Sightseeing & Travel
We understand the trip to Pune is a long one, so you might as well use the time to do some additional traveling. some good options for outside India are Southeast Asia, UAE, Turkey or Europe if your flight has a layover there. Here are our suggestions for travel within the country
Pune
Pune is a small, populated city. There's not a lot of sightseeing to be done, but you could easily spend a day or two doing some fun things
Sightseeing
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The Aga Khan Palace which is right next to the Hyatt (you can walk!) is where Mahatma Gandhi was kept on house arrest by the British. There's also the Shanivar Wada, a historic fort in the heart of the city. You can also sign up for a Pune Darshan, which is a tour of the entire city. Pune has a lot of great hikes just a couple hours drive from the city. The Sinhagadh Fort has really great food served at the top and you can drive there too
Food
The list is endless, but here are some options for local food items
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Koregaon Park (North Main Road) has several restaurants if you are looking for non-Indian options
Nightlife
Across India
India is extremely diverse in terms of culture, climate and food so you'll have to pick your poison. We recommend hiring a car and driver if you are travelling by road. They are relatively cheap compared to the US and a lot safer than trying to drive yourself. You can reach out to us if you want a recommendation or want to verify which company to book with. If you do want to drive yourself you will have to get an international license in your country of residence
Mumbai
Mumbai is just a 3-4 hr drive from Pune, and there are many easy flights in from overseas.
Think of it as a sub-tropical New York. You can stay there a few days, sightsee, shop, eat and then hire a car to bring you to the Wedding.
Ajanta & Ellora caves
If you're looking for a little more adventure, but want to be close to Pune, these are UNESCO world heritage sites that are rich in history.
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You can fly to Aurangabad and it's a 4 hour journey by road from there. Alternatively you could go straight from Pune/Mumbai(8hrs by road).
If you have limited time you can pick between Ajanta or Ellora. Again, we recommend hiring a car and driver and possibly a local guide once you get there
Goa
Think Beach, amazing food, cheap alcohol, a rave or two if you like. Need I say more?
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There are direct flights (1 hr) from Mumbai & Pune! Also, Anshi National Park is a ~3 hour drive from Goa if you're looking for a varied trip
Taj Mahal
Can't come to India and not want to see this wonder of the world right? Driving from New Delhi would be your best bet. Fair warning, it will be crowded and flights to Delhi can be unpredictable due to the weather that time of the year. If you are making the trip up there you might want to consider clubbing it with a trip to Jim Corbett National Park or Ranthambore National Park
National Parks
India has some amazing National Parks all over the country. You can pick a 4 or 5 star resort to stay in nearby and book yourself a jeep safari. You are almost guaranteed to see wildlife in their natural habitat.
Maharashtra itself has a few small ones, but the most popular are Kanha, Jim Corbett and Ranthambore
South India
Explore the bride's native lands. Known for their tea & coffee plantations, good food and slow pace of life, hill stations like Munnar, Ooty, and Coorg are some of the most beautiful and peaceful. If you're looking for a relaxing vacation, a house-stay or forest resort in South India would be the way to go. They are all easily accessible from Bangalore which is also a great city to visit