Ujjain to Shirdi Distance by Road: Route & Time

The Ujjain to Shirdi distance is about 450-490 km by road, with source figures ranging from 448.6 km to 584 km. Yatra (458 km) and distancebetween2 (463 km) agree closely, and the route legs add up to about 462 km. The route runs via Indore, Sendhwa, Dhule and Malegaon. Plan on a 9-11 hour drive with breaks, and if you are travelling with family, split it with an overnight halt near Dhule or Malegaon.

Pilgrims often pair Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain with the shrine of Sai Baba of Shirdi in Maharashtra, and the numbers online do not help. Aggregators quote anything from about 448 km to 584 km, with drive times from wildly optimistic to very cautious. This guide reconciles those figures, breaks the route into segments, gives a realistic drive plan and explains how an outstation cab fare is worked out. In one line: an Ujjain outstation taxi is the more flexible option, a bus option is listed, and rail needs a weekly special or a change of trains.

Ujjain to Shirdi Distance: Why Sources Disagree

Distance websites calculate the route automatically, and each one picks slightly different start and end points, road choices and rounding. Some also mix up road and straight-line distance. Here is what each source showed when we checked them in October 2026.

The figures side by side

Which number to plan with

Adding up the individual legs of the route (see the next section) gives about 462 km, which sits between the Yatra and distancebetween2 figures (458-463 km). For planning, use about 460-490 km one way. That gives you headroom for detours into towns for meals, fuel and a hotel. The straight-line distance of roughly 403-404 km is useful only as a sense of scale. No road follows it.

The Route: Ujjain - Indore - Dhule - Malegaon - Shirdi

The standard road route heads south from Ujjain to Indore, continues southwest to Sendhwa, crosses into Maharashtra and runs down through Dhule and Malegaon before the final approach to Shirdi. The segment figures below come from a 2023 Indore-to-Shirdi road trip log by Indian Roadie (about 405 km in total), plus Wikipedia's figure of about 57 km from Ujjain to Indore's airport, used here for the Ujjain to Indore leg.

The Sendhwa to Dhule figure is worked out from the log's Indore-Sendhwa (158 km) and Indore-Dhule (250 km) distances. Toll amounts change and are not listed here; ask your driver or check a toll calculator before you leave.

Ujjain to Indore

The first 57 km or so is a familiar run for anyone who has flown into Indore for a Mahakal visit. Leaving Ujjain early lets you get through Indore before its traffic builds up.

Indore to Sendhwa and the Maharashtra border

This is the longest leg, about 158 km. The road crosses the Narmada and passes the Khalghat Jamli toll plaza. Sendhwa is still in Madhya Pradesh; the Maharashtra border comes on the next leg.

Dhule to Malegaon

After crossing the Tapi and the Sirpur and Songir toll plazas, you reach Dhule. The 60 km stretch to Malegaon is short, and either town works as an overnight stop because both are well past the halfway mark.

Final approach: via Manmad-Kopargaon or via Chandwad

From Malegaon, about 95 km remain. Drivers either go via Manmad, Yeola and Kopargaon, or via Chandwad and Lasalgaon. Your driver picks one based on road conditions on the day. Shirdi itself is served by NH 160 and SH 10.

How Long Does the Drive Take?

Drive time is where online figures mislead most. Yatra shows about 8 hours 54 minutes, tourtravelworld shows 11 hours 30 minutes, and some aggregators show far less, as if the car never stops. Our planning estimate of 9-11 hours sits between the Yatra and tourtravelworld figures and adds time for meals, fuel, toll queues and slower stretches through towns. It is an estimate for planning, not a measured figure, and your actual time depends on traffic and how long you stop.

Realistic driving hours

Treat anything under about eight hours as unrealistic for a family trip. A driver needs breaks, passengers need meals, and you will lose time crossing Indore, at toll plazas and passing through towns such as Dhule and Malegaon.

One long day vs two easy days

A good pattern is early darshan at Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, a short breakfast, then departure. On the two-day plan you arrive in Shirdi fresh the next morning rather than late at night.

