Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)
Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad's dark stairway and the Ajanta base
Best time to visit Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, off-season
- Sep, off-season
- 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 June
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb sits at 12-30 C, right for the long stepped climb up Daulatabad and dawn light on Bibi ka Maqbara.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-May hits 43 C on open Marathwada rock and Daulatabad's unshaded stairway turns genuinely unsafe.
Monsoon June to September Mixed, read the detail
Jul-Sep gets a modest 700 mm, the Ellora scarp runs with waterfalls and the cave galleries are near empty.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is dry, clear and cool enough to do Ajanta and Ellora on consecutive days without wilting.
What Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) is actually like
A student city with cheap lodges by the bus stand; mostly cave day-trippers, easy to hire a bike solo
Getting to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)
Own airport and railhead; Ellora 30 km, Daulatabad 15 km, Ajanta 100 km by MSRTC bus or shared cab
Practical ways in: flighttrainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 3 days
- Budget
- Mid-range
- How busy
- Steady at its peak
- Solo travel
- Fine solo
- Altitude
- 590 m
- State
- Maharashtra
- Coordinates
- 19.8762, 75.3433
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)?
November to February is peak season in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad). March and October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. Oct-Nov is dry, clear and cool enough to do Ajanta and Ellora on consecutive days without wilting.
How many days do you need in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)?
3 days is the usual stay. A student city with cheap lodges by the bus stand; mostly cave day-trippers, easy to hire a bike solo.
How do you get to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)?
Own airport and railhead; Ellora 30 km, Daulatabad 15 km, Ajanta 100 km by MSRTC bus or shared cab. Practical ways in: flight, train and road.
Is Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) 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
-
Ajanta-Ellora
Maharashtra
2,000-year-old rock-cut Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves
30 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly under an hour by road
-
Shirdi
Maharashtra
Sai Baba's samadhi town with darshan running around the clock
120 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 2 h by road
-
Lonar Crater Lake
Maharashtra
A meteorite crater lake in basalt, ringed by Hemadpanti temples
160 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 3 h by road
-
Nashik
Maharashtra
Vineyard tastings above the Godavari ghats at Panchavati
220 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Bhandardara
Maharashtra
Dam-lake basecamp for Maharashtra's highest peak, Kalsubai
230 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 4 h by road
-
Harishchandragad
Maharashtra
Konkan Kada's overhanging cliff and a rock-cut Shiva temple
260 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 7 h by road
-
Salher Fort
Maharashtra
Highest fort in the Sahyadris, rock-cut stairs to 1567 m
260 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 7 h by road
-
Saputara
Gujarat
Gujarat's only hill station, on the Maharashtra border
240 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), roughly about 5 h by road
More places to visit in Maharashtra
- Ajanta-Ellora Maharashtra
- Alibaug Maharashtra
- Amboli Maharashtra
- Bhandardara Maharashtra
- Bhimashankar Maharashtra
- Chandoli National Park Maharashtra
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- Lonar Crater Lake Maharashtra
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- Panhala Maharashtra
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- Sahastrakund Falls Maharashtra
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- Sevagram (Wardha) Maharashtra
- Shirdi Maharashtra
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