Hyderabad City Tour with Most Popular Tourist Places

Best Tourist Places in Hyderabad

Hyderabad has something for every traveller: old forts and palaces, temples and mosques, lakes and parks, museums, and theme parks for a full day of fun. Below is a simple guide to the best-known places in and around the city, grouped by type, so you can plan which ones to see on your tour.

Monuments, forts and palaces

• Charminar - The name Charminar means "Four Minarets". Built in 1591, it is both a monument and a mosque. Today this landmark is known around the world as the symbol of Hyderabad.
• Golkonda Fort - Golkonda, also spelt Golconda, is a fort and citadel in South India, 11 km west of Hyderabad. It was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, a medieval sultanate.
• Chowmahalla Palace - This palace of the Nizams was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. The Nizams of Hyderabad used it as their official home during the years they ruled their state.
• Falaknuma Palace - Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad first belonged to the Paigah family, and the Nizam of Hyderabad owned it later. One of its best features is the state reception room, where the ceiling is decorated with frescoes.
• Qutub Shahi Tombs - These tombs stand in Ibrahim Bagh, close to the famous Golconda Fort. They hold the tombs and mosques built by the different kings of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The smaller tombs have galleries of a single storey, while the larger tombs have two storeys.
• Taramati Baradari - Taramati Baradari is a historic sarai (rest house) that forms part of Ibrahim Bagh, a Persian-style garden. It was built during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah, the fourth Sultan of Golconda.
• Paigah Tombs Hyderabad - Also known as Maqbara Shams al-Umara, these are the tombs of the noble Paigah family. The Paigahs were fiercely loyal to the Nizams and worked under them and alongside them as statesmen, philanthropists and generals.

Temples, mosques and shrines

• Mecca Masjid - Mecca Masjid is one of the oldest mosques in Hyderabad. It is also one of the largest mosques in India.
• Birla Mandir - This Hindu temple stands on Naubath Pahad, a hillock 280 feet high, on a plot of 13 acres. Building the temple took 10 years. It was opened in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of the Ramakrishna Mission.
• Chilkur Balaji Temple - Popularly called the "Visa Balaji Temple", this ancient Hindu temple of Lord Balaji stands on the banks of Osman Sagar in Hyderabad. It is one of the oldest temples in the city, built in the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas.
• Yadagiri Gutta - Yadagirigutta is a temple of Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimha in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana, 65 km from Hyderabad. The name Yadagiri comes from a sage named Yadava, who served Lord Vishnu in his Narasimha form.
• Peddamma Temple - Peddamma Temple is a Hindu temple in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, and it is very famous during the Bonalu festival season. The word "Peddamma" is made of two words, Pedda and Amma, and means "Mother of Mothers" or "The Supreme Mother".
• Sanghi Temple - Sanghi Temple is at Sanghi Nagar in Telangana, about 35 km from Hyderabad city. Its sacred Raja Gopuram is very tall and can be seen from several kilometres away. The temple complex sits on top of Paramanand Giri hill and draws many devotees.
• Jagannath Temple - The Jagannath Temple in Hyderabad is a modern temple to the Hindu God Jagannath, built by the Odia community of the city. It is near Road No. 12 (twelve), Banjara Hills, and is famous for its yearly Rath Yatra festival, which thousands of devotees attend.
• ISKCON Temple - The grand Sri Sri Radha-Madana-mohana temple on Nampally Station Road was inaugurated by Swami Prabhupada. It is meant to serve as a centre for cultural, spiritual, educational and social activities that help improve the lives of people here.
• Ramakrishna Math - The Ramakrishna Math in Hyderabad has a beautiful temple for Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is a universal temple, which means everyone is welcome here, whatever their religion, caste, creed, race, sex or nationality.
• Ujjaini Mahakali Temple - Sri Ujjaini Mahakali Temple is a 191-year-old temple in the Secunderabad area of Telangana. Devotees pray to the goddess here every day. Lakhs of devotees come during the Ashada Jathara, which usually falls on a Sunday and Monday. The temple is also popular during the Bonalu festival.
• Maula Ali Dargah - Moula Ali hill is a monadnock, or dome-shaped hill, in Moula Ali, Hyderabad, Telangana. It is well known for the Moula Ali dargah and a holy stone, both found on top of the hill. Most people living in the area are Muslims.

Museums

• H.E.H Nizam Museum - Also called the Nizam's Museum or H.E.H Nizam's Museum, it is located at Purani Haveli in Hyderabad, a palace of the former Nizams. The museum displays the gifts given to the last Nizam of Hyderabad State.
• Salar Jung Museum - The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum at Dar-ul-Shifa, on the southern bank of the Musi River in Hyderabad. It is one of the 3 National Museums of India.
• Sudha Cars Museum - This automobile museum in Hyderabad shows "Crazy Cars" that look like everyday objects. Kanyaboyina Sudhakar makes these cars by hand. He started this as a hobby in his school days and opened the museum in 2010.
• Birla Science Museum - The B. M. Birla Science Museum in Hyderabad was built by civil engineer Mr. P. A. Singaravelu. It has a planetarium, a museum, a science centre, an art gallery and a dinosaurium.

