A crisp 4 days Hyderabad trip plan for family

If you have read my previous posts on Bangalore to Hyderabad road trip and Golkonda Fort Hyderabad, you must have guessed that this time we were off exploring Hyderabad. Come August and we wondered hard where to head. Last year same time, we were fortunate to explore coastal Karnataka. But, this year, there was heavy rain all around. And you guessed it right. We did a 4 days Hyderabad trip plan with our family. And in this post, I bring the same plan to you with all the details. So, if you are planning to explore Hyderabad over a weekend or do a weekend staycation in Hyderabad, you can treat this post as your single guide to plan it all.

If you are short on time and want to get a quick glimpse of our Hyderabad Trip Plan, this is a quick summary for you –

 

 

Our 4 days Hyderabad trip plan for family

Day 1: Bangalore to Hyderabad road trip

Our Bangalore to Hyderabad trip started on day 1 through a road trip from Bangalore to Hyderabad. We started around 5:30am from our home in Bangalore. And reached our hotel, Marriott Resort & Convention Centre Hyderabad by 4:30 pm in the evening. The reason for booking our stay in Hyderabad with this resort was that it was mostly centrally located to most of the attractions that we planned to visit on our Hyderabad trip. And, was at walking distance from Hussain Sagar Lake.

After settling into our rooms and taking a little rest, we both decided to venture out and explore the area near Hussain Sagar Lake. Turns out there are several street vendors selling mouth watering local and Indian street food, balloons and other handmade souvenirs, set on the pavements on both sides of the road that runs parallel to the lake. And then there are several small gardens sprawling along the length of the Hussain Sagar Lake. You will even find dedicated sitting spaces and kids play areas in many of these parks. Overall the energised and beautiful atmosphere reminded me of our visit to the promenade on our Pondicherry trip. The vibes are very similar.

We took a stroll along the lakeside. Bought a few things that we needed and then returned back to our hotel. After this, we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at our resort. Before calling it a day and sleeping like babies.

Day 2: Exploring old Hyderabad city

The next day we all woke up fresh. Enjoyed a great breakfast spread in our hotel. And then headed to explore the old Hyderabad city and all that it had to offer. For this day, we hired a car via savari. Because we didn’t want to take the hassle of finding parking spaces at each of the sites that we planned to visit. And waste our time. So, our cab arrived on time. And the first place we headed to was Golkonda Fort – one of the oldest, mightiest fort of this region. Which is particularly well known for housing the biggest diamonds of India including the Kohinoor before they were looted by the British.

Unfortunately, it started raining heavily while we were exploring Golkonda Fort. Although, we waited patiently for the rains to slow down. And started for the exit to the fort after the rain intensity decreased, still some of us got considerably wet. So, we decided to return back to our hotel. Change into fresh dresses, have our lunch and then start back the exploration. While the kids enjoyed a lunch in the hotel room with their grandparent, myself and Abhishek sneaked out to try the famous “Guntur Idli” and some well known dosas of Andhra region in their most famous restaurant chain “Chutneys“. And what a meal it was!! Everything was delicious. But, of course, the main attraction was the set of 6 chutneys served with the dosas, each with it’s own distinct flavour.

After finishing lunch, we headed to Charminar. Along with Charminar, you can visit several other attractions that are located in this area of Hyderabad including Mecca Masjid, Salar Jung Museum and Chowmahalla Palace. After visiting these places, we proceeded to do some much awaited shopping at the Laad Bazar – a market of wholesalers famous for selling handmade “laad or laah” bangles and pearl jewellery. Post this we returned back.

Day 3: Off to Ramoji Film City Hyderabad

On the third day of our trip, post breakfast, we checked out from our hotel and proceeded to Film City Hyderabad. For those of you who are not familiar with Ramoji Film City Hyderabad, it is the largest integrated film studio complex in the world, spanning over 2,000 acres. Established by the Ramoji Group in 1991, it holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest film city. And attracts millions of tourists every year. It has numerous sets and filming locations, including streets that replicate cities from different parts of the world, palaces, and landscapes. Several movies have been shot here.

