Attractions around Thane

• Yeoor Hills
• Talao Pali
• Upvan Lake
• St. John the Baptist Church
• Kopineshwar Temple
• Sai Baba Temple (Vartak Nagar)
• Brahmadeva temple-chandanwadi
• Akoli- Ganeshpuri
• Titwala Ganesh Mandir
• Sanjay Gandhi National Park
• Theme Park / Water Park:
  Essel World, Suraj Water Park, Tikuji Ni wadi, Water Kingdom, Water world, Nishiland
• Tansa wildlife sanctuary
• Bassein Fort (Vasai)
• Arnala Fort (Vasai)

The name "Thane" is said to be derived from Sthan or Sthanaka, the capital of the Shilahara kings of Konkan. It is currently the headquarters of Thane district, a district adjoining the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra

The earliest evidence of Thane appears in the works of the Greek geographer, Ptolemy, who, in his writings (135-150) refers to a place called Chersoneses, which, according to researches, is the area around Thane creek. The Thane Municipal Council was formed in 1863 when the city had a population of 9000.

The first railway train in India ran from Bombay VT (Now Mumbai CST) to Thane in 1853. It was the only railway station besides Victoria Terminus.

After India's independence, Thane grew slowly and became an industrial town in the '60s and '70s. There was also a corresponding growth in trade, transport and construction activities, which picked up tremendously in the '80s.

Today Thane outshines Mumbai in its planning and neatness and the city is surrounded by scenic hills, which add to its beauty. Thane the city of Lakes has around 30 lakes. The most beautiful of them is the Masunda Talao, also known as Talao Pali. The lake offers boating and water scooter facilities.

The Hill of Yeoor located at Thane is considered to be the hill station for the Thaneites. On the other hand is the Parsik Hill. The city is divided by Thane Creek, a stream of water from the Arabian Sea. Two road bridges & one Rail Bridge connect the two parts of the city.

Thane has a large industrial area. There are many big and small industries even today. Thane industrial area consists of Wagle estate, Trans Thane Creek (TTC) area known as Thane Belapur road, Ghodbunder road etc. These industrial areas were housing mostly chemical, engineering, textile and electrical industries. Now many of these industrial areas are also housing IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services, Adventity, Godrej BPO (Lawkim) at Manpada, 3i Infotech at Kapurbawadi, ICICI Customer care at Hiranandani Estate, Cadburys Company in Thane, and also houses European drug maker GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Pokhran Road no. 2.

Thane, just like its neighboring city Mumbai, boasts of a very vibrant cosmopolitan culture. Festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Dahi Handi, Holi, Navratri are celebrated with great zest in the city. The Gadkari Rangayatan auditorium has cultural programs running all through the year. It has several historical buildings, including a fort and several churches

Thane is well connected with neighboring suburbs through Mumbai's railway network. There are 3 railway stations in Thane city limit. Thane is a stop on the Central Railway division of Indian railways, and is about 30 km away from the Mumbai city stop. The other 2 stations are Kalwa and Mumbra which are also the suburbs of Thane. Thane has also gained new importance by a railway link to Navi Mumbai. Other major cities in the region are Navi Mumbai (formerly New Bombay), Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Kulgaon-Badlapur, Dahanu, Shahapur, Wada and Vasai-Virar.