Pune[1]is inMaharashtra,India. It is second largest city in the state and is considered the state's cultural capital. The city contains the headquarters of an administrative division officially known as thePune division.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.
Pune has a glorious history of nearly 1600 years. Pataleshwar caves (Near Jangli Maharaj Road) from the 5th century is an evidence to Pune’s old settlements. Rashtrakut (राष्ट्रकुट) Kings had built a beautiful temple of Shiva called Punyeshwar, which was unfortunately destroyed during Sultan’s attack on city in 13th century. Since Pune is in the state of Maharashtra, most of the residents are Marathas (or Maharashtrians).
There is a lot to be said about Pune being called "Oxford of the East". Simply put, Pune is a bona fide, one hundred percent university town. Although town it isn't, it seems too much to call it a University city. There are colleges and institutes galore here. From engineering (COEP) to medicne (BJ), arts (FC) to science (SP), Pune has everything. And it has the single most variety of students in India; Besides, there are students from outside India. What this all means is that in Pune, you're always young. The vibrancy is tremendous; for example just stroll along Fergusson road on a Saturday evening. It's full, crowded and thriving and extremely lively. Or go to Durga Coffee House on Paud Road near MIT College in early December or early June at about 12 midnight. You will see a massive crowd of students gulping down hot coffee in an attempt to stay awake for their examinations.
The climate of Pune is quite pleasant. Pune has three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Summers are typically hot with maximum temperatures ranging from 35 to 42°C. The warmest month in Pune is generally April as compared to the rest of the Deccan Plateau where it is May.
Pune does not get very hot, even during peak summer the air is cool and even standing under a tree can give respite form the heat. However, as sunlight can be intense leading to skin tan and sun-burn, be sure to carry and use sunscreens (above SPF-30). The nights in Pune are significantly cooler than most other parts in this region owing to its high altitude.
The average rainfall is approx 550mm. The city often receives local and heavy thundershowers with heavy downpours in May, which brings down the temperature. The rainy season can sometimes be gloomy, with cloud cover for days together. In winter, day temperatures can be as low as 24 - 28°C and temperatures at night as low as 5 - 8°C. Winters are generally dry. Normally, the climate in Pune is pleasant during the month of November.
Attitudes in Pune are liberal. The city used to be very traditional and conservative, but times have changed. The city is not the conservative small-town of old, but now is a much more open-minded developed city.
Pune is a fairly cosmopolitan city. AlthoughMarathiis the official language of the city and also the most common language spoken on the streets, most people also speakHindialong with English.
Pune, despite being considered a small city, is growing very fast. Some its prominent areas are:
Pune is a major transportation hub for Western Maharashtra. It serves as the gateway for the numerous hill stations in the Sahyadri Hills.
Pune currently does not have a civil airport to its name. All commercial air carriers operate from the military airport located at Lohegaon. Pune airport[4]is served by almost all domestic carriers. The number of flights is however limited since the airport is under the control of the Air-force. Currently, international flights operate only toDubai,SingaporeandFrankfurt. If getting a direct flight proves difficult, then taking a flight toMumbaiand then traveling by taxi or train to Pune is a feasible option. A long-distance private taxi journey should take around three hours and costs about Rs 1600.
The airport is in Lohegaon, which is around 10km from the city center, and takes about 30 minutes - 1 hour to reach (depending on traffic conditions).
Flights connecting Pune:
Pune is well connected to other Indian cities by rail[14].
Pune City Station is an above average Indian station, with an information booth, an internet cafe and computerized ticket booking office. Trolleys are not available, but porters can be hired to help with luggage. Licensed porters wear a red shirt with a metallic arm-band bearing their serial number. The official rates in Maharashtra currently are as follows-
Below is a list of services connecting Pune with different parts of India:
North India:
1077 JHELUM EXPRESS fromPUNEtoJAMMURoute - Pune, Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Itarsi , Bhopal , Jhansi , Gwalior , Agra , New Delhi , Ambala , Ludhiana , Jalandhar , Chakki Bank and JAMMU
