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How do I get there?
By Air
A new state of the art
airport is on its way for all the big techie visitors the city is trying to attract in its
new role as the info tech capital of India. The present airport is serviced by
international flights from the Middle East and domestic flights from various parts of
India. It is 8 km from town. Taxis and auto-rickshaws ply back and forth.
By
Train
Hyderabad has three
stations: Kacheguda, Hyderabad (Nampally) and Secunderabad. All three are major junctions
on the South and West Zone sectors of the Indian Railways. These stations get a lot of
traffic from all parts of the country ensuring that Hyderabad is well connected to all
parts of India and to the many towns and villages in the state. Superfast, express and
mail train services link it to major destinations like Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Pune,
Chennai, Bangalore and Thiruananthapuram.
By Road
Good motorable roads
connect Hyderabad to Aurangabad (548 km), Bangalore (568 km), Mumbai (735 km), Calcutta
(1588 km), Chennai (704 km), Tirupati (651 km) and Panaji (698 km). The state roadways bus
service scene is fairly efficient. Both state roadways and privately owned buses ply to
all the important places within the state and to neighbours in the region. There are
services to even Mumbai and Nagpur in Maharashtra. Private bus services run
air-conditioned video coaches but they need not deliver all they promise.
Getting Around
Visitors to the twin cities
of Hyderabad and Secunderabad will find the city bus service a pleasant surprise with
frequent service, courteous staff and relatively uncrowded buses. Other options cover the
ubiquitous auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws that literally slalom their way through the
city. Rental cars, private taxis, tourist coaches and intercity trains are other more
comfortable ways to get around. For those who are keen on driving themselves, please
remember that the traffic is pretty heavy, vehicular pollution is a major irritant and the
distances between the cities will seem twice as long on crowded, indisciplined roads. A
valid driving permit and comprehensive insurance cover is advocated.
Tourist Offices
The Andhra Pradesh Travel &
Tourism Development Corporation (APTTDC) is the state's tourism department. It is
responsible for the promotion and management of tourism in the state, and the APTTDC
officials are probably the best equipped to deal with visitor queries. The office in
Hyderabad is on Bund Road, next to the Lumbini Park Tank. It is open everyday from 10:30
am to 6 pm. Telephone: (040) 7816375.
The Government of India tourist office
in Hyderabad is at the Sandozi Building in Himayatnagar. It will be able to provide you
with valuable information on travelling anywhere in the country. It is open from Monday to
Friday 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Railway stations and central bus stations usually have a
tourist office counter too.
When
to Go
The most pleasant months
are October to February. The maximum temperatures at this time of the year hovers at 28
º– 29º C. The nights are cool at a minimum temperature of 16º C. In the summer
months the temperature can soar upto 40°C in the daytime, dropping to a minimum of 30ºC
at night. The monsoons hit the city during June to December.
Where do I Stay?
There's a range of accommodation from really low budget just-make-do stuff with not
very high standards in anything to 5-star luxury with pools, coffee shops, multi-cuisine,
and the works. Budget accommodation is mostly in the Abids-Nampally area. Mid rung hotels
are a far more comfortable option and not tough on the pocket either. 5 star hotels are
landmarks in their own right so get into your cab and just say the word.
What to bring
Take along a huge appetite
for all the Nizami delicacies! Pack cottons, sandals but leave all the skimpy
beat-the-heat stuff behind. Cotton clothing is ideal for summers and the rainy spell, but
even the mild winters demand mixed blend fabrics and light woollies like sweaters or a
wrap.
Things
to Do
Dining
& Entertainment
Hyderabadi cuisine has all
the makings of life-long addictions. It was cooked up and concocted through generations of
chefs for generations of pampered sensitive royal taste buds. Try the kebabs and biryani
and spicy meat curries cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection. The Hyderabadi kulcha,
an Indian bread is special. Try it with lamb curries. There is also a range of vegetarian
south Indian ware like the soft rice cakes called idli and flat rice pancake-like Dosa.
Hyderabad has a hectic
cultural itinerary all through the year. Most plays and concerts are held at Ravindra
Bharati in the Public Gardens. Some theatres screen English films and most screen Hindi
and Telugu fare, which may be over-the-top but are undeniably entertaining. Prohibition
was only recently repealed but bars and pubs are fast sprouting in Hyderabad’s urban
landscape. There aren’t too many places for hanging loose but the city isn’t
completely devoid of nightlife either. Some of the 5-star hotels allow non-guests to use
their swimming pools for a fee.
Shopping
Busy
and boisterous bazaars characterise Hyderabad. Steeped in atmosphere, abuzz with activity,
it is the shopping areas in the vicinity of the Charminar that are the most interesting.
The Laad Bazaar here, and Sultan Bazaar and Abids circle are the main
shopping areas in the city.
Hyderabad’s
treasures are many. Colourful bangles, strings of dewy pearls, heavily embroidered
garments that often make their way into wedding trousseaus, and even the pedestrian:
vegetables, fruits, spices and silks are yours for the asking.
A 150 kilometres from
Hyderabad is Nagarjunakonda. From being a holy
place for Buddhists to being a pilgrimage for the pundits of development, this site has
certainly seen some excitement in its time. Archaeological digs in the 1920s found the
ruins of stupas and chaityas at what must have been one of the largest
centres for Buddhist studies in the 2nd century BC. In the 1950s, the
government found this the ideal location for a large Dam on the River Krishna. Dedicated
archaeologists managed to salvage almost everything, rescuing the ruins brick by brick.
The original site has been replicated on a little island that also houses a museum, open
Saturday to Thursday.
Special Events
The last week of November
is devoted to the Pandit Motiram - Maniram Sangeet Samaroh, a festival of classical Indian
music. The Deccan Festival is a cultural event held towards the end of February. |