Pune, the Cultural Capital of Maharashtra, at a Glance

Pune Weather
Pune climate is quite pleasant making it pleasurable for the tourist to visit the city at any time of the year. Summers are relatively hot with maximum temperatures ranging from 35 to 42°C. But Pune does not get very hot even during the peak summers. The nights in Pune are significantly cooler than most other parts in this region owing to the city’s high altitude. Monsoon is really fun in this city. With hills at the backdrop city is bestowed with lush green lending a natural scenic view to the city. With monsoon the city blooms and makes it more appealing to the visitors. The average rainfall is approx 550mm. Winters are generally dry. The climate in Pune is often pleasant during the month of November.

Best time to visit Pune:
Pune can be visited at any time of the year. However the best time to visit Pune is during the period of October to March.

Places to see in Pune
Pune with its rich cultural heritage and architectural feats from the Mughal period offer several tourist attractions to the visitors. These tourist destinations are popular weekend getaways from Pune. Some of the popular tourist attractions you shouldn’t miss while touring Pune are:

• Aga Khan Palace – This is a historic landmark with Italian arches, salons, suites and spacious lawns. During the 1942 Quit India Movement, the British jailed Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi here.

• Parvati Hill temples – Parvati temple is nestled at a hill top and gives a vertical glimpse of Pune. Built by Balaji Baji Rao the temple can be accessed by climbing 108 steps.

• Pataleshwar Caves - This is an 8th century rock cut temple at Shivajinagar. The temple has been carved out of a single boulder of a huge size. You will find several massive pillars, a Shiva shrine and a Nandi bull within the temple.

• Bund Garden- also known as Mahatma Gandhi Udyan, this garden was built by Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy, to supply water to the poor during summers. Tourists can indulge in evening boat rides, horse rides etc.

• Sinhagad and Khadakwasala – These places are the most popular Pune monsoon weekend getaways. This beautiful fort stands tall as a symbol of bravery of the Maratha dynasty. Khadakwasala dam is famous as a major water supply to the city. Both these places have been blessed by startling natural beauty.

• Bhimshankar Wildlife Sanctuary- Declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1974 Bhimshankar Wildlife comprises of semi-evergreen forests as well as western tropical hill forests.

Pune Museums
Pune is quite significant from historical and culture point of view. Museums are the testimony of this rich history and tell you about the city’s royal heritage and lifestyles of the contemporary times. These museums are the warehouse of several artifacts that dates back to as far back as 17th century. Some of the renowned museums are:

• Tilak Museum

• National War Museum

• Tribal Museum

• Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum

• Mahatma Phule Museum

• Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum

Places of excursions near Pune:
Pune offers myriad of excursions that shouldn’t be missed while on a tour to Pune. From forts to pilgrims, caves to temples, varieties are ample to meet all your needs. Some popular excursions are:

• Alandi

• Bhaja Caves

• Bhimashankar Temple

• Bhuleshwar Temple

• Dehu

• Jejuri Temple

• Karla Caves

• Malshej Ghat

• Shirdi

• Shivneri Fort

Pune Worship Places

• Chaturshringi Temple

• Fire Temple

• Ganapati Temple

• Pataleshwar Cave Temple

• St. Mary's Church

Beaches near Pune:
There are several beaches near Pune which are great weekend destinations from Pune. Diveagar beach lies in Konkan region and is one of the popular weekend getaways from Pune. The beach is surrounded by small village at the back drop of lush green foliage. Some other popular beaches are Dapoli, Diveagar, Kashid, Murud and many more.

Hill-stations around Pune
Pune is situated amidst numerous beautiful hill stations which are amongst the best hill stations of India. This provides ample scope for the Puneites to head for weekend getaways taking a break from the hustle-bustle of the city and hectic college and work schedule. Some of the most sought after Hill-stations around Pune are:

• Lonavala & Khandala

The closest hill station to Pune is the Lonavala and Khandala. This is a preferred destination amongst the young genre. The natural beauty of his place has also made it the favorite shooting destination for bollywood. Monsoon evidences maximum crowd in this region.

• Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a famous hill station in Maharashtra. It’s a honeymooner’s paradise. The best time to visit is during the months of winter from October to January. This region receives tourist from across the globe who comes to spend their winter vacation and rejuvenate their soul in the midst of nature.

• Panchgani

Panchgani is another beautiful hill station 20 km East of Mahabaleshwar. The climate of Panchgani is cool and pleasant with pollution free as the automobiles are banned after a certain point. The place is also famous for boarding schools.

• Matheran

Matheran is another pollution free region located 120 km away from Pune. Vehicles are banned here keeping the environment pure and clean. Monsoon is the best time to visit Matheran. This is an ideal destination for the honeymooners and perfect weekend destinations for the Puneites.

Shopping in Pune

Pune is shopper’s paradise. Shopping is itself a fun activity to indulge in and if it is in Pune the fun becomes all the more. This owes to the city’s great numbers of shopping malls, shopping complexes and shopping streets that are always flocked by thousands of buyers both locals and tourists everyday. The shopping malls in the city are one convenient way of shopping where you get all your brands and preferences under one roof. These malls are also one of the favorite hang out zones for the city’s young genre. These malls remain crowded through out the year because of the convenience, grandeur, trendy collections and pleasant ambiance they provide. Since the city is mostly dotted with young generation shopping is more like a time-pass activity with people looking for nothing specific but anything that comes their way to buy. Some of the popular shopping streets in Pune are:

• Fashion Street : The Fashion Street is a replica of Mumbai’s fashion street. The street consists of several small shops catering to all kinds of clothing needs from footwear to fashion.

• M.G. Road Pune : M.G. Road is one of the most expensive areas of Pune. This is the one-stop destinations for all brand loyal customers and buyers. All branded show rooms and shops are located here.

• J.M. Road : Several branded store are opening on J.M Road which can be referred as mini MG road. The road is also popular for Jungli Maharaj Temple located at the end of the road.

• F.C. Road Pune : The road is named after the famous college named Fergusson College. This road is popular for roadside shops. Sagar Arcade is one of the popular shopping complexes at FC Road.

Some of the popular shopping malls at Pune are:

• Pune Central

• Shoppers Stop

• Ishanya Mall Pune

• Kakde Mall Pune

• SGS Mall Pune

• Big Bazaar

• Vishal Mega Mart

• Sagar Arcade

• Aditya Shagun Mall

• Nucleus Mall

• City Mall

• Tangent The Furniture Mall

Place to eat in Pune

Pune offer several places that suit your appetite. You will find almost every delicacy you can name of, be it regional or continental, Indian or Chinese, snacks or street foods, Pune has it all. You will never have any scarcity in finding restaurants and food joints while visiting Pune. Pune is a heaven for foodies. Some of the popular restaurants in Pune are:

• The Galaxy Grill Greek Tavern Restaurant

• Rahul Restaurant

• Polka Dots

• The Klove Restaurant

• Flavours, Seasons Hotel

• Magnolia Restaurant

• Tareef

• Hotel Greenpark

• Stone Water Grill

• Post 91

• Le Kebabiere

• Barbe-Q Nation

• The Orchid

• La Meridian

• Pride Hotel

Following restaurants are renowned for serving Maharashtrian Thali, immensely popular among different sections of people:

• Annkut

• Durvankur

• Fish Curry Rice

• Kaveri

• Sukanta

• Taat Baat

• Mayur

• Chandrakanta

• Cream Center

• Malvanche Kalvan

Some of the best restaurants for Breakfast in Pune are:

• Aromas

• Blue Diamond Coffee Shop

• Mad House Grill

• Spice Kitchen

• Shree Krishna

• Katakirr

• Wadeshwar

• Prem’s

• RamKrishna

• Terttulia

Some of the popular sea-food restaurants are:

• Sarja Restaurant

• Oh Calcutta

• Southern Spice Restaurant

• Coconut Grove

• Nisarg

• Up and Above

• Malwani Gajali

• Thomson Restaurant

• Curry Spices

• Rahul

Some of the best Buffet Restaurants in Pune:

• Barbeque Nation

• Hotel Parc Estique

• The Yellow chilli

• Sigree

• Mainland China

• Nawab Asia Restaurant

• Tangerine

• Spice Kitchen

• Seasons Restaurant

• The Orient

Popular street food joints in Pune:

• Shiv Sagar

• Zaika Pure Veg.

