birds, especially in the winter months, and that it is often called the "Bharatpur of Maharashtra".
Festivals in Pune
Incredible India places the Ganesh Festival in Pune in August or September, and Maharashtra Tourism dates the start of the city's public Ganeshotsav to 1892. Because the festival can fall in either month, check the dates for the year you travel.
Maharashtra Tourism lists the Sawai Gandharva Sangeeth Mahotsav for December, and Incredible India names the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival as held annually. Incredible India says the Pune International Film Festival attracts cinema enthusiasts every January.
When to visit Pune
Official sources give different best months for Pune. Maharashtra Tourism's district page recommends July to February in one place and July to March in another, and calls March to June hot and not ideal for travel because of high temperatures.
Incredible India says the best time is between October and February, and advises avoiding June to September for the heavy monsoon rains and March to May for the summer heat. The India Meteorological Department's Meteorological Training Institute, working from climate normals for 1951 to 1980, says Pune receives rain from June to September and names October to May as the best period for a visit.
Flying to Pune
Pune's airport is Pune International Airport, a civil enclave at Lohegaon run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The airport page covers the terminal and the ways into the city.
The site's schedule data records direct domestic flights from Pune to Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, and also to Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Goa (Dabolim) and Lucknow. Each name links to its route page.
The airlines recorded on these routes include IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, Star Air and Akasa Air.
The Pune Metro
Maha-Metro, which runs the Pune Metro, shows two corridors on its route map. Corridor 1 passes through stations including Bhosari, Kasarwadi, Dapodi, Shivaji Nagar, District Court, Kasba Peth and Mahatma Phule Mandai to Swargate. Corridor 2 runs from Vanaz through stations including Garware College, Deccan Gymkhana, District Court, Pune Railway Station, Bund Garden, Yerawada and Kalyani Nagar to Ramwadi.
AAI's transport table for the airport lists the metro rail system as not available. Both corridors stop at District Court. Maha-Metro's website, which carries the route map, also lists a fare chart and a train timetable.
Questions about visiting Pune
When is the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune open?
As of October 2026, the museum's own page gives 10.00 am to 5.30 pm, throughout the year except 26 January, 15 August, Anant Chaturdashi and the day after. Anant Chaturdashi's date changes each year, so check the museum's page before you go.
What is the best time to visit Pune?
Maharashtra Tourism recommends July to February (July to March elsewhere on the same page), and Incredible India recommends October to February. The India Meteorological Department's Meteorological Training Institute names October to May, from 1951 to 1980 climate normals.
Is there a World Heritage site in Pune district?
Yes. Shivneri Fort and Lohagad are component forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India, which UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2025, and the ASI's list places both in Pune district.
When is the Ganesh festival in Pune?
Incredible India places the Ganesh Festival in Pune in August or September. Check the dates for the year you travel, as the festival can fall in either month.