Bangalore Travelers Recommend

With three days in Bangalore, you can not only check out some of the city’s most fabulous temples, gardens, and palaces, but you’ll also have time left over to go on a day trip or two. Here’s how to plan a 3-day trip to the city.

Day 1: Palaces and Garden s

Spend your first day familiarizing yourself with some of Bangalore’s most important attractions. Start with Tipu Sultan’s Palace, an 18th-century structure made of teakwood. While the exteriors themselves make the palace worth a visit, the interiors are the true star here. See gorgeous old frescoes, royal memorabilia, and a copy of Tipu's Tiger, an automaton toy depicting a tiger devouring a soldier (the original is in a museum in London). Then stop by the lovely Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, with walking paths, a lake, and a 19th-century glass house. From here, make your way over to Bangalore Palace, a huge complex that mixes Tudor, Gothic, Victorian, and neoclassical architecture. Some of the rooms here are open to visitors, while part of the palace still serves as a royal residence.

Day 2: Day Trip to Mysore

Get an early start on your second day to visit Mysore, 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Bangalore. The city is known as the birthplace of Ashtanga yoga, and many travelers visit to study yoga. However, the star attraction is Mysore Palace, an early 20th-century Indo-Saracenic palace with artwork and elegant royal interiors. Other local attractions include the Chamundeshwari Temple, with Dravidian architecture; the neo-Gothic St. Philomena's Cathedral; and the sprawling Brindavan Gardens, terraced gardens with regular fountain shows. Don’t leave town without sampling some of the city’s best-known culinary delicacies, including Mysore pak, a famous sweet made from ghee, sugar, and gram flour, and the Mysore masala dosa, a crepe with spicy chutney and mild seasoned potatoes.

Day 3: Temples

Bangalore and the surrounding area is full of temples old and new; devote your third day to checking out some of the finest. These include the 16th-century Bull Temple (Dodda Ganeshana Gudi), named for its gargantuan statue of Nandi, the bovine steed of Lord Shiva. Another popular temple, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple is a modern complex high on a hillside. Its popular Higher Taste vegetarian restaurant is a great option for lunch. Alternatively, take a day trip out to two of the finest temples in the region: the Chennakesava Temple, in the town of Somnathpur, and the temples of Talakadu. The Chennakesava Temple dates to the 13th century and features three shrines and art-covered ceilings. Talakadu includes dozens of temples, and while many were submerged in sand (due to a curse, as the story goes), a few have been excavated and are popular pilgrimage sites.

With beautiful palaces, sprawling gardens, and a great nightlife scene, Bangalore offers an enticing mix of old and new. If you have two days in the Garden City, you can see some of its top attractions and pay a visit to nearby Mysore. Here's how.

Day 1: Palaces and Gardens

**Morning:**Start your day off with a morning stroll in Lalbagh Botanical Garden, one of Bangalore’s most popular attractions, featuring pathways, a lake, and a 1889 glass house. From here, it’s a short walk over to Tipu Sultan’s Palace, an 18th-century summer palace built entirely of teakwood, with historical artifacts and beautiful frescoes adorning its interiors.

**Afternoon:**In the afternoon, make your way up to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple, a modern temple complex on a hilltop overlooking the city. Stop for lunch at the Higher Taste, the temple’s vegetarian buffet restaurant, and explore the grounds a bit before heading over to Bangalore Palace, with its elegant facade and regal interiors.

**Night:**Spend your first evening checking out Bangalore’s nightlife scene by joining a pub crawl or heading out to one of the city’s clubs or live music venues. Alternatively, join a food tour and sample some of Bangalore’s many culinary delights.  

Day 2: Day Trip to Mysore

**Morning:**Get an early start on your second day to visit the city of Mysore, aka Mysuru, 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Bangalore. Visit the Chamundeshwari Temple, an important temple dedicated the goddess Durga that's believed to date to the 12th century (though its current incarnation is from the 1600s).

**Afternoon:**In the afternoon, visit the city’s most famous attraction: Amba Vilas Palace, more commonly known as Mysore Palace. This historic royal residence was built at the turn of the 20th century to replace an older palace destroyed by fire and features Indo-Saracenic exteriors and painting-filled interiors.

**Night:**Devote your last evening to trying some of Mysore’s most popular culinary items. Don’t miss the chance to sample a Mysore masala dosa, a crepe filled with seasoned potatoes and a spicy chutney. For dessert opt for Mysore pak, a famous local sweet made from ghee, sugar, and gram flour.

Bangalore, also known as the Garden City and officially called Bengaluru, is one of India’s most modern, lively cities. Its major sites are close enough together that you can get a good feel for the city even if you have only one day. Here’s how to make the most of your time.

