Pune

Introduction

Aga Khan Palace

© Vicky1976

Pune is the 8th largest metropolitan area in India and is located in the state of Maharashtra. The city itself has around 3.5 million inhabitants, but the metropolis is almost twice as big. It is the second-largest city of the state and is widely known as the "Cultural Capital of Maharashtra".

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Pune International Airport (PNQ) offers flights to Delhi, Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Nagpur, Shirdi, Indore, Goa, Frankfurt, Kochi and Coimbatore.

By Train

Daily express trains connect Pune to Mumbai, Howrah, Delhi, Jammutawi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Goa, Varanasi, and Jamshedpur.

By Car

Pune is well connected to the rest of the country with it being lined to 3 National Highways and an Expressway.
NH 4: Linking Mumbai to Chennai, this National Highway passes through Pune. It is a part of the golden quadrilateral, a network of highways connecting major metropolitan cities of the country.
NH 9: This highway, running from Pune in Maharashtra to Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh, provides connectivity to Pune from some major cities like Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Zahirabad, etc.
NH 50: This National Highway connects Pune to Nasik and other important regions of Maharashtra like Chakan, Rajgurunagar, Malegaon, Mancharo, Kalamb and Narayangaon.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway: Mumbai Pune Expressway is the major connection between 2 of the biggest cities of Maharashtra.

By Bus

There are 3 bus stands connecting Pune to Mumbai and surrounding towns and villages.
MSRTC Bus Depot Pune Station, Sanjay Gandhi Rd, Agarkar Nagar. This bus stand has buses running to and fro from Mumbai. These buses usually have a stop at Lonavala.
Shivaji Nagar, Rambhau K Kamble Path. This bus stop is right outside Shivaji Nagar Railway Station and serves buses to Vidarbha, Konkan, and Northern Maharashtra.
Katraj is not really a bus stand but rather a famous pick-up and drops point for many bus services.

By Boat

Being completely landlocked, Pune cannot be accessed directly by boat. Coming to Mumbai or Goa via boat and then to Pune via road is the next best option.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

There are 3 types of public transport available in Pune.

By Auto Rickshaws
There's just a massive army of three-wheeled rickshaws. Some prepaid rickshaw stands are found in Shivajinagar, Swargate Bus Depot, and Lohegaon Airport. All of the rickshaws plying from the Municipal Corporation limits should bill according to the meter. Drivers will give you endless excuses about why they can't utilize the meter. Bear in mind that they are required legally to own an operating meter and utilize it, and this can almost always be most economical for you too. If they refuse, leave: you will find a lot of different rickshaws on the roads.

Now, many auto rickshaw drivers attempt to charge extra for extended distances or very short distances, or else they deny the fare. Stay glued to the requirement of charging and deny strongly to pay any excess amount, unless it is beyond midnight. If they realize you aren't from the city, then they may attempt to take longer paths into the destination to bill additional money from you. Ergo, outsiders and foreigners, use your own decision before boarding some other automobile rickshaw. Autorickshaw drivers can likewise refuse to travel to quite a few parts of the city in accordance with their convenience; however, this is from regulations when their meter reads"on-hire" from the vertical position. In case the hint is turned down, the rickshaw driver isn't working and may deny you.

By bus
City buses in Pune are run by the PMPML. Although the vehicles are somewhat packed and smoke-belching, the system is extremely extensive. Just about all parts of the town have been connected with the PMPML city buses. Major town bus stands include Corporation, Shivaji Nagar, Swargate, Kothrud depot, Nigdi, Hadapsar, Katraj and Deccan. Shivaji Nagar is thought to become the busiest bus stand in the state of Maharashtra. To travel other cities from Pune, you will find lots of individual bus operators available. You will get from the bus booking websites such as Redbus, Abhibus, and also Myticketbuddy.

By Taxi
There are many taxis operating in Pune. If you want to opt for a private cab, you can book one online via Uber or Ola mobile application.

Sleep

Upscale

Keep Connected

Internet

There's good coverage over most of India for Internet cafes. However, following the recent terror attacks in Mumbai and some other cities, all internet cafes have been instructed by the authorities to maintain a register and note down the identification details of all persons using internet. Sify iWay is a reliable and cheap cafe with over 1,600 cafes over India. iWay also allows you to open a pre-paid account that you can use all over India. Whenever you have Internet access probably the best and cheapest way to call family and friends at home is software that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet such as Skype.

Wifi hotspots in India are, for most part, limited. The major airports and stations do offer paid wifi at around RS.60-100 an hour. Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai are the only cities with decent wifi coverage. At Mumbai airport, you get to use WiFi internet free, for an hour or so.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country code for India is 91. To dial outside the country from India, prefix the country code with 00.

The general emergency number is 100 (emergency response police & fire), while for ambulance you should dial 102 or 112, though some regions have 108 for this emergency. 108 is used in in the Indian states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha,Assam, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. 108 can be called for medical, crime, fire, or any other emergency from any phone.

Local phone numbers can be anywhere from 5-8 digits long. But when the area code is included, all landline phone numbers in India are 10 digits long. Cellphone numbers usually start with '9', '8', or '7'. Toll-free numbers start with 1-800.

If staying longterm it is probably wise to think about investing in a mobile phone. You'll possibly need to provide a photocopy of your passport and itinerary, so come prepared. Make sure you arrange it upon arrival in a big city, as it can sometimes be difficult to organise with language barriers and such in more regional areas. You can buy a cheap nokia for about RS.1,200 with a pre-paid plan. Airtel is a good carrier to think about as they have great coverage, and constant offers for cheaper calling. To recharge, most shop vendors with phone carrier signs can do it via their own phone. You give them your mobile number, they put it in their phone and you'll both get messages as to whether or not the recharge has been successful. Also, if possible, buy the phone in the state where you do the most travelling as the charges are higher in the states where you did not originally buy the phone.

Over the entire country there are plenty of public phones, even in the middle of the countryside. Although most of the time these phones are not very well maintained and have horrible connections. Therefore remember when using one of these public phones one must be extremely patient.
For international calls from payphones, you'll have to visit a reputable internet cafe with a phone-booth. Mobile phones are usually a better and cheaper option.

Post

India Post is the national postal service of India, and on their website you find details about prices to send postcards, letters and parcels, both domestically and internationally. For most postcards to send internationally, it is better to visit the post office before writing on the card as you may need quite a few stamps. Parcels must be taken to a tailor, he will then sew it up in white linen. Make sure he seals it with red wax, otherwise the post office may refuse to send it or try to get you to pay them to do it. Sewing up a parcel should only cost RS.50 to 200. In general, post offices are open from 10:00am to 1:00pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm in most bigger towns and cities, though there are regional variations and some might keep longer hours or be open during (part of) the weekend as well. Ask around.

If you want to send bigger packages/parcels, it might be better, faster and sometimes even cheaper, to contact a private company like DHL, TNT or UPS.

External Links

• Official Website