Explore Bangalore

Popularly known as the garden city, Bangalore today is Asia's fastest growing hip cosmopolitan city. Home to some of the most high tech industries in India, the I.T industry views Bangalore as the 'byte-basket' of India. Bangalore offers something for everyone-music and dance concerts (Western and Indian), dramas, exhibitions, carnivals, conferences and more. Go disco-hopping or pub-crawling, shop till your feet give away, relax in the swankiest restaurants or with your favourite movie stars-in the movie hall or simply tee off to glory. Welcome to Bangalore. Welcome back to hospitality with Zuri!!!

Culture

Historically multicultural city, Bangalore is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. Biggest IT hub of India and home to the Kannada film Industry, there’s a lot to experience in Bangalore. Visit the Bangalore fort built in Tudor style, expanded by Tippu Sultan or the famous botanical garden – Lal Bagh laid out by Hyder Ali. Or the Vidhan Soudha, the splendid neo-Dravidian granite building which is the home of the State Legislature and the Secretariat, bedecked in illuminated glory during special periods and is a sight worth viewing. For a more comprehensive list of the local sightseeing please get in touch with our concierge and we’ll be happy to plan a tour for you.

Language

Spoken predominantly, Kannada is the official language in of the state. English is also widely spoken in the city apart from other languages used like- Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

Climate

Situated at a height of 949 meters (3113 ft.) above the sea level, the city is blessed with salubrious climate throughout the year. Called the air-conditioned city of India, the weather stays pleasant all round the year with warmest month April when the temperature ranges from 33.4 C to 21.2 C and the Coldest month- January, when the temperatures range from 25.7 C to 15.3 C.

Transportation

The city has a very efficient network of private and tourist taxis. Please contact the concierge desk to help us arrange for the right vehicle for you.

We have provided a quick overview of some of the city’s major activities; however, if you want additional information on Boston attractions and things to do, please feel free to e-mail our Concierge

Places to See

Bangalore Palace

For an insight into the homelife of the Wodeyars (the current raja still lives here), take a peek inside Bengaluru Palace. An aged retainer will guide you around the palace, which was designed to resemble Windsor Castle. Alongside many family photos, the sometimes lavish interiors are hung with a collection of nude portraits, adding a saucy note to the tour. The guards get touchy about photos being taken of the exterior.

Bull Temple & Dodda Ganesha Temple

Built by Kempegowda in the Dravidian style of the 16th century, the Bull Temple contains a huge granite monolith of Nandi and is one of Bengaluru's liveliest and most atmospheric. Nearby is the Dodda Ganesha Temple, with an equally enormous Ganesh idol.

Cubbon Park

Named after the former British commissioner Sir Mark Cubbon, the 120-hectare Cubbon Park is where the city breathes. Inside and on its fringes you'll find the red-painted Gothic-style State Central Library, two municipal museums, an art gallery and a bleak Government Aquarium.

Government Museum & Venkatappa Art Gallery

The Government Museum houses a drably presented collection of stone carvings and relics, as well as some good pieces from Halebid. Your ticket is also valid for the attached Venkatappa Art Gallery, home to the surreal watercolour landscapes of Sri K Venkatappa (1887-1962), court painter to the Wodeyars

Iskcon Temple

Built by the wealthy International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), better known as the Hare Krishnas, the shiny Iskcon Temple is lavishly decorated in a mix of ultracontemporary and traditional styles. The Sri Radha Krishna Mandir blends souvenir selling with a stunning shrine to Krishna and Radha.

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat

The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat visual-arts gallery is Bengaluru's best. You'll see a wide range of Indian and international contemporary art, as well as the lavish gold-leaf work of Mysore-style paintings, and folk and tribal art from across the continent. There are also galleries devoted to Russian master Nicholas Roerich, whose vividly colourful paintings of the Himalayas are outstanding, and his son Svetoslav, who settled in India.

Krishnarajendra Market Area

For a pungent taste of traditional urban India, dive into this bustling wholesale fresh-produce Krishnarajendra Market and the dense grid of commercial streets that surround it. This is the main Muslim area of the city and you'll also find here several mosques, including the impressively massive lilac-painted Jama Masjid.

Lalbagh Botanical Gardens

This delightful park, was laid out in the 18th century by Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan and named for its profusion of red roses: lalbagh means 'red garden'. The park contains many ancient trees, one of India's largest collections of rare tropical and subtropical plants, a glasshouse modelled on London's Crystal Palace and one of Kempegowda's watchtowers.

Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technical Museum

The mechanically minded will find plenty of interest at the quirky Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technical Museum, which includes all manner of electrical and engineering displays, from a replica of the Wright brothers' 1903 flyer to 21st-century virtual-reality games.