12 Best Road Trips From Pune for a Perfect Weekend

With a breeze of pleasant weather and unique vintage points, Pune is the perfect city in Maharashtra to begin and explore the rich beautiful hidden treasures around the city. There are numerous spots to plan your next road trips and holiday destinations for every season.

From sea beaches, reserved forests to historic forts and ancient symbols of status, Pune takes you round the wheel to explore and discover many new things. One of the best things not to miss is that you’ll find many perfect high points to enjoy the peaceful panoramic views and witness the spectacular sunset /sunrise views.

To fulfill your hungriness of roaming, we made this list of Best Road Trips that you can take from Pune.

Best Road Trips From Pune

Here’s a list of the top 12 best road trip destinations from Pune which you should visit at least once.

1. Pune to Lonavala Road Trip

Lonavala: Road trip
flickr: abhinav.sinha

Distance from Pune: 70 km

Best time to visit: October and May

Combined with the marvelous Khandala hill station, Lonavala is one of the most famous and beautiful spots to go on a road trip from Pune. There are many historic spots as well as rich topography destinations which will keep you calm and relaxed. The green hills here are extremely perfect to take some leisure trolls and calm yourself in nature’s lap. Also, don’t forget to visit the historic Karla, Bhaja, and Bedsa caves.

2. Pune to Mahabaleshwar Road Trip

Mahabaleshwar: Road trip
flickr: Nalin Bakshi

Distance from Pune: 125 km

Best time to visit:  March to June

Mahabaleshwar is one of the most beautiful destinations where one can feel nature’s essence with forests, valleys, peaks, waterfalls and deep lakes touching your soul. It is one of the most blessed destinations of Western ghats. Apart from other spots and things to do, one of the best things not to miss here is, the vintage sunset point. The view is beautiful and lovely to enjoy. You’ll fall in love with the panoramic views which the place has to offer from different high points.

3. Pune to Shirdi

Shirdi: Road trip
flickr: Chitracaar

Distance from Pune: 200 km

Best time to visit: December to February (winter), March to May (summer)

Nothing more than a spot for spiritual peace and religious beliefs, if you at all plan to go on a road trip with your family, take a visit to Shirdi. The roads via Pune are extremely beautiful and scenic to enjoy the view and you’ll surely love it here with your family. 

4. Pune to Alibag Road Trip

Alibag: Road trip
flickr: Ultra Gloup

Distance from Pune: 150 km

Best time to visit: Between August to October

If you plan to go on a road trip and also stay for some time, then you need to add Alibaug to your next road trip destination in India list. The place has some serene sea-facing bungalows and lush green gardens to stop by and enjoy the breeze of fresh air. Some lovely mango and coconut gardens are covering the place to offer its visitors some fresh juice and finely cut fruit slices. There are also some medieval forts, temples and historic sites to explore and discover here. This is one of our favorite spots to pick for a road trip from Pune.

5. Pune to Matheran Road Trip

Distance from Pune: 120 km

Best time to visit: Between October and May

Matheran is the next spot close after Lonavala and one of the popular Road Trips from Pune. If you are looking for short safe distance road trips from Pune, choose this. The place is just a small village and doesn’t have much of advanced established spots. Matheran is rich in culture and traditions which makes it one of the best places to visit and feel the true essence of incredible India. En route, you can capture and see many panoramic views and locations which for sure can make one of the best picturesque backgrounds for your photoshoot. It is one place to enjoy the hilly views and some eco-sensitive time.

6. Pune to Mulshi Road Trip

Distance from Pune: 50 km

Best time to visit: Almost any time of the year

Well, multi can be an ideal spot for bachelor road trips and bike travelers. The place sees less crowd and isn’t a recognized tourist spot as well. The place is famous for the Mulshi dam over the Muslhi river which creates some beautiful sceneries during the day. You can also enjoy some hot tea and snacks on your way as there are many cafes and tea stalls near the place.

