Places to Visit in Bangalore: Six City Sights and Three Day Trips

Bangalore is one of the most developed metropolitan cities of India and the IT hub of Karnataka. I have been in this city for the past year.

There is no doubt that this city has offered me more than what I expected in terms of destinations to see around, delectable cuisines to try, and opportunities to interact with a variety of cultures.

By the title, you know what I am gonna talk about. So, let’s get straight to the point.

The Quick Answer

You are asking	The answer
How many days?	One for the city: Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, MG Road, Brigade Road and St. Mary's are close together, the palace and ISKCON a short ride away. One more for a day trip to Nandi Hills or Ramanagara.
When should I go?	December to February is the driest and coolest. April is the hottest month; the rain runs from May to October, heaviest from August to October.
Can I go inside Vidhana Soudha?	Yes, on KSTDC's 90-minute guided tour on the second and fourth Saturdays and every Sunday, in English or Kannada, booked ahead at tours.kstdc.co. Bring an original Aadhaar (or a passport and visa); no black clothes, no shorts.
What do the tickets cost?	Bangalore Palace about ₹240 for Indians and ₹460 for foreigners, photography extra. Cubbon Park, St. Mary's and ISKCON are free; Lalbagh ₹30. All of them are in the table.
How do I get around?	Namma Metro: the Purple line for Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha and MG Road; the Green line for ISKCON (Mahalakshmi or Sandal Soap Factory) and Lalbagh; the Yellow line, open since August 2025, to Electronics City. The Pink line is not open yet. There is no metro to the airport: take a Vayu Vajra bus or a cab.
How far are the day trips?	Nandi Hills about 60 km (gate at 6 am), Kaiwara and Kailashagiri 65 to 75 km, Ramanagara about 50 km on the Mysuru expressway. More in Weekends from Bangalore.

Hours and Tickets, Checked November 2026

Place	Open	Ticket
Bangalore Palace	10 am to 5.30 pm, daily; private events sometimes close it	About ₹240 for Indians, ₹120 for children, ₹460 for foreigners; a camera and the audio guide cost extra (check at the gate)
Cubbon Park	All day; closed to traffic 5 to 8 am daily and all day on Sundays and public holidays	Free
Vidhana Soudha	Outside at any time; inside only on KSTDC's tour, 2nd and 4th Saturdays and Sundays, slots from 10 am to 1.30 pm	Book at tours.kstdc.co; original ID checked
Bangalore Aquarium	10 am to 5.30 pm; closed Mondays and second Tuesdays	A small fee
Government Museum	Closed for renovation since early 2024	–
ISKCON Temple	4.30 to 5.20 am, then 7.15 am to 1.15 pm and 4.15 to 8.20 pm; at weekends and on holidays 7.15 am to 8.20 pm without a break	Free
Nandi Hills	6 am to 6 pm; closed on New Year's Eve and 1 January	₹10 to ₹20 a person; cars ₹60 on weekdays, ₹100 at weekends; two-wheelers ₹30 and ₹50
Lalbagh	9 am to 6 pm; walkers free 6 to 9 am and 6 to 7 pm	₹30 for adults, under 12 free
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace	9 am to 5 pm, daily	A small ASI fee

1. Bangalore palace
2. Cubbon park
3. Vidhana Soudha
4. Brigade road
5. St. Mary’s Basilica
6. ISKCON Temple
7. Nandi Hills
8. Kailashagiri Hills
9. Ramanagara

Top places to add in your bucket list if you wanna explore Bangalore.

Bangalore palace

Built by the inspiration of Windsor castle of London is an iconic lavish palace with huge chandeliers, a fairytale ballroom, beautifully painted walls, and a magnificent spiral staircase; walking down its corridors will transport you to a European palace. Its magnificent interior and an impressive architecture will amaze you and take you to the imperial era for sure.

However, if you are imagining it as a large palace then I must tell you it’s not that grand but it’s worth to pay a visit. You might find it little bit crowded if you go there on holidays, so due to this, try to visit this place when it is less crowded and take time to appreciate the spectacular paintings hanging on the walls of the palace.

The palace is quite a good place to visit but it only comes with a high cost, entry fees for the palace are Rs230 for Indians and Rs460 for foreigners which is very high as compared to other places. (2026: about ₹240 for Indians and still ₹460 for foreigners, says Karnataka Tourism; photography costs extra.)

