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Capital of Karnataka, India
Photo: MMJ TheIndianWikiFreak, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Bengaluru (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು Bengaḷūru), formerly Bangalore, is the largest city in southern India and the capital of the state of Karnataka. A cosmopolitan city, Bengaluru was developed around what was once a mud fort of a feudal lord. The city has a population of nearly 13 million (2025), making it India's fourth-largest city.
Contains the original mud fort, the old neighbourhoods and the western fringes of the British-era Cantonment.
The eastern parts of the Cantonment, a popular spot for shopping and dining.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Gopalan Mall, Mysore Road; Gopalan Mall, Near Jayadeva Hospital, Bannerghatta Road ; Gopalan Mal;, Old Madras Road, Near Baiyappanhalli Metro Station
A club membership (around ₹500/year) is typically required for entrance. Foreign film series and cultural events.
Restaurants to the south of Bengaluru. Prominent among them are in: Jayanagar 4th Block, take the road facing BHS First Grade College, Basavanagudi.
Chain restaurant inspired by Chinese & Thai cuisines, spread across Bengaluru.
Authentic Mangalorean meals.
Very nice North India cuisine. It is very reasonably priced.
Possibly have a few more branches elsewehere in Bengaluru. The biryani is great, as are their meals which are served ritually on a banana leaf. Reach early for lunch, for there are always hordes waiting.
One of Bengaluru's oldest food joints. Amazing dosas.
One of the best ice cream parlours offering a variety of treats. Their famed 'Death by Chocolate' (popularly known as DBC) is a must for all chocolate lovers and has attained a cult status. Can be tricky to find a spot during peak times and you may find yourself being 'encouraged' by the staff to leave quickly once you do.
KG Rd, Majestic, Malleswaram Circle, RT Nagar. Very good samosas, kachoris and North Indian sweets like rasmalai. Rapidly expanding chain, so there are plenty of branches all over the city now, which serve parathas and other food items as well. The main branch in Majestic is the best, and serves only samosas, kachoris and sweets. ₹10-50 per head.
The Andhra fast food chain serves some excellent biriyani and chicken dishes.
This is a reasonably reliable chain of vegetarian south Indian restaurants. Branches scattered all over the city, notably in Koramangala Jayanagar, Domlur. ₹50-200.
A well-known restaurant chain famous for its extra crispy ghee dosas. Standing room only and hugely popular, all food is made to order so at peak meal times you may need to wait for an hour or longer.
24 hr tea shops near Russell Market in Shivajinagar and on MG Rd. Good place to go for a cup of tea in the dead of the night. Serves tea, Suleimani (honey+lemon) tea and a variety of biscuits. ₹3-15
Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisines with a good menu choice where beef, fish, prawn, mutton and chicken meat are available. Excellent steaks.
Prominent among them are in: Banashankari 2nd stage, opposite BDA park and the one in J.P.Nagar 2nd Phase near Ragigudda Temple
Fast food a little further from the road connecting Lalbagh Westgate with Basavanagudi.
Three branches around the city, with a variety of natural ice creams, softies and many fast food items such as pav bhaji and vada pav.. Try the 'Elvis Presley' specialty or the traffic jam or 'Richie Rich' special. The 3 locations are on St. Marks Rd, Airport Rd. and Kumara Park East.
The ultimate sundae experience.
A cafe chain established in 1997 and more commonly known as Barista and now owned by Lavazza. The chain has more than 200 stores in India. It is found all over Bengaluru with 32 retail outlets, most of them near IT corporate offices.
Can be found all over Bengaluru.
British coffeehouse chain. Koramangala 4th Block, in Indranagar and another opposite Goethe-Institut, RMZ Eco Space on Sarjapur Rd and Sigma Mall, Brookesfield, Cunningham Rd, JNC Rd, and Jayanagar. Besides Coffee, Costa lays heavy emphasis on food with sandwiches, paninis, tostatos, pastas, many kinds of desserts, English muffins, and a wide variety of cakes.
Popular for TOM Coffee.
Great for women's westernwear, especially the dresses, good collection of bags, shoes and jewellery. They also offer home decor solutions.
Two menswear fashion stores. Fine fabrics for made-to-order and a large ready-to-wear collection. Bespoke suits and made to order clothing including tuxedos, business wear to traditional Indian kurtas and sherwanis.
By train
Bookings can be done at either the railway stations or at the Indian Railways booking counters in major commercial and residential areas. Booking can also be done online.
By bus
If you have difficulty arranging a plane or railway ticket to/from your next destination, or you prefer a little more adventure, you can go by bus.
By car
Driving in India can be very stressful.
By metro
The Namma Metro is an efficient cross-city rail service in Bengaluru that provides the only realistic way to escape the traffic, but its coverage of the city remains limited.
By bus
Buses are cheap and usually frequent (though expensive compared to other states). But travelling on them can be very difficult if you don't know the system well.
By train
There are DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) and MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains run by the South Western Railway (SWR), which connect the city centre to various suburbs, especially…
By auto-rickshaw
Auto-rickshaws (also called "auto") are everywhere at any time of day. They are green-and-yellow or black-and-yellow three wheeled contraptions.
By taxi
Taxis are very convenient and comfortable. Most of the vehicles are Toyota Etios, Tata Indica cars or Mahindra Logan cars, which are much safer than auto-rickshaws, and the drivers are polite.
By private car
Most taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers will be more than happy to offer you either a daily rate or an hourly rate, and take you around wherever you need to go.
By bicycle
The weather in Bengaluru is extremely pleasant, but the traffic is equally hectic. So if your plan is not to go towards crowded city, you can go around cycling.
By rental scooter
Travelling by rental scooter (light motorcycle) is increasingly common.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Bengaluru · International · BLR
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