How to Get Around Maharashtra

Mumbai’s suburban rail carries several million people a day and is the fastest way across the city, though rush hour is genuinely extreme. The expanding metro is more comfortable. Taxis, autorickshaws in the suburbs, and app cabs all work.

Getting in: Mumbai is a major international hub; Pune and Nagpur have domestic airports, and Aurangabad has flights for the caves.

To Ajanta and Ellora: base at Aurangabad. Ellora is about half an hour away, Ajanta a little over two hours, and a car for the day is the practical option. Ajanta is closed on Mondays and Ellora on Tuesdays — catching that out costs people a whole trip.

Trains connect the state well, and the Mumbai to Pune route through the Ghats is a fine ride.

In the Ghats: roads are winding and the monsoon brings landslides.