Travel
information in Bangalore
Air The airport is about 13 km north of the city center. There is a prepaid taxi counter at the airport that charges for a taxi for an auto-rickshaw to downtown. There is also a KSRTC bus that goes downtown. There is a sign in the airport that tells you the taxi rates for various hotels.
There are special buses to the airport which depart from Sivajinagar Stop (near Hotel Harsha). At the airport you can change money at the State Bank of Mysore and Vijaya Bank.
There are flights to most major cities in India including Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Thiruvananthapurarn (Trivandrum), Goa, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Ahmedabad, Cochin, and Coimbatore.
Air India is in the Unity Building, Jayachamaraja Road. Indian Airlines is at Cauvery Bhavan, Kempegowda Rd.
Rail Most trains depart from Bangalore City Railway Station on the west edge of the city center. There are trains to every part of India from here, including several daily trains to Mysore. The Kaveri Exp, going via Srirangapatnam, and the A/C Shatabdi Exp are good trains to Mysore.
Many of the long-distance trains are slow, and you may have to change trains. It takes 24 hours to get to Bombay on the Udyan Exp, 25 hours to get to Calcutta on the Banglore-Guwahati, and 42 hours to get to Delhi on the Karnataka Exp.
There is a prepaid taxi stand at the stand at the station.
Bangalore is one of the more difficult places in India to book a ticket from. However, the bus service is good out of Bangalore. There are no tourist quotas on any trains and many trains are hard to book. It is usually possible to use the emergency quota to get on many trains.
There is a tourist-booking counter in the computerized booking center just outside the main station. Counter #14, the first one to the right as you enter, has a sign that says "the Disabled and Freedom Fighters Only". It is also for foreign tourists. Other counters will not handle foreign booking. If you have an Indrail pass, go to the Chief Reservation Supervisor's office on the first floor and your reservation is guaranteed.
The best train to Hyderabad is the Banglore-Hyderabad Exp. The Hampi Express departs and arrives in Hospet (near Hampi). The Banglore-Madras Express, Brindavan Express, and the Shatabdi Express are best trains to Madras. The Kanniyakumari Express takes 18 hours to get to Trivandrum. To Vasco-da-Gama in Goa there is the #6201 Mail.
Bus All long distance buses leaves from the central (KSRTC) Bus station, directly across from the City Railway station, in the west part of town. There are buses to Mysore, Hassan, Hospet, Manglore, Madras, Hyderabad, and Madurai. There are two direct buses to Hampi. The bus trip to Hospet is a tough trip, so it is better to take the train.
The interstate bus companies offices are at stand 13 in the Central Bus Station. You can do computerized advance booking here for KSTRC express and deluxe buses. You can also make advance bookings for buses operated by other state bus companies here. It is best to book in advance for all long-distance journeys.
Besides state buses, private bus companies also have buses between Banglore and other cities. They have higher prices, but also better buses with more leg room. You can book these buses with travel agents around the railway or bus stations. The video buses are extremely loud and should be avoided.
|
