Karnataka is a South Indian state bordering the Arabian Sea. It is located in the South Western part of the country. This state has rich culture and diverse landscape. Many rules of varying culture and religions ruled this place in the past, and thus, you can find various architectural marvels of varying styles. This state is known for its heritage, natural resources, culture and other entertainment elements.
1. Bangalore
Bangalore is also called as the Silicon Valley of India. It is a major IT hub in the country. There are a lot of natural sites, historic spots, palaces and temples in this city. This city is also called as the Garden City. When it comes to parks, there are many parks in the city. The top ones are Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park and JP park. Top attractions are Bangalore fort, Palace of Tippu Sultan, Bangalore palace, Mayo hall, government museum, aerospace museum, Gandhi Bhavan, Dodda Alada Mara, Thottikallu, Nandhi Hills, Bannerghatta park, Butterfly park and many others.
Read More: Best Weekend Getaways from Bangalore
Suggested Tour: 8 Days - South India Temple Tours
There are a lot of lakes in this city like Ulsoor lake, Hebbal lake, Bellandur Lake and many others. Many lakes will have water related activities during peak tourist season. In the religious front; there are several temples like ISKCON temples, Ranganathaswamy temple of 16th century, 16th century Halasuru Someshwara Temple, 17th century Kote Jalakantheshwara temple and many others. St. Mary’s Basilica is the oldest church in the city.
Read More: Top 5 Hidden Photography Locations In Bangalore’s Backyards
Skandagiri is a small trekking spot which is about 75 km away from Bangalore. Savandurga is a famous waterfalls which is 60 km away from Bangalore and Muthyalamaduvu is a picnic spot which is 40 km away from Bangalore main city.
Also Read: Tourist Places near Bangalore within 200 kms
Suggested Tour: 12 Days - Mumbai, Karnataka and Kerala
2. Mysore
Mysore was the capital of the state for the past six centuries. It was ruled by Sultans and various other kings in the past. This place is the centre for various forms of arts and crafts. It is an important tourist destination too. This place is also called the Palace City of the country. As the name indicates, there are a lot of palaces in the city, like the Mysore Palace of royal family, Lalitha Mahal, Jaganmohan Palace of the 19th century and Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion. The top gardens in the city are Brindavan Gardens, Happy Man Park, Butterfly Park and others.
Suggested Tour: 13 Days - Southern India Tour from Chennai
Other top attractions in this city are the sand sculpture museum, rail museum, wax museum, Chamundi Hills, St. Philomena Church, Mysore Zoo, Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary and others. Shivansamudra falls is the second largest waterfalls in the country and is located a little away from Mysore.
Read More: Top Places To Visit In Mysore
Suggested Tour: 6 Days - South India Hill Stations Tour
3. Mangalore
Mangalore is a small city between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. It is an important part of the city even during the ancient times. This place has mesmerizing beaches, hills and other attractions. Top attractions in this city are the Kadri Manhunath temple, Tannirbhavi beach, Sultan Battery beach, Panambur beach, Pilikula Nisargadhama picnic spot, St. Aloysius Church and many others. Do not forget to taste Udupi cuisine while you are in Mangalore.
Read More: No Trip Is Complete Without These Five Delicacies In Karnataka
4. Hampi
Hampi is not a very big city. It is a little away from the hustle of the city. You might not even find a lot of tourist attractions here. But it is important to visit this city for its ruins. It is an important historic spot in the city. The temple ruins of the Vijayaraja Dynasty on the banks of the Tungabhadra River are important attractions. You can also find many architectural marvels of ancient India here. These temples are considered to be a very important cultural element. A temple in Hampi is the oldest temple in the world that is still functioning from the day of its inauguration without any break. Only a very few temples stand as whole today. This visit would take a whole day as you explore and enjoy the ruins and temples.
