Formerly known as 'Bhoj-pal' after Raja Bhoj (known for founding the city), Bhopal is known as a charming city with a fantastic blend of two different cityscapes. An old town is filled with ancient mosques, chowks, narrow alleys, old bazaars, and impressive Havelis in the North. Whereas the south of the city – the new modern Bhopal features wide roads, swanky shopping complexes, lavish hotels and restaurants. Ruled by the Nawabs' wives, the city's beautiful landmarks are enough to make you fall in love with the place.
Best time to visit
The ideal months to visit Bhopal is from July to March.
How to reach Bhopal
Most spoken languages in Bhopal
Hindi
It is Jehan Numa palace’s best restaurant that specialises in tandoor dishes (both veg and non-veg) and barbecued kebabs. Almost all the cuisines listed on their menu are superb but the sampler platter of mixed kebabs is a must try.
Since 1964, Bapu ki Kutia is known to serve delicious Indian veg dishes. Be prepared to share your table with locals and hear out the local facts about the city.
Fulfill your love for biryani at Jameel Hotel. Don’t worry about the price, even if you have less, you can be sure to get your stomach filled with delicious biryani. For the past 50 years, it has maintained its quality. Do also try their other specialities like Mutton Stew, Keema Kaleji and Tandoori Roti.
If you are in search for South Indian food in Bhopal then head to Sankalp. The place offers a creatively designed menu with a slight twist in the flavours. It is known for its quality and quantity. Dig in to their Chettinad Dosa, crispy Kara Mura Dosa and Kanchipuram Idli along with Telangana Aloo in the starters.
Aura Mall
Capital Mall
Gammon Mall (Shrishti CBD)
City Walk Mall
Vardhaman Mall
Minal Mall
DB City mall
Aashima Anupama Mall
Chowk Bazaar: To have the best and local shopping experience in Bhopal, you must take a stroll in the narrow alleys of the Old City market or Chowk Bazaar. The narrow lanes here are the hub for Bhopal's ancient traditions, practices and lifestyle. The city's signature embroidery art – Zardosi craft is in preparation for the past 300 years, exquisite beadwork, Chanderi and Maheshwari sarees. You can get clothes, purses or shoes designed in different craft forms here.
Habibganj Market: This is another local shopping market that gives you the local shopping experience's flavour. You will see lines of shops selling cheap trendy accessories, to bags, shoes, apparels amongst others at a reasonable price. But make sure you do bargain while you shop from this market.
New Market: If you want to see Bhopal's modern shopping arena, then head out to New Market, filled with shopping centres and malls.
Swistar Guest House Located close to the Raja Bhoj Airport, Inter-State Bus terminal and also essential tourist spots, Swistar Guest House is ideal for regular travellers. It offers a comfortable stay backed by all necessary amenities.
Noor Us Sabah Hotel It’s a 3-star heritage property, offering the best views in Bhopal. The hotel offers all sorts of modern amenities starting from a swimming pool, business centre, gift shop among others. The cherry on the top is its location, that makes it close to famous tourist attractions.
Hotel Shikhar Palace Offering a warm stay to its guests, Hotel Shikhar Palace is a perfect budget hotel to stay, featuring nicely decorated and spacious rooms.
Hotel Nirmal residency If you are looking for a comfortable stay near to all relevant locations, then consider Hotel Nirmal residency. Spread over four floors, the hotel boasts of 39 well-designed rooms equipped with amenities like mini bar, wardrobe, flat-screen TV amongst other. It is ideal for business travellers due to its proximity to the airport.
A well-known Buddhist pilgrim site that needs no introduction. Sanchi offers spectacular views and insights into the Buddhist religion. It is about 45km from Bhopal, easily reachable by road.
A fantastic getaway to experience ancient art in the form of figurines and statues, Khajuraho is about 383km from Bhopal.
It is another excellent nearby location to travel from Bhopal, featuring an abundance of natural beauty. You can visit Kanha National Park, Dhuandhar falls, Balancing rocks and many more, Jabalpur is a delightful city to visit.
A small city with a rich historical significance. The magnificent Gwalior Fort and the superb Scindia palace are few of the landmarks to visit in the city.
Diwali is celebrated with great fervour and adds more brightness to the city. Social gathering, fair, food and fun are the essential features of the festival.
Ijtima, an important festival of Muslim is popularly celebrated in Bhopal. This festival is held every year and stretches for three days Muslim pilgrims come from various India regions assemble in Bhopal on this auspicious festival. Even non-Muslims gather during the auspicious occasion. Large fair is also held during the three days of the festival.
The festival dedicated to mark the birth of Lord Rama is celebrated on Chaitra month's ninth day. People in Bhopal celebrate it with great devotion. Devotees take a bath in the early dawn. Pure water and nd prayers are offered to the Sun.
National Drama Festival is celebrated in September with great pomp and show. Artists, poets, writers gather in large number to showcase their talent. Folk dance, song and cultural activities add more glitter to the festival.
Bharat Bhavan Summer Festival is one of the significant festivals of with a high degree of high recognition and acceptance in Bhopal. Celebrated with great zest every year. Traditional music, songs, poem concerts, folk dance, art exhibition make it a cultural fest.
This festival is one of the most popular festivals of the city, and it is celebrated with great excitement. This festival sets the platform for the promotion of classical music. Noted artists present soul-stirring vocal and music performances. The classical music lovers come from various corner of the world to relish the festival. Dhrupad Samaroh in Bhopal provides unique opportunities to get classical experiences.
This traditional festival of Lake City is celebrated on Republic Day. This festival stretches for five days and pulls the crowd like a magnet. Tribal and folk programs, cultural activities and performing arts make it a colourful extravaganza. The festival gives out the traditional flavour of Madhya Pradesh.