RegionOutline guide

Karnataka

State in southwestern India

Photo: Anusha ss india, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Karnataka (Kannada: ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ Karnāṭaka), a state in Southern India, stretches from Kalaburagi and Belgaum in the north to Bengaluru and Mangalore in the south. It has a coastal region with numerous coconut trees and beautiful beaches and an interior with mountains, valleys and farmlands. It has the largest population of tigers in the world.

Regions

Bengaluru
The state capital as well as the information technology capital of India.
Southeastern Karnataka
The region surrounding Bengaluru with cool climate.
Cauvery Basin
Southern Karnataka, including Mysore. Rolling hills, large sunflower fields and Tibetan culture.
Central Karnataka
The meeting point of North and South Karnataka.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By train
Karnataka is served by South Western Railway and connected to all major railway stations across the country.
By car
A number of national highways link Karnataka with the neighboring states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Pondicherry, Goa and Tamil Nadu.
By bus
Karnataka government-owned and -operated Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) connects Karnataka with the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala (Keralam), Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,…

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Getting around

By car
All major cities in Karnataka are well connected by a mix of national and state highways.
By plane
Kempegowda International Airport serves most domestic routes in India.
By train
There are trains run by Indian Railways originating from major cities of Karnataka like Bengaluru, Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli and connecting to different places in Karnataka.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru

Bengaluru · International · BLR

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Cities

Bhadra Tiger Reserve

Bhadra Tiger Reserve covers the catchment area of the Bhadra River.

Read before you go to Karnataka

Articles and travel topics about Karnataka and India.

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Full travel guide

Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.

UnderstandKarnataka is the 7th-largest state in India in area and 8th-largest by population.

TalkKannada is the official language and is spoken by most of the state's inhabitants. Dialects of the language spoken in each of the regions differ from each other.

Get inKempegowda International Airport (BLR) of Bengaluru is India's third-busiest airport, connecting major cities and state capitals as well as 20 international destinations.

Get aroundThere are state-owned KSRTC buses, as well as the KSRTC buses from neighbouring Kerala. Unless otherwise noted, "KSRTC" refers to the one of Karnataka here.

SeeThanks to its long and varied history Karnataka has an interesting mix of religious sites, remnants of historical empires, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, national parks, bird sanctuaries, wildlife sanctuaries, palaces,…

DoPigeon Island (Netrani Island) lies about 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast of Murudeshwar in Karnataka.

LearnGokarna, Udupi and Shringeri are well-known centres for the study of Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy.

EatKarnataka is known for a wide variety of local fast foods which are available at outlets everywhere. Some are standalone outlets while others are well known names with branch locations.

Drink

SleepKarnataka provides a wide variety of accommodation to suit the budget of every kind of traveller.

Stay safeThe people of Karnataka are friendly by nature and will help you in many ways. However, common crimes such as theft and purse-snatching do occur so be careful with your valuables.

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Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Karnataka" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Karnataka", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Anusha ss india, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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