#interesting fact – the palace was featured in a few hindi movies like ‘Jo jeeta vohi sikander’, ‘Coolie’ and ‘Barsaat’

Cubbon park

If you are looking for a place far away from the hustle bustle of the city or to take a beautiful evening walk, then you should give a visit to cubbon park. It was originally an 100acre land which later got spread out in 300 acres. (2026: laid out in 1870; Cubbon Park station is on the Purple line. Since 2025 private walking tours and groups of more than 20 need the Horticulture Department's permission, commercial shoots (pre-wedding, reels) are not allowed, and nor are kites, frisbees or eating. Dogs on a leash on weekdays only.)

The park is well maintained and I would consider it as one of the gem of Bangalore city. Being a paradise for nature lovers, perfect picnic spot for families, a good hangout place for friends and an educational ground for students of horticulture is what a cubbon park offers.

When I visited this place for the first time, I immediately fell in love with it and the reason is its peaceful ambience which you won’t find while being stuck in the Bangalore traffic.

#interesting fact – it is home to more than 6000 trees that support a vibrant ecosystem.

Vidhana Soudha

Popularly known as the “Taj Mahal of South India”, Vidhana Soudha houses the State Legislature along with the Secretariat of Karnataka. Do you know this is one of the largest legislative building in the entire country.

This magnificent structure was constructed in 1956 by then-chief minister of Mysore State, using Bangalore Granite in a Dravidian style of architecture. (2026: the chief minister was Kengal Hanumanthaiah. Since 2025 you can go inside on KSTDC's guided tour: see the quick answer.)

Nearly 300 rooms make up Vidhana Soudha. The Karnataka Government constructed a replica next to it, known as the Vikasa Soudha, which serves as a secretariat building.

Building of Vidhana Soudha is huge and mesmerizing. You can go there whenever you like, but if you want to admire the intricate work that was put into this impressive structure, go during the day. If you want to see its beauty shining brightly under the starry night skies, go during the night. (2026: a permanent lighting system was switched on in 2025; the building is lit on weekend evenings and special occasions.)

#interesting fact – you can explore Vidhana Soudha, High court of Karnataka, Cubbon park, Government museum and Bangalore aquarium all at once since they all are located in the radius of 500m. (2026: the High Court is across the road, but the aquarium and the museum are at the park's far edge on Kasturba Road, nearer a kilometre. The museum has been closed for renovation since early 2024; the Venkatappa Art Gallery beside it reopened in June 2025.)

Brigade road

If you are in Bangalore and haven’t visited brigade road, it won’t be justice. Brigade road lies at the intersection of MG road and residency road and is a shopping paradise for city dwellers. (2026: MG Road metro station, on the Purple line, is a few minutes' walk.) It’s a place where you can witness the nightlife of Bangalore.

There you will see a long stretch of road occupied with standalone shops, global brand outlets, food eateries  and a lot more. Name anything, you will have it there.

One more place is linked with the brigade road known as Church street. Considered as one of the most busiest places of Bangalore.

St. Mary’s Basilica

Being the oldest church in Bangalore and rewarded with the status of minor Basilica, comes under the list of most beautiful churches of India. (2026: one of the oldest; the present church was consecrated in 1882 and made a minor basilica in 1973, the first in Karnataka. Its feast is on 8 September.) Honestly, I find the interior church’s architecture and blue colour to be very fascinating.

Its Gothic-inspired architecture is evident in the stained glass windows, decorative motifs, and lovely arches that adorn the walls.

#Interesting fact – do you know, Shivaji nagar market which is located near St. Mary’s Cathedral has a Russell market inside which is famous for its flower exports and it was built by British in 1947. (2026: Russell Market was built in 1927 and opened in 1933, named after T. B. Russell, then the municipal commissioner. Shivajinagar's metro station, on the Pink line, is not open yet.)

ISKCON Temple

Iskcon temples is a chain of temples which are religiously famous and has 850 temples across the globe. (2026: ISKCON itself counts more than 650 centres, temples and rural communities.) Out of which Bangalore Iskcon temple is considered one of the largest Iskcon temples in the world which was built in 1997. (2026: Mahalakshmi and Sandal Soap Factory stations, on the Green line, are about ten minutes' walk; entry is free.)

In South India, you will find multiple temples with ancient times excellent architecture but this temple of Bangalore is a modern day architectural masterpiece. Usually you will find a lot of crowd over there but the temple is well maintained in terms of cleanliness or crowd management.

Places to explore near Bangalore within 100 km

Nandi Hills

“A place above the clouds”. This place was once in my bucket list before coming to Bangalore and trust me if I say, this place is actually above the clouds.

Trekking up to the highest point of a hill has always fascinated me but there are only few places where you do not even want to blink your eye, where you become awestruck by the breathtaking view and places where you wanna say “yaar yaha to mera dil aagya (my heart got stuck here)”.

