[3] Thibaw, the last king of Burma, alongside his consort Supayalat and two infant daughters were exiled to a two-storied brick mansion in Ratnagiri.

MSRTC operates bus services to Mumbai, Thane, Vasai, Nala Sopara, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Pune, Panaji, Nanded, Latur, Tuljapur, Akkalkot, Ambajogai, Beed, Kolhapur, Gargoti, Gadhinglaj, Nrushimhawadi, Ichalkaranji, Sangli, Miraj, Tasgaon, Jat, Islampur, Satara, Belgaum, Hubli, Bijapur and other major towns of the state.

North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation also operates buses from Belgaum, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Indi, Muddebihal, Sindgi, Athani, Jevargi and Talikota.

The city is well connected to Mumbai, New Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Bhuj, Indore, Jabalpur, Patna, Nagpur, Pune, Margao, Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore and other major towns of the country.

The Maharashtra Government under the Department of Fisheries established the Marine Biological Research Station (MBRS) in 1958 at Ratnagiri, which is presently attached with Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli, Dist.

It served as the administrative capital under the Sultanate of Bijapur, with its strategic location making it an important military and trade center.

The Ratnadurg Fort, originally built by the Bijapur Sultanate, was reconstructed by Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1670, turning it into a key coastal defense post.

Ratnagiri holds significant cultural importance as the birthplace of Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born on 23 July 1856.

[citation needed] Today, Ratnagiri is known not only for its historical significance but also for its agricultural contributions, especially the famous Alphonso mangoes, and its growing role as a cultural and educational hub in Maharashtra.