Where to stay in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (its official name until 1 November 2014), is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. As per the 2011 census, the city had a population of 8.4 million, making it the third most populous city in India and the most populous in South India.

Bengaluru (BAYNG-guh-LOO-roo) is a bustling metropolis with a large working population from different parts of India. The city's fast-paced culture provides a sharp contrast to much of the rest of India. The earliest records of a place named "Bengaluru" (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು Bengaḷūru) are found in a ninth-century temple in present-day South Bengaluru. A popular myth explaining the name is that it originated from Benda Kaal Uru (Town of Boiled Beans). The story is told that the name was given to the city by King Vira Ballala, who, while lost in the area, was offered boiled beans by an old woman.

This article covers the Bengaluru Urban district, which has been divided into the following travel districts. Central Bengaluru is the heart of the city. For a long time, it was the city, or rather the agglomeration of two cities: Bengaluru Pete and Bengaluru Cantonment. The older Pete has narrow alleys and dense living, while the newer Cantonment has wide streets and more greenery.

A large number of budget hotels near KSR railway station are crowded in the area around the Dargah Tawakkal Mastan, O.T.C. Road, Chickpet, Near Sreenivasa Hospital, 1 km from the Majestic bus station. Ask for the Brahmins Bakery area. If you are free for an hour, you can just go around the Majestic theatre and the Kempe Gowda Bus Station and look for a budget hotel yourself, as there are many on small streets and roads around this place. Or, you can even trust (to some extent) a broker who voluntarily offers help, but be sure you take a good look at the rooms before you pay any money to the lodge and the broker.

Getting around

Traffic in Bengaluru is generally appalling: it's often ranked as one of India's most congested cities. Allow plenty of time to get around, especially anywhere near rush hour. Heavy rains often cause flooding that can bring traffic to a complete standstill. The schedules of the metro and buses are integrated into Google Maps. The Namma Metro is an efficient cross-city rail service in Bengaluru that provides the only realistic way to escape the traffic, but its coverage of the city remains limited.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.