Walk through the boulder-strewn capital of the Vijayanagara Empire and the rock-cut cave temples of the Chalukyas. This heritage tour from Bangalore covers two UNESCO World Heritage Sites — Hampi and Pattadakal — along with the temple town of Aihole and the red sandstone caves of Badami.
- Duration: 5 Days / 4 Nights
- Route: Bengaluru – Hampi – Pattadakal – Aihole – Badami – Bengaluru
- Best time to visit: October to February (cool, dry weather for walking the ruins)
- Starts: Bengaluru (pick-up from home, hotel, airport or railway station)
- Ends: Bengaluru
Tour Highlights
- Stone Chariot and musical pillars of Vitthala Temple
- Living Virupaksha Temple and Hampi Bazaar
- Coracle ride on the Tungabhadra river
- Queen's Bath, Lotus Mahal and Elephant Stables
- UNESCO-listed temple group at Pattadakal
- Durga Temple at Aihole and the Badami cave temples
Itinerary
Day 1: BENGALURU – HAMPI (340 KMS / 6–7 HRS DRIVE)
- Early morning pick-up from your home or hotel in Bengaluru
- Drive north via Chitradurga, with a breakfast stop on the highway
- Arrive in Hampi / Hosapete and check in to the hotel
- Late afternoon climb up Hemakuta Hill for sunset over the temple ruins
- Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel
Day 2: HAMPI – SACRED CENTRE & VITTHALA TEMPLE
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Visit the Virupaksha Temple, still in worship after more than 1,000 years
- Walk down the ancient Hampi Bazaar and see the Monolithic Nandi
- Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha — two giant monolithic Ganesha statues
- Afternoon at the Vitthala Temple complex: the iconic Stone Chariot and the musical pillars
- Evening coracle (round basket boat) ride on the Tungabhadra river
- Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel
Day 3: HAMPI – ROYAL CENTRE
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Explore the Royal Enclosure: Mahanavami Dibba and the Stepped Tank
- Hazara Rama Temple with its Ramayana wall carvings
- Zenana Enclosure, Lotus Mahal and the Elephant Stables
- Queen's Bath, Ugra Narasimha and the Badavilinga Temple
- Optional: sunset from Matanga Hill or a visit to the Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary
- Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel
Day 4: HAMPI – PATTADAKAL – AIHOLE – BADAMI (150 KMS / 4 HRS DRIVE)
- Breakfast and check out
- Drive to Aihole, often called the cradle of Indian temple architecture — see the apsidal Durga Temple
- Continue to Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Chalukyan temples like Virupaksha and Sangameshwara
- Arrive in Badami and check in to the hotel
- Evening stroll around Agastya Lake
- Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel
Day 5: BADAMI – BENGALURU (450 KMS / 8–9 HRS DRIVE)
- Early visit to the four Badami cave temples carved into red sandstone cliffs
- See the Bhutanatha temples on the edge of Agastya Lake
- Check out and drive back to Bengaluru (or transfer to Hubballi, 100 kms, for a flight / train)
- Tour ends with sweet memories
Plan This Trip With Us
This itinerary is fully customisable — add a day, change hotel category, or turn it into a family, group or honeymoon trip. We can also help with flights or trains to the starting point. Prices depend on your travel dates, hotel choice and group size. Call or WhatsApp us on +91 98847 98483 or email info@adwaittours.com for a free quote.
Photo credits: Stone Chariot of Vitthala Temple, Hampi by Sid Mohanty (CC BY-SA 4.0); Complex of Virupaksha Temple, Hampi (04) by iMahesh (CC BY-SA 4.0); A-cave-temple-at-badami by Rajeshodayanchal (CC BY-SA 3.0); Sangameshwar Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka, India by Naveen R Gowda (CC BY-SA 4.0); Durga Temple – Aihole with cloud by AmlanTheTramp (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
