Hyderabad tour packages

• Duration: 2 to 4 days; most travellers take 3 or 4.
• Price: from ₹10,499 per person, stays, local travel and the sightseeing listed on each trip page.
• Places: the Charminar and Laad Bazaar, Chowmahalla Palace, Mecca Masjid and the Salar Jung Museum in the old city, Golconda Fort and the Qutb Shahi Tombs, Birla Mandir and Hussain Sagar, a full day at Ramoji Film City, and day trips to Srisailam or Yadagirigutta.
• Travel: Every trip is private and starts in Hyderabad: your driver meets you at the airport, the railway station or the bus stand, or picks you up within the city, and drops you back at the end. Flights, trains and buses to Hyderabad are not part of the package, and the trip pages say where each one begins.
• Stay: a hotel in Hyderabad in the category you choose, on double or triple sharing, with one night in Srisailam on the Jyotirlinga Yatra.
• Best time: October to February is the season: dry, sunny days of about 28 to 30°C and cool evenings, the easiest months for Golconda and the old city on foot.
• Weather: Hyderabad sits on the Deccan plateau at about 500 m.
• Trip type: private trips planned around your dates and your group.

2 Days Hyderabad Getaway2D/1N · ₹10,4993 Days Hyderabad Escape3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hyderabad Escape from Mumbai3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss3D/2N · ₹11,210

Three days covers the old city, a full day at Ramoji Film City, and Golconda with the Qutb Shahi Tombs; one three-day plan swaps Ramoji for Yadagirigutta and Bhongir Fort. Four days adds an easy first evening at Birla Mandir, the planetarium and Hussain Sagar, or a day out to the Mallikarjuna temple at Srisailam, with a night there on the Jyotirlinga Yatra.

3 days / 2 nights, from ₹10,999 per person: 3 Days Hyderabad Escape (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hyderabad Escape from Mumbai (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹11,210).

4 days / 3 nights, from ₹11,499 per person: 4 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

3 Days Hyderabad Escape3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hyderabad Escape from Mumbai3D/2N · ₹10,9994 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹11,499

3 days / 2 nights from ₹10,999 per person. pick-up in Hyderabad and the old city: the Charminar and Laad Bazaar, Chowmahalla Palace, Mecca Masjid and the Salar Jung Museum, then the evening at Lumbini Park and a boat to the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar. Then a full day at Ramoji Film City for the film sets, the shows and the rides, and back to the hotel in the evening. Then Golconda Fort in the morning, the Qutb Shahi Tombs nearby and Birla Mandir above the lake, then the drop for the journey home.

4 plans: 3 Days Hyderabad Escape (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hyderabad Escape from Mumbai (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹11,210); 3 Days Hyderabad Yadagirigutta Yatra (3D/2N, from ₹11,210).

3 Days Hyderabad Escape3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hyderabad Escape from Mumbai3D/2N · ₹10,9993 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss3D/2N · ₹11,2103 Days Hyderabad Yadagirigutta Yatra3D/2N · ₹11,210

4 days / 3 nights from ₹11,499 per person. Three days covers the old city, a full day at Ramoji Film City, and Golconda with the Qutb Shahi Tombs; one three-day plan swaps Ramoji for Yadagirigutta and Bhongir Fort. Four days adds an easy first evening at Birla Mandir, the planetarium and Hussain Sagar, or a day out to the Mallikarjuna temple at Srisailam, with a night there on the Jyotirlinga Yatra.

5 plans: 4 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Jyotirlinga Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹16,820).

4 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Jyotirlinga Yatra4D/3N · ₹16,820

These are the places Hyderabad trips are built from. Each trip page lists exactly which of them it covers, and a private trip can swap one for another.

• Charminar and Laad Bazaar: The four-minaret gateway built by the Qutb Shahi kings in 1591, at the heart of the old city, with the lanes of Laad Bazaar around it for lacquer bangles and pearls.
• Golconda Fort: The granite citadel of the Qutb Shahi kings on a hill west of the city, famous for its acoustics: a clap at the entrance gate carries up to the top; the climb to the summit pavilion takes about an hour.
• Qutb Shahi Tombs: The domed tombs of the Qutb Shahi kings in gardens a short drive from Golconda, the largest group of royal tombs in the city.
• Chowmahalla Palace: The palace of the Nizams near the Charminar, with its courtyards, the Durbar Hall and a collection of vintage cars; closed on Fridays.
• Salar Jung Museum: One family's vast collection on the Musi riverbank, from jade and clocks to the marble Veiled Rebecca; closed on Fridays.
• Mecca Masjid: One of the oldest and largest mosques in India, beside the Charminar, begun under the Qutb Shahis and finished under the Mughals.
• Birla Mandir: The white marble temple to Lord Venkateswara on a hill above Hussain Sagar, with a view over the city at sunset.
• Hussain Sagar and Lumbini Park: The lake at the centre of the city, with the monolithic Buddha statue on a rock in the middle reached by boat from Lumbini Park, and Necklace Road and NTR Gardens along the shore.
• Birla Planetarium, Science Museum and Snow World: The easy first-evening stops near the lake: a sky show at the planetarium, the science museum next door, and the indoor snow park, popular with children.
• Ramoji Film City: One of the largest film studio complexes in the world, about 30 km east of the city on the Vijayawada highway: film sets, a studio tour, live shows, gardens and rides, and a full day of its own.
• Srisailam: The temple town in the Nallamala hills above the Krishna, home of the Mallikarjuna Swamy temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, with the Srisailam dam and the steps down to Pathala Ganga.
• Yadagirigutta and Bhongir Fort: The hilltop Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple about 60 km from the city, with the 12th century fort on Bhongir's monolithic rock and the Surendrapuri sculpture park on the same road.

