+91 93190 69993
+91 92115 65553
support@livetraveller.in
Maharashtra

Shivajidesai29 · Kailasanatha Temple-Ellora-Aurangabad-Maharashtra-IMG 9910.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Region · India

Maharashtra

A monolithic temple cut downward out of a cliff, thirty painted Buddhist caves, and a coastline that turns green for four months of the year.

Best timeNov–Feb · Jul–Sep (Ghats)
Ideal stay5–8 nights
Cave baseChhatrapati Sambhajinagar
GatewaysMumbai (BOM) · Pune (PNQ)
Overview

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is three separate trips that happen to share a border, and the honest way to plan it is to pick one or two rather than all three. The Deccan interior holds Ajanta and Ellora, two of the most important rock-cut sites anywhere and both inscribed by UNESCO in 1983. The Sahyadri escarpment behind Mumbai and Pune is hill-fort and waterfall country that is at its best in the monsoon, which is exactly when most of India stops travelling. And Mumbai is Mumbai — the country’s largest city, worth its own days rather than a night at either end. What links them is basalt: the same volcanic rock that the caves were cut into is what the Ghats are made of.

🗺 Interactive Map · Coming Soon

Explore the Maharashtra region on the map

City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.

📍 View Larger Map🗾 All India Regions🚆 Transport🏨 Hotels🍽 Restaurants
Cities & Places

Where to go in Maharashtra

Lonavala
Lonavala
Pune
Pune
Highlights

What Maharashtra Is Known For

Four things carry most itineraries here, and only two of them are in the same part of the state.

ElloraOver a hundred excavations in one basalt escarpment, 34 of them open — Buddhist, Hindu and Jain side by side, with artwork dated AD 600–1000. Cave 16, the Kailasa temple, was cut downward out of the cliff as a single piece of rock.
AjantaThirty Buddhist caves in a horseshoe gorge, cut in two phases separated by roughly five centuries, and holding the finest surviving ancient painting in India. Photography rules are strict inside and the light is deliberately low.
The SahyadrisThe Western Ghats behind Mumbai and Pune — Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran and a long list of hill forts. Green and running with water from July, brown and quiet by March.
MumbaiA working port city with Victorian Gothic and Art Deco in the same streets, an island fort at Elephanta, and the country’s densest food culture. Needs its own days, not an airport night.
When to Go

The Best Time to Visit Maharashtra

November to February is the easy answer and it is correct for the caves. The more useful answer is that the Ghats and the Deccan want opposite seasons.

November – FebruaryDry, clear and comfortable across the whole state. The right window for Ajanta and Ellora, when long days outdoors on open rock are pleasant rather than punishing, and the best time for Mumbai.
March – MayHot on the Deccan and humid on the coast. The caves become hard work by mid-morning. The hill stations hold up better and are at their quietest before the rain arrives.
June – SeptemberThe monsoon, and the reason to come if the Ghats are why you are coming. Waterfalls run, the forts turn green and the escarpment is spectacular. It is a poor season for the caves — the approach roads and the light both suffer.
A note on daysAjanta and Ellora each close one day a week, and they are not the same day. Check both before fixing the order of your nights, because getting it wrong costs a full day in a place with little else to do.
Getting Around

Reaching & Crossing Maharashtra

Distances here are real. Mumbai to the caves is roughly 400 km, and the drive is not the scenic part — fly or take the train and keep the driving for the Ghats.

Getting there

  • Mumbai (BOM) — the main international gateway, and the start of most trips that include the city or the coast.
  • Pune (PNQ) — well connected domestically and the better start for Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala and the fort country.
  • Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar — the airport and railhead for Ajanta and Ellora. Flying in here rather than driving from Mumbai is the single decision that makes the cave leg work.
  • Rail into Jalgaon is the alternative approach to Ajanta, 59 km from the site and useful if you are arriving from the north or east.

Getting around

  • A car with driver is the standard for the cave leg and for the Ghats; hill roads are winding and night driving is worth avoiding.
  • Mumbai is best handled without a car — the suburban rail, the metro and taxis beat parking anywhere in the south of the city.
  • Matheran allows no motor vehicles at all. You arrive on foot, on horseback or on the narrow-gauge toy train, which is the point of it.
  • Elephanta is reached by launch from the Gateway of India, and the boats stop in rough monsoon weather.
Suggested Itinerary

Six Nights in Maharashtra

Days 1–2

Mumbai

The Fort district and its Victorian Gothic, the Art Deco line along the bay, Elephanta by launch, and an evening walk that ends in dinner rather than a monument.

Day 3

To the Deccan

Fly or take the overnight train to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. A short afternoon at Daulatabad or the Bibi ka Maqbara settles you in.

Day 4

Ellora

Start at cave 16 before the coaches. The Kailasa temple takes longer than people expect; the Buddhist and Jain groups at either end are quieter and worth the walk.

Day 5

Ajanta

A long day out — 104 km each way, and the caves themselves are a climb along the gorge. The paintings need patience and low light; go slowly and see fewer.

Day 6

Ghats or home

Either fly out, or turn west into the Sahyadris for two or three nights at Mahabaleshwar or Lonavala — a different state entirely, and the right finish in the monsoon.

Continue Planning

Related to Maharashtra

The places in Maharashtra that have a guide of their own, and where to stay and eat once you are there.

AttractionKarla CavesAttractionBhaja CavesAttractionLohagad FortAttractionBhushi DamAttractionShaniwar WadaAttractionDagdusheth Halwai Ganpati TempleAttractionPune-Okayama Friendship GardenAttractionRajiv Gandhi Zoological ParkAttractionZapurza Museum of Art and CultureHotelWhere to StayRestaurantWhere to Eat
Frequently Asked Questions

Maharashtra Travel FAQ

No, and it is the most common planning mistake here. Ellora is roughly 400 km from Mumbai and Ajanta is a further 104 km beyond Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The caves need a base in that city and two full days — one per site — plus the night you arrive. Flying in rather than driving is what makes it comfortable.
They are different things. Ellora is architecture — over a hundred excavations in one escarpment, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain together, and the monolithic Kailasa temple that was cut downward out of the cliff. Ajanta is painting, in thirty Buddhist caves in a river gorge. If you only have one day, Ellora is the easier and more immediately impressive visit. If you care about the art, Ajanta is the one.
Five to eight nights for a proper version. Two in Mumbai, three around the caves, and two or three in the Ghats if you want them. Fewer than five and you are choosing one of the three rather than seeing the state.
For the Western Ghats, yes — it is the season they exist for, with waterfalls running and the forts at their greenest. For the caves it is a poor choice: the light inside is worse and the roads are slower. Pick the monsoon if the hills are the trip, and the winter if the caves are.
Yes. Ajanta and Ellora each have a weekly closing day and they fall on different days of the week, which is deliberate. Confirm the current days before you fix your itinerary — the sites are far enough apart that a wrong assumption costs a full day.
It works well if you want a city and a monument rather than a circuit. Mumbai is straightforward to travel in, the cave leg is a single simple base, and the internal flights are frequent. It is less suited to travellers who want everything within short drives of one another — Rajasthan and Kerala do that better.
Plan Your Trip

Design Your Maharashtra Journey

Tell us whether the caves, the Ghats or the city is the reason you are going, and we will build the days around that one — and say honestly when the other two should wait.

Plan My Maharashtra Trip →