Things to do in Mysuru
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mysuru
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, Dasara at the start, peak birds and yoga season. November to January avoids Dasara crowds.
March heat suits Kabini wildlife. Monsoon months are green and quiet with falls in full flow.
Worst for sightseeing, with highs of 35 to 39 degrees. Come then only for Kabini and plan around dawn and dusk.
What's on
- Mysuru Dasara late September to early October, 10 days ending on Vijayadashami
Palace lit nightly, concerts and food festival, ending with the Jamboo Savari elephant procession.
- Ashada Fridays at Chamundi Hill Fridays in late June to July
Very large devotional climbs to Chamundeshwari. Atmospheric, and best avoided for a quiet climb.
- Vairamudi Brahmotsava, Melukote March or April, dates vary
Diamond crowned night procession at Melukote, about 50 km north of Mysuru.
- Mysuru Winter Festival December
Open street days, food and music around the palace quarter, festive without Dasara prices.
Best things to do in Mysuru
Mysuru Palace
The Wodeyar palace at its best twice: calm interiors at opening and a sea of bulbs on Sunday evenings.
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple
The goddess who gives Mysuru its story, in a hilltop shrine best reached early before queues and heat.
Devaraja Market
A kilometre of flowers, turmeric, bananas and sandalwood that shows how Mysuru actually lives.
Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens
One of India's best zoos: shaded, spacious and worth three morning hours. Closed on Tuesdays.
St. Philomena's Cathedral
Twin neo Gothic spires and stained glass that give the palace city a calm, unexpected second icon.
Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery and Auditorium
The best traditional painting collection in the city, including Raja Ravi Varma, in a former royal home.
Railway Museum Mysore
A royal saloon carriage, vintage locomotives and a toy train in a small, shaded, uncrowded museum.
Chennakeshava Temple
A UNESCO listed Hoysala temple carved in soapstone so finely that every wall rewards a slow circuit.
Where to stay in Mysuru
Nazarbad and the palace quarter
first trip, families, palace on foot
Walk to the palace illumination, the zoo and the old eateries, with quiet residential streets at night.
Yadavagiri and Lakshmipuram
heritage, couples, quiet mornings
Bungalow streets, old hotels with lawns and the station, ten minutes by auto to everything.
Gokulam and Vani Vilas Mohalla
yoga, long stays, solo travellers
The shala suburb, with garden cafes, post practice breakfasts and the city's most liveable streets.
Chamundi foothills and the city edge
resort stays, celebrations, pool time
Stay somewhere that is itself the experience and drive to the sights in ten to fifteen minutes.
Think twice about
- BN Road and suburban bus stand lodge strip, Lashkar Mohalla
Constant bus traffic and horn noise, touting for silk and tours, and rooms a full grade below the same money in Nazarbad or Gokulam.
- Hebbal and Metagalli industrial outskirts
Business hotels among industry and highway with nothing to walk to in the evening and a cab ride for every meal.
- KRS Brindavan and Srirangapatna as a Mysuru base
Pleasant places to visit, but a dark busy highway run back after the palace lights or a late dinner makes every evening hard work.
Best restaurants in Mysuru
Hotel Original Vinayaka Mylari
The soft benne dose that made a six table room the most famous breakfast in Mysuru since the 1930s.
Hotel Hanumanthu
Mutton pulao cooked in its own stock since 1930. A lunch institution that sells out, so arrive early.
Hotel RRR
Andhra biryani and unlimited veg meals on banana leaves, fiery and generous since 1982.
Guru Sweet Mart
Mysore Pak from the family of the palace cook who invented it. Buy it fresh and eat a piece outside.
Sri Gayatri Tiffin Room (GTR)
Where Mysuru itself has breakfast: crisp Mysore masala dose, chow chow bath and strong filter coffee.
Tiger Trail
Dinner in a 1920s royal guesthouse on the lawn and in period rooms. The heritage splurge meal.
By The Blue
A rooftop North Indian dinner beside the pool, and the city's default celebration table.
The Old House
Garden vegetarian dining of pizzas, pastas and sourdough on the Gokulam side of the city.
Outdoor things to do in Mysuru
Chamundi Hill
Climb just over 1,000 stone steps at dawn past a giant Nandi to the temple above the city.
Kukkarahalli Lake
A free 4.5 km lake loop where Mysuru walks, runs and birds at sunrise under the Chamundi Hill view.
Karanji Lake
Boating, a butterfly park and a walk through aviary in a calm nature park beside the zoo.
Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
A rowed boat takes you metres from nesting storks, pelicans and basking crocodiles on the Kaveri.
Brindavan Gardens
Terraced gardens below the KRS Dam that only make sense after dark, when the musical fountain plays.
Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club
An 18 hole course inside a racecourse at the foot of Chamundi Hill, unlike any round in India.
Shri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute
The source shala of Ashtanga yoga, for committed practitioners applying for a month of dawn practice.
Nagarhole National Park
Jeep and boat safaris among elephants, leopards and tigers on the Kabini backwaters. Stay overnight.
Best hotels in Mysuru
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Mysuru
The most complete modern luxury stay in the city, with pool, spa and chain polish near the palace.
Fortune JP Palace
Traditional ITC group luxury on Nazarbad Main Road, praised for breakfast, cleanliness and staff.
Sandesh The Prince
A large, dependable family hotel with a pool, five minutes from the zoo and Karanji Lake.
Hotel Roopa
A basic budget base six minutes on foot from the palace. Book a higher category room.
Royal Orchid Metropole Hotel
A 1920s royal guesthouse with veranda, lawn and pool, and heritage charm that is actually maintained.
The Green Hotel
An eco minded palace stay with a loved garden cafe, run to support charitable work.
Southern Star Mysore
A large, reliable Vinoba Road hotel with a pool and a breakfast spread families judge it by.
Anokhi Garden Guest House & Cafe
Garden rooms and a vegetarian cafe that yogis return to for months. Book ahead in yoga season.
Is Mysuru expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹4,800 a person |
| Splurge | ₹12,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Chennakeshava Temple: a few days ahead
- Guided heritage walk of the royal core: a few days ahead
- Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Shri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute: months ahead
- Nagarhole National Park: weeks ahead
- Kabini River Lodge: months ahead
- Tiger Trail: a few days ahead
- By The Blue: a few days ahead
- Dasara rooms and Jamboo Savari seats need booking months ahead.
- Kabini safaris sell out weeks ahead in season. Gokulam rooms fill for October to March yoga season.
Is Mysuru safe?
- Monkeys on Chamundi Hill take visible food and loose bottles. Keep them zipped away.
- Swim only where locals swim that day, never at Gaganachukki and never after heavy dam releases. Emergency number 112.
Mysuru travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never let a driver choose your silk shopping. Buy Mysore silk only at KSIC or a fixed price government emporium.
- Restaurants facing the palace and market charge for the view. Brindavan Gardens by day is the weak version of an evening place.
Getting around Mysuru: public transport and more
- Walk the palace, market and Gandhi Square core. Use Ola or Uber or agree auto fares before moving.
- City buses are cheap and frequent, including the Chamundi Hill bus. Hire a cab by the day for excursions.
Who Mysuru suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Mysuru your trip
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