Places to visit in Bengaluru

• Halasuru Someshwara Temple or the ISKCON Temple: Begin your tour of the city with a visit to the century-old Someshwara Temple dating back to Chola period or ISKCON temple which is one of the largest ISKCON temples in the world. Don’t leave without sampling the lunch prasadam. And make time to admire the largest granite monolith of Nandi, the sacred bull at—you guessed right—the Bull Temple.
• Lalbagh Botanical Gardens or Cubbon Park: You could do with some peace and serenity now. Sign up with Bengaluru WALKS for a guided tour of Lalbagh Botanical Gardens or Cubbon Park, the lungs of Bengaluru. Spot some rare species of birds and plants, all perfectly Instagrammable. That done, breakfast could be a dosai at a Maiya, MTR (with restaurants/outlets dotting the entire city) or Janatha in Malleswaram.
• Tipu Sultan’s Palace and Fort: Built-in 1537, the fort, is regarded as a testament to the king’s battle against British rule. Now a museum, it houses beautiful paintings, superb figures and other artworks. One of the unique features of the palace is the use of teak wood in its construction.
• Bengaluru Palace: Inspired by the Windsor Palace and now owned by the royal family of Mysore, it’s a must-see for lovers of art. You should not miss the interiors of the palace, adorned with stained-glass windows and magnificent paintings. The extensive grounds of the palace get used for various events, concerts and musical shows.
• Vidhan Soudha: It is one of the most important structures of Bengaluru with 300 rooms reflecting the Dravidian style of architecture. This 46-metre tall building is among the most extensive legislative buildings and a must-see tourist spot.
• Devanahalli Fort: Built-in 1501, the fort has been under several rules and thus have noteworthy archaeological and historical significance. It is spread across 20 acres of land and features small entrances ornamented using cut plasterwork.
• Bannerghatta National Park: Located 22km away from the south of Bengaluru, Bannerghatta National Park is a rich natural zoological park, comprising of a butterfly park, zoo, conservation and rehabilitation centre for orphaned animals. It’s a great place to learn and spend time amongst flora and fauna.

High-end shopping/luxury shopping/shopping malls in Bengaluru

• Varnam: For eclectic and quirky designer wear, there’s Rain Tree (housed in a 75-year-old colonial bungalow opposite the ITC Windsor Hotel), Varnam at Indiranagar where you can find Channapatna’s famous wooden toys and other quirky homeware, Cinnamon in Ulsoor for their furniture range and the newly launched Nicobar at Walton Road, an ode to the globetrotting hipster in you.
• Orion mall: is one of most popular and perfectly planned malls in Bengaluru. It offers something for everyone. Apart from a range of shopping options, the mall comprises bowling, movie hall and a range of multi cuisine restaurants.
• Phoenix Market City: It is one of the biggest shopping malls in the city. It is located in Mahadevapura on the White Field Road. The specialty of the mall is the open courtyard in the front that hosts multiple musical concerts, live shows, painting competitions and a lot more. The mall offers a wide variety of shopping as well eating options.
• UB City: One of the only luxury shopping malls in Bengaluru is UB City mall. From premium brands such as Burberry, Rolex, etc. to UCB, Nike, H&M and others, the mall is offers something for every type of a shopper.

Street/local shopping in Bengaluru

• Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium: A trip to Bengaluru can’t possibly be complete without taking home a bagful of sandalwood infused soaps, face masks and incense sticks from Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, MG Road.
• Mysore Saree Udyog: For silks and fabrics head over to Mysore Saree Udyog on Commercial Street where everything’s available at wholesale rates while you jostle with excited brides-to-be and foreign tourists with mile-long shopping lists.
• Vimor: One of Bengaluru’s best-kept secrets, Vimor, is tucked away in an old home in Victoria Layout. With Sonia Gandhi, Sheila Dixit, Shabana Azmi, and Nandita Das as clients, you should drop by as well for their exquisite south Indian temple sarees.
• Eka: Eka in Ulsoor is a delightful store that should be on your must-visit list. A trove of intricately carved chubby Ganeshas and other painstakingly sourced artefacts, Eka is a little gem in itself.

