Mumbai to Shirdi is about 245 km on the map and takes around 5 hours 30 minutes in a car. In one of our vehicles, plan for roughly 280 km and 7 hours 30 minutes each way, including a halt. That is the honest figure and it is the one we build your timing on.
We run this route several times a week in tempo travellers, the 16 seater Urbania and coaches. Pickup from Kandivali, Andheri, Mira Road, Bhayander or wherever suits you, and we count distance from a point near your boarding location rather than from our garage.
The drive itself
01
0 kmStart
Your pickup point. Leave before 6 am if you can, because the exit through Thane is the slowest part of the day.
02
50 km1 h 30 m
NH 160 via Bhiwandi. The heaviest traffic stretch of the trip and the one that decides whether you arrive on time.
03
130 km3 h 15 m
The climb. Slower in monsoon and worth a photo stop. Add an hour here between June and September.
04
220 km5 h 30 m
The standard tea and washroom halt. Clean facilities, about 20 minutes.
05
280 km7 h 30 m
Drop at the Sai Baba Sansthan gate or at your lodging.
Google Maps assumes a car on an empty road. Our vehicles are speed limited to 80 km per hour as RTO rules require, they carry a full load, and they halt on the way. Plan for roughly 10 to 15 per cent more distance than the map says, an hour more on trips up to five hours, and two hours more beyond that.
Some venues and rural roads on this route cannot take a large vehicle. Send us the exact pickup and drop addresses, including any unpaved or monsoon affected stretches, and we will confirm access before you book rather than on the day.
Matching the fleet to your group
Pick by group size. The reason in each row is about this route, not the vehicle in general.
How many are travelling?
22people
Group size
Best cost per seat, sofa-cum-bed row at the back
| Group size | We suggest | Why on this route | Trip shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 | Kia Carens, Ertiga or SUV | Fastest door to door on a same day run | Same day return |
| 7 to 13 | 14 seater Tempo Traveller | The point where one vehicle beats two cars | Same day or overnight |
| 9 to 16 | 16 seater Force Urbania | Softer suspension over the Kasara ghat | Overnight recommended |
| 13 to 20 | Maharaja Tempo Traveller | Wider seats, easier on elderly pilgrims | Overnight |
| 14 to 26 | Tempo TravellerPopular pick | Best cost per seat, sofa-cum-bed row at the back | Overnight recommended |
| 19 to 33 | Mini Bus | Group and society darshan bookings | Overnight |
| 45 and above | Luxury AC Bus | Mandal and community groups | Overnight |
The bigger the vehicle, the less each person pays. A 13 seater on a Lonavala day trip works out around ₹615 a head. A 49 seater on the same trip works out around ₹367. If your group sits close to the next size up, going up usually costs less per person.
Travelling with elderly passengers or small children? Book one size above your headcount. The spare row means somebody can put their feet up and lie down, or the children have somewhere to play.
Medium bags come to roughly the number of seats, and large bags to about 60 to 65 per cent of that. On an overnight Shirdi trip most groups carry light, so this is rarely the constraint. If your group is smaller than the vehicle, spare seats can take extra bags.
Planning the day
Our recommendation We recommend the overnight for anyone travelling with elders, and for any group above about fourteen. The same day run is possible and people do it, but it is a long day at both ends and the darshan queue is unpredictable.
Recommended
Best for elders and large groups.
Day 1Mumbai to Shirdi
Night in Shirdi
Day 2Shirdi to Mumbai
2 days1 night in Shirdi
Get quote for this itinerary →Day trip
Long day, no lodging cost.
Day 1Mumbai to Shirdi and back
1 day18 h door to door
Get quote for this itinerary →Times are indicative and are confirmed with you when we plan the trip.
Before you go
What we would tell a family travelling to Shirdi with us for the first time.
The year on this road
October to March
Comfortable months. Thursdays and Guru Purnima bring the largest crowds, so avoid them unless you are planning for it.
Add an hour, June to September
Kasara Ghat slows considerably in heavy rain. Tell your group before the day.
Kakad Aarti, around 4.30 in the morning
The temple stays open through the day. Queue lengths vary sharply by day, so the aarti is worth the early start.
Modest dress is expected
Large bags and electronics are restricted at the temple entrance, so leave them in the vehicle.
Shani Shingnapur, about 70 km away
Most groups combine both in one trip. Nashik is roughly 90 km if you have a second day.
Near the temple
Sansthan lodging and private hotels. Book ahead on weekends and during festival weeks.
Before you ask about price
What a quote for this route covers, what it does not, and what groups ask us most.
About 5 hours 30 minutes for the 245 km if you are in a car on a clear road. In a full vehicle with a speed limiter and a halt, plan for around 280 km and 7 hours 30 minutes. Add an hour in monsoon, and another if you leave Mumbai between 8 and 11 in the morning.
Yes, and many groups do. It means leaving around 4 in the morning and getting back near 10 at night, with the darshan queue as the unknown. For elders or a group above fourteen we would suggest the overnight instead.
A Maharaja tempo traveller or the 16 seater Urbania. The Maharaja has wider seats with an armrest each. The Urbania has softer suspension, which matters over the Kasara ghat. Either is easier than a standard tempo traveller on this route.
Yes, and most groups do. It is about 70 km from Shirdi and adds roughly half a day. Tell us when you book so the kilometres are in the package rather than charged as extra afterwards.
From a point close to your boarding location wherever we can, not strictly from our garage. Our buses and tempo travellers sit in Kandivali and our cars in Andheri, and we would rather not bill you for the drive to your door.
As early as you can, particularly for weekends and festival weeks. We also take last minute bookings up to an hour before pickup, depending on what is free.
From Shirdi
Places groups add to a Shirdi trip, with the road distance from Shirdi.
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