Bengaluru
A plateau capital of gardens, old forts and darshini breakfasts
A Bengaluru tour takes in 240-acre Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, Tipu Sultan's teak palace and a 1537 Nandi temple in Karnataka's capital on the Deccan plateau.
Overview
Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka in Bengaluru Urban district, stands on the Deccan plateau at roughly 900 metres. That height keeps January afternoons near 28 C and nights near 16 C, and even the hottest month, April, averages a daytime high of about 34 C. October to February is the pleasant stretch for a Bengaluru tour, and three days is a fair allowance, since the sights are scattered across a large city rather than gathered in one quarter.
The green spaces come first. Lalbagh Botanical Garden covers 240 acres. Hyder Ali began it in 1760 and his son Tipu Sultan carried it on, and its Glass House of 1890 to 1891 took London's Crystal Palace as the pattern. Flower shows fill the Glass House in the weeks around Republic Day in January and Independence Day in August. A gneiss outcrop in the garden is reckoned to be about 3,000 million years old. Cubbon Park, begun in 1870 and about 300 acres in extent, lies close to the government district, where the granite Vidhana Soudha of 1956 shows a neo-Dravidian style.
The older city is easiest to read through three buildings. Kempe Gowda I founded Bengaluru in 1537, and the Dodda Basavana Gudi in Basavanagudi, the Bull Temple, is credited to him too; its Nandi is about 4.6 metres high. Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, of teak, was started by Hyder Ali in 1781 and finished in 1791 inside the old fort, with a small museum on the ground floor. Bengaluru Palace, begun in 1873 on the pattern of Windsor Castle, is a Tudor Revival house north of the centre. KR Market, a large wholesale market, adds noise and colour.
Food is a reason in itself. Darshinis, the quick-service cafes found across the city, serve idli, dosa and filter coffee at the counter, while newer restaurants rework regional dishes.
For arrivals, Kempegowda International Airport is at Devanahalli, about 35 km north of the centre, and Bengaluru City station, opened in 1864, sits at Majestic. The Namma Metro started running in 2011. From here Mysuru lies about 140 km south-west and Nandi Hills about 60 km to the north, so the city works as a base for two very different outings.
Known for
240 acres begun in 1760, with a Glass House and flower shows in January and August
Happening soon
Updated Oct 4, 2026Kadalekai Parishe (groundnut fair), Basavanagudi
festivalA groundnut fair around Bengaluru's Bull Temple, with stalls and crowds on the last Monday of Karthika masa. It has run for several days in recent years.
Bangalore Literature Festival (15th edition)
culturalA three-day literature festival in Bengaluru, bringing together writers and readers from the city, other parts of India and abroad. Venue to be announced.
Chitra Santhe
culturalUsually on a Sunday in early January: 5 January 2025 and 4 January 2026 (the 23rd edition). No 2027 date found.
A one-day open-air art fair on Kumara Krupa Road, where artists from across India sell their work from stalls, run by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesRepublic Day Flower Show at Lalbagh
seasonalUsually in the days up to 26 January. The 2026 show, the 219th, ran from 14 to 26 January. No 2027 announcement found.
A flower show in the Glass House at Lalbagh Botanical Garden in the days around Republic Day, with a theme chosen each year by the horticulture department.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesBengaluru Hubba
culturalUsually in January. The 2026 festival ran from 16 to 25 January. No 2027 dates found.
A ten-day city arts festival of theatre, dance, folk and literature, centred on Freedom Park with performances at heritage sites and metro stations.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesBengaluru Karaga
festivalUsually on the full-moon night of Chaitra, in March or April. The 2026 festival ran from 26 March, with the night procession on 1 to 2 April. By calendar, the Chaitra full moon of 2027 falls on 20 April, but no schedule has been published.
A night procession from the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in old Bengaluru on the Chaitra full moon, led by the Thigala community and stopping at a dargah.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesQuick facts
Mild at about 900 m, with mean daytime highs of roughly 27 C in December and 28 C in January, about 34 C in April, and about 1,078 mm of rain a year, heaviest from August to October.
Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), at Devanahalli, about 35 km north of the city
Bengaluru City (KSR Bengaluru, code SBC), at Majestic, with 10 platforms
Mysuru is about 140 km south-west and Nandi Hills about 60 km north.
Plan Lalbagh around a flower show if you can: the Republic Day edition in 2026 ran from 14 to 26 January, and an August edition follows Independence Day
Check the Archaeological Survey of India for days and ticket rates before heading to Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, because no official page with them was found
If your trip falls in late November or December, ask about the Kadalekai Parishe groundnut fair at the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, held on the last Monday of Karthika masa
Packages that visit Bengaluru
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3D / 2NBengaluru City Break
A Bengaluru city tour package of 3 days and 2 nights: Cubbon Park, Lalbagh, Tipu's teak palace, the 1537 Bull Temple and Bengaluru Palace, with transfers.
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4D / 3NBengaluru, Tirupati and Chennai Temple and City Loop
A private Bengaluru Tirupati Chennai tour: 4 days across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, with a Tirumala temple day and two city stays.
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7D / 6NKarnataka Heritage Journey: Mysuru, Hampi and Badami
A Mysuru Hampi Badami tour in Karnataka: palace, ruined Vijayanagara capital and Chalukya cave temples over 7 days, with a private car and driver.
Bengaluru → Mysuru (Mysore) → Hampi → Badami, Aihole and PattadakalHeritage & TemplesPlan a trip to Bengaluru
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