Hyderabad Tourism

Location : On The Deccan Plateau and Musi River, Andhra Pradesh

Area : 260 Sq. Km.

Attractions : Charminar, Hyderabadi Cuisine and Pearl Bazaar

Ideal Time to Visit : Throughout the year

 Hyderabad, Pride of Deccan

Hyderabad is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh and is the fifth largest city in India. This bustling city is located on the Deccan plateau and the Musi river about 650 m above the sea level. The landscape of Hyderabad is quite varied with imposing hills, tanks, forests, and rock formations.

This cosmopolitan city boasts of a variety of rich cultures. There are many attractions in and around the city, offered by the tourism department of Hyderabad. Hyderabad tourism presents the majestic past of this glorious city along with the new evolving city, the beautiful old monuments, lakes, beaches and temples all add to the exuberant culture of the Hyderabad.

 The History of Hyderabad

Hyderabad's history starts with emergence of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. The city was won by Quli Qutub in 1512 and established the fortress city of Golconda. But due to certain inadequacies he left it and established the new city of Charminar as his capital. This beautiful and colorful city attracted the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Thus, he took over Golconda after a long struggle in 1687. But as his empire fell, Hyderabad started loosing its charm. It disintegrated and the viceroy, Asaf Jah-I declared himself the Nizam. He established the Deccan region. The city later regained its glory, in the reign of successive Nizams of the Asaf Jah dynasty. Finally, it became a part of the Indian Union in 1948.

 Attractions In Hyderabad

Hyderabad is known as the city of Pearls, having a variety of tourist attractions. There are heritage monuments, lakes, parks, gardens, resorts, museums and scrumptious cuisine that lures tourists. Apart from these, Hyderabad is also a major shopping destination.

The city of Hyderabad is almost 400 hundred years old and attracts tourists with its blend of rich cultures. It is known for its interesting diamond markets, glass embedded bangles and beautiful saris.

RAMOJI FILM CITY – ‘tourist’s delight’

Ramoji Film City, a tribute to the bewitching magic of cinema, is the dream destination for entertainment and relaxation. Millions of tourists from all over the world come to the complex every month to revel in its infinite leisure and recreation options. Spread over idyllic 2,500 acres and studded with hills, woods, lakes and striking architectural triumphs, Ramoji Film City is one of Asia's fastest growing tourism destinations.

PRASADS I MAX – ‘entertainment complete’

IMAX Theatre: This facility houses South India’s first IMAX theatre called Prasads I MAX Theatre. IMAX, a brand that is recognized worldwide for high quality

family entertainment, is the most vivid and immerse film experience available.

Multiplex, Food Court, Shopping

MOUNT OPERA – ‘world of magic & pleasure’

It’s a world of heaven that spells entertainment and untamed fun for a day or even a week-end and designed to cater to all age-groups.Situated on a hilltop, two hundred feet above the humdrum world it takes your breath away with its eye-catching visual view of the world around. Fantastic vistas as The Family World and Kids World let you savour a sensational feeling that’s rich. Words and thrills run out, so much that the world of entertainment never ends. There’s one for everyone, even for your grand parents.

OCEAN PARK – ‘discover the magic’

It is a one of its kind Water Theme Amusement Park modeled on International standards. An amusement park that you haven’t seen the likes of yet in India. Forget about going to Disneyland or Sea World. Here is the international style family fun to you right at your doorstep.

SNOW WORLD – ‘the magic of snow’

Reminiscing about the holidays spent at Swiss Alp’s! Memories are prized possession aren’t they, Unveiled snow destination in snow clad environment that will freeze you with fun and splendor. Snow world is situated with the historic heritage sites such as ‘Hussain Sagar’ tank bund and the ‘Indira Park’.

DHOLA RI DHANI – ‘an ethnic rajasthani resort’

Spend an evening the Maharajah way! Enjoy the ambience of the ethnic Rajasthani styled resort. Apart from the exquisite cuisine we serve, you could also take a cool dip in the pool, laugh your heart out with our ventriloquist who will also amaze you with a trick or two, the daily cultural programme evoking the golden era completed by the exclusive handicrafts showroom for amazing shopping discounts, puppet shows and lots of amazing games

Places to Visit

The city of smiles, of lights, of a thousand faces, endearingly called the Pearl City, Hyderabad offers a variety of tourist attractions ranging from Heritage monuments, Lakes and Parks, Gardens and Resorts, Museums to delectable cuisine and a delightful shopping experience. To the traveller, Hyderabad offers a fascinating panorama of the past, with a richly mixed cultural and historical tradition spanning 400 colourful years. Some of the tourist attractions include...

