Introduction:
The run from the daily routine that the residents of metropolitan cities live makes them extremely tired, less productive and tied up with stress by the time they enter the weekend. Continued and long working hours from the same workspace makes you crave for some fresh air, literally! It’s a good choice to take a small and sweet break often and head out for a short weekend getaway near Mumbai, relax and rejuvenate yourselves.
If you’ve been awestruck between which places to visit near Mumbai for a short vacation, we’ve got you covered! We bring you 10 amazing destinations near Mumbai for your next holiday that will ensure you get your fill of nature and enjoy a great holiday.
- Lonavala
Considered to be the most popular hill station close to Pune and Mumbai, Lonavala is the perfect place to go during monsoons. With lots of waterfalls, lakes and hills around, Lonavala is visited by all sorts of people, especially hikers and trekkers.
- Distance from Mumbai: 83 km
- Best Time: Throughout the year
- Panchgani
Commencing its name from the five hills surrounding it completely, Panchgani is one of the popular hill stations near Mahabaleshwar, famous for its various sunset and sunrise points and beautiful and exquisite valley view.
- Distance from Mumbai: 255 km
- Best Time: September to May
- Alibag
A little coastal town squeezed in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Alibag or Alibaug is a very popular and well-known weekend getaway and has earned itself the name of ‘mini-Goa’, owing to the high tourist impression all over the year round. Plunged in colonial and ancient history, Alibaug is a off the beaten track little town located about 96 km from Mumbai and 150 km from Pune, and is well-stocked with sandy beaches, clean fresh air which is unpolluted and plenty of forts and temples, ensuring that despite being a small town, you never run out of activities to do.
- Distance from Mumbai: 95 km
- Best Time: November to March
- Mahabaleshwar
A very popular hill town in Western Ghats, apart from its strawberries, Mahabaleshwar is also well known and popular for its numerous rivers, magnificent cascades and majestic peaks.
- Distance from Mumbai: 221 km
- Best Time: October to June
- Lavasa
Known as India’s newest and in the business hill station, the Lavasa Corporation is constructing its own private city. The city is a beautiful project, based on the stylist Italian town Portofino. Spreading across 7 hills, covering an area of 25,000 acres, Lavasa is a perfect mix of beauty and infrastructure.
- Distance from Mumbai: 186 km
- Best Time: Throughout the year
- Khandala
Set down on the foothills of Sahyadri, Khandala provides for a perfect short weekend getaway for the Mumbai population, with its scenic and eye-popping valleys, grassy hills, serene lakes and misty waterfalls.
- Distance from Mumbai: 84 km
- Best Time: Throughout the year
- Rajmachi
Rajmachi is a small and sweet village located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Konkan region of Maharashtra. Rajmachi has two bulwarked peaks – Shrivardhan and Manaranjan forts, located near two famous hills of Lonavala and Khandala.
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- Distance from Mumbai: 94 km
- Best Time: June to September
- Pune
Pune is one of the bustling metropolises of Maharashtra, ranked number one in India in the ease of living. Often named as the Oxford of the East, it is a heart of place of diverse people and activities and is rapidly growing into one of the top metropolitan cities in the country. Pune is a city that is a perfect blend of modernity with tradition sprinkled with a bit of colonial-era charm, and it deserves the title of being the cultural capital of Maharashtra.
- Distance from Mumbai: 147 km
- Best Time: July to March
- Ajanta and Ellora caves
Ajanta and Ellora caves, one of the finest examples of ancient and mythological rock-cut caves, are located near Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra, India. Trimmed with beautiful sculptures, paintings and frescoes, Ajanta and Ellora caves are a mixture of Buddhist, Jain and Hindu monuments as the complex includes both Buddhist monasteries as well as Hindu and Jain temples. The Ajanta caves are 29 in total and were built in the period between 2nd century BC and 6th century AD. On the other side the Ellora Caves are 34 in number and date to the period between 6th and 11th Century AD.
- Distance from Mumbai: 342 km
- Best Time: June to March
- Shirdi
The home of very great saint Sai Baba, Shirdi is a religious site and place close to Nasik with various varieties of temples apart from the famous Sai Baba temple and a few cultural sites.
- Distance from Mumbai: 240 km
- Best Time: July to March
