The obvious day trip from Indore is Mandu, the ruined Afghan fortress city in the Vindhya hills about 90 km southwest. Mandu is extraordinary — a vast plateau covered in 15th-century mosques, palaces, and tombs in an unusually refined Afghan-Indian style, surrounded by deep ravines. Buses run from Sarwate Bus Stand; the journey takes around 2.5 hours. Go early to give yourself the full day among the ruins.
Ujjain, one of Hinduism's seven sacred cities, is about 55 km north of Indore and reachable by frequent bus or train in around an hour. The Mahakaleshwar temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines dedicated to Shiva and draws enormous crowds. Ujjain is also worth visiting for its ghats on the Shipra River, especially during the annual Kumbh Mela cycle.
