Baji Rao I moved the Maratha Peshwas' capital here in 1728 and built Shaniwar Wada, the fortified palace whose walls still stand in the old city; the British later made Pune a major army cantonment after seizing it in 1817. At 560m on the Deccan Plateau, sheltered by the Sahyadri hills, it gets a third of Mumbai's rain and cooler nights, why IT and auto firms built parks across Hinjawadi, Magarpatta and Kharadi from the 1990s on. Savitribai Phule Pune University and dozens of colleges earned it the older nickname 'Oxford of the East'. A 270-year-old Peshwa aqueduct still fed Shaniwar Wada as recently as 2004, but winter brings the Deccan's worst air, sometimes worse than Mumbai's.
Nights sit around 21°C and afternoons around 30°C.
Pune barely changes season, but the day does: afternoons reach 32°C and nights fall to 18°C.
There is a clear wet season from June – October, peaking in July with around 190 mm. The dry months run from November – May.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: January averages an AQI of 133, while July clears to 26.
Days stretch to about 13.1 hours of light in June and shrink to 10.9 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Pune are February – May. Expect fast internet (96 Mbps) and a low cost of living (about €700 a month).
Affiliate links: if you book through them I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