The visitors to Ramoji Film City not just enjoy these movie sets. But through the various shows organised here, they also learn about movie making. I really liked this part. As, many innocent viewers, particularly kids, often think that the movies, stunts and many other things that happen in the movies are for real. Getting to practically see what goes on behind the scene really helps educate them.

The whole complex of Ramoji Film City is neat, clean, well managed. And there are buses running inside the campus to take you from zone to zone. I will dedicate a separate post describing our experience at Ramoji Film City which will serve as a guide for you as well. After enjoying various shows, rides, delicious food and refreshment at various restaurants and visiting sets of movies throughout the day, we finally called it a day. Today, we had booked our stay inside the campus of Ramoji Film City itself to avoid extra travel and make the most of our time here. So, we stayed overnight at the Tara Hotel in Ramoji Film City

PS: Here’s a well organised and guided tour to Ramoji Film City Hyderabad

 

 

Day 4: Hyderabad to Bangalore road trip

Finally arrived the last day of our Bangalore to Hyderabad trip plan. Today, we started on our road trip back from Hyderabad to Bangalore. To avoid traffic and reach home little early, we started early from our hotel in Ramoji Film City, around 6:30am. Since we had informed the hotel the day before that we would be leaving early. They actually very neatly backed breakfast for us for the way. Which included fruits, veg cheese sandwich, boiled eggs and packed juices, everything packed neatly for each individual.

Tracing the same route on our way back which we had traveled on day 1 on our Hyderabad trip, we reached back Bangalore around 5:30pm in the evening. And thus, another memorable trip got completed.

General tips and information on Hyderabad trip plan

How to reach Hyderabad

Hyderabad, the capital city of the state of Telangana and the buzzing IT hub of India, is well connected with rest of the country through rail, road as well as air route.

When traveling from Bangalore to Hyderabad, you can take NH 44, the same highway that connects Kashmir to Kanyakumari. We traveled on NH 44 before this trip during our Madhya Pradesh Road trip. And also took a one night halt at Hyderabad. However, that time, we didn’t have time to explore the city of Hyderabad. Apart from driving, you can also travel to Hyderabad by buses or by hiring an interstate taxi.

Hyderabad is also connected to the rest of the country through an extensive rail network. And has one of the best international airports in India. From Bangalore, often people travel to Hyderabad through flight – which is also the shortest way to reach Hyderabad. Or, through overnight buses and trains.

What is the best time to visit Hyderabad

Winter months from October to February are best to explore Hyderabad as the temperature tends to be moderate. Summer months are very hot. We visited Hyderabad during the monsoon month of August. There were intermittent rains now and then, but no major downpour. The climate used to be pleasant when it was cloudy. But very hot when it was sunny. However, a week after we returned from Hyderabad, heavy rain lashed the region. And there was a major flood in the region as well. So, if you also plan to visit during the monsoons, do keep your eye on the weather conditions and any rainfall alerts and warnings.

 

What to pack for a trip to Hyderabad

I will encourage packing comfortable and breathable cotton cloths. Long sleeves and full leg cover if you want to avoid heavy sun exposure and tanning. And wear shoes for the same reasons. Keep your sunscreen lotion, sunglasses, umbrellas and hats handy when you are out exploring. And beyond this, pack your general needs that you would take with you on any trip. Since Hyderabad is one of the major cities of India, there’s nothing that you will not find here which you need.

What cuisines to try in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a foodies paradise. Some of the famous cuisines of the region include Hyderabadi Biryani, Haleem, Kebabs, Irani Chai and Osmani Biscuits, the famous Karachi Bakery delicacies, Guntur Idli and locally popular dosa varieties, chats and panipuri, double ka meetha, hyderabadi Paaya etc. I will write separately on our vegetarian food exploration in Hyderabad.

Where to stay in Hyderabad

There are accommodations of all budget range in Hyderabad. On our first trip to Hyderabad, while going to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, we stayed at Oakwood Residence Kapil Hyderabad and it was amazing. This time around we stayed in Marriott Resort and Convention Centre Hyderabad as well as Tara Hotel in Ramoji Film City. Both were good. And then there are several airbnb homes and hotels available across the city in all budget range that you can explore by clicking this link.

 

 

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