My father had one condition for this trip, stated clearly before we had even booked the train tickets: he wanted to walk to the temple. Not drive, not take an auto, walk. He’s seventy-three and has done this pilgrimage twice before, both times staying close enough to manage it on foot at his own pace. Therefore, he wasn’t interested in changing that arrangement for a third visit. So that became the starting point for where we stayed, rather than price or amenities or anything else.

What I didn’t fully appreciate until we got there is how differently those two choices, close to the temple or a little outside, actually play out over several days.

The First Two Nights, Right by the Sai Baba Temple, Shirdi

We booked a guesthouse on one of the lanes feeding directly into the temple complex, close enough that my father walked there for the 5:00 am darshan queue on the first morning without anyone needing to accompany him in a vehicle. That part worked exactly as he had hoped. He left the room, joined the queue, and was back within 90 minutes most mornings, which gave him a sense of independence that mattered more to him than I had initially registered.

What I hadn’t accounted for was the noise. The lanes around the temple run loudspeaker announcements and devotional music from early morning well into the evening, and the crowd density right outside the guesthouse door never really thins. While the room itself was fine, the environment around it wasn’t built for rest, especially for my mother, who is a light sleeper. 

There’s also a practical issue with proximity that nobody mentions upfront: the lanes get congested enough during peak hours that even short walks to find food or basic supplies take longer than the distance suggests. We were close to everything and somehow still spent a lot of time just getting through the crowd to reach it.

Moving Out for the Rest of the Trip

By the third day, we moved to a property in a quieter stretch with proper road access and considerably more space around the building. The difference was immediate. My mother slept properly for the first time since we had arrived. The room had an actual view rather than a wall of the adjacent building, and breakfast came without us needing to fight through a lane full of pilgrims to reach the dining area.

The trade-off, obviously, was the walk my father wanted. He couldn’t do it from here. We arranged a car for the morning darshan instead, which solved the access problem but quietly took away the one thing he’d specifically asked for. 

What I’d Actually Recommend Now

Looking back, I think the right answer depends entirely on what matters most to the person the trip is built around. If walking to the temple unaccompanied is genuinely important, as it was for my father, staying close is worth the noise and the crowded lanes. 

However, if the trip includes anyone who needs proper rest, or if you’re staying more than two or three nights, the quieter properties slightly outside town make the whole experience considerably more sustainable. Several of the hotels in Shirdi situated a few kilometres from the main complex strike a reasonable middle ground, close enough for a short car ride to morning darshan without the constant noise of the immediate temple lanes.

If I were planning this again, I’d probably split it the way we accidentally ended up doing, just on purpose this time. A night or two close to the temple for whoever in the family wants that early access on foot, then a move further out for the remainder of the stay once the most important darshan timings are covered. It costs you one round of repacking and a slightly more complicated booking process. However, it’s totally worth it for getting both things mostly right.