Bangalore is at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level, which is also reason for its nice climate. It is located at the southern edge of Deccan plateau. With Sea on either side at a distance of 350 Km, combined with altitude, it cannot really get too hot here. 35 to 36 degrees is enough to create a low pressure area and pull moisture from either side (Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal) depending on the wind flow.
Another unique thing about Bangalore is it’s proximity to amazing destinations. Be it beaches, mountains, forests, waterfalls, rivers, historical or religious places, Bangalore is close to everything except snow may be. The city as a whole is beautiful and peaceful to say the least. It has many historical places of interest and many small hill stations and beaches which can be great weekend getaways for bachelors and families alike.
Actually Bangalore is famous as it is the IT sector hub and for the various jobs, and its nightlife. There are so many options of fun things to do on the weekend. You can go to the theatre. See a play or a musical performance at Chowdiah, Alliance Française, or Jagriti. You can go to the IPL or other cricket matches at Chinnaswamy Stadium. You can go to listen to live music at a bar, Jazz or a rock band.
You can go to Karaoke at various places around the city. You can go shopping! Anywhere from UB city in the fancy shops like Burberry and Louis Vutton, to Commercial Street where you can buy sandals and jewellery.
We have selected some of the best places to visit in Bangalore.
1. Bangalore Palace
You can proceed to Bengaluru Palace. Designed by Kempe Gowda I and built by Reverend J. Garrett, the Bangalore Palace is a must-see historical place of the city. The Tudor-style palace has 35 rooms and now belongs to the royal family of Mysore. There is a guided audio tour, which is perhaps the best option to know the history of the place. It is a great place for photographers and is one of those places to explore for kids in Bangalore.
You can then visit Nehru Planetarium. After this, you can go to Vishweshwariah Museum. You can then have lunch and proceed to M.G Road by afternoon. You can spend the entire evening walking in and around Brigade Road and M.G Road, have coffee and snacks in any of the hundreds of eat-outs there. If you love your beer and partying at pubs, you'll be spoilt for choice. You'll have to browse the internet to get to know more about this.
Location: Vasanth Nagar
Attractions: The royal coat of arms, the Jockey chair
Days Open: Everyday
Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Registration fee: 230 INR per person for Indian nationals, 460 INR per person for foreigners
Amenities: Parking
Things to consider: The entrance fee is relatively high compared to other historic places in the city. So go there only if you think the kids will appreciate.
2. Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
One of the many royal residences and must-see places in Bangalore, the Summer Palace and Fort Tipu Sultan represent the beautiful fusion of Indo-Islamic architecture. The architectural marvel is small, but is an excellent structure for photography enthusiasts. Children may not find the story interesting, but you can tell them by weaving an interesting story about Tipu.
Location: Chamrajpet, Bangalore
Attractions: Portraits and paintings of people of the time, a replica Tipu tiger
Days Open: Every day
Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Registration fee: 15 INR per person for Indians, 200 INR per person for foreign nationals
Amenities: Parking
Things to consider: If you are not a photography travel enthusiast, do not spend more than 30 minutes here; otherwise the children will get bored.
3. Vidhana Soudha
Vidhana Soudha is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka, located in the heart of the city. The massive structure is supposed to be built in the Dravidian styles or Mysore style and was completed in 1956. The building is spread over an area of 11 hectares and is built with granite and porphyry rocks. An interesting fact about the building is that it was designed and built to give the city a clean architectural style.
Location: Sampangi Rama Nagara, Bangalore
Attractions: Architecture, the building is illuminated on holidays and Sundays
Days Open: Everyday
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM
Things to consider: Participation is allowed only with special permission.
4. Bangalore Fort
Built by Kempe Gowda I, Bangalore Fort was a mud fort in 1537. Haider Ali, father of Tipu Sultan and ruler of the state of Mysore, rebuilt it in stone in 1761. The fort has a church, a cemetery and also a school, although the school has now been relocated. Unfortunately, most of the structure was dismantled and ruined by the British who besieged it in 1791. What remain are the Delhi Gate and some bastions.
Location: New Tharagupet, Bangalore
Attractions: Delhi Gate, a 500-year-old Ganapati Shrine
Days Open: Monday to Saturday
Hours: 10 AM to 6 PM
Registration fees: 5 INR for Indian nationals, 100 INR per person for foreign nationals
Amenities: Parking
Things to consider: Like Tipu Sultan's summer palace, Bangalore Fort has little interest for children.
5. Lalbagh Botanical Garden
The places to visit in Bangalore include Lalbagh, a botanical garden and you can see many beautiful flowers there and you can even enjoy the flower shows in spring season. Go to Lal Bagh early in the morning itself and experience the beauty of early morning walking at Lal Bagh. For breakfast and lunch, you can go to arguably Bengaluru's best local restaurant MTR and have the delicious South Indian cuisines. You can spend time till afternoon here and again have lunch at the M.T.R.