Kickstart your day early and enjoy the sunrise here. Nandi hill has a good number of food eateries also, so you do not need to worry about food but beware of monkeys. They look for your food, and you won’t even know when they will attack you(an experienced person’s advice).

Paragliding has recently been started here. So, don’t miss the chance and plan your trip soon. (2026: I could not confirm that paragliding still runs; ask locally before you plan around it. A ropeway has been approved but not built.) Entry ticket is Rs5/- where as there additional charges for parking which includes 15 INR for two-wheelers and 60 INR for cars. (2026: Karnataka Tourism lists ₹10 to ₹20 a person; parking ₹30 for two-wheelers and ₹60 for cars on weekdays, ₹50 and ₹100 at weekends. The gate opens at 6 am.)

Kailashagiri Hills

Looking for a perfect weekend getaway from Bangalore? Visit this man-made hills which is at a good distance of 80km from Bangalore. (2026: about 65 to 75 km, by Kaiwara in Chikkaballapur district.)

The Pandavas from Mahabharata are believed to have lived here during their exile.

You need to take a short trek to reach the top of the hill where you can visit the caves as well as the temple inside it. The caves appear to be incredibly large and view from that place is mind-blowing. This place is also famous with other name which is Bheema-Bakasura Betta. (2026: Bheema-Bakasura Betta is Kaiwara's hill, about 700 steps up; the Kailashagiri cave temple is 6 to 7 km from it.)

There are few other places which you can visit enroute such as Sri Yogi Narayana Mutt, Sri Amaranarayana Swamy Temple, Vaikunta Betta and a small reservoir named Ambaji Durga reservoir near Kailashagiri hills. It can come out a good full day trip.

Ramanagara

“The land of 7 hills” or “a nature’s paradise” or “the place where iconic movies such as Sholay has been shot”, you can call it by any of these names.

Located just 50km outside of Bangalore, Ramanagara is a hilly landscape, remained untouched for many years. (2026: Ramanagara district was renamed Bengaluru South in May 2025; the town keeps its name. The Bengaluru–Mysuru expressway, open since 2023, bypasses it.)

Let’s talk about what you can do over there.

You can climb up to the Sholay Shooting Hilltop or the SRS hills, both are the perfect spots for rock climbing, you can also visit Ramanagara Ramadevara Betta Vulture Sanctuary where you will get an opportunity to see different species of vultures or you can enjoy a beautiful scenery of a river through a gorge at Mekedatu. (2026: Ramadevara Betta, the Sholay hill, has been a vulture sanctuary since 2012, and climbers report that climbing there is not allowed. Mekedatu is in Kanakapura taluk, about 100 km from Bangalore, not near Ramanagara town.)

Else, you can also do an easy to moderate hike of Kunagalu Betta.

So, if you are looking for a weekend getaway from the rush of Bangalore, come to Ramanagara and take your life slow down by being close to nature.

Conclusion & Key TakeAway

Bangalore offers a list of drop dead gorgeous places to see around for first-comers as well for people living in Bangalore but people living in Bangalore usually prefers going out of Bangalore to explore places rather exploring Bangalore.

Even if you have seen the whole of Bangalore but sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree in the middle of the calmness and enjoying the serene beauty of Cubbon park will never get old.

Walking down the streets of Brigade road for the 50^th time but every time meeting new people and unique shops will never get old, similarly enjoying the sunrise at Nandi hills will never bore you because each morning would be different. After all, that peaceful ambiance will every time give you a different feel.

If you like my Bangalore travel guide, take a look at my other blogs also on Mysore.

Thank You! See you soon!

Worth Adding in the City

Three more, checked November 2026.

Lalbagh Botanical Garden. About 240 acres in the south of the city, begun by Hyder Ali around 1760. Its flower shows run in January and August (the August 2026 show was the 220th); the next is in January 2027, tickets online at hasiru.karnataka.gov.in/flowershow. Lalbagh station is on the Green line. ₹30 for adults.

Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace. Tipu Sultan's palace in the old city, looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India. Open 9 am to 5 pm, for a small fee.

The Bull Temple, Basavanagudi. Its Kadalekai Parishe, the groundnut fair, is held around the last Monday of Karthika; in 2025 it ran from 17 to 21 November. The 2026 dates are announced in November.

More on Bangalore and Around

• Weekends from Bangalore: day trips to long weekends, by distance.
• Nandi Hills, SRS Hills and Kunagalu Betta.
• Places to stay in Bangalore.
• The Art of Living ashram on Kanakapura Road.
• Mysore Palace, three hours away.