Free Things to Do in Pune: 28 Ideas That Cost Nothing (2026)

Pune is a good city to be broke in. Its best views are from hills that nobody charges for, its Peshwa-era garden and its biggest temples are free, and the old city is an open-air museum you can walk in a morning. Below are 28 things to do that cost nothing, grouped by type, with the nearest metro station and an honest note where something nearby does carry a ticket. For free events with dates, such as exhibitions, lectures and festival programmes, see our live free events page.

What is free and what is not

Place	Cost	Area	Getting there
Parvati Hill	Free	Near Swargate	Swargate (Purple), then auto
Vetal Tekdi	Free	Erandwane / Kothrud side	SNDT College (Aqua), then auto
Sarasbaug	Free	Swargate	Swargate (Purple)
Pataleshwar cave temple	Free	JM Road	Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan (Aqua)
Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati	Free	Budhwar Peth	Kasba Peth or Mahatma Phule Mandai (Purple)
Old-city walk on your own	Free	Peth areas	Kasba Peth (Purple) or PMC (Aqua)
Shaniwar Wada (inside)	Small ASI ticket	Shaniwar Peth	Kasba Peth (Purple)
Aga Khan Palace	Small ASI ticket	Nagar Road	Kalyani Nagar (Aqua), then auto
Municipal heritage walk	₹300 for Indian adults	From Shaniwar Wada	Kasba Peth (Purple)
Zapurza museum	₹250	Kudje, near Khadakwasla	By car or cab

Hills and open spaces

1. Parvati Hill. A little over a hundred broad stone steps climb to the temple complex the Peshwas built; the main Devdeveshwar temple was completed in 1749. At 640 metres it is the second-highest point in the city, and the view takes in most of Pune. The temples are open from 5 am to 10 pm. The small Peshwa museum at the top is a separate matter and may charge a ticket.

2. Vetal Tekdi. The highest hill within the city, covered in scrub forest and criss-crossed by walking trails. Regulars arrive at dawn. Reach a trailhead by auto from SNDT College station.

3. Taljai and Baner hills. Two more city hills with walking paths, Taljai in the south near Sahakarnagar and Baner Hill in the west. Both are best at sunrise.

4. Sarasbaug. A 25-acre garden begun under Nanasaheb Peshwa in 1750, around a Ganpati temple completed in 1784 on what was once an island in a lake. The lawns are free, and the snack stalls outside the gates are part of the routine. A short walk from Swargate metro station.

5. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan. The neighbourhood park on Jangli Maharaj Road, next to Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir, with its own Aqua Line station.

6. The university campus. The Savitribai Phule Pune University grounds on Ganeshkhind Road are among the greenest parts of the city, and walkers use the internal roads in the morning.

7. Osho Teerth Park. A landscaped garden along a stream in Koregaon Park, open to the public for limited hours in the morning and afternoon.

8. Pashan Lake. A quiet walking loop on the western side, with migratory birds in winter.

9. Khadakwasla backwaters. The lakeside road beyond the dam is free to stop at, though you will pay for the ride out. Sunset is the popular hour.

10. Sinhagad on foot. Driving up the fort involves a vehicle fee, but the old trekking path from the base village is free and takes most walkers one to two hours. Start early and carry water.

Temples, caves and churches

11. Pataleshwar cave temple. A rock-cut Shiva temple from about 750 CE, of the Rashtrakuta period, with a circular Nandi pavilion carved from the same rock. It is a protected monument in the middle of Shivajinagar, and there is generally no entry charge.

12. Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati. Pune’s most visited temple, in Budhwar Peth. Darshan is free; queues are long on Tuesdays, on Chaturthi days and through Ganeshotsav.

13. Kasba Ganpati. The city’s gram daivat and the first of the five Manache Ganpati, a few lanes from Shaniwar Wada.

14. Chaturshringi. A hill shrine on Senapati Bapat Road reached by a flight of steps. Its Navratri fair runs through the nine nights; in 2026 that is 11 to 20 October. See our Navratri page.

15. Camp’s churches and synagogue. St Mary’s Church, consecrated in 1825, and St Patrick’s Cathedral are open to respectful visitors outside service times. The red-brick Ohel David Synagogue, built by David Sassoon in the 1860s and known locally as Lal Deval, can be admired from the street; entry inside is restricted.

The old city on foot

16. A self-guided peth walk. Follow the route of the municipal heritage walk on your own: Shaniwar Wada’s Delhi Darwaza, Kasba Ganpati, Lal Mahal, Nana Wada, Bhau Rangari Ganpati, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Dagdusheth, Bhide Wada, Tulshibaug Ram Mandir, Mahatma Phule Mandai and Vishrambaug Wada. Looking is free; a few of the buildings charge a small ticket to go inside. Our old city guide has the background, and the guided version is on the heritage walks page.

17. Shaniwar Wada from the forecourt. You need a ticket to enter the palace-fort, but the spiked Delhi Darwaza and the ramparts are visible from the open ground outside, which is a public gathering place in the evening.

18. Mahatma Phule Mandai. The city’s nineteenth-century market hall, with its central tower and radiating wings, still sells vegetables, fruit and flowers every morning.