Charminar

Ph: 23522990

Visiting Hours: 9 am – 5.30 pm

The Charminar is as much the signature of Hyderabad as the Taj Mahal is of Agra or the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built Charminar in 1591 at the centre of the original city layout. It is said to be built as a charm to ward off a deadly epidemic raging at that time. Four graceful minarets soar to a height of 48.7 m above the ground. Charminar has 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in it. Visitors can view the architectural splendour inside the Charminar. The monument is illuminated in the evenings and a pedestrianisation project around the monument is under implementation.

Mecca Masjid: A two hundred yards southwest of the Charminar is the Mecca Masjid, so named because the bricks were brought from Mecca to build the central arch. The Qutb Shahis never finished the building of the mosque, which was completed by Aurangzeb in 1694.

Laad Baazar: This is famous, colourful shopping centre of the old city, tucked away in one of the streets leading off from Charminar. Bridal wear, Pearls and the traditional Hyderabadi glass and stone studded bangles are sold here.

Golconda Fort

Ph:23512401

Golconda is one of the famous forts of India. The name originates from the Telugu words “Golla Konda” meaning “Shepherd’s Hill”. The origins of the fort can be traced back to the Yadava dynasty of Deogiri and the Kakatiyas of Warangal. Golconda was originally a mud fort, which passed to the Bahmani dynasty and later to the Qutb Shahis, who held it from 1518 to 1687 A.D. The first three Qutb Shahi kings rebuilt Golconda, over a span of 62 years. The fort is famous for its acoustics, palaces, ingenious water supply system and the famous Fateh Rahben gun, one of the cannons used in the last siege of Golconda by Aurangzeb, to whom the fort ultimately fell.

Sound & Light Show at Golconda Fort: Ph: 23512401

The glorious past of Golconda Fort is narrated effectively with matchless Sound and Light effects. The unique Sound & Light Show takes you right back in time, when Golconda was full of life, glory and grandeur.

Qutb Shahi Tombs: The tombs of the legendary Qutb Shahi kings lie about a kilometre away from Banjara Darwaza of the Golconda Fort. Planned and built by the Qutb Shahis themselves, these tombs are said to be the oldest historical monuments in Hyderabad. They form a large group and stand on a raised platform. The tombs are built in Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles using grey granite, with stucco ornamentation, the only one of its kind in the world where an entire dynasty has been buried at one place.

Taramati Baradari

Ph: 23520172

Visiting Hours: 8 am – 9.30 pm

Taramati Baradari is located at Ibrahimbagh, on the Osman Sagar (Gandipet) Road, close to Golconda. The complex is spread over a sprawling 7-acre area amidst lush green environs with the backdrop of the famed Golconda Fort. The heritage monument built by the Seventh Sultan of Golconda is accessed from the complex.

With two fully equipped theatres, Taramati Baradari Culture Village is the perfect venue for music concerts, performing arts, social events etc. The Baradari illuminated in dynamic lighting forms the backdrop of all activities.

Birla Mandir (Venkateswara Temple)

Ph: 23233259

This white marble temple of Lord Venkateshwara floats on the city skyline, on Kala Pahad. The idol in the temple is a replica of the one at Tirumala Tirupati.

Birla Planetarium: Ph: 23241067

Birla Planetarium is India’s most modern planetarium and first of its kind in the country. It is equipped with advanced technology from Japan and is built on Naubat Pahad adjacent to Kala Pahad. And the Science Museum stands tribute to the advancement achieved by Science and Technology.

Salar Jung Museum

Ph: 24523211 Visiting Hours: 10 am – 5 pm

(Friday Closed)

This museum houses one of the biggest one-man collections of antiques of the world by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III. The objects d’art include Persian carpets, Moghal miniatures, Chinese porcelain, Japanese lacquerware, famous statues including the Veiled Rebecca and Marguerite and Mephistopheles, a superb collection of jade, daggers belonging to Queen Noor Jahan and the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb’s sword and many other fabulous items.

AP State Archaeological Museum

Ph: 23234942

Visiting Hours : 10.30 am – 5 pm

(Friday Closed)

A visit to the Andhra Pradesh State Archaeological Museum is a delight for art lovers. Located in the picturesque Public Gardens, the museum boasts of one of the richest repositories of antiques and art objects in the country. Built in 1920 by the Nizam VII, the museum building itself is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The museum contains a Buddhist gallery, Brahmanical & Jain gallery, Bronze gallery, Arms & Armour gallery, Numismatics gallery, Ajanta gallery and more. Adjacent to the State Museum is the Contemporary Art Museum.

Public Gardens: Hyderabad has several beautiful gardens, one of the most popular being the Public Gardens, which also encloses the State Legislature, State Archaeological Museum, Jubilee Hall, Jawahar Bal Bhavan and Telugu Lalita Kala Thoranam, an open-air theatre.

