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Pune, India
Photo: आर्या जोशी, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Central Pune is the heart of the metropolis.
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The palace where Shivaji spent his childhood.
Former mansion of Nana Phadnavis.
This palace was built by the successors of Shivaji, the Peshwas in 1736. A massive fire destroyed the building in 1827. Most of the palace interiors were destroyed and all that remains is the old fortified wall. The brass studded gates and lotus pools have also withstood the ravages of time. This palace is situated in the heart of the city next to Deccan Gymkhana, Shivajinagar, and Laxmi Road. There is a 'Light & Sound Show' in three languages (Marathi, Hindi and English) every evening at the wada. It details the history of the Maratha empire and the significance of the role the Shaniwar played.
The remains of this palace stand in the heart of the old city. It was built during the 18th century by a descendant of Bajirao Peshwa. It is well known for its elaborate wooden façade.
Zero-mile stone or simply zero stones are stones marking the exact point from which distances of a city are measured. The Pune zero stone is located on the eastern wall of the General Post Office (GPO). The stone was probably installed in the late 19th century and over the years it was buried under layers of concrete. In 2018 the concrete was removed revealing the entire stone. The stone has the names of places marked on it. Since 2018 several efforts have been made to landscape the area and turn it into an open-air museum focusing on the history of survey of India. But within years several installations including life-size fibre glass statues have been uprooted and damaged.
Built in 1885, the college has a beautiful tree-lined campus with smooth rolling hills in the background.
This museum is a light and sound show that uses 3D holographic technology. It's a 100-minute show that takes you through the saint Sadhu Vaswani's life story via different sets. It uses probably the only implementation in the country to use a technique called Pepper's Ghost to create realistic 3D. The sets are real but the people who enact the scene are projections of light. The museum also houses a huge spectrum of artwork that's used to build the sets. A place for the entire family, the Darshan Museum is a must visit for anyone visiting the city. It is close to the Pune Railway Station at Sadhu Vaswani Chowk.
You can see various industrial products, agricultural and handicraft articles in this museum, which was established in 1890.
The museum is housed in a Rajasthani style building situated close to the hustle and bustle of the busy Bajirao Road. The artifacts in the museum were once part of a personal collection. It is now open to the public and houses over 20,000 objects of which roughly 2,500 are displayed. There are 36 sections to the museum and the objects within range from carved palace and temple doors, 2,000-year-old pottery, traditional Indian lamps, and 17th century paintings.
This Ganesha temple is visited by over a hundred thousand pilgrims every year. Devotees of the temple include celebrities and chief ministers of Maharashtra who visit during the annual ten-day Ganeshotsav festival. The temple is a beautiful construction and boasts a rich history of over 100 years. Jay and Vijay, the two sentinels made of marble catch the eye of all at the outset. The construction is so simple that all the proceedings in the temple along with the beautiful Ganesha idol can be seen even from outside.
This 8th-century temple is hidden in the heart of the city, nestled between modern high-rise structures and developments. Reminiscent of Ellora, the temple and its massive pillars, a Shiva shrine, and a Nandi bull, have been carved out of a single boulder of massive size. The temple is still used by worshippers today.
Theatre and art gallery. The place is maintained by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and has an air-conditioned theatre. Most of the famous Marathi plays are performed here. The theatre is named after the famous Marathi artist Bal Gandharva.
A playground with basketball and volleyball courts and a cricket ground, along with a gymnasium hall. It also has facilities for swimming, table tennis, billiards, cards and 11 tennis courts.
A park with a jogging track, a kids' playground, a fountain and two lawns. A military jet (HAL HF-24 Marut) is also kept in one of the lawns. There are stalls of food item outside this park's main gate.
A multipurpose stadium, used mainly for cricket matches.
A park managed by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). It is an energy park that stresses the importance of renewable energy in present times. Adventure Park is also launched here. The idea behind the park is to remove the fear element in kids from a young age as was first mooted by its designer B. S. Deshmukh.
A major landmark in Pune. The lake in Sarasbaug was built by Peshwa Bajirao II. There's a Ganesha temple in Sarasbaug known as Talyatla Ganapati Temple (तळ्यातला गणपती मंदिर).
It's a nearly century-old place and serves very nice and authentic Maharashtrian pure veg thali (Brahmani). Food items to be had when fasting are a speciality here. It's a nice and clean place.
Excellent Maharashtrian food.
One of the oldest and among the most popular restaurants in Pune. Famous for bread items and Mutton Kheema. It serves Iranian/Punjabi dishes, but is well known for its tea and butter bread. Mostly frequented by collegians, it's a cool place to hang out.
Known for its stuffed parathas (layered chapatis).
Clean authentic home-made Maharashtrian food with some delicious bharit-bhakri (an eggplant dish similar to babaganoush served with jowar or bajra bread) or even kadhi-khichadi (rice-lentil porridge). Finish up with a glass of taak (buttermilk) or solkadhi (kokum + coconut milk).
तिलक
Best quality tea and vada pav; an any time snack and other mouth lingering varieties at most affordable price. No waiter and no tips. Just a service counter based on token system.
Amazing non-veg food items. Do not miss fish and Chicken here.
A popular youth joint serving amazing South Indian dishes. Their sambhar is arguably the best in the city.
An awesome Iranian place serving delicious omelettes. Good for breakfast. Try the cheese omelettes and bun maska of this place.
वाडेश्वर
A popular eating place. The best fast food you will get here includes appe, vada-sambhar, and pav bhaji. Another branch of Wadeshwar is also there on Bajirao road, Shukrawar peth, which serves very good idlis and uttapa, and alu paratha. Worth a try.
Hotel Royalty
Good choice of Indian food. Good service
Famous for Thali. The food is very tasty.
Serves authentic cuisine from Tuscany, Italy. The menu has an extensive list of Italian wines.
Hands down wins the top spot for Pune's best seafood.
Lip smacking Thai and continental food.
A must-have when in Pune. For ice cream lovers. It's like a milkshake with ice cream.
A fantastic spread of Bengali cuisine.
Serves authentic Chinese food in a laid-back atmosphere with soft music in the background. Quite similar to the Whispering Bamboo in the Taj.
delicious North Indian food.
Wonderful food like Surmai and crab. Place for serious drinkers. Place has been around for 50 years.
Gera Plaza
Very cheap, but almost basic facilities.
A small 3-star business hotel, which tries to lure business travellers away from the larger chains with 24-hour check out (e.g., check in at 7PM, leave at 7PM), complimentary stay for accompanying spouse, free airport transfers & free high-speed internet connectivity. Has a small pool and basic gym, a restaurant and bar and helpful staff. Soul Purpose bar: extremely subdued lighting would make this a good place for an illicit rendezvous. Clientele is a mix of business travellers and dining guests.
Reasonably priced, clean rooms available with 24-hour hot water, TV in each room and close to the station.
Offers five categories of contemporary design rooms and more than 10 different room sizes, to suit your budget.
Bund Garden Hotel - previously Le Meridien
Including the popular: Entresol Bar, Roof Top Bar and a number of restaurants.
Basic facilities.
Outlets in the city are also a must go for a variety of sweetmeats and snack items. The Gulabjamun with sprinkled sugar which is a dessert dish and the famous Bakarwadi which is a fried chickpea flour preparation, are something worth trying while visiting Pune.
They are famous for their Rice flakes Chiwda, Cornflakes Chiwda and Potato Chiwda.
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