30 things to do in Hyderabad
Having never set foot in Hyderabad, I
had spent a lot of time at the start of my internship looking for things to do in the city. If you’re
new to the place like how I was, this post should make things easier for you.
So, here it goes, the 30 things to do in Hyderabad:
1. Commute in different ways: MMTS, local buses (both AC and non AC), tempos, the city's unique "shared autos", the upcoming metro... Use them all. Explore the city.
2. Restaurants: Plenty of them to try out, so eat out as much as you can. Tip: Use Zomato to look for places and Groupon to get some amazing vouchers (I had purchased vouchers for a buffet at the Marriott for Rs 350!)
3. Meetup.com: This site informs you of events organized by like-minded people who come together regularly. Use it to meet new people.
4. Nightlife: No dearth of pubs and nightclubs here. The World Cup ensured that pubs remained vibrant during the course of my entire internship. If you aren't too sure about which nightclub to visit, you could try out City Centre's Firangi Paani. Wasn't too bad.
5. Catch up with old friends: Used my stay here as an opportunity to reconnect with a few school friends of mine. You could do the same.
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| The Charminar |
1. Commute in different ways: MMTS, local buses (both AC and non AC), tempos, the city's unique "shared autos", the upcoming metro... Use them all. Explore the city.
2. Restaurants: Plenty of them to try out, so eat out as much as you can. Tip: Use Zomato to look for places and Groupon to get some amazing vouchers (I had purchased vouchers for a buffet at the Marriott for Rs 350!)
3. Meetup.com: This site informs you of events organized by like-minded people who come together regularly. Use it to meet new people.
4. Nightlife: No dearth of pubs and nightclubs here. The World Cup ensured that pubs remained vibrant during the course of my entire internship. If you aren't too sure about which nightclub to visit, you could try out City Centre's Firangi Paani. Wasn't too bad.
5. Catch up with old friends: Used my stay here as an opportunity to reconnect with a few school friends of mine. You could do the same.
Now moving on to the area-centric things...
A. Western Hyderabad (Around Hitech City)
6. Drive on the Outer Ring Road. What a pleasure!
7. Check out the Gachibowli Stadium / Eat at the stalls
opposite to DLF.
8. Eat posh: This area has some of the city’s most posh
hotels. Spoil yourself! You could also spend time at Inorbit.
9. Visit ISB: You must’ve heard loads about this top
b-school if you’re an undergrad like me. Visit the campus. You’ll be impressed.
10. Hyderabad Bicycling Club: Go to the club’s garage
(near the Biodiversity Park) at 5 am on a weekend, rent a bicycle, join
any of the groups there and cycle around the city for 3-4 hours. Prepare yourself for it though! I had to cycle 40 kilometers on inclined roads when I went there.
B. Central Hyderabad (Around Mehdipatnam - Banjara Hills)
11. Lamakaan: This is a cultural space where people come together to discuss literature, arts and theater. I had a long chat with a Tollywood Assistant
Director when I visited the place.
12. Malls: You’ll find the city’s liveliest malls here. Spend
time in GVK One at Banjara Hills and Hyderabad Central at Panjagutta.
13. Haleem at Pista House, Tolichowki: Available only during the holy
month of Ramzan, this delicious dish is exactly what they claim it to be: 100% pure
meat, 100% pure ghee. Though heavy for a newbie like me, I did relish it.
14. Visit Golkonda fort, Tadamati Baradari and the Qutub Shahi Tombs: Visiting all 3 of them should take you a day. On a side note, did you know that Golkonda was where the famous Koh-i-Noor was produced?
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C. Northeastern Hyderabad (Around Secunderabad)
15. Birla Mandir: A stunning Dravidian-Rajasthani temple. Visit it at night.
16. Ananda Buddha Vihar: A Buddhist monastery which has
saplings of the Bodhi Tree. There’s an interesting tale involving Ashoka, his children and Anuradhapura connected to this monastery. Visit the
place and hear it from the caretaker himself.
17. Walk/cycle/drive on Necklace road: I was lucky to do all
3. Try them all out.
18. Ohri’s: I was quite amused by their concept of having
weirdly themed restaurants in different parts of the city. The one at Necklace
Road was my favourite (probably because of its Saturday night karaoke).
19. Shop at Himayat Nagar: This area has franchises of every brand available, just like Bangalore's Brigade Road.
20. Visit Snow world
21. The famed Hyderabadi Biriyani: Pick Paradise for its history or Bawarchi (near RTC Cross
Roads) for the taste. Visited both, thought they were over-hyped and felt the dish was no match for our Malabar biriyani :P
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D. Southeastern Hyderabad (Old City)
22. Chowmahallah palace: The palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad. A must visit.
23. Charminar and Mecca masjid: The symbols of Hyderabad. Monuments incorporating the Indo-Islamic architectural style.
24. Shop at Laad bazaar: This is where you’ll find the famous
Hyderabad pearls. Make the experience more memorable (and exasperating!) by
visiting the place with your female friends :P
25. Karachi bakery: You might have heard of their famous biscuits.
Why not pay a visit to the original Karachi bakery where it all began 60 years ago?
26. Famous ice cream: An ice cream parlour known
for having retained its original taste for over half a century now. Tip: Try their fruit
ice creams.
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E. Outer Hyderabad
27. Chilkur Balaji – A temple that people visit before applying for visas! What’s even queerer: The priests are English graduates!
28. Ramoji Film City: Probably Hyderabad's #1 place to visit. Pity I couldn't visit it!
29. Shamshabad airport: Have a night-out there. There’s also
a track next to the airport where you could go karting.
30. Surendrapuri, Yadarigutta: A 2 hour bus ride from Koti, this place contains full-sized replicas of major Indian temples.
I have compiled this list based on what I've heard, what I've
read on the net and what I had done during my 8-week internship (28 of these 30). Since
I am not a resident of Hyderabad, I may have missed a few things here. SoSpeakUpNow!,
share them in the comments below and let’s make visiting Hyderabad a better
experience for someone else!
P.S: Pressed for time? How about trying out only the 10 things to do in Hyderabad?
Go for #13, #14, #15, #17, #21, #22, #23, #24, #27 and #28
P.S: Pressed for time? How about trying out only the 10 things to do in Hyderabad?
Go for #13, #14, #15, #17, #21, #22, #23, #24, #27 and #28
Wonderful list Rahul! Pretty much sumps up!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Suresh!
DeleteAny others you can think of?
Nice pictures and post also. The wide range of precious and semi-precious stones and pearls and intricate art and handicraft make Hyderabad (Bhagyanagar) one of the most sought after destinations among the tourists. To top it all, it is the home to one of the very popular attractions in the country, Charminar. Check out the services of hotel Megha City Hyderabad, a hotel for budget travelers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dimpy!
DeleteIndeed, Hyderabad is one of India's most sought after destinations. And I did come across the city's famous pearls near Laad Bazaar.
Will check out the hotel the next time I visit Hyderabad. Thanks! :)