What to do in Bangalore? our Top 10

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You read it in your guide before coming, Bangalore is not a very touristy city. The Routard and the Lonely had warned you, there is no point in staying here for very long, your thirst for discoveries and cultural-historical sites will not be quenched in this city which dreams of itself as the new world IT capital (but which does not happen to solve its garbage problems, finish its roads or provide enough electricity for everyone…).

However, you decided to put your bags here anyway. Because you come to live there, like us, or simply because to visit southern India, Bangalore remains a perfect landing strip. So here are some ideas/addresses that we have tested and had our passing guests try which are still worth the trip and will allow you to exploit the potential of this changing city.

1. The KR Market flower market (also called City Market)

This is a bit of a must for everyone who comes to see us here. We love it too even if we’re starting to go there a little too often. This market is the largest in Bangalore and its surroundings are faithful to the image we can have of a lively Indian market: quite chaotic. Yet at the heart of this agitation, in one of the halls of the concrete building housing this market, hides a photographer’s dream:

2. Lalbagh, the

Bangalore botanical garden still has this reputation as a “green city” thanks to omnipresent vegetation, large parks in the center and multiple lakes. Except that with current development, trees are often cut down, lakes dried up and parks polluted… Fortunately, there still remains Lalbagh, a well-maintained botanical garden created even before the arrival of the English who had the good idea of install a pretty glass and wrought iron hall there.

3. Vidyarthi Bhavan (or MTR)

So here, we have actually put our winning combo KR Market+Lalbagh+Vidyarthi Bhavan in order, since the 3 are in the same area, it’s quite easy to do them in succession. In general, we rather insert this one in the middle. Anyway, what is this place with such a complicated name? It is neither more nor less than one of the oldest restaurant-cafes in Bangalore where, in our opinion, the best dosas are served.of the city as well as other delicious South Indian specialties. It’s simple, it’s without fuss but the locals don’t make a mistake and flock there with their families on the weekend.

4. Bangalore Palace

So ok, this is not the palace of the maharajas that you were hoping for since it is more of a half-English style castle (it would be directly inspired by Windsor Castle). Yes, the audio guide goes a long way and doesn’t hesitate to compare certain details to Chartres Cathedral! But it is precisely all these little details, kitsch or ridiculous, which make this visit so attractive. So go in with an open mind and you will have a great time.

5. Shiv Mandir

We dedicated an entire article to it! So we suggest you go see it but in two words: the temple of commercial and kitsch Hinduism!

6. VV Puram, Street Food

We have already talked about it on the blog , this street is the paradise of vegetarian street food with dosas, idlis, chaats but also some rarer specialties. Very nice in the evening!

7. ABC Brewpub (or another micro-brewery)

If you’re tired of Kingfisher and want to see the Bangalore techies party and show off a bit, try one of Bangalore’s brewpubs. Our favorite both in terms of location and beer is the ABC but the Toit or the Bière Club (or even the Windmill if you’re in Whitefield) also do very well. If you want to know more about the wave of micro-breweries here, we recently dedicated an article to it here .

8. National Gallery of Modern Art

This unjustly overlooked museum in Bangalore houses a diverse but interesting permanent art collection in a superb colonial building. If you’re lucky you’ll even come across a credible and rich temporary exhibition like we did last year…

9. Tippu Sultan Summer Palace

If you don’t go to Srirangapatna (the town of Tippu Sultan near Mysore), take a look at the small summer palace of the only maharaja who resisted the English. All in wood and Arabic motifs, it’s a pleasant but rather limited visit. In short, if you go to Lalbagh nearby, don’t hesitate to make the detour.

10. UB City

Well, the truth is, we don’t like UB City. This area of semi-buildings located in the very center of Bangalore has nevertheless become a symbol of the city for lack of anything better. Built by the extremely wealthy heir of UB (Kingfisher beers among others) on the former site of the breweries of this same beer, it is a beautiful symbol of the lack of taste of the nouveau riche Indians. There is a small luxury mall, a building that looks like the Empire State Building, but also a terrace with restaurants and cafes that is quite pleasant, it must be admitted. In short, it’s interesting to see since this is obviously not the first image we have of India. But not more.