Feriadoss presents a travel guide to an ancient site of gorgeous geography—Nashik.
The cultural power of Nashik lies in its age.
It’s been flourishing since the 1st Century BCE.
It’s so old, both the Mahabharata and Ramayana referred to the region!
When you research Nashik, you’ll see the city’s identity strongly written in the language of gods. Several temples command attention within the city and its outer radius, and the world-famous Kumbh Mela has people submerging themselves in its holy river site every six years.
That’s not the main reason for its uncanny publicity, though.
The real reason is something which any tourist understands…
Gorgeous geography.
Weekenders love it for its picnic-perfect riversides, its sky-mirroring lakes, its bewitching flatlands, its tabletop mesas, its distant hilltop forts, its jagged peaks, its haunting gorges, its ornate rock-cut temples, its tidy orchards, vineyards, and plantations—and all its untapped grandeur.
So, if you’re looking to book villas in Nashik in the coming months, here’s where you can find charming details of the place.
Always a Symbol of Divine Blessing in the Deccan
Nashik lies in one of the most promising belts in the world.
The Godavari river and the Western Ghats are in the vicinity. That’s why ancient tribes set up a base here. The river provided irrigation, while rain water streamed down from the mountains, fertilizing the land—land that supports more than half of India’s vineyards today.
In that period, a group of rock-cut monasteries were already in construction, meant to house Jain and Buddhist monks.
So, the tribes not only had agricultural and economic stability, but moral assurance on an existential and cosmic scale from these wandering acolytes.
As all the elements of a self-sufficient culture came together, the people multiplied… and so did the folklore.
The city’s name was derived from the Sanskrit word for “nose”—more specifically the demoness Shurpanakha’s nose, cut off by Lord Ram’s brother Laxman. Soon, Shaivaist and Vaishnava sects grew around the ancient Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, which lies only 28 km from the city’s borders. This temple walls in 1 of the 12 holiest of Indian holies: a jyotirlinga.
For several centuries, Trimbak has been one of the 4 sites of the world-famous Kumbh Mela, and, since 1789, Ramkund has also emerged as a twin venue for the pilgrimage on the Godavari’s banks. The next Kumbh Mela in Nashik will be held in between 2026-28. To book a hotel online, you can look to find one in the city centre, which is quite close to the Ramkund site.
The city shifts in ambience from its condensed centre, where you can find several historic and cultural buildings, to a more spacious, suburban sprawl in its outer ring. For travellers of restricting budgets, Nashik provides a large range of lodging options, so don’t worry!
7 Unforgettable Tourist Attractions Around Nashik
The Igatpuri-Nashik-Sinnar region is a linchpin of the $90 billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project. The city’s population is now at approx. 20,00,000 with more set to come in, due to these infrastructural changes.
How did it all start?
Well, the city had a number of exciting destinations already:
- Anjaneri Hills: For Panoramas of the Deccan
A short drive away from the city centre lies the Anjaneri Hills, which offer weekenders a day of fresh air, peace, and perspective. The wide-horizon views from the many summits takes your mind away from the mayhem of urban life. These hills get their name from the religious grotto at the top of the notable Anjaneri Parvat, where, according to local legend, Goddess Anjana is said to have given birth to Lord Hanuman.
- Sula Vineyards: A Place to Sip and Sigh
Nashik’s wine tourism is dominated by the Sula region, home to 3000 acres of India’s best grapes. As the economy has progressed step by step, it is now known as “The Wine Capital of India,” producing 10,000 tonnes of grapes per year.
Visitors can take a tour of the Sula Vineyards, observe the manufacturing process, sample the wines, and relax at the picturesque resort. The experience puts to shame even the best hotels in India! On a two-day weekend, use the first day to relax at this out-of-the-way haven.
- The Coin Museum: A View of Indian History
The Coin Museum of Nashik, one of the rare museums of its kind in the country, was established by the Institute of Research in Numismatic Studies in 1980. It displays the evolution of Indian currency, from the bartering tools of the paleolithic era, to the stone and metal coins of the Harappan civilization, through Antiquity’s many empires, to the Marathas, to the current day. Visitors can also find fossils from the Jurassic Era and artifacts from each of the civilizations mentioned above.
