Puri is well connected by rail, road and air.Air
The Indian Airlines daily services to Pune from Bombay remain suspended at the timer of writing, but both Vayudoot and Continental Aviation each operate two flights a day (Rs393). Indian Airlines operates a daily flight to and from Delhi (Rs2454) and on various days to/from Madras (Rs1928) and Bangalore (Rs1583). Vayudoot has flights to/from Hyderabad on certain days of the week. The East West Airlines daily ervice to/from Bombay should be up and running by the time you read this.
Road
Only 184 km (115 miles) from Bombay, there are several buses linking Pune with I Bombay. While the Maharashtra State Transport Service runs an efficient service, there are luxury coach services, both air-conditioned and non air-conditioned, run by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, (MTDC) and other private operators. There are also private taxis for hire and sharing.
Rail
The Deccan Queen is one of four express trains shuttling between Bombay VT and Pune every day. The journey takes about 3 hours 20 minutes. The first train, the Indrayani Express, leaves at 6 am and arrives at 9.25 am. The Deccan Queen leaves at 5.10 pm, arriving at 8.35 pm. The return leaves Puri at 7.15 am and reaches Bombay at 10.40 am. Throughout the day and night trains between Bombay and Bangalore, Hyderabad and Madras pass through Puri, so getting a seat is rarely a problem.
GETTING AROUND
It is best to allocate at least 2 days to relax and take in the sights. However, for those just passing through there are conducted tours by both Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) and MTDC.
The conducted tour operates every morning and afternoon and lasts 2 hours. Reservations and tickets are available from the PMT office opposite Pune Railway Station or Deccan Gymkhana bus-stand. MTDC also runs a 2-hour city tour twice every day. Tickets and reservation can be had from Regional office, MTDC, Central Building. The best way to see the town is to hire a 3-wheeler auto-rickshaw for about Rs50 for 4 hours. The driver will often act as a guide and will have information about places of interest not on the usual tourist map.