2263 DURONTO EXP fromPuneJn toNew DelhiRoute - Nonstop Train between Pune and New Delhi.
2147 NIZAMUDDIN EXP from Chhatrapati Shahumaharaj TerminusKolhapurtoNew Delhivia Pune. Route - Kolhapur , Pune, Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Itarsi , Bhopal , Jhansi , Gwalior , Agra and New Delhi
2629 SAMPARK KRANTI EXP fromYesvantpurtoNew Delhivia Pune.Route - Yesvantpur , Hubli , Miraj , Pune , Bhopal , Jhansi and New Delhi
2779 GOA EXPRESS fromVasco da Gama , GoatoNew DelhiRoute - Vasco Da Gama , Madgaon , Londa , Belgaum , Miraj , Pune , Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Itarsi , Bhopal , Jhansi , Gwalior , Agra and New Delhi
2781 SWARNA JAYANTHI EXP fromMysoretoNew DelhiRoute - Mysore , Hassan , Arsikere , Hubli , Miraj , Pune , Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Itarsi , Bhopal , Jhansi , Gwalior , Agra and New Delhi
1090 PUNE JODHPUR EXP frompunetoJodhpurRoute - Pune , Kalyan , Vasai , Valsad , Surat , Vadodara , Ahmedabad , Abu , Marwar and Jodhpur
6508 JODHPUR EXPRESS fromBangaloretoJodhpurviaPuneRoute - Bangalore , Arsikere , Hubli , Miraj , Pune , Kalyan , Vasai , Valsad , Surat , Vadodara , Ahmedabad , Abu , Marwar and Jodhpur
6534 YESVANTPUR JODHPUR EXP fromYesvantpurtoJodhpurviaPuneRoute - Yesvantpur , Guntakal , Hospet , Hubli , Belgaum , Miraj , Pune , Kalyan , Vasai , Valsad , Surat , Vadodara , Ahmedabad , Abu , Marwar and Jodhpur
2103 PUNE LUCKNOW EXP from Pune to LucknowRoute - Pune , Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Itarsi , Bhopal , Jhansi , Kanpur and Lucknow
2149 PUNE PATNA EXP from Pune to PatnaRoute - Pune , Daund , Manmad , Bhusaval , Khandwa , Jabalpur , Satna , Allahabad , Mughal Sarai and Patna
Express trains serving Pune are listed below. The names of the trains are in bold.
State Government run Vs Private Buses
Tourists traveling between Pune and Mumbai are advised to travel by the state government run buses (MSRTC) wherever possible. These buses cost the same, are as comfortable as the private buses, run very frequently (every 15 mins) and are also punctual. You can be sure of reaching your destination within the stipulated time. Most of the private buses wait till they get enough passengers before departing - which causes a lot of delay in getting to your destination.
Pune is served by three national highways (NH) and an expressway.
Bus Stations in Pune
City buses in Pune are run by thePMPML[15]. Although the vehicles are crowded and smoke-belching, the network is very extensive. Almost all parts of the city are connected by the PMPML city buses. Major city bus stands include Corporation, Shivaji Nagar, Swargate, Kothrud depot, Nigdi, Hadapsar, Katraj and Deccan. Shivaji Nagar is believed to be the busiest bus stand in the state ofMaharashtra.The fareis calculated by distance, and ranges from Rs 3 (9 US cents) to Rs 16 (35 US cents).
Pune Darshan buses are run by the PMPML and provide a guided tour of the city. Only twoPune Darshanservices are air-conditioned. The buses go around Pune and cost Rs 72 per head for the General bus and Rs 140 per head for the Luxury Bus. The tour starts at 9 AM and ends by 5 PM and more information about these tours can be found by visiting the website[16]or by calling the office at: 020-32930008 / 020-25510069(Deccan). The route of the bus is as follows:
Pune Station - Pataleshwar - University of Pune - Chaturshringi - Ambedkar Museum - Tilak Museum - Shaniwar Wada - Lal Mahal - Dagdu Seth Halwai Ganpati - Phule Waada - Saras Garden - Peshwa Zoo - Mahalaxmi Temple - Swami Vivekanand Museum - Snake Park - Mahadji Scindia's Chatri - National War Museum - Tribal Museum - Osho Garden Park - Aga Khan Palace - Deccan Gymkhana - Pune City Station.
There is also a huge army of three wheeledrickshaws. There are someprepaid rickshaw standsat Shivajinagar, Swargate Bus Depot and Lohegaon Airport. Nevertheless, always demand that they use the meter and that they show you the sheet of paper (referred as Tariff Card) which converts the rickshaw meter readings to the actual cost in rupees. As of July 2010 the conversion equation is :Cost = 8 * Reading + 3, where "Cost" is the actual fare in rupees and "Reading" is the meter reading which is supposed to be Kilometers traveled. Thus a 2 on the meter is actually Rs (8*2 + 3) = Rs 19. Or a 3.50 on the meter is Rs (3.5*8 + 3) = Rs 31.
