Best places to visit in Maharashtra
50 curated destinations in Maharashtra, each with its honest season window: when to go, when it is merely fine, and when to stay away.
When to visit Maharashtra
Curated places in Maharashtra that are in peak season, by month. Tap a month for the whole country.
January, February, November and December put the most of Maharashtra in peak season. May the fewest, with 0.
All 50 destinations in Maharashtra
-
Ajanta-Ellora
Maharashtra
2,000-year-old rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Alibaug
Maharashtra
Mumbai's weekend beach escape of forts and shacks
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Amboli
Maharashtra
Maharashtra's wettest hill station - falls and king cobras
Peak: Jul to Aug
-
Bhandardara
Maharashtra
Dam-lake basecamp for Maharashtra's highest peak, Kalsubai
Peak: Jul to Aug
-
Bhigwan (Kumbhargaon)
Maharashtra
Dawn boats among flamingos on the Ujani backwaters
Peak: Dec to Feb
-
Bhimashankar
Maharashtra
Jyotirlinga inside a giant-squirrel forest on the Sahyadri crest
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Chandoli National Park
Maharashtra
Sahyadri tiger reserve around the vast Vasant Sagar reservoir
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)
Maharashtra
Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad's dark stairway and the Ajanta base
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Chikhaldara
Maharashtra
Vidarbha's only hill station, coffee slopes on the Melghat rim
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Dajipur (Radhanagari)
Maharashtra
Gaur country above the Radhanagari dam on the Sahyadri crest
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Gaganbawda
Maharashtra
Kolhapur's rain-drenched ghat edge above the Konkan drop
Peak: Jul to Sep
-
Ganpatipule
Maharashtra
Swayambhu Ganpati shrine opening straight onto white sand
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Guhagar
Maharashtra
Six km of clean sand with a Vyadeshwar temple street behind
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Harishchandragad
Maharashtra
Konkan Kada's overhanging cliff and a rock-cut Shiva temple
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Harnai (Dapoli)
Maharashtra
Evening fish auction on the sand below two headland forts
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Igatpuri
Maharashtra
Vipassana meditation hub and monsoon trekking base
Peak: Jul to Sep
-
Jawhar
Maharashtra
Warli painters' hill town of palaces and monsoon waterfalls
Peak: Jul to Oct
-
Junnar (Shivneri)
Maharashtra
Shivaji's birth fort above India's largest rock-cut cave cluster
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Kaas Plateau
Maharashtra
Plateau carpeted in wildflowers for three weeks a year
Peak: Sep
-
Kunkeshwar (Devgad)
Maharashtra
Black stone Shiva temple standing on the Devgad sand
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Lonar Crater Lake
Maharashtra
A meteorite crater lake in basalt, ringed by Hemadpanti temples
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Lonavala
Maharashtra
Mumbai-Pune's monsoon getaway of waterfalls and forts
Peak: Jul to Aug
-
Mahabaleshwar
Maharashtra
Sahyadri hill station famous for strawberries and viewpoints
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Mahur (Mahurgad)
Maharashtra
Renuka Devi's hill shrine above the Kinwat forest
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Malvan-Tarkarli
Maharashtra
Konkan coast's clearest water for scuba diving
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Matheran
Maharashtra
India's only vehicle-free hill station, reached by toy train
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Mumbai
Maharashtra
Colonial architecture, street food and Bollywood energy
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Murud-Janjira
Maharashtra
Unconquered Siddi sea fort off a casuarina-lined beach
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Nagzira (Pitezari Gate)
Maharashtra
Small teak reserve around a forest lake, tigers without the queue
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Naldurg
Maharashtra
Basalt land fort with a palace built inside its dam wall
Peak: Aug to Jan
-
Nanded (Hazur Sahib)
Maharashtra
Takht Sachkhand Hazur Sahib, a Sikh takht on the Godavari
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Nashik
Maharashtra
Vineyard tastings above the Godavari ghats at Panchavati
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Panchgani
Maharashtra
Strawberry-farm hill town under a huge table-top plateau
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Pandharpur
Maharashtra
Vitthal's town on the Chandrabhaga, where the Wari ends
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Panhala
Maharashtra
Living fort town on a Sahyadri plateau above Kolhapur
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)
Maharashtra
Sillari gate teak and bamboo, the quieter half of Pench
Peak: Nov to Mar
-
Raigad Fort
Maharashtra
The Maratha capital on a cliff plateau, 1,737 steps or a ropeway
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Rajgad Fort
Maharashtra
Shivaji's first capital, three machis and a balekilla scramble
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Ramtek
Maharashtra
Hilltop Ram temples where Kalidasa set the Meghadoot
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Sahastrakund Falls
Maharashtra
The Penganga thundering into a basalt gorge near Islapur
Peak: Aug to Oct
-
Salher Fort
Maharashtra
Highest fort in the Sahyadris, rock-cut stairs to 1567 m
Peak: Oct to Feb
-
Sevagram (Wardha)
Maharashtra
Gandhi's mud-hut ashram, his working base from 1936
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Shirdi
Maharashtra
Sai Baba's samadhi town with darshan running around the clock
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Tadoba
Maharashtra
Maharashtra's oldest reserve, its best tiger sightings
Peak: Feb to Apr
-
Tapola (Shivsagar Lake)
Maharashtra
Backwater arm of the Koyna dam with kayaks and the Vasota trek
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Toranmal
Maharashtra
Forgotten Satpura hill station of lakes and sunset cliffs
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Trimbakeshwar
Maharashtra
Jyotirlinga at the Godavari's source under Brahmagiri hill
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Tuljapur
Maharashtra
Tulja Bhavani, Shivaji's family goddess, on a Balaghat ridge
Peak: Nov to Feb
-
Velas (Turtle Village)
Maharashtra
Olive ridley hatchlings released on a Konkan village beach
Peak: Feb to Mar
-
Vengurla
Maharashtra
Cashew-and-fish Konkan town with empty coves near Goa
Peak: Nov to Feb
By theme in Maharashtra
Offbeat (27)Heritage (19)Mountains (15)Spiritual (13)Trek (11)
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Maharashtra?
Across the 50 curated destinations in Maharashtra, January, February, November and December are the months with the most places in peak season. May has the fewest, at 0.
How many places are worth visiting in Maharashtra?
This catalogue lists 50 in Maharashtra, chosen for the landscape or the heritage rather than for size. Plain cities are deliberately left out unless the trip is the heritage itself. The strongest themes here are offbeat (27), heritage (19), mountains (15), spiritual (13) and trek (11).
What kind of places are in Maharashtra?
27 offbeat, 19 heritage, 15 mountains, 13 spiritual and 11 trek. Every entry carries its own peak, shoulder and avoid months, so nothing is recommended in a month it should not be.
Other states and union territories
Andaman & Nicobar IslandsAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshAssamBiharChandigarhChhattisgarhDadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & DiuDelhiGoaGujaratHaryanaHimachal PradeshJammu and KashmirJharkhandKarnatakaKeralaLadakhLakshadweepMadhya PradeshManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandOdishaPuducherryPunjabRajasthanSikkimTamil NaduTelanganaTripuraUttar PradeshUttarakhandWest Bengal