Bengaluru Travel Guide & Tips

Travelling the globe for a living, I would definitely want something like that. But as for now, I’m conquering one country at a time!

I was able to travel to Bengaluru, India as my last trip before my new job started. Why Bengaluru? Honestly it was pretty random as India is not really on the top of my list, but my close friend, invited me over to bunk with her while she was there

FREE ACCOMMODATION WOOHOO!

So i packed my bags, got my visa, boarded a 4 hr flight and I arrived at India. Surprisingly the airport in Bengaluru is really canggih so it brought my hopes up as a developed city LOL. But of course, once you step outside, traffic is bonkers!

So here are the things you need to know before going to Bengaluru:

Exchange rate: RM1 = 15 RP

Flights:

I bought my flights pretty late so it was RM1,030 with Malaysia Airlines (You can also get 2% cashback via shopback with Mas). Other than that, you would be able to get it for about RM850 with Airasia during promo times

Visitor Visa

You would need to apply for a visitor visa. It takes about 2-3 days to get the visa done and it costs $50 USD. Just apply online here, transfer the money and you’ll be able to get a visa pretty easily. E-Visa link: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Internet Roaming

If you’re a person that needs Internet all the while, it is pretty impossible to get a sim card at India as they would require a person of contact in India, company details etc. So it is best to just get normal roaming, and leech on the wifi at the shopping malls/airport (as it requires to send a SMS TAC to your phone to activate the wifi)

Transport

From the Airport, you can either take a airport bus, uber or limo to the city. The journey takes about an hour to the city as traffic is pretty crazy. Here are the example rates that I got from the Airport  - Whitefield

Limo: 2,200 RP

Uber: 950 RP

Airport Bus: 270 RP

Uber in India is pretty big. I normally use it from my hotel as a benchmark, and take an Auto-Rickshaw back (slightly more exp like 100 RP, but I had to since I don’t have wifi most of the time). Another key tip, if the rickshaw driver asks if you would want to go shopping, just politely decline as they’ll just bring you to silk shops which will charge you a bomb if you purchase anything there.

The City Streets

Hotel

I think you should stay in the city centre itself, I stayed at Marriott Whitefield which was basically a suburb about 1 hour away (10km) from the city centre. But it’s free so It’s just awesome staying at a 5 star hotel and chillaxing there:)

The bedroom

The pool is fab

Food

I would say no matter how strong your stomach is, You’ll be bound to get diarrhea LOL. I ate mainly at shopping malls and nice looking restaurants but the Biryani just kept coming out like a waterfall LOL. Okay I know, TMI.

My advice? Only drink bottled water and bring loads of Chi-Kit Pills Haha!

Other than that, be prepared to spend about 200Rp - 600Rp per meal

Examples:
Subway 6 inch + Drink - 280Rp
Biryani @ Food court - 380Rp
Fish & chip @ Windmill Craftworks (more atas) - 600Rp

The cause of waterfalls

Craft beers

Here are my top picks of what to do at Bengaluru:

Bengaluru Palace

This is one of the recommended sites at Bengaluru, and it has a slightly expensive entry fee, and if you would want to use a camera, there is a separate fee too. It does show how the royal family lived in the past, with plenty of relics over there. Sadly I think that the palace was not maintained well enough, certain parts look pretty runned down and lighting is pretty dark in there. So it is up to you if you would want to head there :)

Entry Fee: 480RP

Camera Fee: 300RP

The Palace

The courtyard

The living room

Relics from the hunt

Feeling like a king

National Military Memorial Park

This is about a 15 min walk from the Palace. It is a pretty nice place to chill and you’re able to see the tanks, jets, missiles and army equipment of the past. And if you go at about 6pm, there is the Indira Ghandhi musical Fountain performance at the park

Entry Fee: 10RP

The India flag in the middle of the park

An old train

Would you believe that airplanes in the night skies are like shooting stars?

Some of the satellites & Rockets

Cubbon Park

This is a 5 min walk from the Military Park. This is one of the biggest parks smacked right in the middle of the city. It is nice for a date or just to walk around it, and there is also a bamboo forest there. My advice is to wear long pants as there are mosquitoes there

Bamboo Forrest

Karnataka Government Museum

Just next to the Cubbon Park, This is a pretty good museum as there are plenty of relics from the stone age period to the god statues of India. You’re also able to see the weapons of the past there (Canons, guns, swords, etc)

Entry Fee: 20RP

The Museum

Arrowheads

Relics

UB City Mall

A 5 min walk from Cubbon Park, I think it’s not really worth going, as it is just high end designer fashion like LV and stuff, and there’s nothing much to buy there (unless you’re into that sorta shopping)

Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace

It is a pretty small place, and slightly further from the city. Not much to see here (just a few paintings, and some history of the brits invading in the past) and most of the chambers are closed off to the public. But pretty much a nice place to chill

Entry Fee: 200 RP

The Summer Palace

The Interior

The Gardens

Lalbagh Botanical Garden

After Tipu Sultan’s Summer palace, you can take a 2km walk to the Botanical Park (You’ll be able to get the beautiful smells of India during this walk LOL). The Botanical Park is pretty big, with a glasshouse, fountains, rose gardens and more. Great place to just lie on the grass and read a book.

Entry Fee: 20RP

The Park

Kepanasan

The glasshouse

A great place to read

VR & Phoenix Mall

These 2 malls are side by side and is slightly away from the city (10km), it’s one of the most happening malls in Bengaluru with lots of outlets such as H&M, Cotton On, etc. Just think of it like Sunway Pyramid/1 Utama. During sales season, the prices do drop pretty great from 40% - 60%. I got myself a pair of H&M shorts for like RM25

VR Mall

This sums up my post. I hope it gave you a glimpse of what you can do at Bengaluru. Till the next post!

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