Satara houses a number of relics of the Maratha leader Shivaji.  A building near the new palace contains his sword, the coat he wore when he met Afzal Khan and the waghnakh with which he killed him.  The Shivaji Maharaj Museum is opposite the bus terminal.

                       Wasota fort in the south of the town has colourful and bloody history, including being captured from the Marathas in 1699 by the forces of Aurangazeb, only to be recaptured in 1705 by means of a Brahmin who befriended the fort's defenders, then let in a band of Marathas.

                       Satara is 42km south if Mahabaleshwar on the main road from Pune to Belgaum and Goa. The nearest railhead is Satara Road, 15km away.