11 Best Weekend Getaways from Mumbai
Mumbai is the financial and entertainment capital of India. It is also the largest city in the country. Mumbai has a good number of popular tourist places to enjoy your tour during the weekend.
Most of Mumbaikars visited these places and they want to spend their weekend away from the city life. To help them, Traveljee has compiled a list of the best weekend getaways from Mumbai. So, let’s enjoy!
11 Best Weekend Getaways from Mumbai
1. Matheran
Matheran is the most popular hill station of India. It is located in the Raigad district, 90 kms from Mumbai. It is one of the nearest hill stations of Mumbai. Matheran is the perfect point spending your weekend if you are looking for places within 100 kms. Matheran has best panorama points which provide a 360 degree view of natural beauty.
Tourist Points in Matheran
- Pisarnath Temple
- Matheran Railway Station
- Alexander Point
- Olympia Race Course
- Little Chowk Point
- One Tree Hill Point
- Belvedere Point
- Charlotte Lake
- Panorama Point (Sun Rise Pt)
- Celia Pt (a water fall mouth)
- Porcupine Pt (Sun Set Pt)
- Madhavji Garden & Point
Matheran is the perfect hill station and weekend getaway for newly married couple and lovers. Matheran is also considered as the perfect location for family trips and the friends group trip. Matheran becomes heaven during rainy season/rain fall. It is the perfect romantic place for couple and lovers. It is a good place for one day trip from Mumbai.
2. Khandala
Khandala is one of the most visited hill stations in Maharashtra. It is located in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra state. The distance between Khandala and Mumbai is 205 km, which may take up to 3 hours by car/bike. It is the perfect place within 200 km range from Mumbai. It is very easy to reach Khandala through Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
Do you love hiking? Then Khandala is the heaven for hikers. Duke’s Nose point provide the best view of the Khandala. Tiger’s Leap is also a famous point to view the town. Bhushi Lake is the best example of natural beauty of Khandala. October to May is the best time to visit Khandala with your family, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend, lovers and so on. It is all in one place for all.
Best Places to Visit in Khandala
- Bhushi Lake
- Tiger’s Leap
- Karla and Bhaja Cave
- Amrutanjan Point
- Duke’s Nose
3. Panshet
Panshet is a small village located in the district of Pune, 50 km far away from Pune. It is just 183 kms far away from Mumbai and took 3 hours by road to reach there. Panshet is a well connected place with major transportation options such as bus, train and car.
Panshet is the best location for all types of water sports activities such. Boating, sightseeing and surfing are the main activities carried out in Panshet. It is a crowd-free place and the most suitable weekend place for couples.
Tourist Points and Interests in Panshet
- Water Park
- Dam
- Water Sports
- Shopping
- Surfing
- Boating
4. Alibag
Alibag is the most popular tourist destination in the state. It is located in the district of Raigad in Maharashtra state. Tourism in Alibag is the key activities in the town. It has so many popular tourist attractions such as Beach, Fort, Old Buildings, Islands and much more.
The distance between Alibag and Mumbai is just 94 km which requires only 2 hours of driving by car or bus. October to May is the best time to visit Alibaug. It is also affordable and budget friendly destination for all tourists.
Major Tourist Attractions in Alibag
- Alibag Beach
- Alibag Fort
- Varsoli Beach
- Nagaon Beach
- Korlai Beach
- Mandawa
- Awas
- Saswane
5. Murud-Janjira
Murud-Janjira is another best destination to spend your weekend in the state within 150 km from Mumbai. It is the most important historical place in the state. You can see beautiful old caves, sculpture, statues, small pond and many such places. Murud Janjira is also a widely popular place known for coconut and betel nut trees.
Major Tourist Attractions in Murud – Janjira
- Sightseeing
- Temple
- Historical Forts
- Horse Riding
- Archaeology
- Beaches
6. Bhandardara
Bhandardara is the best place to spend your summer holiday. Bhandardara is a widely popular destination for its lush greenery environment. You have to spend at least 2-3 hours of train journey to reach Bhandardara. If you are interested in sightseeing, Mount Kalsubai and Agastya Rishi Ashram are the best locations.
The distance between Mumbai and Bhandardara distance is just 165.2 km, which may take up to 2 hours and 46 mins (approx.) driving. So, it is the best place if you are looking for the weekend getaways from Mumbai within 175 km.
7. Karnala Bird Sanctuary
Are you interested in bird watching? If yes, then the Karnala Bird Sanctuary is the nearest bird sanctuary from Mumbai. It is just 46.7 km far away from the center of Mumbai. So, it is an ideal place to spend your weekend within 50 km/75 km from Mumbai. It may take driving of one hour (approx.) by road. So, it is the perfect place for a short trip which can be completed within a day. Karnala Bird Sanctuary is less expensive to spend your weekend.
Winter is the best time to visit this beautiful bird sanctuary because 37 species of migratory birds visit this sanctuary. In a normal day, visitors can able to see 147 species in the region. It is an ideal place for children and kids. They always want to watch birds in the forest. Karnala Bird Sanctuary is a peaceful weekend place from Mumbai.
8. Lavasa
Lavasa is the most popular planned city in the state of Maharashtra. It is the most luxurious planned city being built near Pune. The distance between Mumbai and Lavasa is 185.9 km, which may take up to 3 hours and 15 mins. of driving.
It is also one of the best destinations to celebrate the new year. Due to long distance, at least you need 2 days to enjoy your weekend. Lavasa is not an ideal place for the budget visitors.
9. Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar is an ideal place for spiritual/religious weekend. Bhimashankar, the central deity of this divine place is included in the 12 Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva. Bhimashankar Temple is located in the village of Bhorgiri near Pune. Due to the presence of Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, this region looks like a heaven on the earth.
There are several other Hindu temples located in the village i.e. Ram Mandir, Kamalaja Mata Mandir, Datta Mandir and a few others. The distance between Mumbai and Bhorgiri is 200 km (approx.). This place fall under the category of within 200 km weekend getaways from Mumbai. So, it is the best place between Mumbai and Pune to start your spiritual tour.
10. Saputara
Saputara is the lone hill station in the state of Gujarat. The distance between Mumbai and Saputara is just 247.7 km, which may take up to 4 hours of driving. It is the most popular tourist destination among Gujarati people.
Saputara has a good number of sight-seeings points such as Echo Point, Rose Garden, boat clubs, Table Point and many others. You would find many resorts and hotels in the hill station.
11. Karnala Fort
Karnala Fort is one of the oldest forts in the country. It was built in the 12th century which makes it one of the most important historical places in the country. It is located on the top of hill, a perfect place to trek and hiking. The distance between Karnala Fort and Mumbai is just 47.8 km, which may take up to 1 hour of driving by road.
It is the best offbeat destination within 50 km from the center of Mumbai. I think, it is one of the quickest places to reach within one hour.
Common Tips
Many travel companies and travel agents provide special travel packages for weekend getaways from Mumbai. Now days, many travel portals offer best travel packages for the category weekend getaways from Mumbai including Yatra.com, MakeMyTrip (MakeMyTrip.com), Hotels.com, Nivalink, Groupon, Lonely Planet and many others. So, its a bit confusing where to buy a travel package for your trip.
I am recommending you to please check out at least five travel portals to get the best offers, deals and cheap rates save your money. If you are looking for further information, please visit the official website of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), Maharashtra.
Which are your favorite weekend getaways from Mumbai? Share your views.
Article last re-published on February 27, 2020.
