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An ashram in Mysore. It has beautiful gardens with bonsais among other plants. You can buy some herbal tea for an infusion, grown in the gardens.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
A horse-racing venue. The Mysore Derby season is from November to February and again from May to July. There's a golf course at the middle.
A beautiful temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari (or Chamundi Devi) with marvellous architecture. Wheelchair access is available. AC Volvo buses go up to Chamundi Hill and back from the city bus stand every twenty minutes (Nr. 201, ₹20). If you want to take the steps (and snap a picture at the Chumandi Hill viewpoint), take either 203, 205 or 401A (₹10) and get off at JSS College, from where you walk 800 m to the bottom of the stairs.
Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens
The zoo was established under royal patronage in 1892, making it one of the oldest in the world. Mysore Zoo has had a successful breeding program and houses animals from more than 40 different countries, along with native Indian fauna, including Royal Bengal tigers, white tigers, elephants, fallow deer, Himalayan black bears, Gaur (Indian bison), white peafowl and African rhinos. The zoo is also home to many other exotic creatures from around the world, like Barbary sheep, giraffes, hippos and gorillas. The zoo encompasses Karanji Lake, which attracts several species of migratory birds during the breeding season, including painted storks, pelicans, and darters. Other attractions include the botanical garden with 35 species of exotic ornamental plants and 85 species of trees from India and abroad. Visitors can treat themselves to snacks and tender coconut that are available inside the zoo. Excellent mementoes are available in a souvenir shop. Vehicle parking is available in an open area opposite the zoo. The parking fee collected is ₹50 for buses, ₹30 for mini-buses or tempos, ₹10 for cars and ₹5 for two-wheelers.
The lookout provides an aerial view of Mysore, allowing you to see the entire white city and surrounding forest in all its glory. There are a few binoculars at the lookout point, though you would need to pay to use them.
Definitely the number one attraction in Mysore. Intricately carved rosewood doors and ceilings, some with inlaid ivory work, marble figurines, collections of caskets, paintings of the members of the royal family and other objects of personal use exhibit such opulence, and over time have been preserved remarkably well. The guards quick out the public from the palace premises (gardens) around 18:00 to prepare for the 'light and sound' show in the evening. It starts at 19:00, lasts 40 minutes and is in Kannada language only, making it less interesting for foreigners, were it not for the impressive illumination of the whole palace at the end (19:40-45) with 100,000 bulbs. The ticket counter opens at 16:45 for the show (₹100). Entry is on the south side. You are required to leave your shoes outside before entering at a cost of ₹2 per pair.