Matheran is unique among Maharashtra's hill stations for being completely closed to vehicles. Here's how to plan a trip around that.
Published 18 Sep 2026
Matheran holds a distinction no other hill station in the region shares — it's entirely car-free. Once you reach the edge of town, the rest of your visit happens on foot, by horse, or aboard the historic Matheran Hill Railway. That single fact shapes how you should plan the whole trip.
Since private vehicles can't enter the town itself, taxis take you to the Dasturi car park at the base, from where you continue by foot, horse, hand-pulled rickshaw, or the toy train. From Mumbai, the drive to Dasturi takes around 2.5-3 hours; from Pune, the route to Dasturi takes roughly 3 hours.
The narrow-gauge toy train is one of Matheran's signature experiences, running a scenic stretch into the town. Seats can be limited, especially on weekends, so if riding the toy train is a priority for your trip, it's worth checking timings and, where possible, planning around it rather than assuming a seat will be available on arrival.
A day trip is entirely possible, but Matheran's quieter, unhurried pace lends itself well to an overnight stay if you have the time — evenings here, once the day-trip crowds head back, are notably peaceful. If you do stay over, your taxi can wait at Dasturi for your return journey the next day, so there's no need to arrange separate transport back.
Wear shoes suited to walking on the red-earth paths, which can get slippery in monsoon. Since the town itself is compact, most sights are within reasonable walking distance of each other, or a short horse ride if you'd rather not walk the full distance. It's a genuinely different pace from most hill-station trips — worth going into with the expectation that the getting-around is part of the experience, not just a means to an end.