19. Tulshibaug and Laxmi Road. Window-shopping in the old bazaar lanes costs nothing and is a sight in itself in the weeks before Diwali.

20. Juna Bazaar. The second-hand market of brass, coins, tools and curios, traditionally held on Wednesdays and Sundays near the RTO.

21. A walk through Camp. MG Road, East Street and the lanes between them hold Pune’s colonial-era shopfronts, bakeries and Irani cafés. In the last week of December the streets are lit for Christmas, and in 2025 MG Road was closed to vehicles from 7 pm on 24 and 25 December. See our Camp guide.

Free culture

22. Art exhibitions. The exhibition hall above Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir and the municipal Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Kaladalan in Sahakarnagar host changing shows of painting, sculpture and photography that are generally free to enter.

23. Lecture series and book events. Pune has a long habit of public lectures. The Vasant Vyakhyanmala series runs each spring at Tilak Smarak Mandir, and book launches, readings and talks are held through the year in halls, bookshops and cultural centres. Most are free, some ask you to register.

24. Mall and plaza concerts. The big malls stage free music, dance and festive programmes in their atria on weekends. Ticketed concerts in the same malls are a different thing; the listing will say.

Free festival experiences

25. Diwali Pahat at Sarasbaug. The dawn music gathering on Diwali Padwa morning, which marked its 28th year in 2025, is free and draws thousands from as early as 3 am. Padwa falls on Tuesday 10 November 2026 by the state holiday list. More in our Diwali page.

26. Ganeshotsav pandal-hopping. Walking between the mandals of the old city, from the five Manache Ganpati to Dagdusheth and Mandai, is free and is the single best thing to do in Pune all year. The next festival runs from 4 to 14 September 2027. Our Ganeshotsav page has the order of the mandals and metro advice.

27. The Palkhi processions. Each monsoon, usually in June or early July, the palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram pass through Pune on the way to Pandharpur, with hundreds of thousands of warkaris walking and singing. Watching from the roadside is free; traffic diversions are announced in advance.

28. Marathon morning. The 40th Pune International Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 6 December 2026 from the Baburao Sanas Ground near Swargate. Cheering along the route costs nothing.

Nearly free

A few places charge so little that they belong in a budget plan. Shaniwar Wada and the Aga Khan Palace are Archaeological Survey of India monuments with small entry tickets. The Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park at Katraj and the Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden on Sinhagad Road have low-priced tickets. The municipal heritage walk costs ₹300 for Indian adults, ₹200 for higher-education students and ₹100 for school students. Comedy club line-up shows start at ₹49 to ₹150; our under ₹500 page lists what is on.

Tips for a zero-rupee day

• Walk early. Hills, gardens and the old city are at their best before 9 am, and you avoid both heat and traffic.
• Use the metro. A ticket is cheap compared with an auto across town, and Swargate, Kasba Peth, Mahatma Phule Mandai, PMC and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan stations put most of this list within walking distance.
• Carry water and a cap from March to May, when afternoon temperatures climb into the high thirties.
• Dress for temples. Shoes come off, and shoulders and knees should be covered.
• Check before a festival. Roads in the old city are closed to vehicles on Ganeshotsav evenings and for the Palkhi, so plan to arrive on foot or by metro.

For a wider list that includes paid ideas, read things to do in Pune this weekend, and for children, our weekend activities for kids.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best free things to do in Pune?

Climb Parvati Hill for the Peshwa-era temples and the view, walk the forest trails of Vetal Tekdi, spend an evening at Sarasbaug, see the eighth-century Pataleshwar cave temple and walk the old city from Shaniwar Wada to Tulshibaug and Mandai.

Is Shaniwar Wada free?

No. Shaniwar Wada is a ticketed monument under the Archaeological Survey of India, though the ticket is small. You can see the Delhi Darwaza and the ramparts from the forecourt without one.

Are there free events in Pune?

Yes. Art exhibitions at the municipal galleries, public lecture series, the Diwali Pahat gathering at Sarasbaug, Ganeshotsav pandals and many mall and festival programmes are free. Pune2Go's free-events page lists what is on.

Which hills in Pune are free to climb?

All the city hills are free: Parvati Hill, Vetal Tekdi, Taljai, Baner Hill and the hill behind Fergusson College. Go at sunrise or before sunset.

Is the Pune heritage walk free?

No. The Pune Municipal Corporation's weekend heritage walk costs ₹300 for Indian adults. You can follow much of the same route on your own for free.

Sources checked

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati_Hill
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasbaug
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pataleshwar
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaniwar_Wada
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_Palace
• heritagewalk.pmc.gov.in/
• www.zapurza.org/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bal_Gandharva_Ranga_Mandir
• www.mypunepulse.com/?p=173740
• www.punekarnews.in/?p=224907
• www.marathonpune.com/
• www.drikpanchang.com/festivals/ganesh-chaturthi/ganesh-chaturthi-date-time.html?
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune-Okayama_Friendship_Garden
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajiv_Gandhi_Zoological_Park
• www.district.in/events/comedy-shows-in-pune-book-tickets
• www.punemetrorail.org/

Researched and written by the pune2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.