Read More : Top 5 Things to Do in Hampi
Suggested Tour : 10 Days - South India Temple Tour
5. Coorg
Coorg is a hill station in Karnataka. It is an agricultural spot too. You can find coffee plantations, rice plantations, and various types of flora here. You can also find a few Buddhist monasteries. The top attractions in this city are the Abbey waterfalls, Nagarhole trekking spot, Dubare elephant camp, Tibetan monastery, Raja seat garden and others. The top activity in Coorg is an early-morning walk amid coffee plantations. If you visit during the right season, you can witness coffee being harvested and processed.
Read More: Top Places to Visit in Coorg, Karnataka
Suggested Tour: 4 Days - Coorg Madikeri Hill Station Tour, Karnataka
6. Hubli Dharwad
Hubli and Dharwad are twin cities which are considered the commercial centres of the state. It is growing very fast and is also called small Mumbai. There are a lot of industries growing in this area. On the other hand, you can find a lot of tourist attractions like monuments, temples and others.900 years old Chandramouleshwara temple, Banashankari temple of the 13th century, picnic spot at Nrupatunga Hill, Jain temple Navagraha Teertha, Indira Gandhi Glass House garden, Lake Unkal and many others are important tourist destinations.
Suggested Tour: 15 Days - Karnataka with Goa and Mumbai
7. Gokarna
Gokarna is a pilgrimage centre and a recently discovered hub for beach enthusiasts and hipsters. Each year, packs of tourists take the tour to Gokarna in search of holiness and forgiveness on one hand and rest and leisure on the other. The beaches are opposite to the spirit of the city. Palm-clad beaches are filled with international travellers in the majority and very few Indians are viewed across.
Gokarna is not a very typical touristy place. The beaches are intended for a quiet, carefree vacation and everything on the beach works at the similarly comfortable speed. Abundant of coconut trees, the ocean and washed sands, Gokarna is a preference among travellers who want a calm holiday. It is the less commercialized version of Goa. Some places you can visit in Gokarna are Om beach, Mahabaleshwar temple, Koti Tirtha, Bhadrakali temple etc.
Suggested Tour: 10 days south india tour
8. Anthargange
The name Anthargange truly signifies 'Inner Stream' or 'Ganges from the deep' in the Kannada language. It is located in the Kolar region of Karnataka, nearly 70 km from Bangalore. It is excellent for the residents of Bangalore and nearby areas to get away from their disordered and ordinary, fast-paced normal life. It is the Ideal spot for couples, friends, adventure lovers, history buffs, photo enthusiasts, and pilgrims as well. This unique place of a stacked-up volcanic rock creation is a must-visit to have an eye-catching experience.
The natural caves journey is amongst the pursuits you need do while in Anthargange. Anthargange satisfies the adventure fans in you in the form of hiking the hill area, walking under the moonlight to have an engaging activity. The cave searches, rappelling, rock climbing; the temple tour and observing the sunrise and the sunset through the bordered mountain range dare the adventure freaks, photo enthusiasts and religious people from around the world.
9. Nrityagram
Nrityagram is a perfect stop for dance fanatics. It draws a lot of visitors as it has a peaceful environment and an eco-friendly mark. You can tour this area while on a journey to Bangalore. It is a dance village established near Hesarghatta in the Bangalore rural community. It rests at a distance of only 35 kilometres off from Bangalore. The village was imagined by the well-recognised Odissi dancer Protima Bedi. Aside from the outstanding dance, other contributions of this place are the superbly made village - made up of mud homes, greenery and free spaces.
A vacation to Nrityagram would also allow you to travel the Hessarghatta Reservoir. It rests five kilometres apart from the dance village. Practice in many Indian classical dance forms like that of Bharatnatyam, Mohiniattam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Manipuri and Kuchipudi is given here. Nrityagram also gives dance troupes to act on a global level and has been preparing this since 1996.
10. Madikeri
Madikeri is a section of the Coorg district. This hill station is a classic weekend getaway for those looking for a pretty and relaxing vacation, decorated by landscapes and beautiful compositions made up of overflowing and rich nature all over. A fabulous mix of natural, historical, and spiritual attractions can be seen here, thus providing for all sorts of visitors and making it a full tourist adventure. Madikeri is an amazing hill town in Karnataka with large coffee plantations, dense forests and foggy hills, all ending in an amazing scene. This place has so much more to offer like trekking, Chingara Falls, Namdroling Monastery, Madikeri Fort, Abbey Falls and Chelavara Falls.
