- Best time
- October to February
- Distance from Bengaluru
- About 145 km
- Nearest airport
- Mysuru (domestic); Bengaluru (international)
- Nearest railway station
- Mysuru Junction
- Famous for
- Dasara, palaces, silk, sandalwood, Mysore Pak
What to see
- Mysuru Palace, the Indo-Saracenic royal residence completed in 1912 and lit up on Sunday evenings
- Chamundeshwari Temple on top of Chamundi Hills, with the giant Nandi statue on the way up
- Jaganmohan Palace and its art gallery
- Lalitha Mahal, a 1921 palace that now runs as a hotel
- St Philomena's Church, a tall Neo-Gothic cathedral
- Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo)
- Brindavan Gardens at the KRS dam, with musical fountains in the evening
Dasara festival
Mysuru Dasara runs for ten days in September or October and fills the city with lights, music and visitors. On the ninth day the royal sword is worshipped, and on Vijayadashami the Jamboo Savari procession carries the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in a golden howdah on a decorated elephant, followed by tableaux, dancers, horses and more elephants. Book stays well ahead for this period.
Local specialities
Take home Mysore silk sarees, sandalwood soap and oil, incense sticks, and a box of Mysore Pak from an old sweet shop. The Mysore Peta, a silk turban, is the city's ceremonial headgear, and traditional Mysore paintings with gold leaf work are also made here. The city is a well-known centre for Ashtanga yoga too.
Best time to visit
The weather is comfortable from around July to February, with the cool December to February months the most popular. Winter nights can drop to about 15°C. March to June is hot.
How to reach
Mysuru has a small domestic airport with limited flights; most travellers fly into Bengaluru and continue by road or rail. Mysuru Junction, in the heart of the city, has frequent trains to Bengaluru including the Shatabdi Express, plus lines to Hassan and Chamarajanagar. By road, Bengaluru is about three to four hours away, and state buses link Mysuru with Ooty, Coorg and Kerala. We can arrange Mysuru packages combined with Coorg, Ooty or Wayanad.
Places to see in Mysore
Also nearby
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