Thane Tourism

Thane, popularly known as the City of Lakes and also the Elder Sister of Mumbai as a part of Thane district was given to Mumbai for its future development. Mumbai is also heavily dependent upon on the lakes of Thane for its water supply.




Today with city area of 147 square km and a population of more than 1.2 Million Thane can hardly be considered as a suburb of Mumbai and is primarily due to the thirty lakes in and around Thane those have earned the name of the City of Lakes.

These lakes have been the source of water for Thane city and my larger neighbour Mumbai, but many of them are also popular tourist destinations. With those lakes along with beautiful scenic locales, old forts and recently developed resorts – Thane is an ideal place for a short getaway from the city of Mumbai. It is also frequently visited by tourists not only from other places of the country, but also from foreign shores.

Though Thane have a predominantly Maharashtrian cultural fabric, but similar to Mumbai it is also cosmopolitan at the same time. Due to the huge residential boom that Thane is witnessing for the last couple of decades, Thane have been turned into a home for immigrants from all over the country and now have a sizeable population of North Indian, South Indian, Sindhi, Gujarati and Marwari population.

Places to Visit in and Around Thane

Enjoy the Natural Beauty of Lakes, Hills and Beaches on Your Trip to Thane

Do you want a beautiful place for weekend trip from Mumbai or Pune? Or, do you want to rejoice in the beauty of both sea and hills? Then, come to Thane which is a beautiful city of Maharashtra. You may start your journey with a trip to Thane’s naturally beautiful places.

1. Upvan Lake

Set amidst the verdant Yeoor Hills, Upvan Lake is a picturesque destination where you may relax and rejuvenate. The dense vegetation around this lake reflects into the clear water of this lake when welcoming you with their open arms and the nearby shops are present to fulfill your demands. Mr. J K Singhania built this lake as a primary source of water-supply in Thane. The Sanskruti Arts Festival is held by this lake every year. You may indulge in boating activities when visiting the Upvan Lake.

2. Masunda Lake (Talao Pali)

To enjoy the bliss of nature without going outside the city, come to Masunda Lake that is also known as ‘Talao-Pali’. This lake is located in Ghantali that is in the heart of Thane. There is a small island in the middle of this lake. You may reach this well maintained and decorated island via boating.

3. Ghodbunder Fort

Located in Ghodbunder village, this ancient fort was built by Portuguese in 1672 and it came under Maratha ruling in 1737. An extension of Ulhas creek that is located near this fort looks like a horse. Hence, the name Ghodbunder (Ghoda means horse). Some also believe that Portuguese used this fort to trade horses with Arab which gave this fort the name Ghodbunder. A bastion can take you to the top wherefrom you explore the beauty of Ulhas creek and the surrounding area.

4. Yeoor/Yeur Hills

Do you want to explore the untamed beauty of nature? Then, come to Yeoor hills where you may trek through dense vegetation and feel relaxed in the company of different types of waterfalls. The Pachwad Waterfall even flows in three stages from the Yeoor hills through the forest.

5. Kelwa Beach

Want to enjoy a magnificent sunset view while enjoying the coastal air? Then come to Kelva/Kelwa Beach. You may stroll on the soft golden sand of this 8-km long beach and enjoy the serenity with a magnificent view. You may revisit the time of Portuguese ruling with a trip to the nearby Kelva Beach fort or Kelva Pankot fort.

6. Bassein Beach

This is another beach with golden sand where you may relax and enjoy playing with the rolling current. The Bassein Fort stands nearby featuring the grandeur of Portuguese-British architecture. This fort functioned as the northern headquarter or ‘Corte da Norte during Portuguese ruling. Chimaji Appa of Maratha Confederacy took over the Bassein Fort in 18th century. A church inside this fort also depicts the uniqueness of Portuguese-British architecture.

Fun & Thrilling Places in Thane

Engage in fun and have some thrilling time when visiting the following places.

7. Suraj Water Park

For a thrilling experience with friends or family, come to Suraj Water Park where 24-feet high and 40-feet long mermaids welcome the visitors. This water-park has won the first prize in Limca Book of Records six times and has been winner of National/International awards. Here, you may find a 24-meter long and 26-meter wide Har Har Gange artificial waterfall which flows from the hair-lock (Jata) of stone-carved idol of Lord Shiva. Along with this artificial waterfall, there are numerous fun-filled and thrilling water-sports for the visitors of all ages.

