Planning Your Time

Planning Your Time

India's most cosmopolitan city gives way to Maharashtra's rugged interior, which hides the spectacular Ajanta and Ellora caves, 370 km (229 mi) northeast of Mumbai, as well as the hill station of Pune to the southeast. Maharashtra's landscape fuses stark, semiarid mountains and rock formations with lush, green countryside. To see this state, spend the better part of a week here.

Mumbai, on the Arabian Sea, inhabited by 20 million and counting, can be ambitiously explored in about two days. Catching the flavor of colonial Mumbai is a must: this requires a walk around the Gateway of India, the Prince of Wales Museum and Victoria Terminus. To take in a bazaar, head to Crawford Market or stroll down Colaba Causeway to do some bargain hunting. Lunching at a seafood restaurant or snacking on Chowpatty Beach are both great experiences, as is a beer and some people-watching at Leopold Café in Colaba.

Pune, now one of India's ten largest growing cities, is a center of IT and outsourcing, but it's also famed for its culture and yoga center. Its sights will take you a little over a day to cover. Don't miss a visit to the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum and a walk through its environs, Pune's older quarter.

Aurangabad is the most common base for visiting the Ajanta and Ellora caves.