Best Things to Do in Hyderabad Telangana India

Exams for kids just got over and it is vacation time for the kids. And that definitely means another road trip. This time I zeroed it to on things to do in Hyderabad and day trips from Hyderabad. But is Hyderabad worth visiting? With just four days of holidays I decided to trip to Hyderabad after doing all research on its Mughal architecture, palaces, forts, cuisine, and of course, its famous pearl souvenirs.

Travel with Family to Hyderabad

Vacationing with family means a lot for us and all of us eagerly look forward to it. The quality family time we get during these journeys is precious for me. We are a family of 4 with kids, the youngest turning 10. I always try and include the historical places in the itinerary, especially the ones they study in their History lessons.

Hyderabad History

The very first name of what we know as Hyderabad today was Baghnagar, which meant city of gardens. Some say it was Bhagyanagar, named after the Queen Bhagmati, the queen of founder of the city, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. She converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal. The city was named Hyderabad in her honor.

The city of Hyderabad was founded in 1591 CE. It was built around the Charminar, which now forms the Old City of Hyderabad. Hyderabad became a part of India following Operation Polo in September 1948. (For the uninitiated Operation Polo was a military operation in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the Nizam-ruled princely state, merging into the Indian Union.)

Andhra Pradesh was given statehood on 1^st November 1956 and Hyderabad its capital city. The north-western part of Andhra Pradesh was separated to form Telangana on 2 June 2014. Hyderabad is common capital to both states.

Hyderabad Interesting Facts

Hyderabad was called Deccan once. History of Hyderabad is marked with rule of several rulers ever since it was founded. The Mughal invaded it in 1685, followed by British interference. In 1724, the Mughal viceroy in the Deccan, Asaf Jah Nizam al-Mulk, declared independence from British. The Deccan kingdom was called the princely state of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad is known as the City of Pearls for its booming pearl processing and trading industry

Lately, in the past couple of decades, Hyderabad has developed into one of the major hubs for the information technology industry in India. That has earned it the additional sobriquet Cyberabad.

Hyderabad is famous as the capital of states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Bangalore to Hyderabad by Road

How to reach Hyderabad? There are several options of traveling to Hyderabad from Bangalore. Hyderabad is a well connected city with all cities in India by air and by rail. The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport connects Hyderabad to all major cities in world.

Road trips are our favorite so, by road to Hyderabad, it was! A rough itinerary of the places to visit while on our road trip to Hyderabad from Bangalore:

• We have planned a halt at Hampi on our way to Hyderabad
• Halt in Anantapur to visit Belum Caves
• Halt in Chitradurga on our way back to Bangalore from Hyderabad by road

What to see in Hyderabad

Obviously lot of study has gone into preparing the list of best places in Hyderabad. And not just Hyderabad, I looked around for best places to visit in Warangal 145 km from Hyderabad, though it doesn’t figure in list of best places to visit from Hyderabad within 100 km. Warangal is rated as one of the best weekend getaways from Hyderabad.

Charminar

Charminar is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture. It is a landmark symbol of old Hyderabad city and a free sight to see for all. This square shaped structure with four pillars and intricate carvings houses a mosque on the top floor of the four-storey structure. Above this there is a roof that is bordered with a stone balcony.

Hot tip – Take the narrow staircase in the minaret to get to the roof above the mosque for mesmerizing views of the city. You have to buy tickets to get to the roof. Timings are: 9.30 AM to 5.30 PM.

Read more: Charminar, Hyderabad

Laad Bazaar

Laad Bazaar is located quite close to the Charminar and you will be surprised to know that this market was once a dedicated lane for selling only bangles. Today the street, in addition to having dedicated shops for bangles has shops selling different kinds of jewelleries too. You can also buy variety of things like handbags, cosmetics, traditional dresses, pearls and more

After the tour of Charminar stroll into this part of the heritage old city of Hyderabad to see the crowd indulging in purchase and sale of bangles and pick up a few souvenirs of Hyderabad.

Read more: Famous Laad Bazaar

Chowmahalla Palace

Chowmahalla Palace is famous for its style and elegance.  This charming place of residence for Nizams of Hyderabad was built in 1750 by Nizam Salabat Jung. Even today its well maintained large courtyards, ceremonial halls, Belgian chandeliers, vintage cars, beautiful marbles, cutleries are amazing. Some tourists took picture in Royal dress.

Some parts of the palace are rented out for weddings and pre-wedding shoots. The palace has well maintained washrooms and parking space for tourists.

It is 1.4 km via Hari Bowli Rd and Moti Galli Rd from Charminar.

Ticket Cost: ₹100
Timing: 10 AM to 5 PM

Chowmahalla Palace Hyderabad

Golconda Fort

Trip up the Golconda Fort is like a fascinating trip into the past. The architecture, now in ruined condition, of whatever is left and its acoustics will leave you wordless! There are four forts, a number of temples, mosques, stables, royal apartments, bastions, gardens inside the fort. It can take two to three hours to tour the fort.

Hire a guide here for a better fort experience. Golconda Fort is famous for its acoustic effects and a guide can help you to know where and how to listen. A clap sounded in the Fateh Darwaza can be heard a kilometre away in the Bala Hisar pavilion.

Best time to visit would be towards evening. You can stay back to see the light and sound show of Golconda Fort.

Salar Jung Museum

Mughal monument, market, Fort, Palace covered, now how about visiting one of the popular museums of Hyderabad. The Salarjung Museum is ranked the third largest museum in India. Not just that this museum has a worldwide fame for its biggest one-man collections of antiques. The majority of nearly 50,000 artefacts exhibited here were collected by Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III.

Plan well and get there early as it will take easily four hours to cover entire museum. The museum is very well maintained and air-conditioned, so no need to worry of temperature. Parking for four wheelers is available.

Address: Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad 500002, Telangana State.
Open: 10 AM to 5 PM
Tickets: 10 INR per person

Places to Visit Near Hyderabad

Warangal Fort, 1000 pillars temple in Hanumakonda,  Belum Caves and Chitradurga Fort.

No to Hyderabad Tour Packages

I refused to take Hyderabad tour packages which promise to include several sightseeing in Hyderabad city. Somehow I don’t like their rushed approach, especially their so called one day Hyderabad tourism packages. They stash too many places in short duration and add to that their exorbitant costs.

Are you a fan of tour packages in sight seeing destinations? What has been your experience of tour packages?

FAQ about Hyderabad Trip Plan

Is Hyderabad City safe for tourists?

I have visited Hyderabad twice with family. Both times I felt safe in the city. (Update – the news of gang rape and murder did scare me a bit though) Always travel with caution.

Where is Hyderabad located?

Hyderabad City is located in the northern part of South India, once capital of unified Andhra Pradesh, now capital of Telangana. Hyderabad PIN code is 500001.

Best time to Visit City of Hyderabad

Ideal time to visit the city is from October to March. Hyderabad weather has fairly warm climate all throughout the year except during winters.

What language to speak in Hyderabad?

Locals of Hyderabad speak in English, Hindi, Telegu and Urdu. If you know any one of the languages well, your trip will be smooth.

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Updated post. This post was first published on 25 December 2010.