The seat of the Peshwa rulers from 1732, Shaniwar Wada was once a vast fortress-palace with seven storeys, audience halls, and fountains. A fire in 1828 destroyed almost everything inside the walls; what remains is the imposing gateway, the long perimeter battlements, and the foundations of the inner palaces, which you can walk around in an hour.
Even reduced to its bones the place is impressive. The towering Delhi Gate, studded with iron elephant-spikes, opens onto a lawned interior crossed by stone paths laid where the great halls used to stand. There is a small evening sound-and-light show in English and Marathi that tells the story of the Peshwas; the lawns are a popular spot for Pune families to picnic at sunset.