Visakhapatnam
From World travel guide
Visakhapatnam is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and also referred to as Vizag.
Contents |
Get in
By Air
Indian (formerly known as "Indian Airlines")[1], Air Deccan [2] and Sahara [3] operate daily flights to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad and Mumbai. Flights from and to Chennai and New Delhi are available 4 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun). Please contact the individual Air lines for the timings, as they may change periodically.
By Train
- Visakhapatnam is on Kolkata-Chennai main line and is connected to both the cities by train. This being a major station, all trains including the super fast expresses have a stop in the station.
Please verify the timings with Indian Railways, since they change from time to time.
From Hyderabad.
- Godavari Express
Departs daily from Hyderabad Nampally Station at 5:00 PM and from Secunderabad at 5:50 PM Arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 6 AM. (Prone to delays arriving at Vizag station sometimes running upto 90 minutes late). Yet, very convenient.
- Visakha Express(On route to Bhubhaneswar)
Departs daily from Secunderabad Station at 5 PM Arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 7 AM
Takes a much longer route (via Nadikudi). A good back up train for the Godavari express.
- Falaknuma express(On route to Howrah)
Departs daily from Secunderabad Station at 5:40 PM Arrives the following morning in Visakhapatnam at 5 AM. Faster than the Godavari express. Convenient.
- East Coast Express
Departs in the morning and arrives in the evening
From New Delhi
- Link
From Vijayawada
- Ratnachal Express
- Janmabhoomi Express
- Vijaywada-Visakhapatnam Passenger
From Chennai
- Coromandal Express
- Madras-Howrah Mail
- Other weekly trains are available on some days of the week. Check the Indian Railways for details.
From Kolkata
- Coromandal Express
- Howrah-Madras Mail
- Falaknuma Express
By Bus
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Travel Corporation(APSRTC) runs buses from almost every city and town to Vizag, along with some private operators, who run buses from a few of the major cities. Please check with APSRTC for timings.
By Ship
Although not the most popular route to get into Vizag, there is a ship that gets into Vizag from Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Get around
See
- Beaches. More than anything else, Vizag is known for it's beaches. It boasts a number of beaches that are both scenic and uncrowded. A few virgin beaches span along the eastern side of the city and stretch for miles. A spectacular beach only the locals are aware of is called the "Yarada" beach. Unfortunately, except for the occasional RTC bus, there is no public transport available. Still, the adventurous will find it rewarding if they can make an effort to get there.
- Ramakrishna Beach, also known as R.K. Beach. R.K.Beach is the most popular beach in the sense that, you can find the locals hanging out during the hot summers, and relatively less hot winters. On weekends and holidays, one can see that the entire beach comes alive, but not in a western sense where people take a plunge in the water, or surf. You can see the locals dressed in their best clothes, just sitting on the benches, or walking along. A few years ago, a person of different origin might have gotten a few looks but it's rarely the scene today.
- Rushikonda. Located a little away from the city, this has become a popular tourist spot that even the locals frequent nowadays. A lot safer to wade into than the R.K. Beach, cradled among hills, this used to be an excellent beach away from the madding crowds.
- Gangavaram.
- Kambalakonda
A gorgeous nature preserve that many people in Vizag itself seem to be unaware of. The solitude and the peace that one can experience at Kambalakonda located within 20-25 minutes drive from the city center is priceless. A nominal fee of 10 Rupees entrance is charged per adult. The greenery, the hiking trail and the fantastic view of the ocean from the rather flimsy viewing tower give a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city.
- Kailasha Giri
A local favourite, a short ride on to this hill gives you a spectacular view of the sea. There is a huge sculpture of Shiva and Parvathi. With a children's play area, a people-mover akin to a ski lift called a ropeway, an under construction doll museum and a couple of eating areas, this hilltop gives a nice birds eye view of the city also.
A little further away from the city, but worth visiting for the scenic valley. A slow, passenger train leaves the Vizag station early in the morning, and the train ride is actually very enjoyable. Definitely not a day trip, but the recently constructed APTDC facilities can serve as a decent over night stay. Padmavathi botanical gardens is worth taking a look at.
Reputedly fantastic caverns that had their native charm earlier (one had to crawl to get in), these caves have been modernized recently by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
Do
- Things to do:
Vizag has a lot of potential, but, completely lacks infrastructure. The beaches are lovely, but, there are no activities like water sports, or beach cafes/restaurants/huts like you have in Goa. The people here are more interested in dressing up and going to the beach, where everyone sits on benches and wiles away their time. There are very few beach resorts. Vizagites are quite conservative, and though the beaches and the hills are beautiful, there is not much here to interest the average tourist.
The only entertainment in Vizag is going to the movies or Waltair club on Friday night (which is members only, so you cannot go if you are not a member), or of course going for a drive on the beach or visiting Rushikonda.
Buy
Vizag offers a reasonably large selection of stores selling clothing, jewellery, books, etc., While definitely not considered a shopper's paradise, Vizag offers some unique handicrafts and can be located by the Andhra Pradesh State owned handicraft store, Lepakshi. It has an impressive collection of sandalwood sculptures, etc. Some popular stores are
- Chandana Brothers
- Bommana Brothers
- Kanaka Mahalakshmi
- Lepakshi
- Jyothi Book Depot
Eat
If, Spicy South Indian fare appeals to your gastronomic senses, then Vizag has some excellent restaurants.
- Five Star Restaurants
- Taj Residency
- Grand Bay
- Park
- Others
- Dolphin
- Dasapalla
- Green Park
Drink
Some interesting bars in the city are in the Five star restaurants mentioned above and typically are expensive even by the western standards. The Park Hotel has decent bar --try the Screw Driver. Daspalla has another Bar&Restaurant called 'Dimple' that serves various drinks and can be noisy at times.
Sleep
Vizag severely lags in the hotelling industry. The choice is between the extremely expensive high end hotels or the shady lodges. A decent compromise can be found in hotels like Daspalla and Green Park. There is a YMCA but if it provides accommodation to the budget traveller is unknown.
- Excellent
- Taj Residency
- Park
- Grand Bay
- Decent
- Daspalla
- Dolphin
- Green Park
Western travellers are advised to avoid everything else. There are other hotels that are a little cheaper and borderline inhabitable, like
- Meghalaya
- Royal Fort
- Grand Central
Get out
Night clubs are non-existent except for an occasional discotheque at Dolphin, Green Park.
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