Morning: Bangalore Palace and the ISKCON Temple

Start your morning at one of the city's most beautiful landmarks, Bangalore Palace. Set on over 450 acres (182 hectares), this complex features a mix of Tudor-inspired, Gothic, Victorian, and neoclassical architecture and lavish interiors filled with elegant decor. The hand-operated elevator here is one of the oldest elevators in the country. From here, it's a short jaunt to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Temple, a gargantuan modern temple complex set on a hilltop perch. It's a great place to learn more about Hinduism thanks to a regular schedule of philosophical lectures, or simply wander the grounds and its six shrines. Have lunch at the Higher Taste, the temple's well-regarded restaurant featuring an extensive vegetarian buffet. 

Afternoon: Tipu Sultan’s Palace and Lalbagh

After lunch, make your way south to Tipu Sultan’s Palace, a beautiful old palace built entirely from teak by the former ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan. The 18th-century palace is filled with frescoes and artifacts related to Tipu Sultan's life, including a royal crown and a reproduction of Tipu’s Tiger, a mechanical toy tiger devouring a soldier. From the palace, head to the sprawling Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, a flower-filled green space that's popular for early evening strolls.

Night: Food and Drink

Spend your evening checking out Balgalore’s culinary scene; join a foodie tour of the city, where a local guide will lead you to the best cafés and restaurants, or a street-food tour sampling the wares along Thindi Beedi (Food Street). Afterward, explore Bangalore's nightlife scene; you'll have plenty of bars, live-music venues, clubs, and pubs to choose from, including craft breweries. You may find that the easiest way to navigate the city’s nightlife scene is by joining a pub crawl and exploring with a crew. 

As one of India's most cosmopolitan cities, Bangalore boasts a diverse dining scene, which offers everything from cosy vegan cafes to cafeterias that serve south Indian staples—not to mention a thriving pub scene. Don't miss these delicious dishes and culinary experiences on your next trip to Bangalore.

Must-Try Dishes

Bangalore’s culinary repertoire is influenced by cuisines from across southern India. Breakfast is a big deal; a wide variety of India’s ubiquitous potato-stuffed crepes, known as masala dosas, feature on many a Bangalore menu, alongside idlis, rice-and-lentil-cakes served steamed or sometimes fried. Though originally from coastal Karnataka, Mangalore buns (soft buns made of flour and bananas) are also worth sampling, as are sweet local flatbreads known as puran poli. And if you're into beer, make sure you try some local brews; the craft beer culture is huge in Bangalore, and the city offer multiple pubs to choose from.

Must-Do Experiences

• Start your day with a breakfast of dosas and idlis at one of the city’s numerous breakfast cafeterias.
• Learn how to cook south Indian food during a cooking class at the home of a local family.
• Fill up on street foods on a walking tour of VV Puram Food Street.
• Drop in to some of Bangalore’s many breweries on a pub crawl.
• Take a day trip to the countryside for a vineyard visit and wine tasting.

A booming hub for tech, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) is one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities. In addition to its modern businesslike side, the city has a long tradition of spirituality evident in its large collection of temples, many of which are centuries old. See below for our top picks of temples in Bengaluru. 

Bull Temple

Located in Basavanagudi and dating back to the 16th century, Bull Temple (aka Dodda Basavana Gudi) was constructed under orders of the Vijayanagara Empire, which at the time ruled much of South India. The temple itself is relatively modest in size, though its 15-foot-tall (4.5-meter-tall) statue of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s bull, is one of the largest in existence. 

Dodda Ganesha Temple

Just a stone’s throw from Bull Temple, Dodda Ganesha Temple features a huge idol of the elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha. The monument measures 18 feet (5.5 meters) tall and 16 feet (4.8 meters) wide. 

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple

Also known as the cave temple, this unique temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was carved out of a single solid rock in the 9th century, making it one of the oldest places of worship in town. As well as a statue of Nandi and an icon representing Lord Shiva, it also features a sculpture of Agni, the two-headed, seven-handed, three-legged fire god. 

ISKCON Temple

Established in 1997, the striking hilltop Hare Krishna ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Temple combines traditional and modern architectural styles. It’s not just a center for worship; it’s also a hub of community activity with many food vendors and frequent events, including talks and live music performances. 

Kote Venkataramana Temple

Dedicated to the deity Venkateshwara, this 17th-century temple was constructed by Mysore leaders and stands next to the Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace. A typical example of Dravidian temple architecture, it features towers adorned with carvings and sculptures. 

Shivoham Shiva Temple

This temple with a huge 65-foot-high (20-meter-high) statue of the god Shiva sitting and meditating in lotus position is a new construction and a popular tourist site on Old Airport Road in Karnataka. Visitors enjoy taking part in the many organized spiritual activities like dropping coins in 108 bowls while chanting Shiva’s name, floating a paper lamp in the water representing the Ganges River, and praying to the elephant god Lord Ganesha while tying a holy thread.