This works cleanly as a weekend trip from either Hyderabad or Mumbai — we did it from Hyderabad by overnight train, but Mumbai is actually the closer gateway if that’s where you’re starting from.

At a glance

  • The route: Hyderabad → Aurangabad (1 night) → Ellora Caves & around (day trip) → Ajanta Caves (day trip) → back to Hyderabad.
  • How long you need: A single weekend — overnight train out, a full day covering Aurangabad and the Ellora cluster, a full day for Ajanta, overnight train back.
  • Best time to go: October to March, when temperatures are comfortable for a full day of sightseeing and cave-hopping. Summers here get genuinely hot.
  • Budget: Decent hotels start around ₹2,000/night (roughly $20/€18). A day’s cab to Ellora ran ₹1,400 (roughly $15/€13), and to Ajanta ₹2,800 (roughly $30/€25) — this was in 2023, so expect current rates to be somewhat higher. Food runs ₹150-500 (roughly $2-5/€1-5) per person per meal.
  • Getting around: Overnight train between Hyderabad and Aurangabad each way, as we did it — Mumbai works as a closer alternative gateway (roughly 340km vs. 500km), with a same-day train, a short flight, or a road trip all realistic options too given the shorter distance. Locally, a day’s cab to Ellora ran ₹1,400 (roughly $15/€13) and to Ajanta ₹2,800 (roughly $30/€25).

Doing this from Mumbai instead

Mumbai is actually a closer, faster gateway to Aurangabad than Hyderabad — roughly 340km versus 500km. From Mumbai, you have more flexibility: an overnight train works the same way, but a same-day train (roughly 6-7 hours), a short flight (around an hour), or even a road trip are all realistic options too, given the shorter distance. The rest of the circuit — Aurangabad, Ellora, Ajanta — stays exactly the same regardless of which city you start from.

The route

Aurangabad, officially renamed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in 2023 though still widely known by its older name, is worth a half-day of city sightseeing on its own, anchored by Bibi ka Maqbara — a mausoleum built by Aurangzeb’s son Azam Shah for his mother, and often called the “mini Taj Mahal” for its clear resemblance to the original.

The Ellora Caves day trip is really a cluster of sites in the same direction, worth combining into one day: the caves themselves (UNESCO-listed, spanning Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain rock-cut architecture), Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga just a kilometer away — one of the twelve Jyotirlingas and a major Shiva pilgrimage site — Daulatabad Fort, a hilltop fortress with a genuinely formidable defensive history, and the tomb of Aurangzeb himself at nearby Khuldabad — a deliberately simple, unmarked grave, a striking contrast to the grandeur of Bibi ka Maqbara built for his wife.

Ajanta Caves get their own separate day, in the opposite direction from Aurangabad — a different, older set of UNESCO-listed Buddhist caves, known especially for their surviving paintings.

Frequently asked questions

Can this be done from Mumbai instead of Hyderabad? Yes, and Mumbai is actually the closer gateway — see the note above for the different transport options available given the shorter distance.

How many days do I need for Ajanta and Ellora together? A weekend works — one full day for each, since they’re in different directions from Aurangabad and don’t combine well into a single day.

Is Aurangzeb’s tomb in Aurangabad city itself? No — it’s in Khuldabad, about 24km away, right in the same direction as Ellora, Grishneshwar, and Daulatabad Fort, so it combines naturally with that day trip rather than city sightseeing.

What’s the best time of year for this trip? October to March — outside this window, the region gets quite hot for a full day of outdoor sightseeing.

Want this route adjusted for your dates or starting city — or built out as a fully custom trip? Tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll put together a real plan.