The driver may occasionally stop to ask for directions depending on how familiar he is with the area. All rickshaws plying in the Municipal Corporation limits are supposed to charge fare according to tariff card. Most of the times they will try to charge you a little extra but that won't be too much. You can very well argue with them based on the conversion equation stated above, and sometimes they will agree to it.
Now a days, many auto rickshaw drivers try to charge extra for long distances or very short distances, or they refuse the fare. If they realise you are not from the city, they may try to take longer routes to the destination to charge extra money from you. There is no well defined procedure to complain regarding such issues and get immediate action. Thus, outsiders and foreigners, use your own judgement before boarding any auto rickshaw. Stick to the demand of charging by meter and refuse strongly to pay any extra amount, unless it is midnight. Autorickshaw drivers may also refuse to travel to quite a few parts of the city as per their convenience.
It is very common for rickshaw drivers plying between 11 PM and 6 AM to demand 1.5 times the normal rates for the journey. You are advised to get this cleared with the driver before boarding the rickshaw. It is also sometimes advisable to flag a rickshaw from the streets (if practical and possible) instead of boarding one from the stands as often, rickshaw drivers waiting in stands demand more fare.
This city was once known as thecity of bicycles, but now it has turned into thecity of motorcycles. The general attitude towards riding motorbikes in the city is that of total ignorance of any set forth traffic regulations along with complete disregard of one's safety (not wearing a helmet). Here people ride motorbikes as if they are riding a war horse and will generally try to overtake every vehicle in front. Minor accidents on motorbikes are common; You are advised to be careful even when your signal is green as the traffic flow from other direction generally does not stop immediately.
Pune's roads might turn to horrid potholes from smooth tarmac in matter of seconds when it rains. Always be on a lookout. If you are driving a car always be careful, since motorbike riders may overtake you from left or right and cut lanes without warning. Of late, there has been an improvement by addition of a number of bicycle tracks all over.
That said, if you do want to hire a two wheeler, there are two outfits who rent '2 wheels' in Pune. A 100cc Bajaj Platina will cost 200 INR a day and an automatic Honda scooter will cost 300 INR. If you are planning on day trips from Pune you would be best with the larger wheels and light weight of a motorcycle rather than a scooter. Both outfits will most likely deliver to your accommodation if you ask nicely.
ThePune Suburban Railwayconnects Pune to Lonavala, a small town en-route toMumbai. There is only one line with seventeen stations; a second monorail line is under consideration by the government. Here is a list of all the stations, east to west. The places of interest are listed in brackets. Italics indicate the various modes of transport available at the destination station.
There is quite a lot of traffic on Pune roads and driving through the narrow lanes is not easy. Even if you have driven before inCairoorKolkata, driving on Pune's streets isn't child's play.
There are quite a few car rental agencies in Pune. Most of them charge around Rs 2500 a day for a mid-size car. There are extra charges for distances above 100 km.
Pune is the cultural capital of Maharashtra. The Marathi film industry is also based here.
Diveagar is among few beaches of konkan. It is approximately 180 kms away from Pune. It takes around 5 hours to reach there. This is a very beautiful beach. It is a small village surrounded by greenery. It is better to go for two days (one night stay). Good veg and non veg food is available. Don't forget to have veg food of Mr Bapat. His speciality is Modak (a veg sweet item)(yummy tasty)
Malshej Ghat:Malshej Ghat is among the most popular outing spot from Pune. This place is located amidst the sahyadri Hills. This place is popular among the local as well as other tourists. It is a perfect place for nature lovers, where they can spend their holidays. Malshej Ghat is one of the beautiful Hill stations of Maharashtra. There are many beautiful locations and some beautiful waterfalls which tourists to fall in love with this place.
Temple Pilots Paragliding Club[23]Nirvana Paragliding[24]Native Place Getaway - Kamshet[25]
A day trip from Pune
Pune - Bhuleshwar - Purandar - Sinhagad - Pune
This round trip takes in some of the interesting hill forts around Pune. Total distance is about 220km and will take 6 hours just to drive the loop, with lunch and sightseeing added on. The full trip could take up to 12 hours so leave a full day. It is suggested that this trip is undertaken either by motorcycle or 4WD due to the state of some of the roads that are encountered. It is possible to make the journey in a regular car (and many do - even auto ricks) but it will take longer and there will be a heavy toll on the cars suspension. To be as safe as possible you would also want some experience on driving on broken/ unsurfaced roads and dealing with the challenges of driving in India.
Leave Pune on the National Highway 9 (Pune Solapur Highway) which passes the racecourse. This is a toll road and also very busy with cars and trucks. If you have taken a motorcycle be very careful.