Bustling with crowds and packed with stalls in their tangle of by-lanes, Bengaluru’s iconic street and local markets offer great bargains and are a real joy to experience. Here, you can get anything and everything under the sun – antiques, books, silk sarees, fabrics, handicrafts, electronic accessories, shoes, clothes, trinkets, curios, jewellery, delicious local sweetmeats, flowers, fruit and more! 

Nightlife in Bengaluru

Locals have always known how to have a great time, never mind the city’s constant traffic woes. From the best microbreweries to pulsating music venues, Bengaluru has the most chilled-out places to party in.

• Arbor Brewing Company, Magrath Road: ABC serves some excellent craft beers like a Salted Caramel Porter, Bloomsbury and Detroit Swing. A favourite with the ad crowd, the 90s music pairs well with the brewpub’s comfort food. Sweet potato fries, spicy pork chops, chicken wings. Sometimes your heart wants it.
• The Humming Tree, Indiranagar: Some of the city’s best live gigs take place here. This is where you head, with or without your gang, for a taste of Bengaluru’s legendary music scene. They encourage local artists like Dingus Cheer as well as global bigwigs like Skrillex and Mark Ronson. Of course, you don’t go for the food here, but the pizzas and pitchers of beer are more than decent.
• Toit, Indiranagar: We’ll have the thin-crust pizza with the basmati blond beer. This brick-walled microbrewery may not have the best selection of craft beers in the city, but the never-ending crowd says otherwise. Nevertheless, you’ll be mad to miss out on their baked nachos and the Long Beach Iced Tea.
• The Terrace at Windmills Craftworks, Whitefield: Why party indoors when the weather is almost perfect? Drink exquisite, expensive crafted beer and then let loose on the imaginative buffet.
• The 13th Floor, MG Road: Make your way here for the best views of the city’s skyline, wind-swept hair and some inventive cocktails. Skip the menu and ask for gunpowder eggs, the ultimate chilly beef and The Devil Wore Pink. That last one is a drink, and it’s rather lovely.
• UB City: Set 16 floors high on the rooftop of one of Bengaluru’s swankiest malls UB City, the lounge is famous for its under-lit floors, circular bar counter, unique lighting arrangements, and panoramic views of the city. Sheer elegance, superb service, and outstanding music perfectly describe Skyye.

Exploring on foot

Time to stretch your legs? Explore Bengaluru on foot. Sign up for the Bungalow Trail or the Cathedral Walk organised by Unhurried Tours that takes you through old English settlements in the city. Alternatively, do a culinary sojourn with Oota Walks.

Ranga Shankara

Culture vultures, watch a play at Ranga Shankara. Nurtured by Arundhati Nag, the city’s famous film and theatre artist. This is where the city’s culturally inclined can be spotted and you’ll find no Bollywood movies here.

The Ayurvedagram Heritage Wellness Centre

The Ayurvedagram Heritage Wellness Centre in Bengaluru is an emerald oasis. The serene seven-acre property is home to over 200 species of rare medicinal herbs; and to elegant cottages that are evocative of India’s timeless heritage. Brought from Kerala beam by beam, they are Kerala’s traditional ancestral houses – made of exquisite teak and rosewood, and beautiful tiles – that have been re-created in Ayurvedagram, recapturing the rich architectural splendour of the region. Ayurvedagram is renowned across the globe for its authentic Ayurveda treatments and rejuvenation programs. At the Centre Ayurveda works alongside not only Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation but also a purely vegetarian diet to ensure that you are completely rejuvenated and healed from the core. This is true wellness of mind, body, and spirit.

Apaulogy

Visit illustrator Paul Fernandes’ gallery Apaulogy located near Richards Park. You’d want to pick up all the framed posters and art that humorously portray a slice of old Bengaluru.

Washerman’s village

For an introduction to the city’s local culture, a visit to the washerman’s village will be a unique and fascinating experience. At the washerman’s village – which is much like an outdoor laundry site – you will see people hand-washing clothes the traditional Indian way.

Meet Start-ups

A visit to the country’s tech capital and you’re still as clueless about the techie life? Not if we can help it. A Bengaluru-based travel platform organises an informative, guided tour of start-ups across the city. The tour by Explore Life Traveling will take you inside start-up workspaces and give you a chance to chat with the employees and founders. No funding queries, please.

