Hi Forum, I am going to be in Mumbai for some business work after which I would like to head off to Lonavala to explore the place. I have chosen accommodation at Lonavala. Now for my query, how do I reach Lonavala and the hotel from Mumbai? Should I hire a taxi which would take me there? or Should I get something arranged from the hotel? Which one would work out to be cheaper and better?
You can hire a car but it would work out to be costly, especially as you would be going to a hill station. Another option you have is getting a train to Lonavala and getting a pick up from your desired hotel. Do not ask your hotel for travel arrangements from Mumbai as it would be costly.
Getting to Lonavala from Mumbai is very easy, there are many modes of transportation public and private which can be used. Getting a bus would be the cheapest way to get there and pick up can be arranged by the hotel from within Lonavala if the hotel provides it. Sent from my 6043D using Tapatalk
Actually a lot depend on where is your hotel in Mumbai. For example, if you are staying in a hotel at Nariman Point and you hire a cab from hotel, you'l end up spending a lot of travelling in Mumbai itself! OTOH, if you are staying say in Mulund, Thane - you hire a taxi and you are on the way to Lonavala. In any case, if you are looking for cheap and best travel - go by some AC Train there. And where you're going to stay there in Lonvala ask that hotel to send you a cab to pick up - they'll help. If train is not your choice - you can pick a AC Bus service and they can drop you at Lonavala easily. Hope this helps.
Hello and welcome to the forum! Your options for public transportation from Mumbai to Lonavala are: 1. MSRTC Buses. You can ride MSRTC Buses from Dadar in Mumbai to Pune. There are no direct MSRTC Buses that take you from Mumbai to Lonavala. Some of the timings of these MSRTC Buses are: Dadar to Pune Via Aundh Bus Timings: 05:30, 06:00, 06:30, 07:00, 07:30, 07:40, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30, 22:00, 23:00 and 24:00. From Pune, you can just ride buses going to Lonavala which is about an hour away from here. 2. Private Buses. Several private buses operate directly from Mumbai to Lonavala. Some of them are: Purple Metrolink. Volvo Bus AC Seater at Rs. 400. Departs at 9:00 am and arrives at 12:00 pm. Neeta Travels. Volvo AC Bus Seater at Rs. 377. Departs at 8:15 am and arrives at 11:45 am. MR Travels India. Volvo AC Bus Seater/Sleeper at Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,000. Departs at 3:26 pm and arrives at 6:07 pm. 3. Trains. Some options for trains are: Mumbai - Pune Indrayani Expree Train No. 22105. This train runs everyday at 5:40 am and arrives at 9:08 am. Intercity Express Train No. 12127. This train runs everyday at 6:40 am and arrives at 9:57 am. Deccan Express Train No. 11007. This also runs everyday at 7:00 am and arrives at 11:05 am. 4. Taxi. You can hire a taxi as well: Taxi For Pune. Hatchback is at Rs. 2,150, Sedan is at Rs. 2,350 and SUV is at Rs. 3,100. Taxi Guide. Tata Indica AC at Rs. 2,920, Tata Indigo AC at Rs. 4,220 and Tavera at Rs. 3,620. Get Me Cab. Etios at Rs. 2,500 and Xylo at Rs. 2,812. Your best option would be hiring a taxi as it's more convenient and comfortable. But if budget is an issue, you can opt for the other transportation options. There are many taxi agencies you can hire a taxi from. I've given you a few options on the list above. Hiring a vehicle from the hotel can be much more expensive. Only do this if you have money to spare. Otherwise, just hire a taxi from Mumbai to take you to Lonavala. It is cheaper but as convenient. The cheaper alternative would be just hiring a taxi from Mumbai to take you to Lonavala. When you hire a vehicle from the hotel itself, you'd have to pay for the fuel to and from the hotel which can be more expensive. You'd also have to pay for the driver's time and effort. Getting the cab from Mumbai would be more cost-efficient and the comfort level is at par with hiring a vehicle from the hotel. I hope this helps!