The turn off to Bhuleshwar is about 35km from Pune and shortly after the second toll booth (about 2km before Yavat village). A concrete bridge crosses a canal and the turn off is to the right just before the bridge. There is no sign in English, but there is a sign to Deccan Industrial Explosives pte. After 5km or so the road will climb into some ghats, where the road becomes quite broken. Once you reach the top of the ghats you will see the temple and a prominent radio mast to the right. The turn to the temple is the next right, the road becomes quite steep at some points.
After visiting the temple and fort (allow 30 to 40 mins), return to the road and turn right where you turned off. This road will take you to Saswad (or Sasvad on some maps). There are several turnoffs, keep heading west, but also plenty of people to ask the way, nearly everyone knows Saswad. The scenery is quite flat though enlivened by scenes of Indian rural life. The road is paved but quite rough. You can take lunch when you reach the town.
Thereafter, ask the way for Purandar itself or Nasrapur which is where the road goes. Many people know it. The road is the Diwale to Narayanpur road. In fact the hill itself is easy to spot as it towers aboveNarayanpur. After 5km after the turnoff from you will reach a left fork which is signed (not in English). Take this and follow the twisty road to Purandar. At time of writing (October 09) the majority of the road is totally unsurfaced (awaiting surfacing) so would be muddy during rain and there is also the possibility of dealing with the resurfacing activity. Allow 30 minutes to enjoy the views and look at the abandoned army buildings and another 1.5 hours to climb to the top and explore.
It will take about 15 minutes to regain the main road if you have a motorbike. Turn left when you reach it and enjoy the smooth tarmac and twists of the road as you pass between the two hills. Eventually you will reach National highway 4 (also a toll road), turn right and again pay attention to the road hazards.
Approximately 12km later at Khed take a left turn towards Shivapur. Pass through towards Kondapur, where you take a right fork, thereafter at the T-junction take the left which leads to Sinhagad Fort.
In terms of time to spend here it is best to gauge your stamina and enthusiasm against the amount of light you have left, as it is better to end the journey in daylight rather than drive at night.
Retrace your steps to NH4 and then follow this back to Pune. You will arrive in the Bibvewadi area in the south of the city.
Pune has a full calendar of events, ranging from Classical Music to Rock Concerts. However, Pune's most famous festival is the Pune Festival, which is held during the Ganesha Mahotsav.
A number of College festivals have become very commercialised, but still attract big crowds and a very high degree of competition from colleges all over Pune.Verveorganised by Express Youth Forum is the biggest inter-collegiate cultural festival in India whileConceptsorganized by the Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT) is a very popular engineering (technical) event.So all year round, there is enough excitement to keep Puneites and tourists on their toes!
Pune is a city where you will find an excellent range of streetside shops as well as a few outstanding malls. Pune is a good place to pick up some Indian slippers made of rubber.Kolhapuri chappalscan also be bought off the pavement. They tend to be soft and comfortable, and are manufactured in the Maharashtrian town of Kolhapur a few hundred miles south of Pune.
All the places listed here are places where you can bargain hard and get some good stuff off the pavement for rock-bottom prices.
Puneites are crazy about books. This shows in the number of excellent bookshops scattered throughout the city. The area known as 'Appa Balwant Chowk' is famous for various big and small book shops. Some of them specialize in special subjects like Law books,management books,religious books,computer books,music books etc.
Birds of Pune available from Centre for Environment Education[30]and Kalpavriksh[31]
TheCrosswordchain of bookshops has 8 branches in Pune.
Pune is a technology hub and is home to IT/ITES/BPO professionals. Pune also has one of the highest densities of Engineers and Management graduates pursuing studies.Sony World,Dass,House of Laptops,Cromaare electronics chains dishing out the goodies.
Pune is undoubtedly a great place to eat. Fergusson College Road is full of budget eateries serving delicous hot food at nominal charges. For a range of multi-cuisine restaurants, visit ABC Farms, Koregaon Park, which houses the city's best restaurants. Almost all restaurants open and close at similar hours. 10 in the morning to 11 at night is the usual. Of course, restaurant bars stay open till at least midnight.Misalsare a Pune favourite, if you can stomach the spice in them. They are a tasty meal and a visit to Bedekar Misal or Shree Uphar Gruha is a must. They are located in the Peth areas and are famous. Shree Uphar Gruha is located at Tulsi Baug. Its a small joint but dishes out tasty Misal and fritters.