Opening hours and tickets

Friday is the day to plan around: the Salar Jung Museum, Chowmahalla Palace and the Telangana State Museum are closed on Fridays, which is why our plans put the old city on another day when your dates allow. Golconda Fort is open every day from morning to early evening, with a sound and light show after dark. Ramoji Film City runs from the morning into the evening and needs the whole day; outside food is not allowed inside, though a water bottle is fine. Visitors to Mecca Masjid should avoid prayer times, and Birla Mandir usually does not allow phones or cameras inside. Each sight charges its own entry ticket, with extra for cameras at some; hours change on holidays and festivals, so confirm them the week you travel.

What to eat

Hyderabadi biryani is the reason many people come: the dum-cooked kacchi biryani, with the meat and rice sealed and slow-cooked together, eaten in the old city and all over town. Haleem, the slow-cooked wheat and meat dish, is made in the weeks of Ramzan, whose dates move each year. Irani chai with Osmania biscuits in the old cafés, pathar ka gosht, mirchi ka salan with the biryani, and the desserts qubani ka meetha (stewed apricots) and double ka meetha (a bread pudding). Vegetarians eat well too, with veg biryani, Andhra and Telangana meals and South Indian breakfasts everywhere. Meals on our trips are what each trip page lists, so most lunches are yours to choose.

Every trip is private, so the plan below is a starting point: the days, the hotels and the pace are set around you.

• Day 1: pick-up in Hyderabad and the old city: the Charminar and Laad Bazaar, Chowmahalla Palace, Mecca Masjid and the Salar Jung Museum, then the evening at Lumbini Park and a boat to the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar.
• Day 2: a full day at Ramoji Film City for the film sets, the shows and the rides, and back to the hotel in the evening.
• Day 3: Golconda Fort in the morning, the Qutb Shahi Tombs nearby and Birla Mandir above the lake, then the drop for the journey home.

Hyderabad packages start at ₹10,499 per person: ₹10,999 for 3 days and ₹11,499 for 4 days. That covers the hotel nights, a private car with driver for every transfer and drive, and the sightseeing each trip page lists. Meals differ by trip, from room only to breakfast and dinner, so each trip page says what it includes. Flights, trains and buses to Hyderabad are not included, and monument, museum and Ramoji Film City tickets are paid at the gate on most plans; the 4 Days Hyderabad Getaway is the one that includes the Ramoji ticket and its guided studio tour.

What moves the price is the hotel category, the car (a sedan or an SUV), how many of you share the car and the rooms, and whether the plan includes meals or the Ramoji ticket. Weekends, long weekends and the December holidays cost more than a mid-week date. Monument and museum tickets, the Ramoji ticket on most plans, boating at Hussain Sagar, special darshan tickets at the temples and anything not named on the trip page stay out of the fare, and 5% GST is added to the package price.

Ramoji Film City is about 30 km east of the city and takes a full day: the studio tour, the film sets, live shows, gardens and rides. Most of our Hyderabad trips give it a day of its own; the ticket is paid at the gate on most plans and included on the 4 Days Hyderabad Getaway.

2 trips on this page, from ₹11,210 per person: 3 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹11,210); 4 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

3 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss3D/2N · ₹11,2104 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss4D/3N · ₹11,499

Srisailam is a little over 200 km south of Hyderabad through the Nallamala forest, five to six hours each way. The Srisailam Yatra does it as one long day from the city; the Jyotirlinga Yatra stays a night in Srisailam for the Mallikarjuna temple, the dam, Pathala Ganga, Sakshi Ganapathi, Phaladhara Panchadhara, Sikharam and the Mallela Theertham waterfall.

2 trips on this page, from ₹11,499 per person: 4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹11,499); 4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Jyotirlinga Yatra (4D/3N, from ₹16,820).