Outstation Cab from Ujjain to Shirdi

On a trip this long, a private cab lets you control the start time, breaks and halts, and it can bring you back to Ujjain. Our taxi fleet page lists each vehicle with its seat count and per-km rate.

Which car for how many people

For two to four people, a sedan such as the Maruti Dzire is enough. A family of five or six can pick the Maruti Ertiga, or the Toyota Innova Crysta if long-haul comfort matters most on a drive of nine hours or more. Groups of up to 14 can take a Force Traveller. If you are still deciding between a self-drive and a car with driver, our car rental in Ujjain guide compares the options.

How the fare is worked out

Outstation fares are normally distance multiplied by the per-km rate, plus extras. Rome2rio estimates a taxi on this route at Rs 7,000-9,000 (aggregator estimate, October 2026), without saying whether that is one way or what it covers. Below is simple arithmetic for a round trip of about 920 km using our published rates. These are not quotes.

What to confirm before you book

Our fleet page does not publish a minimum km per day, driver allowance, night-halt charge, tolls, parking or the Maharashtra state permit. These depend on how many days the trip takes, so the final fare is on request and confirmed when you book. Before you pay, ask for:

• The total number of days and the minimum km per day that applies.
• Whether tolls, parking and the state permit are included or extra.
• The driver allowance per day and the night-halt charge if you stop at Dhule or Malegaon.
• Extra charges if you add Shani Shingnapur or other side trips.

Train, Bus or Flight Instead?

A cab is not the only option, but each alternative has a catch.

Rail: no daily direct train

There is no daily direct train from Ujjain to Shirdi. Booking portals such as Rome2rio, Paytm and Goibibo currently list one weekly special service on Saturdays from Ujjain Junction to Sainagar Shirdi railway station, taking about 14 hours for 446 km, with fares shown at Rs 420-3,200 depending on class. Special trains are seasonal or temporary, so check IRCTC or NTES before you plan around it. If it is not running, you will need to change trains en route. Sainagar Shirdi station opened in March 2009.

Overnight buses

Rome2rio lists a bus option, with PSR Travels among the operators shown, that takes about 11 hours 35 minutes including transfers. Taken overnight, a bus saves a hotel night but can leave you tired for darshan, and you still need local transport at both ends.

Flying via Shirdi Airport

Shirdi Airport opened on 1 October 2017 at Kakadi, about 14 km southwest of Shirdi. From Ujjain, the nearest major airport is Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore, roughly 57 km away. Flying only makes sense if a convenient connection exists on your dates, so check airline schedules before you compare it with the road.

Arriving in Shirdi: Basics for the Darshan Day

Shirdi is a town in Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, roughly 300 km from Mumbai. According to Wikipedia it receives around 60,000 visitors a day (2023 figure), so plan your arrival and darshan with crowds in mind. Goibibo suggests October to March as the best season to visit.

Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir

Sai Baba of Shirdi arrived in the town in the mid-1850s and died in 1918. The Sai Baba Samadhi Mandir, built over his resting place, is the focus of every visit. Darshan arrangements and timings are managed by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, so check its own website (sai.org.in) for current details rather than relying on third-party pages.

Adding Shani Shingnapur

Shani Shingnapur is about 65 km from Shirdi, so it can be added as a half-day side trip. If you return to Shirdi afterwards, that adds roughly 130 km to the cab's total, which you should mention when you ask for a quote.

Shorter drives from Ujjain work the same way. Our Ujjain to Maheshwar taxi guide shows the same fare arithmetic for a one-day trip.

Book Your Ujjain to Shirdi Cab

Ujjain Tour and Travel is a local Ujjain operator, and we can plan the Shirdi drive around your Mahakal darshan, with an overnight halt and a Shani Shingnapur add-on if you need them. Tell us your dates, group size and preferred vehicle. Call or WhatsApp +91 83190 07059 for an Ujjain to Shirdi outstation cab quote (fare on request), and get the inclusions in writing before you travel.

For more on the town, its history and transport links, see the Shirdi article on Wikipedia.

Written and reviewed by the Ujjain Tour & Travel editorial team. Facts checked against primary sources; see the reference above.

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