Alibag

Alibag (also spelt Alibaug) is the headquarters of the Raigad district of Maharashtra. It's best known for its historic marine forts, fine beaches and clean water.

By boat
There are ferries and catamarans available from the Gateway of India, Mumbai. The journey takes 2 hours. However, service is suspended during the rains, i.e. May-October. The ferry takes you to Rewas and you are taken on a bus to Alibag. The cost of the bus trip is usually included in the ferry fare. This is the recommended way of getting to Alibag. A one-way trip by ferry costs ₹120 and by catamaran ₹190, both types of tickets include a bus trip to Alibag. The newest ferry i.e. M2M ferry does not include this bus trip in its cost.

By bus
MSRTC buses should be available from various parts of Maharashtra. If you are leaving from Mumbai, then you have an option of boarding MSRTC buses, leaving every 30 mins - 1 hr from the Mumbai Central Bus Station. Though they might be uncomfortable, they top in terms of punctuality. Remember to grab a window seat! Private buses can be chartered, a good option if you are going in a large group.

By car

 * Take a car or a taxi from Mumbai. Alibag is on the way to Goa from Mumbai, so you could do the trip as part of a trip down south to Goa. To reach Alibag from Mumbai, take the Mumbai-Goa-Ernakulam National Highway (NH 17). At Wadkhal 'naka' (crossing), which is a little 8 km ahead of Pen, continue straight (the left turn keeps you on the highway to Goa), and you are now on the road to Alibag. Alibag is about 22 km from that point.
 * From Pune, take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and take the Khopoli exit. From there drive towards Pen (30 km), then cross the Mumbai-Goa highway to proceed towards Alibag.

By train
There's no railway station in Alibag. Pen is the nearest railway station to Alibag at a drive.

Get around
There are autos (shared/individual) available but the best bet is to have your own vehicle as you would like to hop on from one beach to another and you may not get anything in between.

Eat and drink
Alibag has lots of restaurants and bars, and soft drinks and liquor are freely available.
 * Sanman restaurant, specialises in sea food. They have different thalis with different fishes like Pomfret, Surmai etc. Each thali will have one fried piece and one curry piece of fish. The rest of the items are also a speciality of that area like bhakri (chapati) of rice powder, solkadhi (a refreshing appetiser prepared with the purple fruit kokam (garcinia) and coconut milk).

Sleep
There are many homestays dotted along the 45 km road from Alibag to Murud. Rooms are like what you find in regular homes, generally cheaper than the regular hotels but service is only basic. They generally have parking space on the lawn in front. Rates vary with the tourist season and the quality of the room.



Go next

 * Murud
 * Goa
 * Mumbai
 * Pune
 * Sindhudurg