Things to do in Aurangabad
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Aurangabad
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
October to March is the season to come, with pleasant days and comfortable cave and fort sightseeing. December and January are peak crowd and price.
Monsoon turns the Ellora and Ajanta hills green and runs the Pitalkhora waterfall, but steps are slippery and the Ajanta road can delay.
Summer heat regularly reaches 38 to 43 degrees C. Start every site at opening and finish outdoor sightseeing by noon.
Shravan brings the heaviest crowds to Grishneshwar and other Shiva temples, which are also busiest on Mondays year round.
What's on
- Ajanta Ellora Festival Winter, dates vary by year, performances at Soneri Mahal
Classical and folk dance and music performances now held at Soneri Mahal in the city, in the peak winter season.
Best things to do in Aurangabad
Bibi Ka Maqbara
A 17th century Mughal mausoleum in a charbagh garden, modelled on the Taj Mahal and best in early or late light.
Aurangabad Caves
Twelve rock-cut Buddhist shrines behind Bibi Ka Maqbara, the uncrowded local warm-up for Ellora.
Panchakki
A medieval water mill in a Sufi dargah garden, turned by water piped from a hill spring.
Soneri Mahal
A 17th century palace by the university that now houses the regional state museum collection.
Where to stay in Aurangabad
CIDCO and Jalna Road
comfort, early cave starts and airport access
The modern hotel district on the airport and Ellora side of the city, quieter at night than the old city or station.
Station Road and Kranti Chowk
budget stays and train arrivals
Practical for the railway station and cheap food, noisier and more congested than CIDCO.
Think twice about
- Old city core around Gulmandi and City Chowk as a base
Very narrow congested lanes and near impossible parking make early cave starts slower. Visit for food and gates, sleep elsewhere.
- Ellora village and Ajanta T-junction as overnight bases
Both go quiet after the sites close, with minimal dining and no evening transport back if plans change. Day-trip from Aurangabad instead.
Best restaurants in Aurangabad
Latitude
The all-day restaurant at the city's top hotel, the closest Aurangabad has to a fine-dining room.
Bhoj Thali Restaurant
The thali benchmark in Samarthnagar, an unlimited vegetarian thali of Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Rajasthani dishes.
That Baat
The other name in the city's thali argument, unlimited Gujarati and Rajasthani thali with a family puppet show.
Great Sagar Restaurant
A dependable cheap-eats workhorse near Jubilee Park for kebabs, biryani and North Indian and Chinese plates.
Yalla Yalla Restaurant
A station-area local favourite at Osmanpura Circle for shawarma, kebabs and Mughlai plates at low prices.
Outdoor things to do in Aurangabad
Ellora Caves
Thirty-four Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves in one cliff, centred on the Kailasa Temple carved from a single rock.
Ajanta Caves
Thirty Buddhist caves above a river gorge, famous for some of the finest surviving ancient paintings anywhere.
Daulatabad Fort
A hill fortress on the Ellora road with concentric defences and a wide summit view over the Deccan plain.
Grishneshwar Temple
An active Jyotirlinga temple about 1 km from the Ellora gates, an easy add-on to an Ellora day.
Pitalkhora Caves
Fourteen early Buddhist caves in a steep green valley with a monsoon waterfall and almost no other visitors.
Salim Ali Lake
A small historic lake by Himayat Bagh and Delhi Gate, the easy in-city early morning bird walk.
Best hotels in Aurangabad
Vivanta Aurangabad, Maharashtra
The city's top hotel, a Taj-group property in gardens in CIDCO with a pool, spa and the Latitude restaurant.
Lemon Tree Hotel, Aurangabad
A reliable four-star on Airport Road with a pool and spa, the sensible mid-range default for cave days.
Zostel Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad)
The city's backpacker base under the new city name, with dorms and private rooms and shared-car company for Ajanta.
Hotel Panchavati
A long-running budget hotel on Station Road, the private-room pick near the station for train timings.
Is Aurangabad expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹4,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹11,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Vivanta Aurangabad, Maharashtra: weeks ahead
- Latitude: a few days ahead
- Lock the Monday and Tuesday cave closures into the itinerary before booking hotels or cars.
- Book the top hotels and a car for December and January, the peak winter season.
- Verify Ajanta and Ellora hours and fees on asi.nic.in in the week of travel.
Is Aurangabad safe?
- Emergency number in India is 112.
- Maoist violence affects parts of central and east India, and Naxalite risk applies in parts of Maharashtra; Aurangabad itself is not in the affected eastern belt.
- Carry cash for cave entry and shuttles, drink bottled or filtered water, and start sites at opening in summer when heat reaches 38 to 43 degrees C.
- Satellite phones and GPS devices are illegal in India and can lead to arrest and large fines. Leave them at home.
Aurangabad travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Trying to do Ajanta and Ellora in one day. They are about 100 km apart and each needs its own day.
- Arriving at Ajanta on a Monday or Ellora on a Tuesday, when each is closed all day.
- Unlicensed touts at the cave gates selling queue skips for queues that do not exist. Agree any guide price and cave list before starting.
- Treating Lonar crater as an Aurangabad day trip. At about 150 km each way it needs an overnight.
Getting around Aurangabad: public transport and more
- Hire a car and driver for Ajanta and for an Ellora plus Daulatabad day, and agree the full day price, tolls and parking before setting off.
- State buses run to Ajanta and Ellora for a fraction of the car price, at the cost of time.
- In the city use auto-rickshaws and agree the fare or insist on the meter before moving.
- Aurangabad airport code is IXU and the railway station code is AWB, and both may be labelled Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in booking systems.
Who Aurangabad suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Aurangabad your trip
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