7. Pune to Lavasa Road Trip

Lavasa: Road trip
flickr: Satish Krishnamurthy

Distance from Pune: 60 km

Best time to visit: September to March

Resembling a lot like the Italian city, Portofino, Lavasa is a beautiful place with parallel streets and terraced houses with open street window houses and exuberant wooden architecture across the place. For all those who want to experience some luxurious Italian architecture, this is the place to be. You can also enjoy water sports and ride across the Mathura river to feel the pleasant weather and calmness around you. The place also has some amazing western cuisine spots to treat you with the best.

8. Pune to Kamshet Road Trip

Distance from Pune: 50 km

Best time to visit: October to May

Well, Kamshet isn’t a renowned name when it comes to road trips but this place has recently gained some popularity because of the amazing sports and adventures organized here. It’s a short ride from Pune and you can almost tick off your major adventure list here.  From paragliding, cave exploring to trekking and much more, the place has a lot of adventure options for you. 

9. Pune to Wai Road Trip

Wai: Road trip
flickr: M2PP

Distance from Pune: 87.6 km

Best time to visit:  Between September and May

For all the history lovers and wanderers, Wai is an all in one vintage spot to go on a road trip and spend some time. The place is just a 2-hour drive from Pune and was a place of great importance during the Peshwa region. You can also visit the Prajna Paathsala library, trek up to the Pandavgad fort or even walk through the Phadnavis Wada. Don’t forget to stop by and treat yourself with some delicious bhakris and mutton rassas available here at the small eateries.

10. Pune to Panchgani Road Trip

Panchgani: Road trip
flickr: dash.sa

Distance from Pune: 100 km

Best time to visit: almost anytime of the year

Panchgani is no doubt a famous place for many people. Right from good residential schools to many ventures, things have developed here at a quick speed and people love coming and staying here because of the weather and surroundings.

There are many beautiful viewpoints and fresh fruit farms which attract a lot of people to drive in here and enjoy some of these experiences. The best thing to enjoy here is the various vintage points which offer some of the most extremely beautiful panoramic views and historic sites.

11. Pune to Bhandardara Road Trip

Bhandardara: Road Trips From Pune
flickr: Ketan Nikharge

Distance from Pune:  170 km

Best time to visit: June till September 

Bhandardara is a place you need to pick for your next destination if you plan to stay along with your family and are looking forward to a long road trip. The place is less known to people so one thing’s for sure, you’re all set to find ample peace and privacy for yourselves. Moreover, the roads pass by through some remote villages and untouched nature’s spots which for sure is an additional checklist on your road trip to discover more and more.

Pravara river adds more to the beauty of the place along with some other major places such as Randha waterfalls, Ratangad Fort, Mount kalsubai and many more places. It truly is an all in one incredible spot to plan your next road trip.

12. Malshej Ghat

Malshej Ghat: Road Trips From Pune
flickr: Himanshu Sarpotdar

Distance from Pune:  120 km

Best time to visit: October to March

If road trips are only what you are looking for and without any other activity to try along, Malshej Ghat is the place to choose for your next road trip. The place sees a lot of waterfall during the monsoon season and the visuals are extremely beautiful to enjoy from your car. There’s also a Wildlife sanctuary Bhimashankar wildlife reserve, where you can visit to get some amazing wildlife photos from your trip. In Simple words, Malshej Ghats is no less than a living paradise for all the adventure lovers and nature explorers to visit at least once in a lifetime.

Read More, How to plan a perfect trip

We hope this blog is helpful for you to decide your next Road Trips From Pune. We just suggest that you keep a proper temperature check before starting your road trips and carry all the necessities. Some of these places might be extremely cold, whereas some are moderately pleasant. But each one of them for sure has it’s own charm in different season and is a must to visit at least once. We hope you enjoy your trips as much as we do exploring and bring out the best suggestions for you.

Happy journey, Safe travels.