How To Reach Maharashtra

Maharashtra in the western central peninsular region of the Deccan Plateau, is India’s third largest state and the second most populous. With a long coastline stretching about 650 km along the Arabian Sea on the west, the state is ensconced between the steep Western Ghats known as the Sahyadri Mountains that run parallel to the Arabian Sea, the Satpura Hills on the north and the Bhamragad - Chiroli - Gaikhuri ranges on east.

With a handful of significant states encircling it, like Goa and Karnataka in the south, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat in the north, Chhattisgarh in the east and Telangana in the southeast, Maharashtra which is busy both in business and tourism as well, has a very efficient transport system both to reach the state in addition to travel within its boundaries.

The most ideal means to travel to Maharashtra would be by train.

Maharashtra has an extensive network of flights both on the domestic and international front.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the second busiest airport in India serves domestic flights to most major cities in India and international flights to Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Bangkok, Zurich, and Hong Kong et al. Pune, the second major city of Maharashtra has an international airport that serves domestic flights to several major Indian cities and international flights to Sharjah, Dubai, Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi.

Further, there are several domestic airports at places like Shirdi, Nashik, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, Kolhapur and Solapur as well that connect to cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Pune and Surat.

Take a trip on Angriya, India’s first luxury seven deck cruise liner on the Mumbai – Goa route. With restaurants, swimming pool, spa and a bar, the 131 m ship takes about 14 days to reach its destination. There are a number of choices if you would prefer sailing to Mumbai on a cruise liner through domestic and international waters like Phuket, Dubai or Singapore.

Maharashtra has a well connected railway network that links the state to the rest of the country as well as rail links to significant towns and cities intrastate. There are major railheads at all the significant cities including Mumbai, Pune, Nasik and Jalgaon and smaller rail heads in towns and remote villages, too. In fact it’s said that there are about 450 railway stations in Maharashtra. With a good choice of trains to choose from and easy accessibility, it is easier to travel to any city of Maharashtra by rail.

Maharashtra has many a number of National and State Highways that make the region easily accessible by road from other states close by, with a regular fleet of intrastate and interstate buses. There are state run and private sleeper, AC and Non AC buses that could take you to all important cities and towns of Maharashtra, to Mumbai from Gujarat or Chennai for instance, or buses from Hyderabad or Bengaluru to Shirdi or Kolhapur.

If you would like a pampered luxurious travel across Maharashtra, you could opt for the Deccan Odyssey, a luxury train that takes you on an 8 day sightseeing tour across Maharashtra from Mumbai to the cities of Nashik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Goa, Jalgaon etc. For getting around in cities like Mumbai, you could hop on to a suburban train that runs from one end of the city to the other through the Western, Central and Harbour lines. Mumbai’s BEST buses and local trains are the most efficient means of local transport. Otherwise all the cities have state transport buses, auto rickshaws and plenty of cabs and rented bikes for getting around.