Pune

Pune is the cultural and educational capital of Maharashtra — the seat of the Maratha Peshwas in the 18th century, a major centre of Indian classical music and Marathi literature, and today one of India's top university cities with over half a million students from across the country and abroad. For travellers, the city offers the historic Shaniwar Wada (the Peshwa palace fort, with its evening sound-and-light show), the Aga Khan Palace (where Mahatma Gandhi was interned during the Quit India movement and where Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai are memorialised), the Osho International Meditation Resort in Koregaon Park, and the surrounding hill forts of Sinhagad and Rajgad — both popular with Pune's active trekking community. For vegetarian travellers, Pune is the home of Maharashtrian vegetarian cuisine in its most authentic form: Misal Pav (sprouted bean curry with farsan and pav rolls) at Bedekar Misal in Sadashiv Peth, the legendary FC Road institution Vaishali (Pune's most beloved open-air vegetarian café since 1958), Sabudana Khichdi during the festive fasting periods (Navaratri, Mahashivratri, Sankashti Chaturthi), and the city's superb café culture along Fergusson College Road and Law College Road. Pune is connected to Mumbai by the 3-hour Mumbai-Pune Expressway and by frequent trains. Best season is October to February (cool and dry); the city sits at 560 m elevation, giving it a milder climate than coastal Mumbai. Avoid the southwest monsoon (June-September) when intense rainfall and waterlogging disrupt local travel.