Reaching Bangalore

Bangalore - Capital of Karnataka, Southern State of India

Area : 468 Sq. Kms

Population : 6.5 Million (Approx)

Altitude : 3000 feet above sea level

Geographical Location Latitude - 12° 8' North, Longitude - 77° 37' East

Neighbouring States: Tamilnadu on the South East ; Andhra Pradesh on the North East ; Goa and Maharashtra on the North West ; and Kerala on the South West.

Climate - Salubrious and Warm

Rainfall Average annual rainfall: 859 mm Primary rainy season: June - September (South-West Monsoon) Secondary rainy season: November - December (North-East Monsoon)

Language : Kannada

Other Languages spoken : English, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Urdu and Malayalam.

Popular Mode of Transport : Auto Rickshaws and Buses of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and taxis.

Lakes : Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Lake and Yediyur Lake.

Literacy : 83.91 percent

Literacy Rate : Male 76.29% : Female 57.45%

Birth Rate : 27.0 per 1000 ; Death Rate : 7.2 per 1000

Bangalore by Air

Bangalore is well connected by Air, Rail and Road from all parts of the country. Although the International Airport is still under consideration, Air India operates direct flight to/from London, New York, Chicago, Paris, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait providing immigration and customs clearance facilities. Lufthansa (German Airlines) also operates direct flight from Frankfurt three times a week, Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur three times a week and Singapore Airlines from Singapore. (check Flight schedules here)

Around 420 flights land and take off in Bangalore each week, of which 50 are international ones. Last year, Bangalore airport handled more than 3 million passengers. Delhi-Mumbai sector tops the traffic chart, followed by Bangalore-Mumbai and Bangalore-Delhi sectors.

Four new low-cost airlines — Wadia group's Go Airways, UB-backed Kingfisher Airlines, Mohan Meakins' Indus Airways and Royal Airlines (erstwhile Modiluft) — were launched this year.

A new international airport on the lines of Changi Airport at Singapore is being planned for Bangalore. The first phase of the new airport is expected to handle around 4.5 million passengers annually from 2008 onwards. The airport will be located at Devanahalli, about 30 km from the heart Bangalore. Once it comes up, the city will be linked worldwide. Indian Airlines flies to and from most of the neighbouring Countries/Cities like Bangkok, Bahrain, Colombo, Dhaka, Doha, Karachi, Kathmandu, Kualalumpur, Kuwait, Lahore, Muscat and Sharjah. Connecting flights are available from all the major International Airports of India like Mumbai, (earlier known as Bombay), New Delhi, Chennai ( formerly called Madras) and Kolkata (previous name Calcutta), except when the flights arrive in the midnight. The more popular international airlines flying into India are Lufthansa, British Airways, Swiss Air, Sabena, Air France, Delta, KLM/North-West, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. Business visitors to India generally fly into either of the International Airports at New Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai ). Connections to Bangalore from any of these entry points can be easily obtained on Indian Airlines or Jet Airways, both of which have interline arrangements with the international airlines flying into India. Checked-in baggage has to be claimed at the international airport arrival lounges prior to taking domestic connections. Through check-in to Bangalore is not available. At the New Delhi and Mumbai airports visitors would also need to change terminals to board domestic flights.

The Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), the country's first greenfield airport project, is being set up on a "build, own and operate" basis through a public-private partnership. The stage is set for the $245 million project to commence later this year and complete by 2008.

International Visitors to India and Bangalore must obtain a Tourist visa, which are valid for six months from the date of issue. However, if you wish to extend your stay 3 months extensions are routinely issued at the Foreigners' Registration Offices in all metropolitan cities and in all state and district capitals at the office of the Superintendent of police. Check Travel Guide for more details.

Bangalore by Rail

Bangalore has two major stations: Bangalore City and Bangalore Cantonment. The City station is the Main Station where all the trains depart and arrive to and from all parts of the country. It is located in the heart of the City at the Majestic area. Prior reservations is a must to travel to any part of the country and the City Station and a small station at Mallesh-waram are the best places to make your train reservations. The Cantonment station makes it convenient for passengers hailing from the area around M G road to reserve seats and also to board trains easily. The reservation system is computerized and reservations can be made at the Divisional Office that lies to the north of the Main station. One is required to fill a form mentioning the destination and the date of travel. During peak season, most routes are busy and so it is better to book in advance to avoid disappointment. The reservation and enquiry office is open from Monday to Saturday between 8 am to 8 pm, while on Sundays it functions between 8 am and 2 pm.

Some of the busy and important trains leaving from Bangalore are :

The Brindavan Express, Lalbagh Express and the Mail to Chennai.

The Udyan Express and Kurla Express to Mumbai

The Karnataka Express and Bi Weekly Rajdhani Express to New Delhi

The Hyderabad Express to Hyderbad

Several Trains to all nearby cities like Mysore, Shimoga,Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad Bellary, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Raichur,Tumkur, Udupi, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, etc.

Bangalore by Road

Bangalore has a well-maintained bus-stand situated right opposite the railway station in the Majestic Area, which makes it easier for the passengers alighting from trains to catch buses to nearby cities/villages. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) handles all the buses plying within the city while the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates the buses within the state as well as outside. There are buses at regular intervals to almost all places within the Karnataka State and also to neighbouring states. A number of private agencies also run bus services to places across the country. The other transport corporations of the neighbouring states also operate from and to Bangalore.

In addition to the various state buses, numerous private companies offer more comfortable and more expensive buses between Bangalore and the other major cities in central and southern India. You'll find private operators lining the street facing onto the central bus terminal. Most private buses depart in the evening.