Nehru Zoological Park

Ph: 24477355

Visiting Hours:

(Monday Closed)

Spanning 300 lush green acres, the Nehru Zoological Park is a must for nature lovers. It has over 250 species of animals and birds, most of which are kept in conditions as close to their natural habitats as possible. This is the first zoo to create moated enclosures for animals. The Lion Safari Park, Natural History Museum and Children’s Train are the added attractions.

Mir Alam Tank: Mir Alam Tank is a large lake adjacent to Nehru Zoological Park. AP Tourism operates boats on the lake, for which one has to enter through the Zoo.

Shilparamam (The Arts & Crafts Village)

Ph: 23100455

Another attraction at Madhapur besides Hi-tec city in Hyderabad is the 30-acre village, which showcases arts and crafts of the country. India is an ocean of various arts and crafts but the talent of most of the artisans and artists goes unrecognized. To encourage them and give the necessary boost to their art, the crafts village hosts annual bazaars, where artists and artisans from all over the country exhibit their talent.

Hitec City

One of the modern monuments of trade and technology, it embodies the newfound attitude of Hyderabad and today finds a place of pride. Situated on the outskirts of the city, it is the nucleus of Cyberabad, the IT destination in this part of the world. Cyber Towers is the main building here.

Hussainsagar Lake

Excavated in 1562 A.D. by Hussain Shah Wali during the time of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, the lake has a promenade that is a busy thoroughfare today. Boating and water sports are a regular feature in the Hussainsagar. One of the World’s tallest monolithic statues of the Buddha stands on the ‘Rock of Gibraltar’, in the middle of the lake. Added to all these, AP Tourism has additional boating facilities like speed boats, motor boats, 48 seater launch etc. Starlit dinner on-board and private parties also can be arranged on the Launch.

Surroundings of Hussainsagar Lake provide marvellous entertainment options like NTR Gardens, Necklace Road, Tank Bund, Prasads Multiplex, Lumbini Park, Sanjeevaiah Park etc.,

The Nizam‘S Silver Jubilee Museum

Ph: 23555072

The stately Purani Haveli, the palace acquired around the year 1750 by the second Nizam, is now converted into a museum with a fascinating collection. The museum exhibits the gifts and mementos presented to the last Nizam on the occasion of the silver jubilee celebrations in 1937. A 1930 Rolls Royce, Packard and a Mark V Jaguar are among the vintage cars displayed. There is an interesting collection of models made in silver of all the prominent buildings of the city and citations in Urdu about H.E.H. Mir Osman Ali Khan, gold burnished wooden throne used for the silver jubilee celebrations, gold tiffin box inlaid with diamonds, and a gold model of Jubilee Pavilion.

Chow Mohalla Palace

Built in several phases by the Nizams between 1857-1869, this is now one of the heritage buildings. The complex comprises four palaces in Moghal and European styles, of which the main palace is double storeyed with the others being single-storeyed blocks.

Durgam Cheruvu

Ph:23110523

Visiting Hours:9 am – 8.30 pm

The ‘Secret Lake’ is situated close to Shilparamam Crafts Village and Hitec City, behind Jubilee Hills. AP Tourism organizes boating in the lake. ‘Something Fishy’, a bar at Secret Lake (Durgam Cheruvu)

Chilkur Balaji Temple

The Balaji Temple is located at Chilkur in the Hyderabad district. It is 33 Kms away from Mehdipatnam. Approximately 75,000 to 1,00,000 devotees visit in a week. Generally temple gets heavy rush on Saturdays and Sundays. Set in sylvan surroundings, the temple attracts thousands of pilgrims every year and is an ideal place for sequestered retreat and meditation.

KBR National Park

Ph: 23607663

One of the largest parks within the city KBR National Park is a Southern tropical deciduous forest and the last vestigial representative of the endemic flora of Hyderabad region, with over 100 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and 15 species of butterflies.

Mrugavani National Park

Located at Chilkur, 25 km. from Hyderabad, the park contains the endemic flora of Hyderabad and is an urban refuge for small mammals like wildboar, jungle cat etc. and birds.

Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park

Located 15 Km. from Hyderabad, the park has more than 350 black bucks, 400 cheetals and a number of wild boars, small mammals, reptiles and over 100 species of birds.

Hyderabad Botanical Gardens

The first Botanical Gardens in Andhra Pradesh, spread over 120 acres. Already open to public is the first phase, with the completion of some sections. The sections include medicinal plants, timber trees, fruit trees, ornamental plants, aquatic plants and bamboos. The Park has been designed to have large water bodies, Rolling Meadows, natural forests, rich grasslands and exquisite rock formations.