Lakes, parks and gardens

• Hussain Sagar - Hussain Sagar is a necklace-shaped lake in Hyderabad built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. On World Tourism Day, 27-Sep-2012, the UNWTO named it the 'Heart of the World' for being the world's largest heart-shaped mark.
• Tank Bund - The Tank Bund holds back the water of Hussain Sagar Lake on its eastern side and links the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It has become an attraction for its 33 statues of famous people of united Andhra Pradesh, and now of the State of Telangana.
• Necklace Road Hyderabad - Necklace Road is a wide road beside Hussain Sagar lake that joins NTR Gardens to Sanjeevaiah Park. Seen from the sky, this road and the Tank Bund together look like a necklace, which is how it got its name.
• NTR Gardens - NTR Gardens is a small public city park of 36 acres next to Hussain Sagar lake, right in the centre of the city. A 5-acre plot within it was used to build a memorial to N. T. Rama Rao.
• Lumbini Park - Lumbini Park is a small public city park of 7.5 acres beside Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad. Boating is one of the best parts of a visit, and people take boats out to the Buddha statue that stands in the middle of the lake.
• Buddha Statue of Hyderabad - The Buddha Statue of Hyderabad is a monolith, and it is the world's tallest monolith of Gautama Buddha.
• Sanjeevaiah Park - Sanjeevaiah Park is a green public park in the heart of Hyderabad, built on 92 acres (37 ha) along the banks of Hussain Sagar lake. It is named after Damodaram Sanjivayya, a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
• Indira Park - Indira Park is a green public park in the heart of Hyderabad. The late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, then President of India, laid its foundation stone in September 1975. The park opened to the public in 1978 with full landscaping.
• Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park - Also known as Chiran Fort Palace, this national park is in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, and covers about 390 acres (1.6 sq km). The Andhra Pradesh state government declared the whole park a national park in 1998, after approval from the central government.
• Nehru Zoo Park - Nehru Zoological Park is a zoo near Mir Alam Tank and one of the most visited places in Hyderabad. It was set up under G.O.Ms. No. 247, dated 26 October 1959.
• Botanical Gardens - Hyderabad Botanical Garden is in Kothaguda, Kondapur, near Hitec City. It aims to give the city a modern botanical garden that conserves and develops germ plasm and teaches people about plants. The garden covers 274 acres (1.11 sq km) of rolling land and has 19 sectors called 'Vanams'.
• Durgam Cheruvu - Durgam Cheruvu, also called Raidurgam Cheruvu, is a freshwater lake in Rangareddy district, Telangana, near the city of Hyderabad. It spreads over 83 acres (34 ha). It is also known as the Secret Lake because it lies hidden between the areas of Jubilee Hills and Madhapur.
• Gandipet Lake - Osman Sagar, popularly called Gandipet, is a reservoir in Hyderabad. The lake is around 46 sq km and the reservoir around 29 sq km, with a total level of 1,790 feet and a capacity of 3.9 tmc ft.

Theme parks and entertainment

• Ramoji Film City - Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad is the largest integrated film city. It is spread over 1666 acres, and Guinness World Records has certified it as the largest studio complex in the world. Telugu film producer Ramoji Rao built it in 1996.
• Wonderla Amusement Park - Wonderla Amusement Water Park Hyderabad has 25 land rides and 18 water attractions on 50 acres of land. It is 28 km away from Hyderabad City.
• Ocean Park - Ocean Park is set in 15 acres of well-kept gardens at Gandipet, just 15 km from Hyderabad. It has a number of world-class amusement rides and water rides.
• Mount Opera - Mount Opera is a theme park about 40 km from the main city of Hyderabad. It is one of the popular tourist places around Hyderabad and offers plenty of fun for everyone.
• Jalavihar - Jalavihar is a water park of about 12.5 acres (5.1 ha) in Hyderabad, beside Sanjeevaiah Park and along Hussain Sagar lake. It opened on 20 May 2007. Its wave pool is the largest in the country and can hold about 1,000 people at a time.
• Snow World - Snow World is an amusement park of about 2 acres (0.81 ha) in Hyderabad. It lies beside Indira Park, along Hussain Sagar lake, and opened on 28 January 2004.
• Prasad's I-MAX Entertainment - Prasad's (Prasad's I-MAX) is a fully air-conditioned complex of 2,35,000 sq ft. It has a movie theatre, a six-screen multiplex, a food court, international fast food outlets, a gaming zone and a shopping mall spread over two levels.

Art, culture, shopping and city landmarks

• Shilparamam - Shilparamam is an arts and crafts village in Hi-Tech City, Hyderabad. It was planned as a place to protect and keep alive traditional crafts, and ethnic festivals are held here all through the year.
• Shilpakala Vedika - Shilpakala Vedika is a terracotta auditorium and convention centre in Hi-Tech City, Hyderabad, with an area of 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2). Shilpa means sculpture, kala means art and vedika means platform, so the name means a platform for art and sculpture.
• Cyber Towers - Cyber Towers is the landmark building that gave rise to the name Hi-Tech City. Many IT companies were based here, and it became a gateway for IT professionals.
• Laad Bazaar Hyderabad - Laad Bazaar, also called Choodi Bazaar, is a very old market in Hyderabad, Telangana, famous for its bangles. It stands on one of the four main roads that branch out from the historic Charminar.