How to Reach Pune — Airport, Station & Road (2026)

Pune's airport code is PNQ, with direct flights to Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad as its three busiest routes, run mainly by IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air. The main railway station, Pune Junction (PUNE), runs roughly 200 trains a day across 6 platforms, connecting to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

If you're using Pune as a base for temple travel onward, here's exactly how to get into the city first.

✈️ By Air — Pune Airport (PNQ)

Pune Airport carries the code PNQ, and as of 2026 around 8 airlines fly to 38 destinations from here. Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are the three busiest routes, with Delhi alone served by five carriers — Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

Direct non-stop connections also reach Patna, Varanasi, Raipur and Ranchi, mostly on IndiGo or SpiceJet, which matters if you're arriving from further north or east rather than from another Maharashtra city.

• Airport code: PNQ

• Busiest routes: Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad

• Main carriers: IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet

• Also reachable non-stop: Patna, Varanasi, Raipur, Ranchi

🚆 By Train — Pune Junction

Pune Junction (station code PUNE), formally named after Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa, is an A-1 category station with 6 platforms handling roughly 200 trains daily — about 127 originating, 127 terminating and the rest passing through. It's directly linked to Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gwalior and Indore.

Trains from Mumbai are the most frequent by far, given the short distance, so travelers coming from the west coast rarely need to book far in advance outside festival season.

• Station code: PUNE

• Category: A-1, 6 platforms

• Direct links: Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gwalior, Indore

• Daily traffic: roughly 200 trains

🛣️ By Road — Key Highway Routes

From Mumbai, the Mumbai–Pune Expressway covers about 148 km in roughly 2.5 hours, the fastest and most heavily used approach into the city. From Nashik, NH60 covers about 212–214 km in 4.5–5 hours, passing through Sangamner, Narayangaon and Rajgurunagar. From Solapur, NH65 runs about 250 km, taking around 4.5 hours.

• From Mumbai: ~148 km, ~2.5 hrs, via Mumbai–Pune Expressway

• From Nashik: ~212–214 km, ~4.5–5 hrs, via NH60

• From Solapur: ~250 km, ~4.5 hrs, via NH65

🚕 Getting from the Airport or Station to Your Stay

Pune Airport sits about 10 km from the city centre, a ride of roughly 30–60 minutes depending on traffic. Prepaid taxi counters are just before the terminal exit, with fares to central Pune running around ₹260–300 in a sedan, more for an SUV.

From Pune Junction, the station sits close enough to the main city that most onward taxi rides run short and cheap compared to the airport transfer — useful to know if your onward temple trip starts from a hotel rather than straight off the platform.

• Airport to city centre: ~10 km, 30–60 mins, prepaid fare ~₹260–300 (sedan)

• Airport to Swargate (a common onward bus hub): ~₹300 sedan, ~₹600 SUV

• From the station: typically shorter and cheaper than the airport run

🛕 Onward from Pune — Common Temple Routes

Once you've arrived, Pune sits within easy striking distance of several major pilgrimage routes. Shirdi is roughly 180–200 km, about 4–5 hours by road. Alandi, home to Sant Dnyaneshwar's samadhi, sits right at the edge of the city near the Outer Ring Road, making it a half-day trip rather than a full one.

The Ashtavinayak circuit of eight Ganesh temples is commonly done as a 2-day loop starting and ending in Pune, since most of the eight sit within a few hours of the city in different directions.

🎒 Which Route Should You Choose?

• Flying in from outside Maharashtra: PNQ is your fastest option, especially from Delhi, Bengaluru or Hyderabad

• Coming from Mumbai specifically: the expressway by road or train is faster door to door than flying, given airport transfer time on both ends

• Coming from Nashik or Solapur for a temple circuit: road is usually simplest, since it lets you continue straight on to Shirdi, Trimbakeshwar or the Ashtavinayak circuit without a station transfer

• Traveling with a fixed onward schedule: book the train in advance from Mumbai during festival weekends, when Pune-bound services fill up fastest

🏨 Where to Stay

Where you base yourself in Pune depends on which onward trip you're planning — near the station suits an early train departure, while a spot closer to the highway works better if you're driving out toward Trimbakeshwar or the Ashtavinayak temples at dawn. Our where to stay in Pune guide breaks this down by onward route.

Safe travels into Pune, and onward to darshan.