A Day Trip to Mysore
Over Memorial Day weekend, we decided to take a day trip from Bangalore to Mysore. (If you missed why we’re in India, check that out here). Apparently Mysore Palace is the second most visited tourist attraction in India after the Taj Mahal, and therefore it’s very busy. We opted to travel on a Monday because we’d heard from locals and the internet, that attempting to go on a weekend would result in long queues and lots of traffic.
There are trains and buses you can take from Bangalore to Mysore, but we opted to hire a private driver to take us there and back. According to Google, it’s about a 3.5 hour drive, but we left our hotel at 6am and made great time. We arrived to Mysore around 9 AM and had breakfast at a local restaurant before heading to our first stop of the day.
First Stop: Gumbaz
“Gumbaz is a large mausoleum in the middle of an expansive garden that houses the cenotaphs of Tipu Sultan, his father Hyder Ali and mother Fakr-Un-Nisa. In fact Tipu Sultan built the Gumbaz as a fitting tribute to his heroic father.”
Though Gumbaz wasn’t on our radar, we were pleased to see the stunning Persian style architecture and gardens. It wasn’t very busy when we went and I’d recommend a stop if you’re interested.
Second Stop: Chamundi Hills
Next up, we drove the 12km up to Chamundi Hills.
“Chamundi Hills is the prime landmark of Mysore city, visible almost from anywhere in the city center. The hill has very close association with the founding of the city. In fact the very name of Mysore is associated with the hill. Chamundi Hills has an important place in the history of Mysore. The oldest temple in Mysore, the Mahabaleshwara temple is located atop the Chamundi Hills. So is the oldest inscription found in Mysore. That was roughly made around the 9th century AD.”
I would highly recommend a trip to the top as you can stop off and get stunning views of Mysore below, but beware, it was packed, even on a Monday morning. We walked through market stalls to get to the top and at one point the flow of the crowd came to a standstill. We stood, waiting, shoulder to shoulder for nearly two minutes (which feels like an eternity if you don’t like crowds or you’re claustrophobic). What was holding up traffic you ask? Oh, just a cow, in the middle of the market. No big deal.
We opted to skip the extremely long queue to enter the main temple and walked around it instead, taking in the architecture, sounds, and smells of burning offerings. There were people and cows everywhere and we even spotted a few monkeys lurking on the temple itself.
The view from the top!
Final Stop: Mysore Palace
Our final stop was to Mysore Palace, the place that I was most excited about!
“Mysore Palace is the central piece of Mysore’s attractions. The sprawling Mysore Palace is located in the heart of Mysore city. Rather the roads out of Mysore city appears radiating from the palace.
The interior of Mysore Palace is richly carved, intricate, colorful and architecturally thrilling.
Mysore Palace history spans for more than 500 years. But what you see now in Mysore is the modern palace built in 1912. The first palace was built during 14th century by the then Wodeyar kings.”
We paid 200INR to visit (for both of us) and I can say it was well worth it. The palace grounds are stunning and lush with different varieties of plants and trees. We walked around the exterior of the palace before taking off our shoes and joining the queue to enter. We did have to fill out a form for foreign visitors, so be aware of that, and there was a free English audio guide but we opted to skip it. We were also offered a guide for 350INR but we skipped that as well.
The visit was chaotic, to say the least. The queue was long and everyone was loud and seemed to only be interested in taking selfies/pictures. No one seemed to be interested in reading the plaques and we seemed to just be moving in a line, looking at the exhibits rather quickly. When we visit museums of any kind, we tend to take our time, reading pretty much everything, but we couldn’t really do that here as traffic was flowing and you were either flowing with it or blocking it. You just have to go with the flow.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy this experience too much. Maybe it’s because it just wasn’t what I’d thought it would be, or maybe it’s because I wished I couldn’t have spent more time here. Either way, I do believe it’s worth the price just to see the opulent architecture.
After our trip to Mysore Palace, we stopped off for lunch at a local restaurant and filled our bellies with Biryani before making the trip back to Bangalore. The drive back was much longer, closer to 4 hours due to traffic.
If you’re looking for a day trip from Bangalore, I would recommend Mysore. Just know going into it that you will spend a long time in the car (if you opt for a driver). We spent almost 8 full hours in the car and I did end up getting a bit of travel sickness, but if you’re not worried about that, then make the trip and see the sights! There is plenty more to do in Mysore that we didn’t touch on and I could see how you could easily make a weekend trip out of it!
A Few Things to Note
When visiting temples, make sure you are dressed appropriately. Knees and shoulders should be covered.
You have to remove your shoes when entering temples. I would suggest wearing thick socks as you will be walking barefoot for quite some time, especially in Mysore Palace.
If you’re a foreigner, you might be asked by locals to take selfies with them. I was asked to take selfies all day long. I know some foreigners agree to this, but I politely declined. Don’t be afraid to say no if it makes you uncomfortable.
Everyone is trying to sell you something, people need to make a living after all. Even outside of temples, people are trying to be your guide, sell you bracelets, etc. Again, politely decline and go about your way.
If you’re looking for a day trip from Bangalore and you don’t mind spending lots of time in the car or on public transport, head to Mysore!