4 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Yatra4D/3N · ₹11,4994 Days Hyderabad Srisailam Jyotirlinga Yatra4D/3N · ₹16,820

Yadagirigutta is about 60 km from the city, so it is an easy day out: Bhongir Fort on its rock, darshan at the hilltop Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and the Surendrapuri sculpture park, back in Hyderabad by evening. Special darshan tickets are not part of the package.

1 trip on this page, from ₹11,210 per person: 3 Days Hyderabad Yadagirigutta Yatra (3D/2N, from ₹11,210).

3 Days Hyderabad Yadagirigutta Yatra3D/2N · ₹11,210

A long weekend up from Bengaluru: the driver meets you at the Hyderabad airport, station or bus stand, and the days cover the lakeside sights, a full day at Ramoji Film City and the old-city monuments with Laad Bazaar, before the drop for the journey back. The flight, train or bus between the two cities is not part of the package.

1 trip on this page, from ₹11,499 per person: 4 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

4 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore4D/3N · ₹11,499

Families: 5 plans paced for children, from ₹10,999: 3 Days Hyderabad Escape (3D/2N, from ₹10,999); 3 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Bliss (3D/2N, from ₹11,210); 4 Days Hyderabad Ramoji Film City Bliss (4D/3N, from ₹11,499).

Best time

October to February is the season: dry, sunny days of about 28 to 30°C and cool evenings, the easiest months for Golconda and the old city on foot. March to May is hot, often above 40°C in April and May, so sightseeing is best done early and late; June to September is the monsoon, with showers rather than washouts and greener, cooler days.

• October to February, 15 to 30°C: The season: dry, sunny days and cool evenings, the easiest months for Golconda and the old city on foot. December and January nights are the coolest, and the Christmas and New Year weeks are the busiest.
• June to September, 22 to 32°C: The monsoon: showers rather than washouts, greener and cooler days, and the Srisailam dam and the Nallamala forest at their fullest. The Bonalu festival usually falls in July or August, and the Ganesh festival ends with the immersions in Hussain Sagar.
• March to May, 25 to 42°C: Hot, with April and May often above 40°C in the afternoons; plan Golconda and the old city for the early morning and keep museums, Snow World and Ramoji's indoor shows for the heat of the day.

What to pack

Light cotton for most of the year, with a light jacket or shawl for December and January evenings and an umbrella from June to September. Comfortable walking shoes for the climb to Golconda's citadel and the old-city lanes; a cap, sunscreen and water for the afternoons, which are warm even in winter. Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for Mecca Masjid, Birla Mandir and the temples at Srisailam and Yadagirigutta, where shoes come off at the entrance, and a government photo ID for every traveller for the hotels.

Getting there

You are already here: every trip starts with a pick-up within Hyderabad, at your home, the railway station, the bus stand or Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad, and the day trips leave from the city by private car: Ramoji Film City about 30 km out, Yadagirigutta about 60 km and Srisailam a little over 200 km.

Hyderabad is about 570 km from Bengaluru: a flight of about an hour and a quarter, overnight trains of about 11 to 12 hours to Kacheguda or Secunderabad, or overnight buses of nine to ten hours on NH44. The 4 Days Hyderabad Escape from Bangalore starts with a pick-up at the Hyderabad airport, station or bus stand; the journey itself is not part of the package.

Hyderabad is about 630 km from Chennai: a flight of about an hour and a quarter, or overnight trains of about 12 to 14 hours to Secunderabad or Hyderabad Deccan (Nampally). The trips start with a pick-up at the Hyderabad airport, station or bus stand; the journey is not part of the package.

Permits and fees

No permits are needed for Hyderabad or the day trips. Special darshan and pooja tickets at Srisailam and Yadagirigutta are not part of any package; they are bought at the temple or through the temple's own booking site, and the rules and prices change, so confirm them before you travel. The Srisailam road runs through the Nallamala forest of the Amrabad tiger reserve and is usually closed to traffic at night, which is why the Srisailam day starts early; carry a government photo ID for the hotels.

Hyderabad or Mysore? Both are heritage cities for a long weekend. Hyderabad is the bigger city: the Qutb Shahi and Nizam monuments, the old-city bazaars around the Charminar, biryani and a full day at Ramoji Film City. Mysore is smaller and calmer: the palace and its Sunday illuminations, Chamundi Hills, Srirangapatna and Brindavan Gardens, with Coorg or Ooty a few hours away. From Bengaluru, Mysore is the easy weekend by road, about three hours; Hyderabad is an overnight train or an hour's flight and suits three or four days. Both are at their best from October to February.

The closest overnight camping to Hyderabad is at Ananthagiri Hills, near Vikarabad, about 80 km from the city. Four campsites run every Saturday with a tent stay, dinner, breakfast and a bonfire.