Malleswaram is an old residential and market area, home to Tamil and Kannada speaking families of long standing. A walk through the market will be a look into the traditional, vegetarian fare of South Indian Brahmin cuisine, including street foods. Aside from food, clothing, kitchen implements and a lot more can be bought. The tour starts at Kaadu Malleswara temple, Malleswaram’s patron deity. A knowledgeable local foodie will take you on an exploration of the market and its culinary offerings and explain the various ingredients and foods you come across. You will encounter shops selling fruits and vegetables, spice powders, coffee, papads, ghee, pickles and condiments. You will also stop by a few eateries to sample local snacks both sweet and savory – depending on the time of year and the current festive season, certain seasonal specials will be on offer too.

Tour Details:

• Available 7 days a week, the tour lasts around 2 hours
• Starts: 10 am at Kaadu Malleswara Temple
• Ends: 12 noon at AdyarAnanda Bhavan

Costs, including all taxes and snacks:

• INR 1000 per person (7-10 persons)
• INR 1250 per person (5-6 persons)
• INR 1750 per person (3-4 persons)
• INR 2000 per person(2 persons)
• INR 3250 (solo tour)

In the early 1800s, the British built a military Cantonment in Bangalore, the largest garrison in South India. The military establishment went on to include clubs, churches, shops, cinemas and bungalows. The area around the Cantonment became a native settlement filled with Hindus, Muslims and Anglo-Indians and English, Urdu and Tamil were spoken. Today, the area around Cantonment is still a bustling, multi-cultural area, sans the military presence.

We will begin our exploration at Hatworks Boulevard, a 145 year old heritage building that now houses boutiques, an art gallery and a coffee shop, where once stood the Imperial Hat Works. This bungalow has Burma teak windows and doors associated with Bangalore bungalows of the era. Next we’ll drive to St. Marks Cathedral, an Anglican Church dating back to 1808, built for the British garrison. St. Marks is known for its grand pipe organ, architecture and a music academy. A drive through the M.G. Road area will then bring us to the Holy Trinity Protestant Church which has tablets dedicated to the British who lived in Bangalore.

Old Airport Road is where you will see the sections belonging to the Indian Armed Forces. We will drive by Ulsoor Lake and go to the bustling Shivaji Nagar bazaar. An exploration on foot of the neighborhood, famous locally for its street food, will be next. We will also see Mariamman Temple and St Mary’s Basilica. Russell Market is a place for great photographs and we will traverse this market with its sections for flowers, vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. Our last stop will be Shivajinagar to see the old furniture and bamboo bazaar. After this, we will drop you back at your hotel.

Tour Details:

• Any day of the week, begins at 9 am and ends around 1-2 pm.  Starts/Ends: Your hotel

Spend an entire day discovering this bustling city and its various angles. You will see the city on foot and by car and your personal guide will share with you the history and legacy of the city. Built in the 1500s by Kempe Gowda, he marked the boundaries of the city with four towers. Your first stop will be at Lalbagh Gardens (The Red Gardens), where one of the towers is. With a lake, aquarium and tropical plants, it’s a popular spot with locals and is a distinctive part of the landscape in South Bangalore. Lalbagh plays host to the annual flower show in August, held in its famous glass house and is also a popular spot with birders. Next we’ll head nearby to Tipu’s Summer Palace – Tipu Sultan is one of the significant rulers whose contributions are still reflected in the local landscape. The palace, though derelict, is representative of the wooden architecture of the period. After the palace, we’ll head to the Cantonment area, established by the British in the 1800s after they defeated Tipu Sultan. You will visit the bazaar, army residential areas as well as a well-known old church. The rest of Bangalore, away from the Cantonment was nominally still under the Maharajah of Mysore (the Wodeyar family) and we will visit the Palace of the Wodeyars as well.

The Vidhana Soudha is an arresting government building that was constructed post-Independence, featuring hybrid architecture and Indian motifs. You will be able to take photographs of the buildings in the area as we drive by, and then we will take a stroll through another of Bangalore’s parks, Cubbon Park. If it’s of interest, before you are dropped back to your hotel, a drive through one of the city’s tech hubs will give you a feel for India’s Silicon Valley and a look at the new face of Bangalore.

Tour Details:

• Available 7 days of the week, and will take from 9 am to 4 pm Starts/Ends: At your hotel

A special experience for any tourist would be a visit to a local home and a home cooked meal. This tour offers you this and more – you will also get to participate in the cooking and learn about the dishes, and watch your hostess prepare a range of typical South Indian vegetarian delicacies for you. While not a formal cooking class, you’ll have the chance to watch the home chef in action, ask any questions you have, and learn of traditional recipes handed down through the generations. Please let us know in advance of any food restrictions or preferences and we’ll create the menu accordingly.

