How To Reach Kolhapur

Kolhapur, known in ancient times as Dakshin Kashi stands about 1,790 ft. above msl on the banks of the river Panchganga, which is a tributary of the River Krishna, on the southwest part of Maharashtra. The eastern side of the Sahyadri mountain ranges runs along Kolhapur, which is about 373 km from the capital city of Mumbai and about 230 km from Pune. The city is easily accessible from the touristy city of Goa that lies about 214 km away on the Konkan coast as well.

Kolhapur is a charming pilgrim and a tourist city that is one of the most significant well-travelled cities of Maharashtra. Kolhapur has an efficient transport system and is well connected to the rest of the country through air, rail and road. The easiest way to reach Kolhapur would probably be by train.

Kolhapur Airport that is located in Ujlaiwadi, about 9 km on the southeast of Kolhapur city caters to domestic flights to and from Mumbai, Tirupathi, Hyderabad, Belgaum and Bengaluru. You can hire a cab or auto rickshaw from the airport to reach your destination. Direct bus transport from the airport to points in the city is in the offing.

The nearest international airports are the Goa International Airport that has domestic flights as well as international flights from Manchester, Muscat, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Kuala Lampur, Moscow, Abu Dhabi et al. The Pune Lohegaon International Airport has domestic flights and international flights to Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt.

Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Terminus in Kolhapur connects the city by express trains like Sahyadri Express, Koyna Express or the fast Mahalaxmi Express to Mumbai and Pune and other  major cities like  Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Solapur, Thirupathi, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Dhanbad and Nagpur. There are regular passenger train services between Pune and Kolhapur as well as DEMU trains that run between Kolhapur and Miraj, Sangli and Satara.

There are auto rickshaw stands close to the railway station and the Kolhapur bus stand is just a short walk away. You could also find cabs that can be hired to reach your destination from the railway station.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) runs regular and semi deluxe buses to Kolhapur from cities like Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Belgaum etc. There are private Volvo, luxury and semi luxury buses as well that ply to Kolhapur from cities including Goa, Bengaluru, Solapur, Pune and Mumbai.

A popular touristy thing to do is driving to Kolhapur from cities like Mumbai or Pune. Carpooling from any of the metro cities or hiring a cab are yet more cool options to choose from. Mobile app based cabs are also available for a trip to Kolhapur from Mumbai. The highway from Pune to Kolhapur is a breathtaking one with lush green fields and mountain ranges at the distance, that’s so tempting to choose the road route.

Kolhapur is a busy commercial and tourist city so you would not find it difficult to find public transport vehicles that would cater to your needs. Kolhapur Municipal Transport (KMT) buses are easy to access, if you would love to get across the city by bus. Kolhapur’s Central Bus Stand that is located close to the Railway Station has buses that ply to various routes in the city. So you could probably take a ride in the bus to visit tourist places like Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple.

Self-drive cars and two wheelers are also available on hire, so you could rent one and drive around the city by yourself. Otherwise there are taxis and auto rickshaws too, that are popular and regular modes of transport in Kolhapur.