Bengaluru Travel Guide

Bengaluru (Bangalore) is the capital of Karnataka. Karnataka Tourism, the state government's tourism department, describes it as India's technology capital and says it is often called the Garden City. The Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India site dates the city's founding to 1537, by Kempegowda.

The sights Karnataka Tourism groups for visitors include heritage and civic buildings, among them Bangalore Palace, Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace and Vidhana Soudha, and gardens and lakes, such as Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Cubbon Park. Nandi Hills, Bannerghatta Biological Park and Mysuru are covered under side trips below.

What to see in Bengaluru

Lalbagh Botanical Garden

Lalbagh is in the south of the city, about 4 km from the centre by Incredible India's measure. Karnataka Tourism says it is managed by the Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka, and that the name means "Red Garden" in Urdu. Both bodies date the garden to around 1760, under Haider Ali, and his son Tipu Sultan expanded it.

Karnataka Tourism says the Glass House was built in 1889 to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales, and Incredible India says it is based on London's Crystal Palace. Other features the state tourism body lists are Lalbagh Lake, the Floral Clock, the Rose, Japanese, Topiary and Bonsai gardens, a lotus pond, and a rock of Peninsular Gneiss topped by a Kempegowda Watchtower, one of the towers Kempegowda built to mark the boundaries of his new city.

Karnataka Tourism lists flower shows at Lalbagh in January and August, around Republic Day and Independence Day. It advises checking current opening hours with the Karnataka Horticulture Department, and warns that afternoon heat in summer can make walking in the garden uncomfortable. The station it names for the garden is Lalbagh, on the Namma Metro Green Line.

Cubbon Park

Cubbon Park, officially Sri Chamarajendra Park, was established in 1870 and covers roughly 300 acres of central Bengaluru, according to Karnataka Tourism, which says it is maintained by the Department of Horticulture. In or beside the park, the same listing names the Government Museum, the Venkatappa Art Gallery, the State Archaeological Museum, the Bangalore Aquarium, the State Central Library in Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall and Jawahar Bal Bhavan.

The nearest metro stations on the same listing are Cubbon Park, on the Purple Line, about 450 metres away, and Vidhana Soudha.

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum

The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), on Kasturba Road, is a unit of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the Government of India's Ministry of Culture. It was set up in memory of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and opened by Jawaharlal Nehru on 14 July 1962.

As of October 2026, the museum opens from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm on all days except Deepavali and Ganesha Chathurthi, when it closes. Its exhibit areas include the Engine Hall, the Space Technology Gallery, the Biotechnology Gallery, the Fun Science Gallery (opened in July 2025), the Dinosaur Enclave and the Wright Brothers' Aeroplane.

Online booking for the museum is only through its official website, and the museum warns visitors to beware of unauthorised booking websites.

Bangalore Palace

Bangalore Palace, which Karnataka Tourism also calls Bengaluru Palace, is in Vasanth Nagar and, it says, was modelled on Windsor Castle. Reverend J. Garrett built it in 1878, Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar of the Mysore royal family later bought and expanded it, and the Wadiyar family's descendants own it.

Karnataka Tourism warns that the palace may restrict entry on certain days when it hosts private events, concerts or exhibitions, so check before you go. The nearest metro station it names, Mantri Square Sampige Road, is about 4 km away.

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace

Karnataka Tourism describes Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace as a late 18th-century palace, built mainly of teakwood, that served as the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Incredible India says the palace now houses a museum, and that Tipu Sultan called it "Rash-e-Jannat".

Vidhana Soudha

Vidhana Soudha, northwest of Cubbon Park, is the state secretariat; Incredible India dates it to 1956 and names K. Hanumanthaiah as chief minister at the time. Karnataka Tourism describes it as a granite structure that blends Dravidian and modern architectural styles.

Other places to see in Bengaluru

Karnataka Tourism also lists the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Tank and the Sri Radha Krishna-Chandra Mandir. Incredible India names the Bull Temple (Dodda Basavana Gudi) and the Kote Venkataramana Temple.

When to visit Bengaluru

Karnataka Tourism says Bengaluru can be visited all year round and that October to February offers pleasant weather for sightseeing; elsewhere on the same page it gives October to March as the most pleasant. Across India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) counts June to September as the south-west monsoon season.

Festivals and events in Bengaluru

Karnataka Tourism lists these events for the city and the state. Check the current year's dates before you plan a trip around one.

• Independence Day, 15 August: the state parade at the Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Parade Ground on Cubbon Road, and Freedom Habba at Vidhana Soudha.
• Karaga, in March or April.
• Kannada Rajyotsava, listed for Karnataka on 1 November.