Tour Details:

• Can be booked for any day of the week, duration around 3 hours excluding drive to/from hotel Starts/Ends: Your hotel

Not just garden or IT city, Bangalore is also home to numerous art galleries featuring traditional and contemporary South Indian art. An English speaking art student will be your very own guide for this tour and is familiar with the various galleries, though not an art expert. You can pick and choose from the spots on our list and also ask for any other you’re interested in, and we’ll be happy to arrange it. Our list of galleries on the tour include:

NGMA Bangalore: The National Gallery of Modern Art with paintings by India’s best modern and contemporary painters. Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat: This art institution and gallery always has an art exhibition to visit. Students here learn painting, sculpture, applied art, graphic art and art history.

Venkatappa Gallery: Houses art from 2000 BC to the medieval period and is a popular stop. Galleryske: Displays modern art and has an interesting looking building worth checking out. 1 Shanti Road Gallery: Has courtyards where artists display their work, and is popular for student art shows. Gallery Sumukha: An art gallery showcasing contemporary Indian art.

Tour Details:

• All days of the week except Mondays, runs between 10am and 2pm (timings may vary based on your hotel location).
• Starts/Ends: At your hotel

Bangalore has some great shopping and you can buy almost anything, from fabrics, clothes, handicrafts, curios, furniture, home accessories and jewelry. From street shopping to boutiques to malls and large stores, you can decide the type of place and experience you’d like to have. A knowledgeable local with all the shopping locales and information on hand will be your personal guide for this tour, which will be accomplished by car so as to get you to the maximum number of places.

Tour Details:

• All days of the week; length of tour depends on your interests/time availability
• Starts: At your hotel
• Ends: At your hotel

We will take a day trip to Mysore, which is about 3 hours away from Bangalore (depending on traffic could be more), to take in the highlights of this Kingdom city, one of the wealthy Deccan kingdoms of yore. The Wodeyars are the founding family and rulers, and Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan ruled for two generations, also contributing to the splendor of the city. With a strong appreciation for art, culture and music, the influence of the Wodeyars is apparent even today. Though there is plenty to see in the city, we will cover the following during our day long visit, with a stop for lunch at the Royal Orchid Metropole.

• A visit to Chamundi Hills to see the Chamundi Temple dedicated to the city’s patron deity, Chamundeshwari.
• Mysore Palace, which has the official name of Amba Vilas Palace, still the official residence of the erstwhile rulers of Mysore, the Wodeyars.
• Devaraja Market and the Chikka Ghadiyara clock tower: Devaraja Market is one of Mysore’s busiest thoroughfares, and you will see people going about their daily market and shopping. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, traditional household items and lots more. The market boasts around 800 traders in all! Chikka Ghadiyara translates from Kannada as “small clock” and is the local name for the Dufferin Clock Tower (named in honor of the visit by the then British Viceroy of India, Lord Dufferin) located at one end of the market.
• The District Collectorate Office, Mysore University, Oriental Institute and nearby college campuses: See the British influences in these buildings in the city and see the humming student life of Mysore, known for its universities.

Tour Details:

• Available all 7 days of the week, we will leave for Mysore at 6.30 am and return by 8.30 pm
• Starts/Ends: Your hotel

Another great day trip you can take from Bangalore is to go see the wonderful Hoysala (the Hoysala was a Kannadiga empire that ruled the area between the 10^th and 14^th centuries) temples at Belur and Halebid.  This is a full day excursion to the Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid. The drive time from Bangalore is around 4 hours. Belur was originally the capital city of the empire, until the switch to Halebid in the 12^th century. Your guide will regale you with the stories and history of the time. The temples at both cities are very beautiful and representative of the culture and art of the era. The Hoysalas were patrons of the arts and architecture and these temples are testament to the workmanship and sentiments of the time.

We will begin with a stop in Halebid to visit the Hoysaleshwara temple, dedicated to Shiva. Then we will stop for lunch we will stop at the Hoysala Village Resort at Hassan, after which we make our way to Belur to visit the Chennakeshava temple. Dedicated to Vishnu, the idol is of Vishnu is his handsome or as they in Kannada, “chenna” form.  Using soft soapstone to create their intricate carvings, these two temples are the best examples of Hoysala workmanship. After this temple, we will return to Bangalore and drop you back to your hotel.

Tour Details:

• Available all 7 days of the week, we will leave for Mysore at 6.30 am and return by 8.30 pm Starts/Ends: Your hotel