Hyderabad is the capital of Southern state of Andhra Pradesh, known for its rich history and culture with monuments, mosques, temples, rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance. It is also hub Information Technology and Telecommunications. Attached to the city is its twin, Secunderbad, which is part of Hyderabad. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderbad are separated by the Hussain Sagar, an artificial lake. Hyderabad is also very cosmopolitan in nature and has the most sophisticated five star hotels, shopping malls, eating places (especially those serving the world famous Hyderabadi biriyani) and all sorts of entertainment facilities.
Main Languages: Telugu, Hindi and English
City Telephone Code/ STD Code: 040
Best time to visit: October to February
Tourist Information: Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (PH: 23453036) and Private tour operators.
Distance from other cities: Ahmedabad – 1208 kms,
Kolkatta – 1516 kms, Bangalore – 562 kms, Chennai – 688 kms,
Delhi – 1499 kms, Mumbai – 711 kms, Trivandrum - 1315 kms
Getting there and away
By Air: Hyderabad is well networked with rest of the country and has many international Airlines operate flights to Hyderabad from various parts of world.
By Rail: Hyderabad is well connected with rest of the country by an extensive railway network. Secunderabad, Hyderabad (Nampally) and Kacheguda railway stations connect it to the rest of the country.
By Road: State transport and Private Operators have extensive services in Andhra Pradesh and to the neighboring states.
Getting around
By Bus: The APSRTC operates point to point bus services which connect important places within the city, with a good frequency.
By Train: Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the Multi Modal Transport System (MMTS) and connects various parts of the city with Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally and Faluknama.
Other mode of transport: Apart from the buses and trains, you may also avail the services of taxis and autos.
Attractions in Hyderabad
- Charminar
- Pearl Bazaar
- Birla Mandir
- Golconda Fort
- Hussain Sagar Lake
- Birla Science Centre
- Salar Jung Museum
- Falaknuma palace
- Lumbini Park
Besides these attractions, there are many more places that are worth visiting these twin cities like Deer Park, State Archeological Museum, Himayat Sagar, Nehru Geological Park, Shopping complexes and multiplexes.
Around Hyderabad
Ramoji Film City: The world’s largest film production complex is situated just 35 Kms from the historic city of Hyderabad. The Film City, spread over 2,000 acres of land studded with hills, vales and lakes, has few parallels as both a tourist attraction and major film-making facility. It has 50 studio floors, outdoor locations, high-tech laboratories, state-of-the-art technology and the lush green landscape and scenery.
Nagarjunasagar: Another famous destination is the Nagarjunasagar which is located 150 Kms 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: 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.
Warangal: Warangal is 157 Kms from Hyderabad and was the capital of the Kakatiya kingdom, which covered the most part of present day Andhra Pradesh. Warangal has many Chalukya temples and buildings. It is also cotton market town and has a colourful wool market.