For variety, head out toKoregaon 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. ABC farms in Koregaon Park has many restaurants at one place - ideal when you cannot decide before leaving for dinner. Koregaon Park is known asThe Restaurant Suburb, and holds a similar status to Pune that Bandra holds toMumbai.
Refreshing Indian drinks such asJal Jeera(a cumin seed drink) andNimbu Pani(lemon water/soda) are sold on the sidewalk for around Rs 5 per glass.
Alcohol is easily available all over town, though most of the bars are in Koregaon Park and upmarket areas. Most bars open in the afternoon and close an hour or two after midnight.
There is no lack of coffee shops in the city. Some of the restaurants listed above serve good coffee, or head to a branch of the Barista[38]or Cafe Coffee Day[39]chains, both of which have numerous locations around town. The FC Road and MG Road branches of Barista are wi-fi hotspots.
Pune has a small but good range of top-end hotels. Prices are generally more than those in the US. A double room tends to be priced at USD 200 to 400 per night. During the lean season, good discounts are available.
Hotel Westin, Koregaon ParkHotel Sagar Plaza, Camp AreaHotel Aashirwad, Station Area
A large number of internet cafes dot the city. Most private cafes charge about Rs 10-25 (35-55 US cents) an hour. However, theReliance Worldchain of cyber cafes run by Reliance Communications offer fast broadband connections at around a dollar per hour. There are 8 branches in Pune
Pune is by and large a very safe place. Violent crime is low, although it's important to keep an eye on your belongings in public, as petty theft can occur. Do report any such activity to the police. Keep away from the touts.
Be especially careful when driving on the outskirts of Pune. Although most people in the city are polite, slum dwellers and onlookers in surrounding villages on occasion have been known to rob "outsiders" stranded at odd hours due to vehicle breakdown.
Now a days, the traffic and transport situation in Pune has become very pathetic and getting daily deteriorated and dangerous due to increasing number of vehicles, 2, 3 and 4 wheelers, and indisciplined and careless driving of the citizens. People hardly follow traffic signals, lanes, no entries etc. The vehicles don't care for pedestrians crossing the roads. The enforcement of traffic laws by the traffic police is very rarely seen, unlike Mumbai or other major cities. The road conditions are also very bad at some locations, especially during rainy seasons. According to a report,a total of 477 deaths occurred in 2008 in road accidents in Pune and Pimpari-Chinchwad area. and, the number of people who were injured is 1,617 in 2008.Drivers, both 2 and 4 wheelers, normally do not follow one ways and drive from the wrong side of a divided road, even on highways. Crossing a busy street is always a nightmare. Vehicles don't stop and they continuously keep honking at the crossing pedestrians. Many fatal accidents with the pedestrians happen while crossing the roads. Thus, be extremely careful while crossing the road. Always follow the local people who are crossing along with you. Follow all traffic rules while driving.(if you are on a 2 wheeler and are honked at because of stopping at a red traffic light, you can move aside and give the driver way to go ahead). Please strictly wear helmets if you are driving a two wheeler. If you are from a western country, you are not advised to drive on Pune roads.
The incidents of chain snatching and looting a lonely person at night are also on a rise. Thus you are advised not to travel alone during night hours at lonely places. However, crowded places are by and large safe.
Jehangir Hospital and Medical Centre- Pune Station Areawww.jehangircares.com - 020 26122551
KEM Hospital- Rasta Pethwww.kemhospitalvadu.org - 020 26124288
Ruby Hall Clinic- Pune Station Arearubyhall.com - 020 26123391
Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospitalwww.dmhospital.org - 020 24023000
Plot no.30 – C, Erandwane,Deccan Gymkhana, Pune- 411004.+91-020-6721 3000 / 2540 3000 / 2540 3040
Plot no. 9B, Neena Society,S.No.1484A/B, Paud road,Opposite Vanaz, Pune- 411038+91-020-67213300
Sahyadri Munot Hospital 87/ 5, Bhavani PethNew Timber Market Road,Near 7 Loves Chowk, Pune - 4110042
Fatima Convent CompoundNear Vishal Mega MartFatima Nagar, Pune - 411013+91-20-26860442
G & G Towers, S.No. 153 / A,Hissa no. 124 / 21 Magarpatta,Solapur Road, Hadapsar, Pune - 411028 +91-20-67213400/26890401/02
Plot no. 13, S.no.573, Vivekananda MargBibwewadi, Pune - 411037+91-20-67213700/24217187/88/89
S.N.10A / 3 A, Ahead ofKhadki Railway station,Next to Bopodi Police Chowky,Bopodi, Pune - 411020 +91-20-25820233
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