Osmansagar Lake

Osmansagar, better known as Gandipet, on the outskirts of Hyderabad is an excellent picnic spot. Osmansagar is one of the two lakes on the city’s periphery that supplies drinking water to the great metropolis. The lake is a reservoir created by a dam across the Isa, a tributary of the River Musi. Abutting the lake and the bund are lush gardens that provide the ideal ambience for an outing. Overlooking the lake is the heritage building, Sagar Mahal, built as a resort by the Nizam of Hyderabad and converted now into a lake resort managed by AP Tourism.

Shamirpet

Located 24 km to the north of Secunderabad, Shamirpet has a beautiful lake and a deer park. Its peaceful environs make it a great picnic spot. AP Tourism offers comfortable cottage facilities for accommodation, while the forest lodges can be booked with the AP Forest Department office at Saifabad.

Monumental Attractions

There are many monuments of significance situated here. One of the major historical sites worth visiting is the Charminar, a majestic structure famous for its architectural excellence. It is situated in the heart of the city and is an important landmark in Hyderabad Tourism. Then, there is the Mecca Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India accommodating upto 10,000 people. It is located just nearby the Charminar.

Another travel attraction here is the Golconda Fort , a 16th century fortress. It is situated on the western outskirts of Hyderabad city. This fort is known as the center for diamonds, where there are diamond mines in the nearby areas. It is said that the famous Kohinoor originally belonged to Golconda. Thus, it one of the must visit places in Hyderabad. Then, there is the Hussain Sagar lake. It is a large man-made lake, set amidst the city. It was constructed in 1562 AD and is the connecting point of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

 Excursion

mesmerizing city of Hyderabad extends its charm to the nearby regions also. There are many enthralling places in the vicinity to the capital of Andhra Pradesh. They are worth discovering, with an array of travel attractions.

Warangal-200 km

One of these excursion destinations is Warangal, located around 200 km from Hyderabad. This place was once the hub of Telugu culture as the capital of Kakatiya rulers. It is famous for its architecture.

Nagarjunasagar-150km

Another famous destination is the Nagarjunasagar which is located 150 km from Hyderabad. With world's tallest masonry dam across river Krishna, Nagarjunasagar is a popular tourist destination of South India. Apart from this, other worth visiting attractions are the island museum of Nagarjunakonda and the beautiful waterfalls of Ethipothala.

Keesaragutta-35 km

It is another popular destination, situated about 35 kms from Hyderabad. It is a historic temple village and was once the capital of the great Vishnukundin dynasty. Some of the famous temples of this place are Ramalingeswara and Lakshminarasimha, attracting pilgrims from around the country.

Basar-240 km

Then, there is Basar, located 240 km from Hyderabad. It is situated on the banks of the mighty Godavari River, in Adilabad district. It is famous for the only Saraswati temple in South India. Yet another destination known as Pochampally is located in Nalgonda district, situated about 35 km from Hyderabad. This lovely village is renowned in the country for its gorgeous, hand-woven silk and cotton saris.

Shopping

Shopping in Hyderabad can be exciting with shops of world famous pearls and traditional arts & crafts. You can also buy textiles of all the modern brands. Apart from these, one can also look forward to buy some beautiful traditional saris famous all over the country. Shopping in Hyderabad in not confined to a particular area, you can find shops in almost every part of the city. But, the Charminar area of Hyderabad is the hub of shops, it is surrounded by the famous Lad Bazaar and the Pearl Bazaar.

Besides, there are other markets also like, Abid's, Nampally, Basheerbagh and Sultan Bazaar.

 Festivals

Festivals are a major part of the city's age old culture and traditions. Here many festivals are celebrated, some local and religious and some state festivals. The local festivals Batkamma and Batkamma Panduga are specially celebrated in the Telangana region.

Some of the religious festivals celebrated here are Diwali, Pongal, Ugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Id and others. The state festivals organized by the state tourism are also celebrated with great enthusiasm, some of these are Lumbini festival and the famous Deccan festival.

 Reach Hyderabad

By Air : Hyderabad is a major air transport center in the south of India. There are regular flights between Hyderabad and Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, and Vishakhapatnam. Hyderabad has two airports, the Rajiv Gandhi Terminal is the international airport and the N. T. Rama Rao Terminal is the domestic airport in city.

By Rail : Hyderabad has an extensive railway network connected with Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and other cities in India. Hydrabad is well connected by rail with all the important places within the state also. The city bus service operates from the railway station.

By Road : Hyderabad is well connected by roadways having national highways 7 and 9. The buses of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation offer services to all the vital centers in the region. Private buses also operate here.

Local Transport : Local mode of transport in Hyderabad are buses, run by State Transport Corporation, Taxis, and Auto rickshaws.