8. Tikuji-ni Wadi

Resting between the lush valleys of Manpada Chitalsar and the picturesque hills, this is a resort cum amusement park and water-park. You may rest inside the resort after having a playful time with your friends or family. Whether you want to ride on roller-coasters, go-karts or giant wheels, you may find your choice of amusement when visiting Tikuji-ni Wadi.

Religious Places in Thane

Feel blessed when touring around the following places;

9. Vajreshwari Temple

Located in Vajreshwar town, this temple is dedicated to Goddess Vajreshwari who is an incarnation of Parvati. You have to climb the stone-cut steps to reach this temple which is surrounded by many ramparts and bastions. At this temple, the idols of Kapileshwar Mahadev, Shri Hanuman, Shri Dattatrey and the shrines of the saints belonging to Giri Gosavi sect are also worshipped.

10. Sai Baba Temple, Vartak Nagar

Located at about 50-km distance from Thane station, this Sai Baba Temple resembles the original Shirdi Sai temple of Ahmednagar district. One look of Sai Baba’s smiling face may bring peace to your soul upon. The ‘Evening Aarti’ of Sai Baba temple is a splendid spectacle for all devotees.

11. Kopineshwar Temple

Located on Thane’s station road, Kopineshwar temple is a sacred place where you may pay homage to Lord Shiva. This temple has 5-feet tall ‘Shivalinga’ which also boasts of 5-feet diameter. The rulers of Silhara dynasty built the old temple during their ruling period (between 810-1240 AD). Sarsubhedar Ramaji Mahadeo Bivalkar rebuilt this temple in 1760. It was further renovated in 1879. There are six small temples inside the ‘Shiva Shrine’ complex paying homage to Ram, Brahma Dev, Kalika Devi, Shitala Devi, Maruti and Uttareshwar.

12. Titwala Ganesh Mandir

Located in Titwala, the Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati Temple is a major pilgrim spot in this city. This temple also houses a shrine dedicated to Lord Shivshankar. When visiting this temple, you can make a trip to the Vithal-Rukmini temple which is in the vicinity of this temple.

13. Ambarnath Temple

Amongst all temples of Thane, the Shiv Mandir of Ambarnath is the most visited place. It was built almost 954 years ago in 11th century. King Chittaraja of the Silhara Dynasty is believed to have built this temple. The floor of Ambarnath Temple’s sanctum sanctorum is designed to look like an uneven circle which represents the spread-out mat (tiger skin) of Lord Shiva. The picturesque location of this temple also attracts many tourists, as it is located at the top of a barren hillock which is set on the bank of Waldhuni River and is surrounded by greenery.

Culture and Festivals in Thane

As a natural consequence, festivals for different communities like Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Gudhi Padwa, Holi, Durga Puja or Mahashivratri are all celebrated with equal passion and joy, but Ganesh Chaturthi is no doubt the most important and largest festival that Thane witness every year during the months of August and September.

Thane is extremely well connected with Mumbai and other suburbs of the city with Mumbai suburban railway and it is one of the busiest of all suburban rail stations of Mumbai. Direct buses from Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) to Thane are available as well as from many other parts of Mumbai. For intercity transport there is a bus service run by the Thane Municipal Transport Corporation and there are also metered auto rickshaws for travelling to different parts of me.

Climate in Thane

Thane have a tropical monsoon type climate bordering on tropical wet and dry climate and receive a medium to heavy rainfall during the monsoon months. Winter temperature stays pleasant and hovers between 22 degree to 34 degree centigrade during the day and that goes down to about 12 degrees during the night and for tourists winter is certainly the best time to come and visit Thane.

Shopping in Thane

Like most modern Indian cities Thane also offer visitors wonderful shopping options and apart from Ram Maruti Road and the Naupada road – two of the busiest shopping districts of Thane a number of new swanky shopping malls like the Eternity Mall, Lake City Mall, Korum Mall, R-Mall, Viviana Mall, Wonder Mall and High Street Mall have come up in recent years offering tourists as well as the city residents a variety of shopping options. You can visit Thane anytime of the year and it assures you that you will love to meet it again.

0 thoughts on “Thane Tourism

  • February 1, 2016 at 8:58 am
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    This is best guide of Thane City. I like to spend my time at Talaopali lake near Thane railway station. This is a huge lake with good sitting arrangement. There is good sitting arrangement around the lake and many fastfood outlets.

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