Why Pune? : Heritage and Food Walks through Old Pune
Description
Discover Pune's fascinating journey from a humble hamlet to a thriving metropolis on this enriching heritage walk. Led by a knowledgeable local guide, who has conducted over 1000 heritage walks, you'll embark on a 2.2km exploration through the dense city center, uncovering 9 key landmarks. This experience isn't just about visiting sites; it's about connecting the dots between Pune's past, present, and future, unraveling the essence of the city's evolution. As a proud Punekar, I've had the joy of sharing my city with numerous visitors and locals alike. Beyond the typical tourist attractions, we'll delve into lesser-known aspects of Pune's history, culture, and community. Join me to unravel the 'Why?'. Whether you're a history enthusiast, a curious traveler, or a resident keen to delve deeper, this heritage walk promises to unveil multiple facets of Pune's identity. Come, walk with me, and piece together the vibrant tapestry of our beloved city.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our walk starts from Shaniwarwada, once a residence of the Peshwas where we cover key locations inside the palace and set a context for our heritage walk.
We'll hear fascinating stories of the former residence of the revered king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, appreciating Pune's political landscape from when it was a village
A 400 year old temple gives us a local vibe of the religious character of the city and helps us appreciate the city's origins.
The house of a former statesman adds to our political understanding, helping us appreciate the then changing demographics and people of the Old City.
The house of a former revolutionary, we'll see a beautifully maintained house and hear fascinating stories of Pune's contribution to India's freedom movement.
House of a former reformer, we'll be able to appreciate Pune's political, social, educational and reformist aspects.
We pass through Pune's most iconic Ganesh and one of India's richest temples appreciating its history and splendour.
A quaint temple, making our way through the bustling Tulshibaug market helps us appreciate the stunning architecture and the history of the area.
A colonial era vegetable market helps us appreciate Pune's transition into a colonial city and beyond. We also close the heritage walk with a lot of connections with the city's past, present and the future.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(34)
Dhruv is an amazing tour guide and knows a great deal about the city and the places he takes you too. You learn a lot about the Marathas and the Peshwas and what impact they had on the region. Highly recommend!
Dhruv brings the city alive across history, current affairs and contextualises the geography and contemporary/ pop culture along with that. It was a unique walk with him and he definitely brings a lot of personality to it.
Dheuva was absolutely incredible. So knowledgeable and passionate about his city. We covered more ground than i even thought we would for the very low price he charges. He is a born teacher and storyteller, often posing rhetorical questions to let me do some of the thinking. What a beautiful young man. This tour comes highly recommended
Wonderful tour! The guide is very knowledgeable and attentive. I learned a lot and got a completely different perspective on Pune. Would recommend 110%!
It was the best way to explore and get to know Pune. The tour guide is very knowledgeable and shares all information related to history, geography and politics, that blend together with the places that we visited. Great experience, totally recommend it!
I was visiting Pune with a few friends who were there for the first time and we thought it would be a great idea to do a tour for them also to get a glimpse of the history and for us also to relearn these stories and why we know of them. Koustubh was our guide for the same and it was great to hear all these stories while walking through these streets that we have wandered before with a new understanding and a very interactive experience of the two. My friend who isn’t from around here also really enjoyed learning new facts and information about the city. It was a very fun walk and talk and would definitely recommend it to someone visiting Pune for the first time.
A very interesting insight into Pune history and culture. Dhruv was excellent, very knowledgeable and clearly passionate about his job. Happy to answer any questions, kept the tour engaging and what a pleasure to walk through the streets of the old city.
We had a great tour of Pune old city with our guide, Dhruva. Such a nice guy and so passionate about his city. He was very articulate and generously shared his knowledge of the history of Pune. He showed us special places, that we would have never seen on our own. The walking tour of the old city gave us a little insight into what makes Pune tick. We wished we had more time to do another tour of a different part of the city with him. Highly recommend Dhruva and his tour of the old city. Well worth it if you’re in Pune!
Dhruv starts his tour at the Shaniwar Wada, not simply as a clear, central place to visit, but to start setting the stage to help understand Pune's long, intricate history. He tells the story with attention to detail and a passion that draws you in, from the start, putting Pune into a wider context within India. Throughout the tour, Dhruv's charm and attention to detail truly makes you feel like you're being led through Pune by a friend who's invited you to their town. Dhruv isn't afraid of digging into more difficult parts of India's history, instead, examining it through a intersectional lens, and how it can still be relevant today, and across continents and cultures. Our tour lasted about 5 hours, which flew by, and left me looking forward to seeing more of Pune and India.
Wonderful experience. Dhruv obviously knows his city and loves sharing it. He was knowledgeable, provided interesting, entertaining details, showed me side streets, pointed out interesting architectural details, shared historical facts and made the experience worthwhile and left me wanting to come back for more.
