Aurangabad · How to Reach

Aurangabad is well connected as a regional hub, though it is not on India's busiest trunk lines, so a little forward planning on trains and flights pays off. It sits on a branch of the Central Railway network and has its own airport, and it is linked by good state and national highways to Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and the wider Marathwada region.

By train. The main station is Aurangabad Junction (station code AWB), a short auto or taxi ride from the cantonment and city centre. It handles direct services to and from Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Nashik and other cities, including overnight trains that make an efficient way to arrive. Because Aurangabad sits on a branch line rather than a main corridor, the choice of direct trains is more limited than for a city like Agra, and the fastest options can be a daytime intercity or an overnight sleeper depending on where you start. Jalna, about 60 kilometres east, is another railhead on the same line. Since live timetables and seat availability change constantly, check current trains and fares in the search box on this page rather than relying on a fixed schedule.

By air. Aurangabad Airport (IXU), at Chikalthana about 10 kilometres east of the city centre, is the practical air gateway and the fastest way in for many travellers. It handles a modest but useful roster of domestic flights, most often connecting through Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, and it has periodically seen other routes come and go. Flight frequencies here are lighter than at a metro airport and the schedule changes, so confirm current routes before you build a plan around a specific connection. From the airport it is a short drive into town or out to the hotels along Jalna Road. Travellers who cannot find a convenient flight sometimes fly into Mumbai or Pune and continue by overnight train or by road.

By road. Aurangabad is reached by a network of highways: roughly 330 kilometres from Mumbai (typically seven to eight hours, longer in traffic), about 230 kilometres from Pune, and around 190 kilometres from Nashik and the wine country. State-run and private buses, including comfortable overnight sleeper coaches, run from Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, and self-drive or a hired car with a driver is a common choice for those touring Maharashtra. The roads are generally decent, but distances on the plateau take time, so an overnight bus or train often makes better use of the hours than a long daytime drive.

Getting around once you arrive, and reaching the caves. Within the city, auto-rickshaws, app-based cabs and local buses cover the sights, most of which are close together. The two showpieces, though, are out of town in opposite directions: Ellora is about 30 kilometres northwest (around 45 minutes), and Ajanta is roughly 100–110 kilometres northeast (around two-and-a-half hours each way). For these, most visitors hire a car with a driver for the day or take an organised tour; Maharashtra Tourism (MTDC) also runs sightseeing coaches. Note a detail that mirrors the vehicle restrictions at some other heritage sites: at Ajanta, private vehicles stop at the Fardapur T-junction, and you complete the last few kilometres to the caves on a pollution-controlled shuttle bus, then climb a stepped path to the gorge. Factor that transfer, and the long round-trip drive, into your timing for an Ajanta day.