Bengaluru airport and direct flights

Bengaluru's airport is Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR), run by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). It has two terminals, and the operator advises checking which one your flight uses on your ticket or web check-in document; a free shuttle runs between them. The airport page covers the terminals and the transfer to town in detail.

In April 2021 the Union Cabinet approved a metro line to the airport, from K.R. Puram via Hebbal Junction, but the operator's list of ways to reach the airport does not include the metro.

Main routes recorded from Bengaluru

Direct domestic flights recorded from Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. Pune, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Kochi and Goa (Dabolim) are also among the recorded routes.

Airlines recorded on direct domestic flights from Bengaluru include IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Star Air.

This site also has guides to places with direct flights recorded from Bengaluru, among them Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Siliguri and Darjeeling, Srinagar and Varanasi, and an India travel guide.

Getting around Bengaluru

Namma Metro is the city's metro, run by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). On 10 August 2025 the Prime Minister inaugurated its Yellow Line from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra and laid the foundation stone of Phase 3, which the Press Information Bureau (PIB) release calls the Orange Line.

For the sights on this page, Karnataka Tourism names Lalbagh station on the Green Line, Cubbon Park station on the Purple Line and Vidhana Soudha station for Cubbon Park, and Mantri Square Sampige Road for Bangalore Palace.

The state tourism body lists the metro, cabs, buses and auto-rickshaws as ways to get around the city. It says Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses connect Lalbagh with almost every part of the city, and that taxis, auto-rickshaws, Ola and Uber are all available for the drive to Bannerghatta.

Side trips from Bengaluru

Nandi Hills

Karnataka Tourism places Nandi Hills, in Chikkaballapur District, about 60 km from Bengaluru and 35 km from Kempegowda International Airport. The way in is by car or taxi towards Chikkaballapur, or by government bus from Bengaluru to Chikkaballapur, which is about 9 km from Nandi Hills. The journey from Bengaluru usually takes around 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on traffic.

The draws Karnataka Tourism lists are sunrise views, Tipu's Drop (a 60 metre cliff), old fort walls and gateways, walking and cycling. The Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple is at the foot of the hill, the Yoga Nandeeshwara temple on the hill and Devanahalli Fort on the route, and Karnataka Tourism gives September to February as the best time to visit.

Bannerghatta Biological Park

Bannerghatta Biological Park is about 22 km south of the city centre, according to Karnataka Tourism, which says the zoo, safari and butterfly park are managed by the Karnataka Forest Department. It also lists boating on a lake and a nature camp run by Jungle Lodges & Resorts, and says the park recommends booking online on weekends and public holidays.

The same page puts the airport about 55 to 70 km from the park, depending on the route. It calls October to June generally the most rewarding period, and says heavy monsoon rain from July to September can temporarily affect safari operations.

Mysuru

Mysuru (Mysore) is about 140 km southwest of Bengaluru, according to Karnataka Tourism, which says it is often known as the cultural capital of Karnataka. The sights it names include Mysuru Palace (Amba Vilas Palace) and the Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery.

Janapada Lok and Nrityagram

Incredible India also names the Janapada Lok Folk Arts Museum, 53 km southwest of Bengaluru on the Mysore Road, and Nrityagram Dance Village, 30 km west of Bengaluru.

Bengaluru questions

Which airport do flights to Bengaluru use?

Flights to Bengaluru land at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR), run by Bangalore International Airport Limited. It has two terminals, so check which one your flight uses on your ticket or web check-in document.

Is there a metro to Bengaluru airport?

The airport operator's list of ways to reach the airport does not include the metro. In April 2021 the Union Cabinet approved a metro line to the airport, from K.R. Puram via Hebbal Junction. The operator lists Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) Vayu Vajra buses, intercity buses, an Indian Railways train with a connecting shuttle, taxis and app cabs.

When is the Lalbagh flower show in Bengaluru?

Karnataka Tourism lists flower shows at Lalbagh Botanical Garden in January and August, around Republic Day and Independence Day. Check the current year's dates before you plan around one.

When is the best time to visit Bengaluru?

Karnataka Tourism says Bengaluru can be visited all year round, with October to February offering pleasant weather for sightseeing. For Nandi Hills it gives September to February, and for Bannerghatta October to June.

How far is Nandi Hills from Bengaluru airport?

Karnataka Tourism puts Nandi Hills about 35 km from Kempegowda International Airport and about 60 km from Bengaluru.

Do foreign visitors need a visa for Bengaluru?

The Bureau of Immigration says foreigners travelling to India, except certain categories, need a valid passport and a valid visa. The official e-Visa site is indianvisaonline.gov.in, and the Bureau's e-Arrival card, for foreigners, is submitted online within 72 hours before arrival in India; it is for arrival information, not a visa.