6. Sankey tank
If it's not yet 4 in the evening, you can check out the Orion Mall which is right behind ISKCON. After it's 4, you can head towards Sankey Tank which is just a kilometer or two from ISKCON. Sankey tank is one of the most beautiful tourist destination. This lake is developed with gardens, gym area and walking path.
You can walk around the lake till dusk. Now that you'd be completely exhausted, walk towards Veena Stores and have the best idlis you'll ever taste. Now that you're a rejuvenated person, you can head towards Malleshwaram 8th Cross and shop there for the entire evening, while soaking in the true awesomeness of old Bengaluru and its people.
7. Ulsoor Lake
Ulsoor lake is on of the biggest lake in Bengaluru. This 126 acre lake has some beautiful islands and offers boating facility too.
8. Madiwala Lake
It is situated in the BTM Layout. It is a home to huge number of migratory birds like spot-billed Pelican.
9. Nagavara Lake
Nagavara Lake is a popular attraction in Bengaluru, situated in outer ring road. Enjoy lot of water sports in Lumbini garden with other activities and can have some food in floating restaurant.
10. Hebbal Lake
Hebbal lake is situated in junction of outer ring road and Bellary Road. This huge lake covers an area of around 150 acres. The main attraction of the Hebbal Lake is wide variety of birds, beautiful landscape and play area.
Once you cross Hebbal, there is a pretty good elevated highway, almost like a free way ideal for night drives. People usually get to the Airport which has plenty options like Cafe Noir, Maiyas, Hatti Kaapi and Puro Gusto. A small trade off is, you have to spend little money on parking your vehicle.
11. Hesaraghatta Lake
Hesaraghatta Lake is a man made fresh water reservoir across the Arkavathy river. It is the best place for short picnic with family and friends.
With an area of 160-acre, Jakkur lake is the home for large number of migratory birds from other countries. Apart from this there are some more lakes like, Lalbhag lake, Yalahanka lake, Kengeri lake etc.
12. Cubbon Park
You can head to Cubbon Park by afternoon and spend 2-3 hours roaming inside the park, and after you're finished and it's time for coffee and snacks, you can walk 500 meters or so to reach the Indian Coffee House on Lavalle Road. You can now head towards the magnificent Vidhana Soudha which would be illuminated, and also have a look at the Bengaluru High Court which is right opposite to Vidhana Soudha.
13. Bull Temple
Visit the Dodda Ganesha Temple and the Bull Temple. When it's dusk and it's time for coffee/snacks, head towards Gandhi Bazaar and have Masala Dosa-Coffee at Vidyarthi Bhavan. You can then spend the entire evening shopping near Gandhi Bazaar and you have various restaurants nearby to pick from, for dinner.
14. Venkatappa Art Gallery
You can head to Town Hall after having breakfast and have a look at one of the oldest buildings of Bengaluru. You can then visit the Venkatappa Art Gallery and then head towards the Chitrakala Parishath. If you are a lover of art and literature, these are the places you should not miss. Visit these places if you're interested in getting to know more about the essence of Karnataka's art, culture and Kannada literature. After visiting these places, you can have evening snacks and dinner at V V Puram Chat Street.
15. UB City
If an international/IPL match coincides with your visit to Bengaluru, then one thing you definitely have to do is to book a ticket and watch the match from the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. If you're not so lucky, you can still visit the stadium, have a look at all the memorabilia collection, the National Cricket Academy, have lunch at the Club House and soak in the awesomeness of the place that has witnessed a lot of fireworks from the greatest of cricketers, across generations.
You can then proceed to Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, and then to the Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium. In the evening, you can visit the majestic UB City, and if you're ready to spend a lot, you can actually shop there.
16. Wonderla
You'll need an entire day to visit Wonderla. If you want to reach there by bus, you can always use BMTC which provides awesome services. No more places. You'll be exhausted by the end of your day. Reach your place and rest.
17. Nandi Temple
Around 60 km from Bangalore, Nandi Hills is a go-to spot when you are in need of some solitude and a refreshing start for your day. Nandi Hills is a picnic spot which is a few kilometres from Bangalore and if you go early morning then you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise there. Typically you can start early morning 4 AM and reach there around 5:30 which is when Police will open check-post to drive to top. It’s a mesmerizing experience of Sun rising on top of a cloud bed.
If you have your own vehicle or are ready to rent a vehicle, then go on a long ride, preferably along with company of your friends. If you love cycling, then it's an even better idea. There's a lot of places in and around there for trekking and if that's what interests you, then go for trekking. Again, this will take an entire day and will exhaust you.