• Anand Express

• Mumbai Chowpatty

• Manmeet Chaat Joint

• Ram Krishna veg.

• Sampan Food Court

• Maurya Pure Veg Restaurant

• Shyamoli Food Corner

Popular delicacies in Pune:

Here I am going to name some delicacies in the city of Pune. These delicacies are greatly preferred by Puneites as well as visitors. You tour in the city can remain incomplete without a bite in some of the specialty foods in Pune.

• Misal Pav at Bedekar : Misal Pav is one of the favorite foods of the Puneites. Bedekar Misal, located in Shagun Chawk is famous for this Puneri food Misal since 50 years.

• Sizzlers at Yana : Yana Sizzlers and Wok is a wonderful place to eat sizzlers at Yana. Located in Gold Adlabs Mall in Kalyani Nagar, it keeps attracting the sizzlers lovers from all over the city.

• Pithla Bhakri at Sinhgad : Pitla and Bhakri with Thecha is the most loved food among the visitors. This is one of the rural dishes of Maharashtra.

• Sandwiches at Marz-O-Rin : Located at M.G.Road, Opposite to bombay stores, Pune, Marz-O-Rin is famous for sandwiches. You should not miss the chutney sandwich at Marz-O-Rin if you are passing by MG Road.

• Vada pav at Joshi Vadewala : Vada Pav is one of the common and popular Puneri food, very popular among the college and office goers. Opposite Balgandharva Rangamandir, Joshi Vadewala is famous for serving Vada pav to puneites.

• Burger at Burger King : Burger king is located at Phul Gate, Opp. Talwarkars, East Street, Camp, Pune. It’s an authentic burger joint which is renowned for serving affordable burger to the Puneites and the visitors. Well, the place is also popular among the veggies.

Night Clubs, Pubs and Lounges of Pune

Pune night life is really exciting with growing number of pubs, bars and lounges. Pune is definitely a paradise for the night freaks. You can attend a rock show or concert or simply shake your legs in the night club after a day’s visit in the historical and cultural places in the city of Pune. Pune night cubs are the ideal places to relax and get drenched in the world of music with popular national and international brands.
Some popular night clubs in Pune are:

• Club Polaris

• Ten Downing Street Nightclub

• Scream bar

• Not Just Jazz By The Bay Bar

• Stone Water Grill

• Shisha Café

• Kiva

• High spirits

• Hard Rock Café

• Zk’s

Popular lounges in Pune:

• Stone Water Grill

• One Lounge

• Aquaa The Water Lounge

• SKYE

• Soho Bar Pune

• Firangi Pani

• Leather Lounge

• Sen5es Restaurant and Lounge

• En Vogue

• Lush Lounge and Grille Bar

Bars in Pune:

• Hard Rock Café

• High Spirits

• Hidden Place

• Apache Restaurant and Bar

• Firangi Pani

• East Street Cafe

Pubs in Pune

• Kiva

• Soho's

Osho International Commune Today Pune is one of the must sought travel destination in Maharashtra and in India. Pune’s attractions are huge and have appealed to both domestic and foreign tourists. One of the must visit Pune attraction is the Osho International Commune. Osho Commune International is an ashram founded by Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain, popularly known as Osho. Situated in one of the posh areas, Koregaon Park of Pune, Osho Ashram is mainly famous for the meditation courses it offers. It is also a popular tourist destination located away from the hectic pace of city life. People come here to heal themselves through self-discovery which has given the ashram the name ‘Spiritual Disney Land'. Countless visitors flock to Osho Commune International for either short visits or several months’ attendance, to participate in daily meditation or the exhaustive programs of Osho Multiversity or contribute practically. It’s a center of alternative living where people from all countries and occupations come to experience meditation. All activities, be it creative arts or healing, food preparation or sports, takes place in the context of healing.