Alibaug
Mumbai's weekend beach escape of forts and shacks
Best time to visit Alibaug
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, best avoided
- Aug, best avoided
- Sep, best avoided
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to September
Alibaug season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Best months - dry and breezy, good for cycling out to Kolaba Fort at low tide.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Hot and humid, beaches empty out, only worth it for the ferry ride and seafood.
Monsoon June to September Do not go
Sea turns rough and brown, the fort causeway floods at high tide - mostly a wash-out.
Autumn October to November Prime time
October dries out and cools down, ferries and fort visits pick back up.
What Alibaug is actually like
Weekend crowd from Mumbai - beach shacks, homestays, easygoing, not a backpacker scene
Getting to Alibaug
Ferry from Gateway of India (1h) to Mandwa, then 30min drive
Practical ways in: flightroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 0 m
- State
- Maharashtra
- Coordinates
- 18.6414, 72.8722
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Alibaug?
November to February is peak season in Alibaug. March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to September. October dries out and cools down, ferries and fort visits pick back up.
How many days do you need in Alibaug?
1 day is the usual stay. Weekend crowd from Mumbai - beach shacks, homestays, easygoing, not a backpacker scene.
How do you get to Alibaug?
Ferry from Gateway of India (1h) to Mandwa, then 30min drive. Practical ways in: flight and road.
Is Alibaug expensive, and does it get crowded?
Mid-range by Indian travel standards, and it runs steady at the busiest time of year. Fine solo.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Murud-Janjira
Maharashtra
Unconquered Siddi sea fort off a casuarina-lined beach
50 km from Alibaug, roughly under an hour by road
-
Mumbai
Maharashtra
Colonial architecture, street food and Bollywood energy
60 km from Alibaug, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Matheran
Maharashtra
India's only vehicle-free hill station, reached by toy train
70 km from Alibaug, roughly about 1 h by road
-
Lonavala
Maharashtra
Mumbai-Pune's monsoon getaway of waterfalls and forts
80 km from Alibaug, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Raigad Fort
Maharashtra
The Maratha capital on a cliff plateau, 1,737 steps or a ropeway
100 km from Alibaug, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Velas (Turtle Village)
Maharashtra
Olive ridley hatchlings released on a Konkan village beach
100 km from Alibaug, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Bhimashankar
Maharashtra
Jyotirlinga inside a giant-squirrel forest on the Sahyadri crest
130 km from Alibaug, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Rajgad Fort
Maharashtra
Shivaji's first capital, three machis and a balekilla scramble
140 km from Alibaug, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Maharashtra
- Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
- Amboli Maharashtra
- Bhandardara Maharashtra
- Bhimashankar Maharashtra
- Chandoli National Park Maharashtra
- Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Maharashtra
- Chikhaldara Maharashtra
- Gaganbawda Maharashtra
- Ganpatipule Maharashtra
- Harishchandragad Maharashtra
- Igatpuri Maharashtra
- Kaas Plateau Maharashtra
- Lonar Crater Lake Maharashtra
- Lonavala Maharashtra
- Mahabaleshwar Maharashtra
- Malvan-Tarkarli Maharashtra
- Matheran Maharashtra
- Mumbai Maharashtra
- Murud-Janjira Maharashtra
- Nanded (Hazur Sahib) Maharashtra
- Nashik Maharashtra
- Panchgani Maharashtra
- Pandharpur Maharashtra
- Panhala Maharashtra
- Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra) Maharashtra
- Raigad Fort Maharashtra
- Rajgad Fort Maharashtra
- Sahastrakund Falls Maharashtra
- Salher Fort Maharashtra
- Sevagram (Wardha) Maharashtra
- Shirdi Maharashtra
- Tadoba Maharashtra
- Tapola (Shivsagar Lake) Maharashtra
- Toranmal Maharashtra
- Trimbakeshwar Maharashtra
- Tuljapur Maharashtra
- Velas (Turtle Village) Maharashtra
- Vengurla Maharashtra