Read More: Popular Things You Must Do in Madikeri
Suggested Tour: 11 Days - South India Wildlife & Cultural Tour
11. Nandi Hills
Tiny hills near Bengaluru called Nandi Hills work as a fabulous trekking stop and one of the most famous 1-day getaways for people in the city. The Yoganandeeshwara Temple which ascends the hill, with a remarkable statue of Nandi the bull at its entrance, gives the hills their title. With its charms holding of holy sites, Nandi hills is also an environmental lover's as well as an adventure enthusiast's haven, with trekking and other activities and unusual vegetation and animals.
Nandi Hills is a well-known trekking place. There are many trek paths, through the Nandi hill, to befit the capacity and energy of various sorts of trekkers, from amateurs to masters. You can also enjoy other things like paragliding, Tipu's Drop, cycling/biking and Amrita Sarovar.
Suggested Tour: 6 Days - Mysore Ooty Kodaikanal Karnataka Tour
12. Kudremukh
Kudremukh is remarkable for its biodiversity and picturesque charm. Kudremukh is really a hill range in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka. With its plains, fields and thick forests, this area is a biodiversity hotspot. Kudremukh is a magical place to visit, still holding much of its true beauty, notwithstanding threats from multiple causes to its environment.
At an elevation of 1894 m above sea level, the Kudremukh Peak is a heaven for trekkers and naturists, with its rocky paths and floral and faunal variety. Varaha Parvatha, another tourist spot here, is a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most important and beautiful trek of Kudremukh is the trek to Kudremukh Peak. The trek takes you through the wildlife sanctuary of Kudremukh, which is home to tigers, leopards, wild dogs, deer, and other species of fauna.
13. Bijapur
Bijapur district is one of the biggest districts in Karnataka land. Bijapur has several sites of historical, cultural and architectural importance essentially linked to Islamic design. Bijapur district is established in the northwest section of the state of Karnataka and it is 613 km from Bangalore city. The numerous appeals in Bijapur city include Gol Gumbaz, the Jumma Masjid mosque, the Uppali Buruj tower and the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (Ibrahim Rauza).
Suggested Tour: 14 Days - South India Tour from Bangalore
14. Nagarhole
Nagarhole indicates 'snake river' and obtains its title from the relentless natural environment of the river that runs through the woodlands. Nagarhole is ideal for Wildlife lovers. It can be toured by people in search of having a raw experience away from the hustle and bustle of metro life. Paragon for adventure seekers, nature fanatics, photo enthusiasts, and explorers.
Nagarhole is the southern repository of precious vegetation and fauna and is the owner of Nagarhole National Park, honoured as one of the best wildlife parks. When you are not involved in finding Asiatic elephants, Indian Bisons or pretty birds around the area, you can observe your breath being taken away by the waterfalls in the area, like Iruppu Falls.
Suggested Tour: 16 Days - South India Wildlife Tour
15. Aihole
Aihole is a tiny village in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka. It is a spot of high culture and spiritual credit, including many temples within its perimeter walls that surround an area of over 400 meters in length. And these temples are not only inside that frame, but the whole Aihole village is capped by temples, where many more buildings are spread in the open fields. In all, there are about 125 temples at this spot, big and small, most of them in an ancient and broken state
Suggested Tour : 3 Days - Karnataka Tour - Bangalore Hasan
Karnataka is a tourist magnet in the country. It has diverse elements, starting from a hill station to beaches. No matter how old you are, you would certainly enjoy Karnataka.
Also Read: No Trip Is Complete Without These Five Delicacies In Karnataka
Popular Tour Packages to Explore Karnataka :
6 Days - Mysore Ooty Kodaikanal Karnataka Tour
10 Days - South India Temple Tour from Mumbai
10 Days - South India Tour with Goa
11 Days - Karnataka and Kerala Tour
14 Days - South India Tour from Bangalore