Jakkur Airfield

Book a ticket for a microlight flying experience at the Jakkur Airfield. Sit in the cockpit and hover over the garden city as a co-pilot. End the day by dining at the concept restaurant Dialogue in the Dark, in Whitefield. Served by visually challenged staff, the mission of the restaurant is to sensitise diners to the visually impaired while having a thoroughly immaculate dining experience in complete darkness. You know what they say: in darkness, there shall be light.

Vineyards

Take a wonderful tour of one of Bengaluru’s finest vineyards. Developed under the ownership of Grover Vineyards and Vallée de Vin, Grover Zampa represents an array of distinguished wine developers and producers who are known for launching leading wine brands in India and internationally. Grover Zampa are not only producing premium quality wine in India by bringing the best French traditions to create the finest Indian wines but also increasing interest in wine tourism and education. On the winery tour, discover the art and science of viticulture in Grover Zampa’s vast vineyards in the gorgeous Nandi Hills around 40 km outside Bengaluru.

Places to visit near Bengaluru

Hampi

You can do so much more than gawk at the incredible ruins at this UNESCO heritage site. Cliff diving, coracle rides, cycling tours, the list goes on. Ruled by 23 kings from four dynasties of the Vijayanagara Kingdom over 300 years, the beautiful capital city of Hampi was razed to the ground during the battle of Talikota in 1564-65. It is a World Heritage Site. The ruins of Hampi are spread over 18 km of gorgeous rocky terrain and surrounding hillocks – filled with stunning temples, palaces, and sculptures. The Sacred Centre comprises ancient temple complexes such as the Virupaksha, Vittala, and Krishna Temples. To the right is Hemakuta Hill which also has many temples. At the base of Matanga Hill is a small museum that displays 60 enlarged photographs of Hampi, taken in 1853 by a British photographer. The Kodandarama Temple is about 60 feet above the Tungabhadra river.

The Royal Centre comprises palaces, zenanas, baths, and the Hazara Rama Temple. The 14th-century Mahanavami Dibba, an enormous finely carved platform; the Lotus Mahal; the Elephant Stables; and the Queen’s Bath, a water pavilion – all lie within the complex.

Mangaluru

The beaches are a treat here and so is the seafood. The Mangaladevi temple has a celebrity following. Don’t leave the city without sampling its unique ice cream, Gadbad.

Chikmagalur

Go to relax at some of the loveliest homestays in this part of India. And of course, for the single estate coffee.

Puttaparthi

Puttaparthi is around 120 km from Bengaluru, in the Anantapur District of the bordering state of Andhra Pradesh. It is world-famous for being the birthplace of spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba, and for the Ashram that he founded – Prasanthi Nilayam. Nestled amidst a chain of hillocks, Puttaparthi houses the Mandir (shrine), sprawling residential complexes for devotees, temples, boarding schools, colleges with hostels, a small zoo, and the headquarters of the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation and the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. Puttaparthi has thousands of visitors daily from all over the world, many of whom come to stay at the Ashram. The morning and evening prayers are the highlights of this place. 

Mysore

The princely state of Mysore, the seat of the Wodeyar rulers, was renamed Karnataka in 1973. Under the Wodeyars, especially Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673-1704), Mysuru became the centre for art, culture, and learning. It still retains its glorious old-world charm, tradition, and elegance. The highlights of the city are the Mysore Palace, built-in 1912, with rare collections of art, artefacts, and antiques from all over the world; the Sri Jayachamarajenda Art Gallery in the Jagan Mohan Palace, with its collection of ancient musical instruments, sculpture, and Raja Ravi Varma and Nicholas Roerich paintings; the beautiful Jayalakshmi Vilasa Palace built-in 1905, that houses the wonderful Folklore Museum; the fantastic Lalitha Mahal Palace built-in 1913, now a 5-star hotel; the Rail Museum; the grand 1931 Gothic St Philomena’s Church, Mysuru’s only British edifice; and the Chamundeshwari Temple up on Chamundi Hill, that offers a panoramic view of Mysuru.

Karaga festival

Karaga is one of the oldest and widely celebrated festivals of Karnataka. It depicts the rich cultural and religious heritage of the state and brings to live its legacy. Celebrated in honour of the Goddess Shakt, this festival is widely rejoiced in the city.