- Ramkund: A Holy Site for the Kumbh Mela
The magnificent Kumbh Mela takes place at Ramkund, a revered bathing site on the banks of the Godavari river. Every day, a large number of Hindu pilgrims visit Ramkund in Nashik’s centre to bathe and worship. The ashes of the deceased are also buried here.
- Gangapur Dam: Picnic at an Historical Earthen Dam
It’s the longest earthen dam in Asia, and is the British Raj’s parting gift to the community around Nashik. Constructed from 1947-65, it became one of the main factors for irrigation that then led to Nashik’s profusion of vineyards. Now, it is a beautiful picnic spot, where tourists can enjoy the bucolic setting of the river, and spot migratory birds perching on the bankside trees.
- Bhavali Waterfall: For Monsoon Madness
Bhavali Dam is another earthen dam, this one on the Darana River, and there is a waterfall spot not far from the main massing of stone.
You could plan a day at the spot, as it has ample space for a swim and a picnic on lush green land. You can also time your visit to the late afternoon to enjoy the sunset across the dam’s waters.
The monsoon season is a fun time to visit because the water levels are higher and the waterfall increases its volume, creating quite the spectacle!
- Grape County: Luxury Hidden in the Lands
Grape County roughly covers 60 hectares and it is adjacent to a large, reserved forestland. It’s a nature enthusiast’s delight, an unspoiled destination allowing you to find spots of agrarian luxury within the wilderness. There are farms, stables, lakes, vineyards, resorts, villas, and much more to explore.
Book a villa, like the tidily-terraced, French-windowed Villa Vinifera—where you can find privacy with your family with wide, lush-green views of the countryside.
How Can You Reach Nashik?
Nashik is accessible by all modes of transport.
The most common route for people coming in from out of state would be to fly to Mumbai and then take a 4-hour drive to Nashik.
By Air
You can also find direct domestic flights to and from Nashik’s Ozar Airport, especially if you live in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Bhopal. The taxi ride from the airport is less than an hour. As mentioned, the more common option is a flight to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport, after which you can take a 4-hour drive to Nashik.
By Train
There are several trains running to and from Nashik, and they all connect to major Indian cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The train station is inside 10 km of the city centre, so you could easily arrange for an OLA or Uber ride via auto rickshaw or cab. If not, you can just use the public bus services.
By Road
From the centre of Mumbai, a drive would take 3-4 hours to Nashik, with most of the time and stress spent within the megacity’s crowded borders. The drive from the outskirts of Mumbai to Nashik via the Mumbai-Agra National Highway is actually quite pleasant, compared to the intracity drive. There are also numerous commercial and public interstate and intrastate buses that connect Nashik with various Indian cities.
What’s the Best Time to Visit Nashik?
Summer: April to June
Summer is often a suboptimal season for high-energy tourists, but if you’re planning for a lazy getaway with family, in an air-conditioned villa with board games, card games, and a compound of leafy shade trees, then it is easy to find accommodation, as there are hundreds of such locations in the city’s radius. Nashik also celebrates its festivals during the summer, like the Ram Rath Yatra and Janmahotsav.
Monsoon: June to September
With waterfalls, lush-green picnic spots, misty tabletop mesas, and rivers and lakes everywhere, the monsoon season saves your soul. Even though the rain can be intense at times, there are many sites to which there are reliable, spacious roads and mechanical help. Your vehicle won’t get stuck!
Winter: September to March
The days are cool and breezy during the winter, which is enticing for people used to hot and humid climates year-round. Hiking, trekking, and camping in the nearby hills can become a day activity in this wintertime weather—which is something tourists are trying more and more.
You can also experiment with all your fancy outfit ideas during the nights, which are cold enough to warrant several layers! Put on a blazer and a turtleneck and attend one of the many winter winery festivals running in this season. Make new friends and talk the night away!
In short, winter and the monsoons are the ideal seasons to visit Nashik. But you can also visit in summer, provided you have accommodation with all the modern amenities.
Visit Nashik Soon!
We hope this information will help you sketch out a travel plan. We thought that instead of giving you a list of the best villas in Nashik, we could give you a sense of the place. There is a lot more to be experienced in Nashik, but these details are the starting points from which most people who have visited the place have found elation, community, and peace.
From there, you can do your own research and find options more to your personal preferences.
Thank you for reading!
