Bengaluru

Sophisticated Bengaluru is the most dynamic city in the south of India, as well as a gateway for exploring Karnataka, northern Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Ever since independence, the city has had its eyes firmly on the future and its present-day Silicon Valley of India nickname reflects its role as a high-tech destination with a cosmopolitan dining, drinking and nightlife scene.

Central Bengaluru is home to some of the city’s best-known attractions and experiences. Enjoy a wander through Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, which has an 1890-built glasshouse modelled on London’s Crystal Palace. Or head to Cubbon Park, where the wide boulevards are lined with majestic government buildings, such as the imposing Vidhana Soudha state legislature, the Karnataka High Court, as well as the Venkatappa Art Gallery, and the second largest aquarium in India.

Elsewhere in Bengaluru, you can explore the Tudor-style Bangalore Palace, with its fortified towers and turrets, or admire the Indo-Islamic architecture of Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, which was built entirely of teak. Take time to see the enormous Hare Krishna ISKCON Temple complex, and the Hindi Dodda Ganeshana Gudi, or Bull Temple, housed in Bugle Rock Park.

Head to trendy neighbourhoods like Koramangala and Indiranagar for streets lined with comedy joints, live-music venues, designer boutiques and cocktail bars. Many of these outer districts are worthwhile destinations in their own right, and you can easily get to them from downtown Bengaluru by public bus or metro.

Alternatively, skip the hubbub of the city altogether for the relative peace of Bannerghatta National Park. Here you’ll find more than 100 bird species and wild animals – see if you can spot the sloth bears and the Royal Bengal tiger – as well as a zoo, an elephant sanctuary, a butterfly garden and a safari park.

Bengaluru has one of the most pleasant climates in India, so combined with top-notch hotels, shopping and entertainment, this colourful city is an ideal spot for a South Indian urban break.