Things to do in Bangalore
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bangalore
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: post monsoon green, cool mornings and clear skies for Nandi and Skandagiri sunrises.
Warm and dry, afternoons to 33 to 36C in April and May, manageable with early starts.
Double monsoon: evening downpours, flooded underpasses, worse traffic and slippery Skandagiri rocks.
What's on
- Lalbagh Flower Show late January
Republic Day Glass House show, the city's biggest recurring spectacle. Go at opening.
- Lalbagh Flower Show mid-August
Independence Day Glass House show. Book entry and expect crowds.
- Mysuru Dasara September or October, ending with the Jamboo Savari on Vijayadashami
Karnataka's state festival in Mysore with illuminated palace and procession, hardest week to book.
- Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut Fair) Nov/Dec
Centuries old local fair around the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi.
- Bangalore Literature Festival usually December
The centre and Cubbon Park area at its most lively.
Best things to do in Bangalore
Lalbagh Botanical Garden
240 acre botanical garden with a lake, ancient rock and Glass House, best at opening on a weekday.
Cubbon Park
300 acres of central green ringed by Vidhana Soudha, the High Court and the State Central Library.
Museum of Art & Photography
South India's first major private art museum, with photography and textiles sized for 90 minutes.
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
Teak summer palace reached on the Pete walk from KR Market and Bangalore Fort, best with a guide.
Bull Temple
16th century temple with a huge monolithic Nandi, beside Bugle Rock Park and Gandhi Bazaar.
Bangalore Palace
Windsor inspired Wodeyar palace with ornate interiors, worth it for architecture despite mixed value reviews.
Toit
Original Indiranagar brewpub from 2010, the heart of the city's craft beer circuit.
Ranga Shankara
320 seat theatre staging 300 plus shows a year, with a beloved bookshop cafe in the foyer.
Where to stay in Bangalore
Central CBD - Ashok Nagar / MG Road / Lavelle Road / UB City
first trip, all-round base
Cubbon Park, MAP and Church Street on foot, grand hotels and the shortest average cab rides.
Indiranagar
food, beer and evenings
100 Feet Road and 12th Main concentrate brewpubs and cafes, with Purple Line metro and lively nights.
Koramangala
younger travellers, longer stays and value
Cafe dense start up quarter with cheaper rooms and serviced apartments, but no metro yet.
Basavanagudi / Jayanagar
quiet, local, family trip
Tree lined old south streets with Lalbagh, the Bull Temple and breakfast legends on foot.
Old Airport Road / Domlur
business pointing that way
Anchored by The Leela Palace next to Indiranagar, but east of the centre with traffic in every direction.
Think twice about
- Majestic / Kempegowda Bus Station and City Railway Station area
Chaotic transport throat with severe congestion, noise and touting, and budget hotels trading only on station proximity.
- Whitefield / ITPL and Electronic City
IT campuses 15 to 25km from the sights, costing 1.5 to 2.5 hours a day in traffic for a leisure trip.
- Far airport corridor (Devanahalli / airport hotels)
About 40km north, sensible only for an early departure or a deliberate Prestige Golfshire resort stay.
Best restaurants in Bangalore
Vidyarthi Bhavan
Legendary since 1943 for ghee soaked masala dosa, khara bath and filter coffee, with a weekend queue.
Central Tiffin Room Shri Sagar
Tiny always full room famous for thick, crisp, butter laden benne masala dosa.
Veena Stores
Standing room counter famed for very soft idlis, crisp vada and shavige bath.
Mavalli Tiffin Rooms
The original MTR from 1924, home of rava idli and chow chow bath near Lalbagh.
Brahmin's Coffee Bar
Hole in the wall for idli vada and the filter coffee locals treat as the gold standard.
Farmlore
Farm restaurant with a wood fire only seasonal tasting menu, the city's most decorated table.
Karavalli
Coastal Karnataka and Kerala classics in a garden pavilion, grand old name of Bangalore fine dining.
Naru Noodle Bar
20 seat ramen counter for tonkotsu, tantanmen and karaage where slots vanish when released.
Outdoor things to do in Bangalore
Nandi Hills
Hill fort viewpoint for sunrise above mist, with Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple at the base.
Nandi Hills Countryside Bike Tour
Guided small group ride through villages and silk farms around Nandi, with pottery stop and farm lunch.
Mysuru
The great day trip: Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hill and Devaraja Market, better as an overnight.
Skandagiri Hills
Permit managed night trek of about 8km to a summit above the clouds at sunrise.
Bannerghatta Biological Park
Managed jeep and bus safari with big cats, bears and elephants, plus zoo and butterfly park.
Prestige Golfshire
Destination 18 hole course in the Nandi foothills, 7004 yards par 72 and Troon managed.
Karnataka Golf Association
Immaculately kept city members course where visitors usually need a member host or reciprocal access.
Eagleton Golf Resort
Resort course on Mysore Road, the third option in the city's golf circuit.
Best hotels in Bangalore
The Oberoi, Bengaluru
The city's top rated grand hotel on MG Road, famous for its gardens.
Taj West End
1887 heritage hotel in 20 acres of gardens, five minutes from the centre.
The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
Modern luxury pick with the city's best known rooftop bar.
ITC Gardenia
Strong business luxury hotel in the central hotel blocks near UB City.
JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru
Business luxury hotel at UB City, central for Cubbon Park and MG Road.
ibis Bengaluru City Centre
Solid mid range Accor opposite Kanteerava Stadium, walkable to Cubbon Park and MG Road.
The Hosteller Bengaluru
Well reviewed hostel with dorms and private rooms and a rooftop terrace, right off MG Road.
Olive Indiranagar
Mid range serviced stay on 100 Feet Road, walkable to Toit and the taprooms.
Is Bangalore expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹3,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹8,500 a person |
| Splurge | ₹25,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace: a few days ahead
- Toit: a few days ahead
- Ranga Shankara: a few days ahead
- Bangalore Through the Ages: weeks ahead
- Wonderla Bengaluru: a few days ahead
- Nandi Hills Countryside Bike Tour: a few days ahead
- Mysuru: weeks ahead
- Skandagiri Hills: a few days ahead
- Farmlore and Naru Noodle Bar days to weeks ahead.
- Lalbagh Flower Show entry in show weeks, Bannerghatta safari slots on weekends and Skandagiri trek permits.
- Ranga Shankara tickets for popular shows, Mysore in Dasara week, and a Toit table on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Is Bangalore safe?
- Generally one of India's safer big metros, with the metro well used until about 11pm.
- Main risks are traffic, pavement gaps, monsoon flooding and petty touting around Majestic station.
- Emergency number is 112. Plan the walk or auto from your metro exit before boarding late at night.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Bangalore travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- UB City as a sight: it is a luxury mall, fine for a drink or dinner nearby.
- Commercial Street haggling theatre with inflated visitor prices.
- Any spice, gem or silk shop a driver suggests en route to Mysore, these are commission stops.
- ISKCON at midday on a festival weekend, with hours of queue for minutes inside.
Getting around Bangalore: public transport and more
- Cluster each day in one zone and sightsee early, as peak speeds can fall below 15km/h.
- Use Namma Metro Purple and Green lines for predictable cross town moves, then walk or take a short cab.
- Use Ola or Uber for cabs and apps or the meter for autos. Allow 1 to 2.5 hours to the airport 40km north.
Who Bangalore suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Bangalore your trip
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