Mumbai to Bangalore Weekend Trip
Bangalore – The Silicon valley of India has its own charm that makes it a must in every travelers list. The capital of the Indian State of Karnataka is also the hub of country’s information technology. The city is also called ‘Garden city of India’ because of its many green spaces and charming weather. The city has numerous attractions, each of which holds a specific charm of its own. Bangalore has so much to offer from beautiful lakes, well preserved colonial architecture, grand palaces, modern infrastructure to abundance of adventure parks and green space.
Weekend Trip to Bangalore
Being a traveler based in Mumbai for last few years, Bangalore was among top places in my wishlist. I could not stop myself from witnessing beauty of this city and just made random plan with friends to travel on a weekend in the beginning of this month. I love to plan my trips but this one just happened and bit of quick research turned my short and unplanned Bangalore trip into a magical one. Read on to make the most of your Bangalore trip and I am sure this blog will serve you essential tips for your Bangalore trip.
Reaching the city:
Bangalore is well-connected to all domestic and international cities. From within India, one can reach Bangalore either by air, train, or road depending on the distance and the home city of traveler. From Mumbai you can travel either by air, train or road. By road it is about 980 kms and takes up to 16 hours of driving. Planning for weekend short trip, road trip was not the option for me as it leaves you tired. Train from Mumbai to Bangalore is also an overnight journey but you can sleep and rest in train. So, I decided to travel by train and quickly booked my ticket through online ticket booking. You can also travel by air and it is the best option if you want to save on time. It takes about 2 hours only from Mumbai to Bangalore and cleartrip offers best deals for mumbai to Bangalore flight.
Weather:
I fell in love with Bangalore’s romantic weather. The weather of city is very favorable throughout the year but the best time to visit this dream city is during winter months. Between September to March the temperature is between 25 to 32 degree Celsius and just perfect as you neither need to wear heavy woolen clothes nor sweat out like in summers. However, the fact that temperature rarely drops below 14 degree Celsius and rarely exceeds above 35 degree Celsius makes Bangalore a year round destination. Even on a summer afternoon, Bangalore was a breath of fresh air and the cool weather was perfect for pleasant stroll.
Crowd & Lifestyle:
Bangalore has a large youth population which consists of professionals in IT firms, start-ups and students of various fields mainly engineering and science. To hang out Bangalore has every possible thing from eateries, pubs, quaint cafes, quirky shops, shopping market and breweries serving chilled beers.
Food:
Masala Dosa and filter coffee is the signature breakfast in Bangalore. For non-vegetarian there are many fine dining and regular restaurants available serving best of non-vegetarian food. There are plenty to choose from for vegetarians as well. MG road is a good option to eat and shop as well. Bangalore is a pub city, so go to one and enjoy the evening. Toit’s is the brick-walled microbrewery which is good to enjoy cold beer. For authentic south Indian food, Bangalore’s famous MTR (Mavalli Tiffin Rooms) is must.
Souvenirs :
Bangalore is famous for Sandalwood products and handicrafts. Cauvery Emporium is the government emporium with genuine products. Look out for wooden toys called ‘Channapatna toys’, they’re very innovative & use non toxic colors. If not in Bangalore, you can also buy this at Channapatna, a small town en-route Mysore, where this craft originates from. You can also shop for silk fabrics especially the Mysore silk.
Places of interest :
Choosing main attractions can be a difficult task with Bangalore offering so much to tourists. However, you should not miss out on some of the main attractions.
Some of the best historic attractions in the city include Bangalore Palace, Tipu Sultan’s Palace, Malleswaram and they totally deserve a quick visit.
For outdoor lovers, green parks like Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Cubbon Park and the zoo and safari at Bannerghatta National Park are must-visit. Spread across 28 km from Bangalore, Wonderla the amusement park is there to enjoy adventurous rides and fun.
Be a nature lover, you must see the beautiful lakes like Ulsoor Lake, Bellandur Lake, Hesaraghatta Lake and the Hebbal Lake.
World famous ISCKON temple and bull temple are there for religious visitors.
You can choose to go for heritage walk as well if you have some time left in the city.
One day visit :
If you have interest in Indian history, you should visit Mysore and Srirangapatna (enroute) which is one day trip from Bangalore. Start early from Bangalore by 6 or 7a.m so that you can return comfortably in evening without getting late. Srirangapatna is a town located near Mysore which is of historical, cultural and religious importance. It can be visited enroute which has few good attractions like Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Dariya Daulat Palace. In Mysore, Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hills, Jagmohan Palace, Brindavan Garden and Mysore zoo are worth visiting.
Although, I made the most of my two days in Bangalore by exploring one day at Bangalore and another for a day’s trip to Mysore. I want to explore it more and two days are very less for this magical city with the majestic climate. I would love to come back and enjoy the pleasant stroll in the charming weather of Bangalore.
