Bangalore walking tour & city guide

Parks, markets and neighbourhoods

The centre of the city is green. Cubbon Park spreads around the granite Vidhana Soudha, the state legislature, and the High Court, while Lalbagh Botanical Garden in the south has a famous glasshouse and an ancient rock outcrop. Nearby are Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, built of teak, and the old market of KR Market, where the flower sellers start before dawn.

MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street form the central shopping and nightlife area, and Commercial Street is packed with clothes shops. To the east, Indiranagar and Koramangala are the lively neighbourhoods of the tech generation, full of cafés and bars, while Basavanagudi in the south is an older district with the Bull Temple and the shops of Gandhi Bazaar.

A classic walk: Cubbon Park to Church Street

Start early in Cubbon Park, when walkers and joggers fill its shady paths, and pass the Vidhana Soudha and the red State Central Library. Walk on to MG Road and turn into Church Street, lined with bookshops and cafés.

Later in the day, take a rickshaw south to Basavanagudi. Walk through Gandhi Bazaar, visit the Bull Temple and, in the evening, try the food stalls of VV Puram, a street known for South Indian snacks.

Good to know

The weather is pleasant for much of the year; October to February is cool and dry, and the monsoon arrives from June to September. Traffic is notoriously heavy, so the Namma Metro is often the quickest way to cross the city, with auto-rickshaws and ride-hailing apps for shorter trips. Remove your shoes at temples. Mysore, with its palace, is a popular trip from the city.